World of Warcraft®: The War Within™ Goes Live August 26!

5 months ago - Blizzard Entertainment - Direct link

Help defend Azeroth from the shadows below when World of Warcraft: The War Within™ launches on August 26 at 3:00 p.m. PDT worldwide. Heed the call and take your place in the opening chapter of the Worldsoul Saga™, a thrilling trilogy that begins in the depths of Khaz Algar.

Rally together to battle against malevolent forces and lurking perils. Traverse through four expansive new zones, take on dangerous dungeons and raids, uncover the secrets within Delves alongside an NPC companion— either alone or with friends—, and unlock the Earthen, a new playable race, discover new Hero Talents, embrace the Warbands system, and more!

Pre-Purchase World of Warcraft: The War Within

Choose your edition.

Epic Edition

Includes everything in the Heroic Edition. Plus, you’ll have guaranteed Beta Access and Early Access (3 days) to The War Within^†. You’ll also receive 30 days of game time, Squally, the Storm Hatchling pet, Sandbox Storm Gryphon toy, and Deepdweller’s Earthen Hearthstone effect. Also includes an additional 250 Trader’s Tender (1000 in total) to use in the Trading Post^††.

Heroic Edition

Includes everything in the Base Edition. Plus, you’ll receive the Algarian Stormrider mount with Dynamic Flying and access to special racecourses, and the Stormrider’s Attire Transmog set. The mount has four color variants, with a slew of additional customization options available. The Transmog set can be upgraded to the Thundering Stormrider’s Attire upon completing the special racecourses available with the Algarian Stormrider. Also includes an additional 250 Trader’s Tender (750 in total) to use in the Trading Post^††.

Base Edition

Includes the World of Warcraft: The War Within pre-purchase, World of Warcraft: Dragonflight^***, an Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost with upgraded gear, reputation progress, and more, to prepare you for your adventures in the depths of the world. Also includes 500 Trader’s Tender to use in the Trading Post^††

	Base Edition	Heroic Edition	Epic Edition
World of Warcraft: The War Within available at launch^**	X	X	X
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight^***	X	X	X
Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost	X	X	X
Trader’s Tender	500	750	1000
Algarian Stormrider mount with dynamic flying, dozens of customization options, and access to special racecourses		X	X
Upgradable Stormrider’s Attire Transmog set		X	X
Beta Access to The War Within^†			X
3 Days Early Access to The War Within^†			X
30 Days of Game Time			X
Squally, the Storm Hatchling pet			X
Sandbox Storm Gryphon toy			X
Deepdweller's Earthen Hearthstone effect			X

Pre-Purchase today!

*Future expansions not included in WoW: The War Within purchase.
**Available on or before December 31, 2024.
***If you already have Dragonflight on your account, it will not be re-granted.
†Beta Access and Early Access dates subject to change. Early Access duration is 3 days. Limited time only. Play time subject to possible outages and time zone differences. Certain endgame features, including Mythic dungeons and weekly quests, not available during Early Access. Click for more details.
††In-game items not available in WoW Classic games. Boost only usable on the WoW® game account on which it was purchased or redeemed.

Upgrading to the Heroic or Epic Edition will not re-grant in-game items previously unlocked on your account.
Requires World of Warcraft, Internet connection, and Battle.net® Account and desktop app.
Requires World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time.

Purchase the Welcome to Azeroth Bundle

Spread the word and bring old friends and new to Azeroth where they can embark on an epic journey into Azeroth and enjoy all the latest content with the Welcome to Azeroth Bundle available through June 23*.

Purchasers get everything needed to start their adventure—including the critically acclaimed World of Warcraft: Dragonflight expansion.

60 Days of Game Time
Dragonflight expansion
Level 60 Character Boost

Unlock endless expeditions across a magical landscape and multiple games. Explore the Dragon Isles and unearth ancient mysteries to prepare for The War Within. Create a Timerunner character and earn mighty loot in World of Warcraft Remix: Mists of Pandaria®. Witness Deathwing’s destruction and rise against impossible odds in Cataclysm Classic™. Take on new challenges from old foes within WoW® Classic: Season of Discovery and Hardcore realms.

