Key Takeaways
- The War Within takes players to Khaz Algar, a mystical land with new zones like Isle of Dorn and Azj-Kahet.
- New dungeons like The Rookery and City of Threads offer exciting challenges with bosses and new mechanics.
- Introducing hero talents unique to each class specialization starting at level 71, and a new playable allied race, the Earthen.
World of Warcraft has taken us to many places over the years. We've traversed the Hellfire Penninsula in The Burning Crusade and walked the city of Dalaran in Legion; we've gone to the world of the dead and back in Shadowlands; we've defended the Dragon Isles; and now, with the tenth expansion, we're heading under Azeroth's surface for The War Within, the first in a three-part expansion called the Worldsoul Saga.
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The War Within launches on August 26 at the same time globally in America, Europe, Taiwan, Korea and Australia/New Zealand. Those who pre-purchased the Heroic or Epic edition will have access as early as August 22. Before diving into the world of Khaz Algar, here's what you should know about World of Warcraft's newest expansion.
6 A New Land
The War Within takes us to Khaz Algar, a long-forgotten subterranean continent located southeast of Kalmidor and west of Pandaria. Khaz Algar's capital city, Dornogal, is the home of the ancient Earthen. Khaz Algar includes four new zones: Isle of Dorn (Level 70-73), The Ringing Deeps (Level 73-75), Hallowfall (Level 75-78) and Azj-Kahet (Level 78-80).
Isle of Dorn is a lush greenland surrounded by waterfalls and mountains, serving as home to the capital city of Dornogal. The Ringing Deeps brings us to a cavern, home of the Machine Speakers, a type of Earthen who maintain ancient machinery. Hallowfall is a bright underground zone, home to the Arathi. It's lit by only a massive crystal. Azj-Kahet, the final zone to be found in Khaz Algar, is home of the nerubians, a dark region filled with mystical creatures.
5 New Dungeons
No World of Warcraft expansion would be complete without new dungeons and The War Within is no exception. New dungeons include The Rookery, Stonevault, The Priory of the Sacred Flame, Ara-Kara the City of Echoes, Cinderbrew Meadery, Darkflame Cleft, The Dawnbreaker and City of Threads.
| Minimum level requirement | |
|---|---|
| The Rookery | 71 |
| Stonevault | 73 |
| The Priory of the Sacred Flame | 75 |
| Ara-Kara, the City of Echoes | 77 |
| Cinderbrew Meadery | 80 |
| Darkflame Cleft | 80 |
| The Dawnbreaker | 80 |
| City of Threads | 80 |
Dungeons come with new bosses and new mechanics to learn, and it's best to familiarize yourself with them quickly, because The War Within's first Mythic+ season will feature several of these new dungeons: Ara-Kara the City of Echoes, City of Threads, The Stonevault and The Dawnbreaker.
4 Delves
| Delve locations | |
|---|---|
| Isle of Dorn | Earthcrawl Mines, Kriegval's Rest, Fungal Folly |
| The Ringing Deeps | The Waterworks, The Dread Pit |
| Azj-Kahet | The Spiral Weave, Tak-Rethan Abyss, Underkeep, Mystery 13th Delve |
| Hallowfall | Skittering Breach, Nightfall Sanctum, The Sinkhole, Mycomancer Cavern |
No, much to our chagrin, delves does not stand for dwarf elves. Delves are a new form of instanced content meant to be enjoyed alongside traditional dungeons and raids. Delves, which can be found in every zone inside Khaz'Algar, can be explored alone or with up to four friends. As you progress through Delves, you'll be rewarded with gear (which will scale comparably with dungeon, raid and PvP gear) and other loot.
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Delves -- which take about 10-20 minutes to complete -- include combat, puzzles, platforming challenges and bosses. As you explore, you'll find chests and supplies to help further your progress in the Delve. Whether solo or with friends, a NPC companion that you can customize with unique talents will join you in the Delves. The companions will swap out each season, but we're starting season one off with a dwarf: Brann Bronzebeard.
3 A New Playable Allied Race
They're no dwarf elves, but The War Within is bringing a new playable allied race to the table: the Earthen. The Earthen are a Titan-forged dwarven race that have been isolated in Khaz Algar since ancient times. Much like previously-introduced allied races, the Earthen can be unlocked via playing through The War Within story and the Earthen campaign.
| Earthen racials | |
|---|---|
| Azerite Surge | The earthen draw upon their inner strength using an empowered spell that, when released, invokes the power of Azerite in a cone in front of them, dealing Fire damage. This spell is on a 2-minute timer and gains additional effects as it is empowered:
|
| Hyper Productive | Increases Finesse by 2%. |
| Ingest Minerals | You are always Well Fed but cannot consume food. Activate to consume a Khaz Algar gem and change the benefit granted to you by Well Fed:
|
| Titan-Wrought Frame | Base armor from equipped items is increased by 10%. |
| Wide-Eyed Wonder | When you gain experience for exploring a location, gain 200% additional exploration experience. |
Once unlocked, Earthen can be created as Horde or Alliance, and new characters will start off at level 10 in the city of Dornogol. At the time of this article, Earthen can master the following classes: Hunter, Mage, Monk, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock and Warrior. Unlocking the Earthen will also grant you the racial mount Slatestone Ramolith.
