Argus In The Sky So Light – A Look Back at Current Content

Argus is a bit different in gameplay terms from other end-of-expansion zones, I’ve noticed.

Now that all the quests are out (yes, already) and the zones are feature complete until Antorus opens, there’s a bit to breakdown.

Firstly, in terms of content, while I really like the stories told (as I have talked about a few times before) – they are a bit short. I feel like this is an over correction on Blizzard’s part from Broken Shore, where they took a tiny amount of actual content with almost zero lore and spread it out over 11 weeks of time. If you did it when it was fresh, you’d eagerly log in, be told to open 10 chests, do that, and then…wait 6 more days. Awesome (not!).

Argus doles out longer chunks of quest per week, with more exposition and interesting scenery, but I feel like getting 90 minute quest chunks and then nothing is perhaps pushing it too small. I could have seen a case for a 6-week spread, doing Krokuun week 1, Antoran Wastes week 2, Krokuun’s followup in Week 3, Mac’Aree part 1 in Week 4, Mac’Aree Part 2 in Week 5, and finally culminating in the Void story in Week 6. To me, at least, this would ensure I’d have a bit more to chew on. Yes, it is artifical creation of content via spacing and timing of delivery – but it would at least space out some of the lore.

The lore to me is the biggest victim of the squishing into 3 weeks. The reveal that Xe’ra hid the darkening of Naaru from the Army of the Light is done via a throwaway quest voiceover, done while you’re out killing demons. It’s easy to miss, and there’s no fanfare about it.

Similarly, some of the dialogue between Locus Walker and Alleria is easy to miss and reveletory in nature. I’d love to have seen that fleshed out a bit more.

As discussed briefly in the comments of my piece about flying in Argus, I do think that this zone, more so than any other endgame zone, was designed for minimal gameplay and exploration. There is a lot to do at first, yes, and a decent volume of world quests, but the game does seem to push you to really only come back for pet battles, mat farming, and emissary days. Otherwise, the bulk of content you’ll be doing going forward is the standard Legion kit – Broken Isles zones, emissaries, and questing, with time aplenty to deviate and work on alts.

This is somewhat of a new path for the end-game zones. Sure, zones like Timeless Isle were light on gameplay, but they also had more explorable bits and repeatable daily quests like the lore trivia. Argus doesn’t really have much in the way of strong pull to do it, and I’ve found that for gearing alts in Unsullied tokens, it’s actually best to rotate through characters, do the quests, do the emissaries, and then wait for the next emissary days for Army of the Light or Argussian Reach. I actually like this approach, at least for now.

My hope is, however, that we get something more in 7.3.5 or any remaining Legion patches. I want more Alleria, more Locus Walker, more Turalyon, more Void, more Xe’ra being a jerk posthumously, and most importantly – clarification on what comes next for Warcraft and for our characters.

I do like Argus, but I will say this – if it stays fully as-is, and we don’t get an expansion by perhaps May of next year, I feel like it will wear its welcome out.

Which would be a shame, because it is a cool set of zones, and Mac’Aree particularly is lovely.

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