Coming back from a break or needing some information on getting started in World of Warcraft? Enjoy some tips and advice in a quick video guide from Taliesin and Evitel!

Buy Now

¹Offer valid through June 23, 2024. Limit one per World of Warcraft account. Level 60 Character Boost not usable on World of Warcraft Classic characters. Limit one per World of Warcraft account

Join The War Within Beta Test

The beta test for The War Within is now live! Over the course of the test, we’ll be inviting community veterans, press, fansites, friends, and family to check out the upcoming expansion and give us feedback. Players who purchase or who upgrade to the Epic Edition of The War Within will also gain immediate access to the beta and gain a minimum three-day early access to the expansion. Learn more in our previously published article.

About the War Within

Journey through never-before-seen subterranean worlds filled with wonders and lurking perils, down to the dark depths of the nerubian empire, where the malicious Harbinger of the Void, Xal’atath, is gathering arachnid forces to bring Azeroth to its knees.

Freed long ago of the black blade that once bound her, she is now the Harbinger of a new era of the Void’s dark machinations. Her message is clear. The Black Empire has fallen. The Old Gods are dead and their ancient blood runs deep within the cracks of the world. We, the heroes of Azeroth destroyed them and the Harbinger watched all along. While the Black Empire has failed, Xal’atath seeks to set in motion the rise of a new dark legacy —one that knows our strengths and will seek to test them against a terrible power, the nerubians of Azj-Kahet.

Xal’atath has conscripted the nerubian queen, Ansurek, and offered her people a new future in which they would rise from their isolation and become a mighty kingdom once again. We will not find the nerubian soldiers of the Lich King here, but a mighty stronghold of nerubians as they once were—deadly survivors of the mythic wars that have played out repeatedly over thousands of years.

In return for their loyalty, Xal’atath has granted the nerubians the means of a dark evolution that will turn the nerubians into a new kind of ferocious and terrifying soldiers.

Our Heroes

Several of Azeroth’s greatest heroes will rise to the call of the Radiant Song, and many will face their own unique challenges along the way.

Anduin Wrynn: Having survived his ordeal with Domination, he will grapple with his relationship with the Holy Light that he no longer feels worthy of.
Thrall: He is seeking a connection to the visions spreading across the world and working to find his new place within the Horde.
Magni Bronzebeard: Long the Speaker of Azeroth, he will confront the heavy weight of that responsibility once and for all.
Alleria Windrunner: Her journey will be central to the events and themes of the War Within. She, as a void hunter, must use all of her capabilities to hunt down Xal’atath while being torn between her own nature and the maddening call of the Void to which she is attuned. Along this adventure she will have a unique rivalry with Xal’atath whose twists and turns will come to define the nature of this new conflict.

This chapter is only the beginning of the saga.

Khaz Algar- Designated Sector AR-934

Beneath the surface of Azeroth, an expansive world exists, fraught with danger and waiting to be explored.

The Zones of Khaz Algar- Designated Sector AR-934

Beneath the surface of Azeroth, an expansive world exists, fraught with danger and waiting to be explored.

The Isle of Dorn

Discover the land of Khaz Algar, off the western shores of Pandaria and home to the Earthen. Their capital city, Dornogal, will become the new meeting ground for the Horde and Alliance.

The Ringing Deep

This gigantic cavern serves as the home of the Machine Speakers, Earthen who maintain the gigantic Titan machines of old.

Hallowfall

Lit by a massive crystal at its center, this bright underground zone is home to the Arathi who are engaged in a continuing battle against the nerubians.

Azj-Kahet

The pinnacle of nerubian society where Xal’atath, Harbinger of the Void, has been gathering and mutating nerubian forces to create an unstoppable army.

For players who are concerned about entering into a space filled with spiders, there will be an arachnophobia filter that can be turned on which will convert spider creatures into crabs.

Meet the Earthen

We’ve met Titan-forged Earthen before in Ulduar and other places, but this society of Earthen has been isolated within Khaz Algar for a long while and have developed their own manners and customs.

It is up to the heroes of Azeroth to aid the Earthen and find a way to unite them once more and replenish their numbers.

Earthen as a New Allied Race

Dungeons

There will be 4 level-up dungeons and 4 maximum-level dungeons that are available in each of the four new zones.

