Summary
Blizzard confirmed at the Xbox Games Showcase thatWorld of Warcraft: The War Within, the game’s tenth expansion, will be released on August 26. Blizzard confirmed thatWorld of Warcraftplayers who pre-orderedThe War Within Epic Editionwill be granted early access starting August 22, and stated the expansion’s first season will begin just over two weeks after launch.
As the tenth expansion to one of the longest-running MMORPGs available,World of Warcraft: The War Withinis the start of the Worldsoul Saga story arc, covering two more expansions; Midnight and The Last Titan. InThe War Within, players can unlock anew allied race called the Earthen, the game’s 25th playable race between the Alliance and Horde factions.The War Withinwill take players to the uncharted land of Khaz Algar and the deep underground beneath it, with places like Azj-Kahet and Hallowfall to explore. The War Within will also give players new Hero Talents tied to specializations, with each spec having two Hero Talent trees to select.
ThoughThe War Withinstarted its beta test periodon June 5,World of Warcraftplayers will not have much longer to wait for its full release. During the Xbox Games Showcase broadcast, Blizzard revealed a trailer showing cinematic snippets from each era ofWorld of Warcraft, from the base game to theDragonflightexpansion. PastWorld of Warcraftvillains, such as Arthas and Deathwing, appeared throughout the montage. After taking a trip down memory lane, the cinematic trailer also revealed the Earthen race and other characters players will meet inThe War Withinexpansion. The trailer concluded with the main antagonist, Xal’athah, staking her claim to the Worldsoul of Azeroth.
World of Warcraft: The War Within Releases August 26
The release date ofThe War Withinlines up with the conclusion of an ongoing event inWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight. At the time of writing, theWoW Remix: Mists of Pandariaevent will endon August 19, just one week before the launch of The War Within. In addition to the release date, Blizzard confirmed that August 22 is the start of early access for players who purchased The War Within Epic Edition. The first season of TheWar Withinwill launch on September 10, two weeks after the expansion’s full launch, giving characters time to reach the new level cap of 80 before the Azj-Kahet raid opens.
Withnew enemies forWorld of Warcraftplayers to face,The War Withinlooks to keep Blizzard’s momentum going following the success ofDragonflight. Only time will tell howWoWplayers will respond to the new expansion’s launch.
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World of Warcraft is an incredibly successful MMORPG that has been going strong for almost two decades. It’s one of the highest-grossing franchises in history and is widely considered the most popular MMORPG ever made.
