World of Warcraft fans can usually expect a new expansion announcement at the yearly BlizzCon convention, but this year things were quite different. The recently returned Chris Metzen took to the stage to announce a whole “Worldsoul Saga,” which will play out over the next three expansions for the MMORPG. Those three expansions will be The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan.
All three of these expansions will delve into parts of Azeroth that we’ve seen before, but which are changed by new events. The War Within takes place beneath Azeroth, in caverns and deep places inhabited by the Earthen and the spider-like Nerubian Empire. The sword that Sargeras has plunged deep into Azeroth back during the events of Legion has sparked some kind of reaction, involving a mysterious voice (my money is on the worldsoul of the planet, considering the saga we’re dealing with here).
The second expansion is Midnight, and it’s about the Void rising up and entering a clash with the forces of the Light. It certainly looks like this will be an Old Gods-focused expansion, especially since we know that Xal’atath, a fan favorite character, is returning. Xal’atath first showed up in the plot as a particularly chatty knife, but she’s a power player on the cosmic scale, and she has been playing the heroes of Azeroth towards some unknown end.
Finally, The Last Titan is the furthest expansion out, but it certainly sounds like it has an apocalyptical premise. Metzen promised that this will be the expansion that unveils the secrets of the Titans, giant Order-aligned custodians who have been God-like figures throughout most of World of Warcraft’s history. Interestingly, we know the Titans are sealed in with fan favorite character Illidan, so there’s plenty of room to speculate as to how the end of the Saga will play out.
Blizzard has been hyping a battle between Void and Light for years. They are two of six cosmic powers, and they are completely opposed. The Void are represented by the nefarious Old Gods, as well as more nuanced characters like Alleria Windrunner, the void elves, and shadow priests. Meanwhile, the Light is the patron of paladins and priests, but it has also led to terrible acts of extremism.
We’ll likely learn more about both sides of this upcoming cosmic war as we progress through the Worldsoul Saga. This level of pre-planning and announcement is unprecedented for World of Warcraft, but there’s still plenty of room for plot twists and surprises in the raids and dungeons along the way. The War Within will come out in 2024, with new features like Delves and Warbands, dynamic flying for old mounts, and new underground zones to explore.