Level-Up Dungeons	Maximum Level Dungeons
The Rookery	Cinderbrew Meadery
The Stonevault	Darkflame Cleft
Priory of the Sacred Flame	The Dawnbreaker
City of Threads	Old City

If you don’t want to use the Dungeon Finder to take part in dungeons with other players, you can continue the campaign story with Follower Dungeons which will be available to play through in all level-up dungeons.

Nerub’ar Palace Raid Dungeon

The Nerub’ar Palace raid dungeon will offer eight boss encounters. Located in Azj-Kahet, it will result in the culmination of the story we see play out involving the machinations of the nerubian empire and Queen Ansurek’s collaboration with Xal’atath. Players can also expect new tier rewards for their valiant efforts.

New Features

Delves: Deep beneath the surface lies treasure vaults waiting to be discovered. Explore these world instances solo or with up to four friends, along with an NPC companion, to defeat bosses and gain epic end-Learn more about Delves in our overview article.
Warbands: Expand the potential of your alternate characters with account-wide progression across your family of characters on your Battle.net® account. Share your Warband Bank access, War Within Renown, achievements, collections, and more. Visit our latest article to learn more about Warbands.
Hero Talents: Rise to new heights of power with new Hero Talent trees. Each class specialization has access to two choices of self-contained Hero Talent trees inspired by iconic Warcraft® universe archetypes. Revisit our previous Hero Talent previews to get a glimpse at what is in development.
New Battleground: Deephaul Ravine
Professions: New Recipes and Enchantments, updated NPC Work Orders
UI Updates: Improved quest icons to make types of quests clearer.
Skyriding (previously Dragonriding): Take to the skies on one of your favorite flying mounts with all new flight mechanics. Learn more in our Skyriding overview article.

We look forward to having you join us in the many new adventures in Khaz Algar.

3 months ago - Blizzard Entertainment - Direct link

Get back in the fight as you defend Azeroth from the shadows below. Journey through never-before-seen subterranean worlds filled with hidden wonders and lurking perils, down to the dark depths of the nerubian empire, where the malicious Harbinger of the Void is gathering arachnid forces to bring Azeroth to its knees.

Meet the Earthen, A New Playable Allied Race

A new playable race arrives in The War Within—the Earthen. Unlock playable Earthen characters after completing their quests and the overall level-up campaign. Enlist this titan-forged race made of living stone by aiding them in their endeavors.

Champions of Azeroth must aid the Earthen and seek a way to restore their harmony and population. They can also be unlocked as a playable race, and you can choose Alliance or Horde to begin your journey starting at level 10 in their capital city of Dornogol. Learn more about them from our previously published article.

Uncover the Secrets of Delves in The War Within

Take your adventure to a new level with Delves. Explore bite-sized world instances, gain experience, and epic rewards! You can explore alone or with up to four additional friends, along with an NPC companion—Brann Bronzebeard— you customize through their talent tree. Learn more about this new feature and the rewards you can earn either solo or with a few friends in our previously published article.

Take Your Character to the Next Level with Hero Talents

The War Within™ expansion introduces Hero Talents to World of Warcraft classes. They are an evergreen form of character progression for each class specialization that introduces new powers and class fantasies. There are 11 nodes in a Hero Talent tree. The first of these unlocks with the system at level 71, and you earn 1 talent point per level from level 71 to 80, so you get every talent in the tree by level 80. Learn more about the available Hero Talents for your class and specialization in our article here.

Ride Into Battle in Deephaul Ravine

Set your sights on your next PvP adventure within Deephaul Ravine in the Ringing Deeps where you’ll work with your team to secure resources in the mine. Teams earn points by controlling one of the two active mine carts on the map or by capturing the Deephaul Crystal located in the middle of the map. The first team to earn 1500 points wins! Learn more from our article.

Explore the Zones and Dungeons of The War Within

Uncover a land fraught with danger but ripe for exploration. Journey through never-before-seen subterranean worlds filled with hidden wonders and lurking perils. In the opening chapter of the Worldsoul Saga™, adventure down to the dark depths of the nerubian empire, where Xal'atath is gathering malicious forces bent on bringing Azeroth asunder. Learn more about the zones of Khaz Algar—Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, Hallowfall, Azj-Kahet— along with the dungeons that await within their lands in our article here.

