Let's be honest: World of Warcraft doesn't look as good as it used to.
Granted, that makes sense: the first incarnation of Blizzard's massively-multiplayer online game was released all the way back in 2004. At the time, it looked fantastic - it's just that the game has been out for more than a decade now.
On top of that, Blizzard wants to ensure that everyone, no matter how powerful their computer is, can log on and play. Even with the game's recent animation and character model enhancements, World of Warcraft isn't all that demanding from a hardware perspective.
Despite all that, it's hard not to wish for a World of Warcraft that pushes the graphical envelope like it did back in 2004. With Blizzard's Titan project shelved in favor of Overwatch, World of Warcraft is likely going to be the only MMO that the studio produces for quite some time - wouldn't it be great to see Azeroth with updated models, textures, environments and lighting effects?
Daniel L.'s Duskwood build may only focus on a fraction of Azeroth, but it's a beautiful glimpse into an updated take on Blizzard's long-running MMO. Everything - the lighting, the atmosphere, that eerie fog - simply looks amazing in Unreal Engine 4:
What's amazing is that the video above only features an in-progress build. It may look like a finished zone to many players, but Daniel claims that there's still work left to be done - considering just how good it looks already, the final product should be quite the looker.
Unsurprisingly, this isn't Daniel's first time recreating famous World of Warcraft zones in Unreal Engine 4. He's also behind the updated versions of Elwynn Forest, Westfall and Goldshire, just to name a few. Seeing as World of Warcraft has always been absolutely massive - and is only getting bigger, thanks to expansions - it would be nearly impossible for Daniel to recreate the entirety of Azeroth, but when the builds all look this good, it's hard not to hope for an Unreal Engine version of the game.
Who knows, maybe in another few years, Blizzard can update World of Warcraft to look something like this, with high-def lighting and updated textures ... but fans probably shouldn't hold their breath.
For more of Daniel's World of Warcraft builds, head on over to his YouTube channel.
