World of Warcraft: The War Within — A Return to Form for Blizzard

World of Warcraft has been a culture-defining title since its release back in November of 2004. Since those early days of Vanilla WOW , we have seen the title rise to the undisputed king of MMOs, informing many titles to come after it. While it has had some amazing moments from Wrath of the Lich King to Warlords of Draenor (I have a soft spot for Thrall and the Frostwolf clan) in recent years, there has been a bit of a waning interest in more recent expansions.

While Battle For Azeroth was serviceable, Shadowlands left many players disenfranchised with the state of World of Warcraft . While Dragon Flight objectively introduced some interesting mechanics and quality-of-life improvements, the narrative felt empty and lacked the spark, intrigue and intensity that earlier expansions were known for. Truth be told, these last two expansions have been a low point in my time with WOW , often stepping away from the title even before finishing the main campaign.

However, there has been a shift or renewal of sorts with the creative team at Blizzard and with a renewed sense of purpose and passion. The War Within Expansion has released and marks the first story arch in the Worldsoul Saga. This three-expansion story invites players to a story that aims to tie together many long-standing loose ends, finally bring back many beloved characters and see the introduction of some fresh characters for players to engage with.

Having just finished the main story campaign and finally unlocking the new Earthen Allied race, there seems to be a change in how the team at Blizzard is drawing players in both narratively and mechanically. I can say that The War Within is the most fun I’ve had in World of Warcraft in the past six years, barring a small stint of levelling a warlock to 80 in World of Warcraft WOTLK Classic . The War Within feels like a return to form, to a time when logging into WOW felt meaningful and impactful.

“ The War Within Expansion has released and marks the first story arch in the Worldsoul Saga. “

The War Within offers some things that have been lacking in the past few expansions, and I’ve been trying to narrow what makes this Xpac stand out since wrapping the story up. After much deliberation, thought-provoking conversation and coffee, so much coffee, I’ve distilled and identified a few areas of The War Within that have helped spur this grizzled veteran WOW player on to grab my druid staff and head back into the fray.

Narrative Direction and Delivery

Perhaps the most striking feature that helps elevate The War Within is the narrative direction and delivery. Blizzard has long been known for its incredible narrative delivery from epic cinematic moments to incredibly moving dialogue. The War Within has elevated these two elements to a new level. Cinematic moments truly convey the emotional state of characters we are invested in helping us to feel what they feel.

Dialogue between characters, likewise, helps round out some already well-established characters and heightens our awareness and appreciation of the plight of other newer, less established characters. The result is a deeper appreciation for the situations these characters find themselves in, a deeper understanding of their motives and by extension a deeper investment in their part of the greater narrative.

“ The War Within feels like a return to form, to a time when logging into WOW felt meaningful and impactful.”

It has been a long time since I last found myself frustrated that I had to wait for a content patch so I could find out what happens next in the narrative, but The War Within had me logging in this past Tuesday, waiting impatiently for the final chapter of the campaign story to drop. This is a testament to the quality of the narrative as a whole. An area in which I feel the narrative has struggled over the past couple of expansions has been in telling a story and fleshing out the characters in a way that made me want to empathize with them.

The narrative of World of Warcraft: The War Within , by contrast, and to borrow a phrase, hits us in all of the feels. For long-time players, the story brings back characters that we have quite literally grown up with and drops them center stage to the events of the expansion. This isn’t some gimmicky Easter egg, either. Each character is written with expert craftsmanship, never overbearing or wasted. Each interaction with NPCs feels meaningful.

As a long-time player, I’ve also appreciated how The War Within has aged up the characters. The years of war and trauma have impacted each character differently and it is conveyed so well as the narrative is unpacked. While this will remain a spoiler-free article, I do want to note a few interactions between Thrall and Anduin.

“Perhaps the most striking feature that helps elevate The War Within is the narrative direction and delivery.”

The War Within sees Anduin struggling post- Shadowlands , left to wrestle with the aftermath of travesties he was forced to commit while essentially locked in his own body. His struggle is felt and communicated masterfully, and I appreciate that the questions he wrestles with and confides in Thrall at the beginning of the narrative aren’t simply resolved as this chapter of the campaign comes to a close. It’s a raw and accurate reflection of the often complex nature of trauma and how it impacts us as individuals.

