World of Warcraft has been on a bit of a roll this past year in terms of patch update frequency. As Heather Newman pointed out earlier this week, Blizzard seems to have turned the corner with this game, but whether they can maintain that momentum into 2024 and "The War Within" is another story entirely.

Whereas Shadowlands took a dreadful 218 days from release to its first major patch, Dragonflight has been on-tempo all along, promising something, and... It actually delivers. The future is now, and as announced on World of Warcraft's official Twitter account, updates are coming as morale improves.

Seeds of Renewal will be available on January 16. Of course, thanks to our handy roadmap, we've known about this for some time and have discussed some of it, including that the upcoming follower dungeon feature is the first step toward fixing the game's outrageous new player dungeon experience. Nevertheless, here is what is coming point by point.

These are just the major ones. Troll and Doraemon customization, a visual update to the Shadowland abilities, access to Bel Ames, the new abode of the Night Elves (whose pseudo-neutral status is a feather in their cap), and new skins for the demons will also be added.

While it will not be released alongside Seasons of Renewal, the roadmap still flies the mysterious pirate flag. It will be interesting to see if my swashbuckling dream comes true or if it sinks to the bottom of Mike Ybarra's locker. While I have many issues with the game (especially the experience for new and returning players is still not great), the future is bright against all odds. Shadowlands" was merely a setback.