Summary
- Soon, World of Warcraft will allow cross-faction groups to queue for LFG instances, opening up more gameplay options for players.
- This development marks a major milestone towards full cross-faction play in WoW, promoting inclusivity among factions.
- While not in the initial launch, full cross-faction queuing may arrive in a post-launch update, potentially in Patch 11.0.5.
World of Warcraft has plans to let full cross-faction groups queue for automated LFG instances some time after The War Within’s release. While there is no timetable for this update, this major milestone towards full cross-faction play in World of Warcraft is seemingly in the works.
In Shadowlands Patch 9.2.5, World of Warcraft pulled the ripcord on cross-faction play. After years of being unable to do so, Alliance and Horde players can now enter dungeons, raids, and even PvP together. However, cross-faction groups are currently unable to use the automatic LFG tool, as the developers want to make sure fans aren’t forced to play with characters from the opposite faction.
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That said, it seems like World of Warcraft may be letting cross-faction groups use this tool in some fashion in the future. During a recent group interview to celebrate the launch of World of Warcraft: The War Within, WoW production manager Michael Bybee confirmed the team was working on a way to allow cross-faction instance queues for fully formed groups. “They've already opted into that cross-faction behavior and then they can then play in a cross-faction group as long as they're queued up as a full group,” he said. As long as players are in a full group, this will allow them to complete dungeons without physically going to the instance and entering it manually. “It's not gonna be in the initial launch, but we're talking about that being something potentially post-launch, hopefully soon, and I'm super jazzed about it.”
Cross-Faction LFG Queue for Full Parties in WoW Soon
This is an important feature, as certain event instances, such as holiday bosses or Timewalking dungeons, are currently impossible to do across factions. Adding this capability will open up nearly every aspect of the game for cross-faction, with the only things still locked in World of Warcraft being Follower Dungeons, random queues, and overworld communication while not in a group together – and of course, entering settlements without being attacked by NPCs.
“They've already opted into that cross-faction behavior and then they can then play in a cross-faction group as long as they're queued up as a full group... It's not gonna be in the initial launch, but we're talking about that being something potentially post-launch, hopefully soon, and I'm super jazzed about it.”
This is a net positive for World of Warcraft, as it only adds new ways for fans with cross-faction friends to enjoy the game, and it does not force anyone to participate. Guilds have already become cross-faction and cross-realm, so this will enable players to play with their guildmates much easier than before. There is no schedule for when this feature will arrive, but it could arrive as early as World of Warcraft Patch 11.0.5 if players are lucky.
Of course, some fans hope World of Warcraft eventually adds full cross-faction queuing to the game. While some faction loyalists are against this, proponents have suggested adding a toggle to enable players to opt in to the function while solo or in a cross-faction group, allowing partial groups to queue for instances together, regardless of faction. Fans will have to wait and see if World of Warcraft ever takes this final step towards full faction freedom.
- Released
- August 26, 2024
- Base Game
- World of Warcraft
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard
WHERE TO PLAY
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