These are the types of themes that a woven throughout the narrative of The War Within , and help pull players in and provide opportunities for us to be invested and immersed in the story Blizzard is telling. It truly is a return to form narratively and one that I’ve enjoyed immensely.

New and Refined Mechanics

While the narrative has been an impressive step forward with The War Within , Blizzard has also worked hard to refine some of the mechanics of their 20-year-old MMO, helping to keep it fresh and relevant. Questing, Delves, Item Upgrading, and Hero Talents all worked together to help keep progression feeling fresh and engaging.

“As a long-time player, I’ve also appreciated how The War Within has aged up the characters.”

Questing, for example, has been streamlined without losing its narrative impact. While the campaign quests feel purposeful without ever feeling long and drawn out (there are fewer campaign quests this time around), it’s the side quests that I was most impressed by. As someone who struggles to focus as soon as I have more than one option, I’ve found even the side quests engaging and intriguing.

This is due in part to how streamlined and focused the questing areas are. I can complete a whole quest chain often without ever leaving the immediate area. Questing is also further aided by the inclusion of the updated Skyriding mount system, a carryover from Dragon Riding first introduced in Dragonflight . Now, with the ability to use any flying mount in the same manner as a dragon, getting around a zone has become a game in and of itself. As a result, questing doesn’t feel cumbersome anymore, a marked improvement over previous expansions.

The second mechanic that is a welcome addition is the introduction of the Delves. These single-player mini dungeons can be entered with an NPC sidekick who has their own set of talents to unlock, slot and upgrade. A designated role can also be selected on the fly, allowing your NPC companion to truly complement your preferred playstyle. As the system leverages a tiered system allowing you to adjust the difficulty and, by extension, rewards from the Delve, this content can keep players engaged even at max level. It’s a nice break from questing, and thanks to smart quest design, some of the quest chains will lead you through a Delve found in the world.

Another mechanic that I’ve appreciated is the Item Upgrading system. While it seems to be a hybrid system borrowed from titles like Diablo Immortal , World of Warcraft’s item upgrading system is designed for ease of use and as another means of obtaining higher item-level gear. Using materials collected through various events and quests, players can take existing items and upgrade their level increasing both stats and item level.

I’ve found this to be a great and easy way to bump up that ever-precious overall item level and, as a result, have been able to access higher-level Delves and jump into the LFG for Dungeons without feeling like a scrub. It’s another way Blizzard has worked to help create a more accessible title for casual players while still offering veteran players new ways to push the power of their characters.

The final mechanic that has seen some refinement and updating is found in the talent tree. While the Talent tree was reintroduced in Dragonflight after having been removed in Mists of Pandaria (a choice I’ve still not forgiven Blizzard for), The War Within introduces a new subsystem within the talent tree system called Hero Talents. This extension of the talent tree allows players to further refine their playstyle and while I’m sure there will always be minmaxers telling us we are doing it wrong, these new Hero Talents feel like they offer some true diversity to builds and playstyles. It is a welcome change from the historically limited viable builds we’ve had in previous expansions.

“ The War Within seems to be all about giving players more choices in how they want to play and level through the narrative.”

The War Within seems to be all about giving players more choices in how they want to play and level through the narrative. The litmus test for me was just how engaging the story was. I have, for the past three expansions, simply dungeon levelled to max level and did the bare minimum to complete the campaign, often skipping any side quests as they lacked any interest for me. With World of Warcraft: The War Within, however, I’ve found myself wanting to explore more of the world. I want to know more about each zone and the people in it. It’s a bit strange, but positively, to not simply want to power level and run dungeons.

Speaking of the world, the four new zones, the Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, Hallowfall and Azj-Kahet, are exceptionally well-designed and offer some unique themes. Each feels distinct and makes sense in the context of the narrative and location. Hallowfall, a personal favourite, offers a stunning view of the surrounding areas. Its underground ecosystem and lighting make it feel truly unique.

While there are other features still to be fully explored such as end-game systems and testing all of the dungeons out, every part of The War Within has been a delight. It truly has been a return to form for Blizzard. The fact The War Within is beginning the Worldsoul Saga also makes me quite excited for what Blizzard has planned next . With more time to flesh out characters and introduce new villains, I’m optimistic about where Blizzard is taking World of Warcraft, thanks to The War Within, and that is something I’ve not been for quite some time. There has never been a better time to jump back into World of Warcraft .