Dive into Azeroth in World of Warcraft: The War Within

We’ve conquered the skies in Dragonflight, now it’s time to delve into the cavernous depths of Azeroth. We’re here to share our thoughts, after our first foray into the tenth expansion of World of Warcraft, The War Within. 

The War Within Launch Trailer | World of Warcraft

Simon’s Gaming Specs 

I set out for my adventure on my custom gaming PC with the following specs: 

Previous Reviews

A Radiant Vision for the Future 

The War Within is the first part of a new trilogy of WoW expansions, called the Worldsoul Saga. First announced by Chris Metzen, at BlizzCon 2023, The War Within sees the Champions of Azeroth rise to battle a foe far too familiar to some members of the player base.  

Any Priest who played during Legion will recognise their Knaifu, Xal’atath. Since we freed her from imprisonment in the Black Blade of the Empire, she has been a busy little Old God. Corrupting the Nerubians, sowing seeds of rebellion into the Arathi, and tempting the leadership of the Earthen with tainted promises to save them. All these plots are empowered by the Dark Heart, an ancient relic we last saw in Iridikron’s claws back in Dragonflight. 

It’s up to us, the Heroes of Azeroth, to thwart these carefully laid plans by travelling to the Isle of Dorn and diving below to the cavernous regions at the heart of the planet. There we’ll battle all kinds of foes, such as sheep made from stone, Kobolds (You No Take Candle!), conniving Ascended Nerubians, and a manifestation of Darkness! But you’ll help and be helped along the way by new factions, such as the Council of Dornogal, the leadership of the Earthen on the Surface, and the Hallowfall Arathi, a lost tribe of humanity descended from the first Human Kingdom. 

New and Old Features 

World of Warcraft: The War Within brings back a lot of the classic features players have come to love. The level cap has been increased by 10 levels to 80, and a brand-new Hero Talent system has been added, with each class spec having access to two new trees that can easily be switched between when out of combat. Reaching level 80 is a breeze, even after the recent nerf from Blizz. Each of the four expansive zones has loads of new quests to sink your teeth into, with NPCs asking you to carry out all manner of tasks from the mundane to extraordinary. One highlight for me being the story of Korgran and Urtago, on the Isle of Dorn. If you’ve ever lost a loved one to Dementia, it just hits different. 

Alongside questing, there are four brand new leveling dungeons. Each one is located in one of the four zones of the expansion, meaning they’ll heavily utilise the zone’s aesthetics. The Rookery, for example, is a huge tower to the west of the expansion’s major city, Dornogal. As such, you’ll see lots of Earthen influence in its architecture, and most of the enemies are fallen Stormriders and their Stormrook mounts. These four leveling dungeons are later joined by an additional set of dungeons designed for max level players, for a total of eight! As of writing, only Normal and Heroic modes are available, with Mythic+ and the new Raid Nerub-ar Palace set to release on the 11^th of September.

Joining these tried-and-true mechanics of almost any MMO, you can find the brand-new Delve system. These mini dungeons can be found scattered around the landscape, with their entrances easily accessible from the overworld with no requirement to load into a separate instance like a dungeon or raid. Furthermore, they scale to your party, allowing players to enter by themselves, or with a full party of five, and still enjoy the same experience.  

A Great Experience for All 

Whether you’re an existing player or want to give the game a whirl for the first time, I’m sure you’ll have a great experience. The leveling experience to get to 70 and then on to the new content has been significantly sped up, with much lower experience requirements. 

Then there is how user friendly the whole game is, with plenty of options to customise everything to your liking. From adjusting your UI so tracking what’s going on is easier, to accessible features like colour blind options, and even an arachnophobia mode, that turns all those spiders into crabs. Now, if there was a way to adjust those creepy spider nests from the walls full of holes, that’d be lovely. *shudders* 

For those who have plenty of experience with the game, there have been some minor tweaks. Dragonriding from the previous expansion has evolved into Skyriding, with hundreds of existing mounts having the ability to dynamic fly added to them. However, if you prefer the old slow flying method, then that’s still available. Only, you’ll have to complete the Pathfinder achievement first.  

Then there’s the professions, which have again largely utilised the same model from Dragonflight. Only with some slight alterations, one such being that professions can each receive a unique crafting material. For example, Scribes can now loot Darkmoon Cards from mobs, Tailors are the only profession who can find cloth, and Engineers can receive Scrap to dig through for new Inventions.

My Thoughts on WoW: TWW

To be up front with you all, I’m a longtime Warcraft fan. I played the original RTS when it first dropped and have been playing WoW for twenty years come the anniversary. So, I have some biases when it comes to the game, like thinking Battle for Azeroth was good, up until the snoozefest that was Ny’alotha. 

As it looks now, World of Warcraft: The War Within is shaping up to be an excellent expansion. The leveling feels great, even better the second, third, or even fifth time around, as each character you get to 80 unlocks a stacking experience buff for your next toon. The dungeons are nice and varied, with amazing level design, fun bosses, and even an odd new mechanic thrown in here and there. Just know where your mount button is before you try the Dawnbreaker instance, or you’ll not survive. I can’t wait to get cracking on some Mythics and the new raid.  

So, I think if you’re even somewhat tempted by this new expansion give it a shot, it’s a great time to be had. 

How Can I Play World of Warcraft: The War Within

World of Warcraft: The War Within is available to play on PC, and requires a computer with the following specifications: 

Best Gaming PCs to Play WoW 

To march into battle against Xal’atath and her masses of minions, you’ll need a PC fit for a hero. We’ve got your back Champion. Here at Overclockers UK, we have a range of Epic gaming PCs and laptops. 

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Refract Gaming Jade 

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Grab your Friends for a Game

World of Warcraft, with its expansive world, is fantastic to experience alongside friends. If you’re looking for other multiplayer experiences, why not give these titles a try. 

Delve into the World of Warcraft 

Are you hyped by the release of this new expansion to the venerable MMO? What class and hero talents are you thinking of choosing? Let us know in the comment section below. 

PC specs are subject to change.