World of Warcraft’s fortunes have significantly varied over the last few expansions, and during that time, many people’s feelings about the game were decidedly negative. Now, it seems that WoW’s tide is finally starting to turn.
Dragonflight has just entered its final season, and while it may not be remembered as the best expansion in WoW’s long and storied history, it has done an admirable job of correcting the game’s course.
So, how did we get to this point? Legion was the last expansion that received near-universal praise from the community for its story direction, slew of activities and impressive endgame content throughout its lifespan.
That was followed by the hugely divisive Battle for Azeroth, an expansion that looked as though it could return the game to its roots. Though there was certainly plenty to enjoy, particularly in the last raid tier, many felt that it was packed to the rafters with grinds and chores that players needed to log in and complete to stay competitive.
Unfortunately, Battle for Azeroth’s failures paled in comparison to Shadowlands, which arguably ended up being one of the lowest points in WoW’s entire history. An underwhelming story, a dearth of exciting activities and huge content droughts culminated in an experience that Blizzard seemingly gave up on before the end.
Dragonflight has laid the foundations for The War Within brilliantly
When Dragonflight launched in 2022, wider expectations were pretty low, and the expansion made a relatively inconspicuous start. Many were simply happy to be out of the Shadowlands era, and Dragonflight delivered an enjoyable playing experience without blowing anyone away.
Since then, something fairly extraordinary has started to happen. As the expansion has progressed through each season, the wider tapestry of the game has started to come sharply into focus, and, without many realizing it, WoW is a genuinely engrossing MMO to play again.
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The announcement of The War Within, the first of three expansions, has set the course for the next few years, and it’s clear that Blizzard has been building with that goal in mind. The raids have been solid, dungeons enjoyable, and the latest Mythic+ rework has refreshed the challenge offered by the mode.
The whole package is ably assisted by a slew of other modes, leaving the community with more ways to play WoW than ever. Season of Discovery has offered a refreshing take on the original Classic formula. WotLK Classic is about to graduate into Cataclysm, and the arrival of Deathwing is exciting, even if the expansion proves divisive.
Time-limited modes have also come to the fore, with Plunderstorm proving to be a uniquely silly and thrilling take on the bloated Battle Royale genre. That is about to end before WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria takes the reins, offering a return to the expansion that has significant crossover with Modern WoW, thanks to its rewards.
WoW players on social media have seemingly come to this realization as well. Many echo the relief that Dragonflight has brought in the wake of previous underwhelming expansions. Others pointed to tangible, significant changes to the way the expansion has been set up as the recipe for its success.
Whatever happens with The War Within, it’s clear to many that Blizzard has given itself every chance of delivering a successful expansion. It’s a great time to be a WoW player again.
