World of Warcraft: The War Within: Full details, new dungeons, zones & more

After its initial announcement at Blizzcon 2023, World of Warcraft: The War Within is nearly here, marking the first part of a new era of expansions known as The Worldsoul Saga.

Essentially, this is a single narrative thread that will play out over three expansions, all of which were announced simultaneously. The first of these is The War Within, a story that takes players to the center of Azeroth itself.

As well as full confirmation of the story, the beta has revealed a ton of details on what players can expect when the expansion arrives, with the full release scheduled for August 26 (or August 22 for those with early access). This unprecedented approach should see the life cycle for expansions made shorter.

The beta has been out for a while now, allowing players to go hands-on with The War Within. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming expansion.

The War Within story explained

The release of the cinematic trailer for the upcoming expansion revealed the premise and threaded some huge characters into the story from the outset.

Thrall has been receiving visions “from the heart of the world” and, amid fears of a new approaching darkness, he and Andiun Wrynn agree to face it together, in a further boon for Horde/Alliance relations.

Specifically, the mysterious figure known as the Harbinger will be revealed as Xal’atath. Her former masters in The Black Empire have fallen and the Old Gods are dead. Xal’atath now wants to use a new alliance with the Nerubians to form a force that seeks to enact the machinations of the Void.

More details will inevitably emerge between now and release, but Anduin, Thrall, Magni and Alleria Windrunner are all set to play a significant role.

The War Within launch roadmap

WoW’s Worldsoul Saga journey kicks off on July 23, with a pre-expansion update including Warbands, Skyriding, and Cross-Realm Guilds. Other pre-expansion content will consist of the Radiant Echoes event, which will last from July 30 through August 26.

Blizzard confirmed these details and others in a War Within roadmap that outlines what players should expect from the beginning of the Worldsoul Saga.

Once The War Within goes live in late August, WoW users who purchase the expansion will gain access to a new story, zones, Hero Talents, Delves, the Earthen Allied Race, eight additional dungeons, and fresh PvP content.

Blizzard Entertainment

The War Within roadmap further provides an overview of Season 1, scheduled to arrive on September 10.

Those who dive into the seasonal update will experience four new and four returning Mythic Dungeons, Seasonal Delves with new mechanics and rewards, Class Tier Sets, a PvP season, and the Nerubar Palace Raid. Notably, the latter constitutes a Mythic Raid launching on September 17.

The War Within new continent and zones

In a first for the game, the new continent the expansion introduces will be entirely subterranean. Introduced as Khaz Algar, this is the home of a specific subset of the Earthen, who players have seen before in zones like Ulduar. Within the continent are four zones – The Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, Hallowfall & Azj-Kahet.

The Isle of Dorn is found on the “surface” area of Khaz Algar and will act as the central hub for players in the new area. Billed as a fertile paradise, it is a combination of epic structures and beautiful vistas reminiscent of Valdrakken.

The Ringing Depths are the home of the Earthen’s great works, characterized by quarries, mines and forges. Kobolds are one of the more numerous enemies in the zone and Titan relics litter the environment with regularity.

Hallowfall is a huge cavern illuminated by Beledar, a huge crystal found within its ceiling. This area serves as the home to the Arathi and their capital Mereldar. They have been at war with the Nerubians for some time and skirmishes between the two are common.

The deepest of the new zones is Azj-Kahet is home to the frightening Nerubian City of Threads. It’s a city that has been built on the ruins of itself many times over and it has a complex political system and culture as a result.

The War Within Dungeon & raid list

When The War Within expansion launches, it will do so with eight dungeons for players to conquer. In line with previous expansions, four of these will be leveling dungeons while the other four are reserved for max-level characters. The full list is as follows:

Level-Up Dungeons

• The Rookery
• The Stonevault
• Priory of the Sacred Flame
• City of Threads

Maximum Level

• Cinderbrew Meadery
• Darkflame Cleft
• The Dawnbreaker
• Old City

Additionally, the expansion’s first raid is entitled Nerub’ar Palace, serving as the conclusion of the main story at the start of the expansion. The raid concludes with a fight against the Nerubian ruler Queen Ansurek, who has allied with Xal’atath in an attempt to restore her people to their former glory.

The War Within new Allied Race

Blizzard Entertainment

The newest playable race added to the roster is the Earthen. Taking some visual cues from the Dark Iron Dwarves, they are available for use by both the Horde and the Alliance. They also promise to be the most customizable choice ever, with the gem encrustations a particular high point for their design.

The War Within additional new features

Delves

The expansion will also introduce Delves. This new activity will see players join the Dragonscale expedition in search of treasure. The developer describes it as an evergreen activity similar to World Quests and they will provide seasonal rewards as well as being integrated into the Great Vault system.

There are currently twelve planned Delves accompanying the release of The War Within, eleven of which are currently public knowledge. The full list of Delves and their associated zones so far are as follows:

• Isle of Dorn: Earthcrawl Mines, Kriegval’s Rest, Fungal Folly
• Azj-Kahet: The Spiral Weave, Rak-Rethan Abyss
• Hallowfall: Skittering Breach, Nightfall Sanctum, The Sinkhole, Mycomancer Cavern
• The Ringing Deeps: The Waterworks, The Dread Pit, Deepwalker Hold

Hero Talents

The War Within also sees an overhaul in a more technical sense with the introduction of Hero talents. Working alongside the usual system, each class will have three trees to build into from Level 71 up to Level 80.

This article will continue to be updated as the expansion approaches to ensure it provides the most accurate information possible. With this and a whole raft of other World of Warcraft games and expansions on the way, it’s an exciting time to be a fan of the franchise.

Warbands

For those who like to level and maintain alts throughout an expansion, Warbands are one of the most exciting developments in years. They are a new account-wide progression system that should make maintaining alts far less of a grind moving forward.

It adds a new bank that should allow players to transfer reagents and items much more easily between characters. There is also a new gear category called Warbound, which can be transferred between Warband characters but not elsewhere.

There are also general quality-of-life changes related to Warbands, including the ability to transfer currency between characters using the User Interface, rather than via mail. Reputations, achievements, flight paths and other forms of progress are also now account-wide.

For our breakdowns of The War Within’s upcoming Hero Talent trees, check out the guides below:

Colossus Warrior | Keeper of the Grove Druid | Dark Ranger Hunter | Frostfire Mage | Oracle Priest | Elune’s Chosen Druid | Wildstalker Druid | Herald of the Sun Paladin | Scalecommander Evoker | Trickster Rogue | Templar Paladin | Diabolist Warlock | Rider of the Apocalypse Death Knight | Deathbringer Death Knight | Aldrachi Reaver Demon Hunter | Druid of the Claw Druid | Pack Leader Hunter | Flameshaper Evoker | Spellslinger Mage | Shado-Pan Monk