Get the Band Together for Warbands (Now Live)

With the arrival of The War Within, upon first logging into World of Warcraft, the Warband conversion process automatically enables many of the game's progression systems to be account-wide. Players will not need to log into each character individually for all progression, items, etc., to convert; however, there may be a short wait for the system to completely process your Warband the first time you log in. The Warband conversion process can take up to 20 minutes or longer, and depending on the amount of data being processed, there could be a login queue.

The new Warbands system is effective for all characters on a player's Battle.net account and the items, Collections, and progression they share. It's important to note that your Warband is limited to characters within a single region (for example, the Americas or Europe) but spans every realm, faction, and even subscription you may have within that region.

Please note that as the character selection screen shows all characters on the Battle.net account in one convenient location, some may show up as “gray” in the listing and are not available to select to use a Character Service on. To use a service for that character, you will need to select the realm that the character is from first by clicking on the “Realm” selection at the top of the screen and then apply the service to that character. You can also hover your mouse cursor over a character listed on the right side of the screen to see additional information including the realm it is currently on.

Learn more about Warbands in our previously published article.

Take to the Skies with Skyriding (Now Live)

Dragonriding is here to stay and is available for many flying mounts in all flyable areas. Players can also toggle between Skyriding (previously known as dynamic flight) or the flying style introduced originally in The Burning Crusade (TBC) which we’re calling Steady Flight.

You can easily identify the mounts that are enabled for Skyriding from within the Warbands Collection tab (Shift-P) which is noted as Skyriding. To switch between Skyriding and Steady Flight, you can do so directly in the mount collection by clicking on the Skyriding icon in the middle of the interface and selecting “Switch Flight Style” in the drop-down menu. It’s important to note that any mount that doesn’t support Skyriding will be grounded if Skyriding is active. You will also be able to open your Skills Unlock here as well.

The ground mounts in your collection will continue to stay grounded, but most flying mounts will be able to be put to use for Skyriding save for a select few such as the Otterworldly Ottuk Carrier, some fish mounts, and brooms.

User Interface and Quest Updates (Now Live)

We’ve made some improvements to the User Interface and to quest icons in The War Within that will help navigate your adventures even better— including a new map legend, quest log updates, spellbook updates, crafting reagent tooltips, and even a new arachnophobia filter! Learn more from our previously published article.

The War Within Season 1 Schedule

With the start of Early Access on August 22, Normal difficulty dungeons will become available.

Dungeons

Ara-Kara, City of Echoes (Levels 70-80)
Priory of the Sacred Flame (Levels 70-80)
The Rookery (Levels 70-80)
The Stonevault (Levels 70-80)
Cinderbrew Meadery (Level 80)
City of Threads (Level 80)
Darkflame Cleft (level 80)
The Dawnbreaker (Level 80)

With the launch of the expansion on August 26, Heroic difficulty dungeons will be available to play.

On September 10, The War Within Season 1 will begin with Heroic and Raid Finder Wing 1 of Nerub-ar Palace opening, Mythic 0 dungeons also become available along with Heroic Seasonal dungeons and the new World bosses.

World Bosses

Kordac, the Dormant Protector
Aggregation of Horrors
Shurrai, Atrocity of the Undersea
Orta, the Broken Mountain

On September 17, Mythic raids, Raid Finder Wing 2, Mythic+ dungeons and raid Story Mode will open.

On September 24 Raid Finder Wing 3 will open.

Dungeon Item Rewards:

Difficulty	Pre-Season	Season 1	Great Vault
Normal	554	554	-
Heroic	Explorer 4 (567)	Adventurer 4 (580)	Veteran 4 (593)
Mythic	-	Veteran 4 (593)	Champion 3 (603)
+2	-	Champion 1 (597)	Champion 4 (606)
+3	-	Champion 1 (597)	Hero 1 (610)
+4	-	Champion 2 (600)	Hero 1 (610)
+5	-	Champion 3 (603)	Hero 2 (613)
+6	-	Champion 4 (606)	Hero 2 (613)
+7	-	Hero 1 (610)	Hero 3 (616)
+8	-	Hero 1 (610)	Hero 4 (619)
+9	-	Hero 2 (613)	Hero 4 (619)
+10	-	Hero 2 (613)	Myth 1 (623)

The Story So Far

Catch up on the story so far with our video.

