One of the my favorite updates to arrive in Patch 8.1.5 was the remastering of Arathi Basin and Warsong Gulch, two battlegrounds that have been in desperate need of an update for a little over half a decade – if not longer. The remastered versions breathe new life into two longtime staples of the World of Warcraft PvP sphere and quite honestly reignite a passion that plenty of players, including myself, had lost for quite some time now.

Of course, the extension of the war campaign, the addition of new allied races, and the re-emergence of the Brawler’s Guild have kept me and a large majority of the playerbase busy since the patch was released on Tuesday, but I still find myself queueing up for Arathi and Warsong whenever I have down time or get a little bored. It’s borderline stunning to believe that two battlegrounds released nearly 15 years ago could keep my attention for hours upon end after receiving just a few updates.

The two battlegrounds were given a quick facelift in the spirit of modernization, as the updated architecture was designed to replicate buildings and structures from Battle for Azeroth. Specifically, the new models in Arathi Basin are extremely reminiscent of Kul Tiran architecture. The Stables give off a vibe of a building you’d see in Tiragarde Sound, while the Blacksmith feels like a homely countryside workshop you might see in Stormsong Valley. Blizzard really did everything in their power to hammer home the BfA themes in a stylistic sense when it came to Arathi Basin, and it showed.

Over in Warsong Gulch, textures and styles have been updated immensely, as the entire battleground has received updates to its architecture and art style. Even the lighting has been changed drastically as hues of purple and blue have been brightened up to a strong degree. The Alliance side of things strikes a cord with the darker wooden architecture that we saw in Teldrassil and Darkshore during the War of the Thorns while purple shadows give it a serious Kaldorei feel. The Warsong Lumber Mill has been updated to feature newer models for buildings and cobblestone features inside the flag room, while the lighting is notably brighter, creating a stark contrast between the darkness, moonlit ambience of the Alliance half of the map and the sunny, sweltering feel of the Horde side.

And with so much new content flooding the live servers this week, it’s safe to say that a fresh wave is sweeping over WoW and the game’s latest expansion is receiving a solid update that balances an addition of new content and an embracing of older classics. So far, Patch 8.1.5 is looking like a genuinely intriguing update – one that has kept my interest throughout the week – and these remastered battlegrounds are just the tip of the iceberg.

Photo Credit: Blizzard Entertainment, World of Warcraft