Blizzard is one of the most illustrious companies in the gaming industry. It has now been acquired by gaming giant Microsoft to join its portfolio of Xbox studios alongside all things Activision to continue the success that has characterized the studio for the past few decades. Despite the fact that the company's latest forays have failed to convince gamers, and it‘s going through a difficult time, the great classics continue to add up to some of the most satisfying experiences for fans who’ve been enjoying their games for decades.

This is precisely the case with World of Warcraft, a title that was originally released in 2004 and that, since then, has continued to reinvent itself and offer new experiences nonstop so that the bulk of the community doesn’t pick up and leave the lands of Azeroth. In the midst of 2024, Blizzard continues to expand the horizons of one of its most legendary titles, setting up one of the franchise's most epic episodes in the form of a battle that aims to lay the groundwork for what's can be expected from the title in the years to come. The War Within** expansion comes to shake the foundations of the past, present, and future.

A new story to tell

While gameplay is the core element of any video game, with World of Warcraft, narrative has come to be one of the strongest points to attract fans. The eternal fight between the Horde and the Alliance is constantly adding new episodes that keep the flame of the players alive to learn more details about the storyline and the characters that compose it. Of course, with the arrival of The War Within, it was to be no less, inviting players to discover one of the most unknown and intriguing chapters of the multiplayer title's twenty years of existence.

With The War Within, World of Warcraft players must explore uncharted underground worlds filled with hidden wonders and lurking dangers to the dark depths of the Nerubian Empire, where the malicious Void Harbinger is amassing arachnid forces in an attempt to seize power over Azeroth. This introduces a **new allied race that has been completely unknown to date: The terrans. These are characters that have been made by titans from stone and can be unlocked through the expansion's new quests, reaching level 80 to join both Horde and Alliance forces.

Unsurprisingly, through The War Within, World of Warcraft will also include new terrains to explore and discover, from the Land of Khaz Algar to Azj-Kahet to reveal all that the lands of the new Terran race have to offer. A new region located on the western shores of Pandaria with its own unique landscapes, cities, capitals, and in-universe locations such as caves and caverns that are well worth exploring.

An ever-growing universe

With twenty years under its belt, World of Warcraft is one of the longest running video games on the market. The community of players who enjoy Blizzard's game is vast, so it's hard to keep up with their needs. However, over the years, the American company has managed to offer content that adapts to what users demand and continue expanding the capabilities of a proposal that remains fresh and constantly evolves as the years go by. In spite of this, The War Within is set to be a turning point for the franchise, with a much more story-driven treatment and new gameplay that lays the foundations for the future.

To this end, Blizzard has created a more cinematic expansion, where scenes and dialogue can take on even more importance than in previous World of Warcraft expansions that have been released over the past few years. The introduction of new elements, an unknown race and a major conflict requires a story that deserves to be told in every way, so the studio has spared no expense in introducing elements that help to make the universe more organic. In addition, it’s also capable of adapting to the times by introducing new, shorter, and more direct dungeons, with short experiences like those offered by today's video games in order to appeal to younger players. Phases of about 10-15 minutes that can be completed between 2 and 4 players, something that didn’t exist in the game before.

New mechanics, coupled with dynamic flighting as a new method of movement, make The War Within one of the biggest evolutions in the World of Warcraft universe in recent years. A declaration of intent that the title’s universe is preparing for a authentic evolution that’s always in favor of the player's experience, maintaining its classic essence while at the same time knowing how to introduce the right elements to evolve without being stuck in the past. This is a big change that invites us to think that this is just the beginning of a promising future for World of Warcraft, which will continue to carry war as a banner for the next twenty years if it continues to do the excellent work it has done to date.