World of Warcraft: Midnight Takes Players Back to a Refreshed Quel'Thalas in the Battle Against the Void

At Gamescom Opening Night Live, we conscionable got a look astatine the opening cinematic for the adjacent World of Warcraft expansion: Midnight. And with it, we got a sensation of what to expect astatine the focal constituent of the expansion's start: Quel'Thalas, and the Blood Elf metropolis of Silvermoon.

If you're a WoW veteran, you astir apt cognize Quel'Thalas. It was introduced to World of Warcraft successful the archetypal expansion, The Burning Crusade, alongside the instauration of the Blood Elves. Currently successful the game, successful consists of Silvermoon City and the surrounding Eversong Woods, arsenic good arsenic the bluish Isle of Quel'Danas and The Ghostlands to the south. Though it's mostly populated by Blood Elves, it's besides location to Zul'Aman, the location of the Amani Trolls. As it stands now, Silvermoon and everything to the southbound serves arsenic a starting portion for low-level Blood Elves (though it's besides mostly been made obsolete owed to the summation of the ubiquitous caller subordinate experience, Exile's Reach), portion Quel'Danas was an endgame portion successful spot 2.4 that's mostly useless present if you don't person a precise circumstantial crushed to beryllium there.

All that is astir to change. As we saw successful the cinematic, Midnight opens with void menace and full baddie Xal'atath attacking the Sunwell, a magical powerfulness fountain successful Quel'Danas that's ineffable to the Blood Elves. We're headed determination astatine the commencement of Midnight to support it (alongside the thankfully-not-dead Blood Elf leader, Lor'themar Theron), which means that full country is getting an overhaul. Midnight starts with 4 zones: a reworked Eversong Woods (which besides seems similar it volition see astatine slightest immoderate of Ghostlands), a reworked Zul'Aman (now upgraded from a raid to a afloat zone), and 2 caller areas: the rootlands of Harandar, and Voidstorm, which seems to beryllium located successful a antithetic satellite entirely. Players volition commencement successful Eversong Woods and extremity successful Voidstorm, with Zul'Aman and Harandar capable to beryllium done interchangeably.

Apologies to the Draenei, though. Burning Crusade's equivalent Alliance people starting zones, Azuremyst and Bloodmyst Isle, and the Draenei hub The Exodar, don't look to beryllium getting immoderate peculiar treatment.

Unlike caller expansions, Midnight volition unfastened with not one, but 3 raids: The Voidspire (six bosses), The Dreamrift (one boss), and March connected Quel'Danas (two bosses). World of Warcraft hasn't had aggregate raids moving astatine erstwhile for respective expansions now, truthful having 3 astatine erstwhile astatine motorboat is simply a large deal. The enlargement besides launches with 8 caller dungeons (including a reworked Magister's Terrace), 7 caller delves, and a caller PvP battleground. There's besides a marque caller diagnostic called "Prey" wherever players hunt almighty targets crossed antithetic satellite zones, with the imaginable to beryllium ambushed portion connected the hunt.

As for characters, we're not getting immoderate marque caller classes. A caller allied race, Haranir, volition beryllium available, alongside a caller mid-range Demon Hunter specialization and Void Elves present besides capable to go Demon Hunters. There are besides immoderate overhauls to the caller subordinate acquisition including caller communicative mode raids for Dragonflight and immoderate different catch-up features. And they're simplifying skyriding, including (thank goodness) getting escaped of the vigor bar.

Finally, the biggest and astir breathtaking diagnostic of Midnight is 1 we already cognize about: subordinate housing. We've already heard and seen a batch astir what to expect from housing, but Blizzard has re-confirmed that we're getting afloat customizable subordinate homes, with 3D placement tools, dyes to recolor furniture, each sorts of decor items disposable to beryllium earned done each antithetic kinds of content, and backstage and nationalist neighborhoods. No warring implicit plots similar successful Final Fantasy 14, either!

We're expecting to perceive much details astir what we'll spot successful Midnight passim Gamescom, truthful enactment tuned to IGN for much connected World of Warcraft's latest. Midnight launches successful 2026. You tin drawback up connected everything announced astatine Gamescom Opening Night Live close here.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. You tin find her posting connected BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].