2 New Hero Talents
The War Within is introducing us to hero talents, a new form of character progression unique to each class specialization. Hero Talents have their own unique talent trees that are unlocked starting at level 71, building on the abilities and talents of your current class and specialization.
| Hero Talents by Class | |
|---|---|
| Death Knight | Deathbringer (Blood/Frost); Rider of the Apocalypse (Frost/Unholy); San'layn (Blood/Unholy) |
| Demon Hunter | Aldrachi Reaver (Havoc/Vengeance); Fel-Scarred (Havoc/Vengeance) |
| Druid | Elune's Chosen (Balance/Guardian); Druid of the Claw (Feral/Guardian); Keeper of the Grove (Balance/Restoration); Wildstalker (Feral/Restoration) |
| Evoker | Chronowarden (Augmentation/Preservation); Flameshaper (Devastation/Preservation); Scalecommander (Augmentation/Devastation) |
| Hunter | Dark Ranger (Beast Mastery/Marksmanship); Pack Leader (Beast Mastery/Survival); Sentinel (Marksmanship/Survival) |
| Mage | Frostfire (Fire/Frost); Spellslinger (Arcane/Frost); Sunfury (Arcane/Fire) |
| Monk | Conduit of the Celestials (Mistweaver/Windwalker); Master of Harmony (Brewmaster/Mistweaver); Shado-Pan (Brewmaster/Windwalker) |
| Paladin | Herald of the Sun (Holy/Retribution); Lightsmith (Holy/Protection); Templar (Protection/Retribution) |
| Priest | Archon (Holy/Shadow); Oracle (Discipline/Holy); Voidweaver (Discipline/Shadow) |
| Rogue | Deathstalker (Assassination/Subtlety); Fatebound (Assassination/Outlaw); Trickster (Outlaw/Subtlety) |
| Shaman | Farseer (Elemental/Restoration); Stormbringer (Elemental/Enhancement); Totemic (Enhancement/Restoration) |
| Warlock | Diabolist (Demonology/Destruction); Hellcaller (Affliction/Destruction); Soul Harvester (Affliction/Demonology) |
| Warrior | Colossus (Arms/Protection); Mountain Thane (Fury/Protection); Slayer (Arms/Fury) |
There are 11 nodes in the Hero Talent tree, with a point available from level 71 to 80, and hero talents can be changed at any time. The Hero Talent tree begins with a "keystone" talent that introduces the concept of the tree, whereas the bottom talent of each tree is a "capstone" talent that builds on the original concept or adds a new power altogether.
1 New Mythic+ Season
The first Mythic+ season of The War Within begins on September 10, but Mythic+ dungeons will not officially open until the following week: September 17. Season one gear will range from 597 item level (for a +2 keystone) all the way up to 613 item level (for a +10 keystone). Just like Dragonflight, completing Mythic+ dungeons in The War Within will earn you gear rewards in your Great Vault each week.
| New Mythic+ Affixes | |
|---|---|
| Xal'atath's Bargain: Ascendant | While in combat, Xal'atath will show up and summon 10 Orbs of Ascendance that cast Cosmic Ascension. These orbs absorb all damage and can only be interrupted. If the Cosmic Ascension casts go off, the orbs will buff nearby mobs with increased movement speed and haste per orb. If interrupted, players will receive the buff for themselves. The buff lasts 20 seconds. |
| Xal'atath's Bargain: Voidbound | While in combat, Xal'atath will summon a Void Emissary that empowers nearby enemies with Dark Prayer, reducing their damage taken. After defeating the Void Emissary, players will receive a +healing buff that lasts 20 seconds. The effect stacks. |
| Xal'atath's Bargain: Oblivion | While in combat, Xal'atath manifests crystals that can be absorbed by both enemies and players. If players absorb the crystals, they will gain the Void Essence effect which increases mastery and leech. If the crystals hit enemies, the enemies will gain a damage reduction buff for each crystal that hits them. The effect stacks on both players and enemies. |
| Xal'atath's Bargain: Devour | While in combat, Xal'atath will cast Void Rift, which places an absorb shield on each member of the party for 15 seconds. While the shield is active, it will absorb 1% of the player's maximum health per second. The shield can be removed by healing and dispelling. Shields that aren't removed will heal enemies for 25% of their health. |
The first season will feature a mix of dungeons from The War Within and past expansions, including: The Stonevault, The Dawnbreaker, City of Threads and Ara-Kara the City of Echoes, as well as Mists of Tirna Scithe (Shadowlands), The Necrotic Wake (Shadowlands), Siege of Boralus (Battle for Azeroth) and Grim Batol (Cataclysm). Season one introduces several new Mythic+ affixes, that will swap out weekly under the name Xal'atath's Bargain.
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