Patch 7.3 Argus zone previews show off Mac’Aree and Krokuun

Its no secret that I’m ludicrously excited to see the folks at Wowhead putting up new information about patch 7.3, and these zone preview videos they did for Krokuun and Mac’Aree are no exception. There will be spoilers here for the patch, so please exit now if you’re avoiding those.

Krokuun is the first zone you see when you arrive on Argus, and it’s a very stereotypical zone in some ways. It’s swarming with demons and Legion portals and gigantic Legion fel war machines patrol the blasted, hellish landscape. There’s only a hint preserved of the grandeur of lost Argus, but upon a closer look you can see it: Legion structures juxtaposed against the Army of Light’s flaring translucent gold barriers, as if shielded by the Light itself. The alien fauna and jagged landscapes combine with shocking bursts of color to make a familiar yet different zone for us to explore.

When you watch the video below pay attention to small details — pieces of buildings poking out through the rubble, the camp layouts, pathways next to larger tracks — that tell the story of this zone pretty evocatively. Argus is a world that’s been under unceasing demonic assault for millennia, but life still clings to whatever places it can find.

{PB}But it’s Mac’Aree that fascinates me. As soon as you watch the video for it you’ll get a sense of the massive scale of the former city, once the seat of Argus’ government and its grandest achievement. The walls are evocative of Auchindoun and Shattrath from Warlords but you could easily fit both inside Mac’Aree and have room to spare. The conflict between fel green and ethereal violet spirits indicates that the conversion of the world to the home of the Legion wasn’t as quick as we’ve been lead to believe — it’s clear that once Sargeras’ true plans were revealed, many Eredar fought and died trying to stop the Legion from taking over their world. It’s a sobering and terrifying view back at a war that has been over for 25,000 years as people of good conscience stood against tyranny and oppression and paid the price with their lives.

Unlike Krokuun, there’s a lot less direct Legion influence over Mac’Aree. Both zones have varied color palettes but Mac’Aree lacks the intense fel green that dominates certain regions of Krokuun. Mac’Aree feels very much like a long dead, long haunted place, once great and now sliding into ruin over the march of millennia. I can’t want to quest there.

There’s also a video of the Vindicaar, the ship we take from Azuremyst Isle to Argus, which is a fascinating look at the evolution of the Draenei aesthetic.

All in all, these previews have me so excited I can barely breathe, so I’m very much looking forward to 7.3.