World of Warcraft: The War Within

World of Warcraft: The War Within is the upcoming tenth expansion pack for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft, following Dragonflight. It will be the first part of the Worldsoul Saga trilogy of expansions, led by Chris Metzen. World of Warcraft: The War Within is scheduled to release on August 22, 2024, for Windows and macOS.

Gameplay
The primary setting for The War Within is Khaz Algar, divided into four distinct zones: the Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, Hallowfall and Azj-Kahet. The level cap in The War Within has been raised to 80, allowing players to further develop their characters with new abilities and talents. Starting at level 71, players can unlock new Hero Talents for every class and specialization, providing more depth to character customization and combat strategies.

Gameplay features in The War Within include Dynamic Flying, a feature initially introduced in Dragonflight, allowing players to explore the new zones while mounted on various in-game mounts. Delves are treasure vaults providing solo or cooperative play for up to four people, along with an NPC companion, enabling players to defeat bosses and obtain end-game loot. The Warbands feature is an account-wide system.

Plot
The War Within delves into a new subterranean realm called Khaz Algar within Azeroth. This underground expanse, illuminated by a central crystal, encompasses unexplored zones, including the dark depths of the nerubian empire and the radiant underground zone of the Arathi. The primary narrative revolves around the Harbinger of the Void, Xal’atath, who mobilizes nerubian forces to pose a threat to Azeroth. Key features encompass the discovery of Khaz Algar off Pandaria's western shores, with the capital city Dornogal serving as a meeting ground for the Horde and Alliance. Dynamic Flying, initially introduced in Dragonflight, facilitates exploration of new zones on various in-game mounts. Dungeons and Raids play a crucial role, featuring eight new dungeons and a raid that brings together Alliance and Horde defenders.

Development
World of Warcraft: The War Within was announced at BlizzCon on November 3, 2023, as part of the new Worldsoul Saga trilogy, led by Chris Metzen. Typically, Blizzard Entertainment releases a new expansion for World of Warcraft every two years, with only one expansion being announced at BlizzCons. However, this time, Blizzard Entertainment announced three upcoming expansions at BlizzCon: The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan. Additionally, Blizzard Entertainment revealed plans to release new expansions and content at a faster pace than before.