From Blizzard Entertainment comes the 10th expansion for one of, if not the most, popular MMORPGs, World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft: The War Within is the first part of the 3-part Worldsoul Saga, centred around a new area with new factions and a new playable race.

Set in Khaz Algar off Pandaria’s western shores, a new threat to Azeroth has emerged. The Harbinger of the Void, Xal’atath, has mobilized the Nerubian forces to take control of the land and bring destruction in her wake.

Khaz Algar has four distinct zones: the Isle of Dorn on the surface, reigned by the Earthens, and the underground areas of The Ringing Deeps, Hallowfall, and Azj-Kahet, housing the Nerubian Empire, the Arathi, and some very aggressive Kobold miners. Each zone consists of 3 chapters within the campaign, and the main storyline took me about 6 hours to complete, assuming I didn’t get distracted completing side quests or world events. Hitting the new level cap, level 80, and with 4 Renown with each of the new main factions, the campaign extends into preparing for the war to come.

Although it feels a bit shorter than its predecessors, it’s been a while since I’ve been immersed in an MMO storyline this much. It’s incredibly well written, and I found myself actively engaging with each cinematic and quest dialogue, sometimes even opting to <stay a while and listen>. The introduction of the four new factions and the seamless entwining of their lore with the existing story of World of Warcraft have been awesome to explore.

A heap of new features have come to the game, including the introduction of Delves: new follower dungeons that can be completed solo with an NPC companion, or in a group with up to four other players. These treasure troves provide end-game content and gear, with each Delve offering 11 tiers, increasing the replayability as you test your mettle through different difficulties.

The introduction of Delves also allows people to explore end-game content and receive end-game loot without having to form a party or use the dungeon finder, but there are also eight new traditional dungeons and one new raid available for those who prefer a classic experience.

With this also comes the introduction of Warbands, an account-wide progression system that impacts all the characters on a Battle.net account, regardless of whether you’re Allied or for the Horde. You can store endgame loot in the Warbank storage for use on your other characters, as well as share achievements and faction Renown.

Building on the extended skill trees first introduced in Dragonflight, each class now has access to self-contained specialization trees which can be switched between to suit your playstyle and combat needs. This has allowed for more in-depth character customization and allows you to work to your strengths in strategy. The Skyriding mechanics also introduced in Dragonflight make their return, and as a returning player from the Shadowfell Expansion, I found it a bit strange to get used to.

By completing the main campaign and some additional side quest lines, you can also unlock the new Earthen race, an allied group of Titan-forged beings made of living stone. This proud race can be played as Hunters, Mages, Monks, Paladins, Priests, Rogues, Shamans, Warlocks and Warriors, making them a great all-rounder race. They also have racial traits that revolve around additional damage, healing, finesse and armour, and although they are always Well Fed, they can also consume Khaz Algar gems to change their Well Fed benefits.

The graphics and sound design haven’t changed much in 20 years, other than some optimization work for 1080p and HD graphics. The lack of change in graphics may seem a bit outdated to most, but in my opinion, the animation quality in the new cinematics and the attention to detail throughout the new zones make up for this.

Now that I’ve worked through the campaign for this review, I can’t help but take my time exploring Khaz Algar, especially the beautiful area of Hallowfall, and I cannot wait for part 2 of the Worldsoul Saga, World of Warcraft: Midnight. I can definitely see myself getting sucked back into this game in preparation for the next expansion after how much I’ve enjoyed this one, though no word yet on when we can expect the next chapter.

World of Warcraft: The War Within is a fantastic expansion; easily the best we’ve had in a very long time. It’s so well written, acting as a great starting point for both new and returning players, and I feel that it’s a great direction for the World of Warcraft.

Written by: Emily France