World of Warcraft The War Within has been announced, and now it's time for a dive into the expectations for the new expansion. Here's a recap of what we learned from the BlizzCon 2023 "Warcraft: What's Next" panel.

The panel talked about Khaz Algar, the new continent, found off the western shores of Kalimdor. We got to learn about new races we'll encounter,  zones, and some systems in the new game. Nothing was an incredible deep dive, just enough information to scratch the surface.

The Earthen

  • Unbound, Oathsworn, Machine Speakers are the new Earthen.
  • These new earthen have been alone for a long time and have their own way of living.
  • They are guided by the edicts of the titans - or at least they once were.
  • The new Earthen have three different groups:
    • Oathsworn - They still believe in the ways of the Titans.
    • Unbound -  They have rebelled against the Titans. They live around the quarries and mines.
    • Machine Speakers - They are still working to make the Titan works function, but they have their own ways.
  • We must unite the Earthen society once more.
  • The Earthen will make their debut as playable characters via Allied Races.
  • The Earthen can be on the Horde or the Alliance.

The Arathi

  • Descendants of the original empire.
  • Bastions of light against the darkness.
  • They wield holy fire and all members of society are able combatants.
  • They have airships!
  • Their home away from home is in an underground cavern.
  • They are being attacked by Nerubians and they need our help.

Nerubians

  • The ancient survivors of the Black Empire.
  • They have been honing their skills through their battles with The Arathi.
  • Chosen nerubians have been evolved thanks to a pact with Xal'atath.
  • There are some Nerubians who are going against the will of their queen.
  • There are new Nerubian models coming.
  • Insects serve the Nerubians.

Zone Flow - Dragonriding & Seamless Loading

  • You can dragonride!
  • All the zones are seamlessly so your descent into Azeroth doesn't require loading.
  • The four zones of The War Within are stacked on top of each other.
  • They didn't want zones to all feel underground, so there are places that make them look like they are on the surface.

For screenshot previews of the new zones, check out our first look at The War Within's new zones.

Isle of Dorn Zone

  • Fertile soil and waterways makes it an untouched paradise of Earthen society.
  • Stormwatch has elemental birds that can serve the Earthsworn.
  • There is a great city featuring markets, traders, and crafters.

The Ringing Deeps Zone

  • Industrial area featuring huge machinery and titan mechanisms.
  • The Machine Speakers keep ancient mechanisms working.
  • Openings to the sky to the Isle of Dorn can be see within The Ringing Deeps.
  • Kobolds! You take candle? They have taken over the mines and built their own city.
  • "The Candle King"

Hollowfall Zone

  • An endless underground sea surrounds the zone.
  • The zone is even deeper in the ground.
  • The crystal in the middle of the zone provide plants with the needed light to thrive.
  • The Arathi can be found in the zone, and they are barely holding back the Nerubian threat.

Azj-Kahet Zone

  • Even deeper into Azeroth is the Nerubian zone of Azj-Kahet.
  • There are several different districts throughout Azj-Kahet.
  • You want to try and fit in with the creatures that live alongside the Nerubians.

Dungeons

  • Eight new dungeons
  • Leveling Dungeons
    • The Rookery
    • The Stonevault
    • Priory of the Sacred Flame
    • City of Threads
  • Max Level Dungeons
    • Cinderbrew Meadery
    • Darkflame Cleft
    • The Dawnbreaker
    • Old City

Raids

  • Nerub'ar Palace takes place in Azj-Kahet and features 8 bosses.
  • They want to make each raid feel unique. This time around they explored verticality.

Systems

  • They want to keep going with their philosophies from Dragonflight for systems.
    • Make more evergreen features so World of Warcraft gets better forever. No single-expansion features.
    • Something needs to be there for everyone. 
    • Continue to respect player's time. Let people play alts if they want to without penalizing them.

Delves

  • Integrated into the outdoor world.
  • We join the Dragonscale Expedition to search for lost treasures on Kazh Algar.
  • Seasonal content with rewards for outdoor explorers.
  • The Great Vault will have rewards for participation - get new loot every week!
  • There are 13 unique delves being added at the start.
  • You can play Delves with up to 5 players, roles don't matter, and they scale with your group size.
  • An NPC companion will tag alongside you in Delves.
  • Brann Bronzebeard will join us on season 1.
  • You can customize your companion's talents and abilities.
    • Brann can become a healer if you need it.
  • At the end of each Delve, Brann will open a treasure chest for you.
  • Delves may end with a boss or puzzles.

Warbands

  • A new system being introduced to combine all your characters together on your account.
  • Share achievements, resources, and more.
  • Transmogrification is being revisited - rules will be changed on how you acquire appearances for alts.
    • No more running instances on four characters to get everything
  • Reputation and Renown is becoming account-wide. No more character-specific reps.

Hero Talents

  • Each class has three hero talent trees, with each spec having access to two of the trees.
  • Hero Talents are unlocked by leveling up during The War Within at level 71.
  • You earn 1 talent point each time you level. 
  • There are 10 talents in total, with choices along the way.
  • Ultimately, you unlock the entire tree.
  • You can swap between the talent trees and choices very easily.

Blizzard showcased which spec gets which tree for Warriors. Druids and Demon Hunters will work differently, but all other classes will be similar to Warriors with the triangle.

Watch The Video

You can catch a video of the full panel below.

BlizzCon 2023 on Out of Games

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