Blizzard has surprise-released "Forsaken Kingdom," a new single-player story campaign for Warcraft 3: Reforged, more than two decades after the original game's last expansion. This new content aims to capture the essence of classic Warcraft 3 while introducing novel gameplay elements.
The "Forsaken Kingdom" expansion delivers approximately 30 hours of gameplay, expanding on the lore established in the original game. The campaign begins with a prologue, "The Last Days of Lordaeron," which follows guard lieutenant Garek Bandarion through pivotal moments in Warcraft history, including the defense of Andorhal and Stratholme against the Scourge. This section culminates in a confrontation with Baron Rivendare and features numerous callbacks to both Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft. One mission, the Siege of Andorhal, introduces a MOBA-inspired mechanic where players capture towers to spawn AI-controlled friendly soldiers for map progression. Another segment transforms Stratholme into a dungeon crawl, requiring players to coordinate two separated hero groups before their eventual reunion.
The narrative then transitions to the main campaign, where Garek, after a twist ending in the prologue, is resurrected as a free-willed Forsaken. Under the command of Sylvanas and her lieutenant, Dark Ranger Anya, the campaign focuses on establishing the Forsaken in the Undercity. Garek is set to become the first Forsaken Paladin, a concept that is also slated for an appearance in World of Warcraft.
Alongside the new campaign, "Forsaken Kingdom" introduces the "Definitive Edition" graphics option, a response to the mixed reception of the 2020 "Reforged" update. While initially appearing somewhat flat and unfinished when zoomed in, particularly during cutscenes, the "Definitive Edition" aims for higher fidelity while retaining the original game's aesthetic. When viewed zoomed out during gameplay, especially in custom skirmishes, the visual upgrade is more subtle, allowing players to recall the original 2003 graphics with enhanced detail. This option is available for multiplayer and skirmish modes, which can also be played with Classic or Reforged graphics. However, the original "Reign of Chaos" and "The Frozen Throne" campaigns are only playable with Classic or Reforged graphics, not the new "Definitive Edition" style.
A significant addition to multiplayer is the Forsaken Paladin hero. This undead neutral hero can only heal the living and features a dash ability that damages enemies it passes through, a "Consecration" ability that damages undead and heals allies, a passive magic damage reduction aura, and an ultimate ability that purges and stuns enemies while healing nearby allies. His unique mechanics suggest potential counterplay against specific player builds.
In an effort to streamline gameplay, the maximum number of units in a control group has been doubled across all game modes. This change is expected to impact multiplayer dynamics for long-time players.