World of Warcraft, the popular massively multiplayer online game, has announced its next three expansions for 2024, which will form a larger narrative called The Worldsoul Saga. The first expansion, The War Within, will be released in 2024 and will introduce a new continent, new zones, dungeons, raids, and more. The second and third expansions, Midnight and The Last Titan will follow in the years after that.
The Road to the Worldsoul Saga
Blizzard Entertainment revealed the Worldsoul Saga at BlizzCon 2023, which took place on November 3-4 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The announcement was made by World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale and Warcraft general manager John Hight.
Longdale said that The Worldsoul Saga is grown from the seeds of what captured the hearts of players around the world when they first set foot in Azeroth. She said that for veteran players, the last 20 years have led to this, and for those who have never set foot in Azeroth, this is a whole new adventure.
Hight said that The Worldsoul Saga encompasses one of the most ambitious creative endeavors ever attempted for World of Warcraft, designed as standalone narratives that feed into an overall story arc. He said that alongside these epic adventures, the ongoing quality-of-life feature updates players have come to expect from Blizzard since Dragonflight will continue in The War Within.
President of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Ybarra said that he was inspired by how much the World of Warcraft teams cared about their fans and how big their plans were for the future of their stories. Many people have grown up with World of Warcraft, and he said that the start of The Worldsoul Saga is a great time for anyone with memories of this legendary world to enjoy, rediscover, and return to Azeroth.
New Features and Updates
As the story of The War Within starts, an ancient society rises to power deep below the planet’s surface. At the same time, heroes of both the Alliance and the Horde are being hit with visions. Some are of the Light, while others see a different, darker future. Players will start their adventure 80 levels below the surface.
Some of the features and updates that players can expect from The War Within are:
- Explore The Isle of Dorn, a new hub for both factions located off the western shores of Kalimdor.
- Discover Khaz Algar, a new continent filled with secrets and dangers.
- Encounter The Voidwalkers, a mysterious race that can manipulate reality through portals.
- Face The Dark One, an ancient evil that seeks to consume all life.
- Experience War Within patch dates, which will be announced closer to release.
- Equip New Heritage armors, which are inspired by different cultures and regions.
- Challenge yourself in Solo Self-Found mode in WoW Classic Hardcore.
- Pre-order or buy The War Within pre-order or Epic Edition.
2024 Roadmap for WoW and WoW Classic
In addition to The War Within expansion for WoW main game (PC/Mac), Blizzard also announced some exciting news for WoW Classic fans. In 2024:
- Cataclysm Classic beta test will be available for players who want to experience one of WoW’s most iconic expansions before it was released on live servers.
- Seeds of Renewal update will add new content such as zones (e.g., Pandaria), dungeons (e.g., Trial of Valor), raids (e.g., Temple Shado-Pan), quests (e.g., Jade Forest), achievements (e.g., Pandaren Heritage), mounts (e.g., Pandaren Monk), pets (e.g., Pandaren Monk), transmog sets (e.g., Pandaren Heritage), cosmetic items (e.g., Pandaren Monk), etc.
- Possible new world events will be introduced based on player feedback and suggestions.
Blizzard also teased some upcoming features for WoW Classic such as:
- Improved performance and stability
- Enhanced graphics and UI
- More customization options
- More social features
- More community content
