World of Warcraft's Dragonflight content is getting a whole lot friendlier for the humble solo player in the Seeds of Renewal patch, with a new support system allowing you to do dungeon content in the company of NPCs – just like in Final Fantasy 14.
Blizzard has peeled back the curtain on Dragonflight's next patch. Called Seeds of Renewal, you can expect heaps of cool stuff like a new history-laden public event, the ability to take dragon-riding to old-world continents that allow for flight, and, yes, Follower Dungeons.
The feature is already on the PTR and is fairly straightforward. You're free to tank, heal, or DPS in the company of NPC companions that fill up the rest of the roles. Once the patch releases, all eight Normal Dragonflight Dungeons will be available, scaling from one to four players.
"These companions will allow players to learn about Dragonflight dungeons at their own pace and provide the freedom to experiment and customize their Party makeup," Blizzard says.
The new feature is going down as a treat among the World of Warcraft community, too.
"I am excited to see that anyone will be able to experience dungeon content regardless of if other players want to, or can, as well," one fan says. "It opens up this content so that anyone can play it at any time, and presumably without any queues or wait. I love that.
"I've wanted this system for years and years. Can't find a party member for a specific role? Just talk to an NPC that will run with you in that role and perform reasonably well."
The new feature feels like a win for a few reasons. Final Fantasy 14 succeeds in offering players an RPG that has MMO elements attached, which means you can turn up to play through a dang good story with minimal dependence on anyone else. Part of that is achieved through relying on the MMO's duty support to fill dungeons with AI-powered characters from the story. It adds such a rad layer of immersion that people generally prefer it to playing with others.
World of Warcraft, historically, has placed plenty of emphasis on social play, encouraging players to reach out and make a friend so that they might find a guild buddy for life. Follower Dungeons might go against that design mantra somewhat, but it's a welcome shift that gives players the choice of how they want to experience Dragonflight's dungeon content.
Naturally, Final Fantasy 14 didn't always have Duty Support. It was added in the Shadowbringers expansion over four years ago and has been slowly rolled out to the rest of the MMO since. Here's hoping something similar happens in World of Warcraft.
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