Additional Media

Go on a journey to learn all about the story and narrative development of the Worldsoul Saga™ and The War Within™.

WoWCast: Dive into The War Within’s Delves, Dungeons, PvP, and Raid

"Threads of Destiny"

Warning: Arachnophobe Alert! This content contains references to spiders and arachnid-related imagery which may be unsettling to individuals with arachnophobia. Viewer discretion is advised.

Alleria: "Light and Shadow"

Follow Alleria Windrunner’s journey as she battles through the trials that have shaped her into one of Azeroth’s most formidable heroes.

Short Stories

"Trials"

After several younglings are lost attempting their om’gora rites, Thrall begins questioning the value of the trials. The new generation places such emphasis on martial strength and battle prowess that they would risk death attempting the rites before they are ready. Walking through Orgrimmar with his family, Thrall reflects on his son’s readiness for the trials, his own coming of age, and how to prepare this new generation to build on the legacy he and his friends started long ago. Read it here.

"The Lilac and the Stone"

Queen Regent Moira Thaurissan is exhausted. Her son, Dagran II, is rapidly coming of age and stands to inherit leadership of both the Dark Iron and Bronzebeard Clans. But Dagran is bookish and odd: He would easily choose the company of his library over leadership. Can Moira inspire her son to take up his birthright, or will her fears for his future—and the future of the clans—prove true? Read it here.

"The Goblin Way"

Monte Gazlowe, Trade Prince of the Bilgewater Cartel, has been probing working conditions among the goblins. Everywhere he tours he sees a burned-out workforce, cheap machinery, and unhealthy working conditions that drag production and denigrate their people. “This is the goblin way! Dog eat dog! Only the winner comes out on top!” But is this really the goblin way, or is it just the way Jastor Gallywix wanted them looking? Read it here.

"The Calling"

Since leaving the realms of Death, Anduin Wrynn has only sought to keep his hands busy. Plagued by night terrors and grisly flashbacks, the young king finally finds the isolation he seeks in Stormsong Valley, milling flour for a local village. But while Anduin may be able to hide his identity, he cannot escape who he is or the stuff he is made from. Read it here.

"A Whisper of Warning "

Khadgar has dispatched Alleria Windrunner on a dark mission, one that portends an uncertain future for Azeroth. Before she departs, she visits her lost home of Silvermoon on a mission of peace and connection. Much remains unsaid between Alleria and her son, Arator—hindered by fear and misunderstanding—but Alleria would have her son know his mother and her intentions before a new evil threatens Azeroth again. Read it here.

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Gather your allies and we’ll see you in The War Within!

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World of Warcraft®: The War Within™ Goes Live August 26!

Pre-Purchase World of Warcraft: The War Within

Epic Edition

Heroic Edition

Base Edition

Purchase the Welcome to Azeroth Bundle

Join The War Within Beta Test

About the War Within

Khaz Algar- Designated Sector AR-934

The Zones of Khaz Algar- Designated Sector AR-934

The Isle of Dorn

The Ringing Deep

Hallowfall

Azj-Kahet

Meet the Earthen

Earthen as a New Allied Race

Dungeons

Nerub’ar Palace Raid Dungeon

New Features

Table of Contents

Meet the Earthen, A New Playable Allied Race

Uncover the Secrets of Delves in The War Within

Take Your Character to the Next Level with Hero Talents

Ride Into Battle in Deephaul Ravine

Explore the Zones and Dungeons of The War Within

Get the Band Together for Warbands (Now Live)

Take to the Skies with Skyriding (Now Live)

User Interface and Quest Updates (Now Live)

The War Within Season 1 Schedule

Dungeons

World Bosses

The Story So Far

Additional Media

WoWCast: Dive into The War Within’s Delves, Dungeons, PvP, and Raid

Recent World of Warcraft Posts

Hotfixes: November 20, 2024

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