World of Warcraft: Legion Zone Preview – Stormheim

Another new zone is being shown off for the World of Warcraft “Legion” expansion that drops on August 30. This region takes heavy inspiration from Norse myths and legend, creating a land of powerful vikings, ancient gods, and plenty of dragons. 

According to the developer post, Stormheim is described thusly; 

“The land of Stormheim is one of harsh beauty, a reflection of the vrykul who dwell here. As you explore, you’ll learn more about vrykrul culture, including the origins of the mysterious Val’kyr and the terrifying Kvaldir. Along the way, you will contend with the vrykul God-King as he races to claim the Stormheim’s Pillar of Creation on behalf of his Legion masters. Ultimately, your quest will take you into the very heavens where the greatest champions of the vrykul await to test your worth.”

There is plenty to see and do in Stormheim, particularly for characters who have hit the maximum level. Some of this area’s challenges are only for the strongest warriors, including a quest where heroes must travel to Shield’s Rest — an ancient burial ground underwater. 

Another important thing to know about this zone is that it kickstarts a battle between two of World of Warcraft’s most iconic characters; Sylvanas Windrunner vs. Genn Greymane. We already know that Sylvanas has become the new Warchief of the Horde and it will be interesting to see how her battle against this powerful Alliance warrior will play out in this new zone. 

This image shows off a map of the new Stormheim zone. As you can see it touches the borders of Suramar and High Mountain, two zones that have already been encountered. What makes Stormheim different from High Mountain, another stormy, mountainous zone in Azeroth however? Developers state that it is:

“A lot of verticality to the zone. High Mountain is the tallest zone, but Stormheim probably has the widest range of high and low points because it comes out of Highmountain and goes all the way down to sea level. It’s one of the reasons it looks so imposing—the cliffs.” 

This environment of cliffs and high points makes the grapplings hooks you’ll find around the area a necessity for navigating. There are many of them scattered throughout Stormheim’s cliffs and mountains, and it is worth it to try and explore all of the area. 

As you can see in this image, the weather in Stormheim is often dark and dreary… and yes, stormy. You can thank the Storm Dragons for that — and they will be prevalent enemies in the area for you to fight. Also another hint of note from the developers regards the weather changes in the area:

“If you are leveling up your character in the Runewood, and your screen turns black and it starts to snow – run.” 

Though we have yet to know what this ominous warning will mean, it certainly sounds like there will be plenty of intense challenges to come in this zone. Below are a couple more images of environments from Stormheim, pulled from the developer post. 

As can be seen in these beautiful pictures, much of Stormheim is based heavily on the Norse legends, with viking motifs very evident throughout the architecture and design of the zone. Of course many of these elements are given an Azeroth twist to allow them to fit within World of Warcraft. 

So, what are your thoughts on the new zone? Excited to take part in the Norse-themed world and its legendary battles? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!