World of Warcraft: The War Within

	; World of Warcraft: The War Within
Developer(s)	Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Blizzard Entertainment
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, macOS
Release	WW: August 26, 2024;
Genre(s)	Expansion pack
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
	Base; Heroic; Epic; Collectors;
Expansion packs chronology

"The War Within" redirects here. For the quests, see [68-70] The War Within. For the achievement, see [The War Within].

World of Warcraft: The War Within is the tenth expansion for World of Warcraft and the beginning of the Worldsoul Saga. It released on 26 August 2024, with Early Access starting on 22 August.^[1]

Story

Official site

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.^[2]

Features

New level cap: 80
New Allied race: Earthen
- Enlist a titan-forged race made of living stone imbued with the essence of Azeroth's worldsoul! Unlock playable Earthen characters after completing their quests and the overall level-up campaign.
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.
Warbands
- Expand the potential of your alts with account-wide progression across your family of characters on your Battle.net account, regardless of their Faction. Share Warband Bank access, War Within Renown, achievements, collections, and more.
Skyriding
- Explore the stunning new zones of Khaz Algar from the saddle of hundreds of in-game mounts, now with dynamic flying capabilities first introduced in Dragonflight.
New Endgame Pillar, 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-game loot.
Dungeons and Raids
- Eight new Dungeons and one challenging Raid rally Alliance and Horde defenders together to face a menacing new threat shape at the heart of the world.

Zones

Khaz Algar
- Dornogal (hub city)
- Isle of Dorn
- The Ringing Deeps
- Hallowfall
- Azj-Kahet

Instances

Delves

Systems and rewards

...

Prominent figures

New figures

Returning figures

Creatures

Humanoid

Arathi
Haranir
Skardyn
Kobyss
Ascended
Hulk
Skitterling
Skyrazor
Nerubian Sage (New Type)

Elemental

Beast

Returning

Editions

Edition	Content
Base Edition	World of Warcraft: Dragonflight ^{[notes 1]} Access to World of Warcraft: The War Within ^{[notes 2]} Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost [Trader's Tender] (500)
Heroic Edition	World of Warcraft: Dragonflight ^{[notes 1]} Access to World of Warcraft: The War Within ^{[notes 2]} Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost Trader's Tender (750) [Algarian Stormrider] mount with dynamic flying and access to special racecourses Upgradable Stormrider's Attire Transmog Set
Epic Edition Includes Early Access	World of Warcraft: Dragonflight ^{[notes 1]} Access to World of Warcraft: The War Within ^{[notes 2]} Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost Trader's Tender (1,000) Algarian Stormrider mount with dynamic flying and access to special racecourses Upgradable Stormrider's Attire Transmog Set Early Access to World of Warcraft: The War Within ^{[notes 3]} Beta Access to World of Warcraft: The War Within ^{[notes 4]} 30 Days of Game Time Squally the Storm Hatchling Pet Quest to obtain three additional Storm Hatchlings ( [Flash], [Gale], and [Thundo]) [Sandbox Storm Gryphon] Toy [Deepdweller's Earthen Hearthstone] effect

Notes:

^ ^a ^b ^c If you already have Dragonflight on your account, it will not be re-granted.
^ ^a ^b ^c Future expansions not included in WoW: The War Within purchase.
^ Available on or before December 31, 2024.
^ Beta Access and Early Access dates subject to change. Early Access duration is 3 days. Limited time only.

Tie-in literature

World of Warcraft: The Voices Within, short story anthology collection
- A Whisper of Warning
- The Calling
- The Goblin Way
- The Lilac and the Stone
- Trials
2x The War Within animated shorts

Development

The War Within was designed to deliver content for all players in accordance with the amount of time available to them for gaming. Compared to Dragonflight, The War Within has smaller zones, but with more detail in them. Family is one of the expansion's themes, represented in elements such as the Bronzebeard clan and the journey of Alleria Windrunner.^[5]

The expansion's storyline was worked on by Chris Metzen and Terran Gregory. One of Metzen's ideas was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of World of Warcraft, and ergo, bring in the "heavy hitters" of the IP (e.g. Thrall, Jaina Proudmoore, and Anduin Wrynn). A balancing act had to be struck between gathering these characters, but ensuring that they didn't hog the spotlight too much. Various scenarios had to be designed to get them out of the way in order to give the player characters agency, and the characters introduced in the expansion space to breathe.^[6]

Work on War Within was carried out simultaneously with Midnight and The Last Titan.^[6] Additionally, Blizzard Entertainment revealed plans to release new expansions and content at a faster pace than before.^[7]