WoW The War Within Overview: Everything You Need to Know
After a long wait, World of Warcraft The War Within is finally here! It might not be the biggest expansion Blizzard has ever released, but it’s definitely a much-needed one, with tons of new additions and necessary changes. Let’s delve deep into The War Within and see what it has to offer.
Table of Contents
Everything New in The War Within
Let’s start by listing off in bullet points everything new in The War Within, after which we’ll dissect it in detail. Starting off with the most important ones, we have:
- Brand new landmass: Khaz Algar
- The new race that can be played by either faction: The Earthen
- New endgame mechanic: Delves
- New class mechanic: Hero Talents
- New account-wide progression system: Warbands
- 8 new dungeons + 1 new raid
- Tons of balance changes and system tweaks
My my, where to begin first? Let’s start at the top and analyze everything towards the bottom.
Khaz Algar – The World Within Azeroth Itself
The brand new landmass in The War Within is called Khaz Algar and is located in the very innards of Azeroth itself. Khaz Algar, also known as Sector AR-938, was initially discovered by an Earthen expedition sent by the titan keepers to explore this new region.
Unfortunately for the expedition, they lost contact with their surface brethren after some time, leading to the creation of a separate earthen kingdom in the very belly of Azeroth itself.
Isolated, this new earthen kingdom maintained many of the characteristics of the original Earthen, chief among which is their “earthen look”, which remains unaltered as opposed to their surface kin which later became the Dwarves as a result of the Curse of Flesh.
The Regions of Khaz Algar.
Khaz Algar has four regions: Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, Hallowfall, and Azj-Kahet.
The Isle of Dorn is the starting region and contains the capital city of the Earthen, Dornogal. Dornogal serves as the main meeting point and staging area for all activities in Khaz Algar for both the Alliance and the Horde.
The Ringing Deeps is a vast cavern system that is home to the Machine Speakers, a special kind of Earthen that still toils in the deep and keeps the Titan Machines running.
Hollowfall lies to the north and is home to the Arathi, a civilization at constant odds with the Nerubians, who constantly assault their borders.
Finally, there’s Azj-Kahet, the home region of the Nerubians and where Xal’atath, the Harbinger of the Void resides. Azj-Kahet is the final zone in Khaz Algar and it is appropriately difficult.
Khaz Algar will also have four new world bosses.
- Kordac, the Dormant Protector
- Aggregation of Horrors
- Shurrai, Atrocity of the Undersea
- Orta, the Broken Mountain
Meet the Earthen
The Earthen are a race of titan-forged entities that share a similar ancestry as the Dwarves. However, unlike the Dwarves, which were afflicted by the Curse of Flesh, thus rendering them organic, the Earthen still retain their original “rocky constitution.”
Jokes aside, the Earthen are quite interesting as a race. They look cool, they’re neutral, meaning that both factions can play them, and they have a couple of interesting racial traits, so let’s take a look at them.
- Azerite Surge: A castable cone-shaped spell that deals fire damage to enemies and heals allies hit by its effect.
- Hyper Productive: Increases your Finesse by 25, thus increasing your chances of finding additional minerals when mining.
- Ingest Minerals: Unlike the other races, you don’t actually eat regular food. Instead, you eat Khaz Algar gems which give you special effects based on their type.
- Titan-Wrought Frame: Your base armor from equipped items is increased by 10%.
- Wide-Eyed Wonder: You gain 100% more experience from discovering new locations.
When looking at these racials one thing becomes abundantly clear: the Earthen are absolute beasts at tanking! They’re also the new go-to choice for mining, so if you plan on making a mining character any time soon, make sure it’s an Earthen.
Delves, What are They?
Delves are a new type of instance that’s tailored towards smaller groups of around 1-5 platters and shorter run times (10-20 minutes at most). Unlike regular instances, delves will have random hazards and mob spawns each time, guaranteeing that no two delves will be the same.
What I find the most interesting about Delves is the new companion mechanic. If you don’t have a full composition, the game will automatically assign you an AI companion to fill in one of the roles.
The companion can either be a healer or a combatant based on your needs and it can even level up as you complete more delves. Companion level is cross-warband, meaning that you won’t have to level him up with each character.
You can access Delves via the Delver’s Headquarters. In it, you’ll find the Delver’s Guide, which can be used to collect rewards, configure your companion, and much more. Delves can range from Tier 1 to Tier 11, becoming progressively tougher at higher tier levels, but also more lucrative as well.
What’s This About Hero Talents?
Hero Talents are the newest addition to WoW’s already intricate class system. In essence, Hero Talents allow you to further specialize your character by emphasizing certain characteristics of the class.
You unlock Hero Talents upon reaching level 71, after which you’ll unlock a single talent point for each level up to level 80. Each class gets three hero talent trees, two of which can be swapped.
An interesting thing about this new system is that it doesn’t cost a lot to respec, in fact, it’s practically advised that you respec at least a few times and try out something else.
Warbands! A Much Needed QoL Addition
One of the worst things about WoW was how much repetitive grinding you had to do for various things. Well, for a lot of things, that’s completely gone now. Introducing, the Warband mechanic!
The Warband is a sort of unofficial group that includes each of your characters. Each character in your Warband shares progress with each other on certain things. Like the aforementioned Delving companion progression.
Other notable Warband features are the Warband Bank, which is an account-wide bank allowing for easy transfer of items and gold. Warbound until Equipped Gear, which is a new type of gear that can be transferred between characters. Transmong Collection, which allows you to loot every type of transmog item regardless of armor type, Warband Achievements, and Warband Currencies.
Thank the light for some of these additions, especially the Warband Bank. Gone will be the days when you have to log out, mail something to another character, and log in again. Now you can just keep everything in your Warband Bank and use it as required.
The New Dungeons and Raids
World of Warcraft The War Within brings along with it 8 new dungeons and a new raid called Nerub’ar Palace. It’s important to note here that the raid won’t be available on launch, instead, it’ll open on the 10th of September, with the Mythic version opening a week later on the 17th.
What the New Raid Has to Offer
Nerub’ar Palace will be located in Azj-Kahet and will be an 8-boss raid. The raid will have you take on the forces of Queen Ansurek deep within her palace. But before you can get to her you’ll have to face her notable underlings.
- Ulgara the Devourer
- The Bloodbound Horror
- Sikran, Captain of the Sureki
- Rasha’nan
- Broodtwister Ovi’nax
- Nexus-Princess Ky’veza
- The Silken Court
- Queen Ansurek
The new raid also comes with its own armor set, which has a deliciously evil moody glow to it, befitting the aesthetic of an underground bug empire.
The New Dungeons
The eight new dungeons in The War Within are the following:
- The Rookery
- The Stonevault
- Priory of the Sacred Flame
- City of Threads
- Cinderbrew Meadery
- Darkflaem Cleft
- The Dawnbreaker
- Ara-Kara, City of Echoes
The first four are leveling dungeons, unlocked at levels 71, 73, 75, and 80. The last four are max-level dungeons, which you unlock upon reaching The War Within’s max level cap of 80.
The New Mytic+ Season 1 Dungeons
Season 1 of The War Within has 8 “new” mythic dungeons that you can play with your friends. Four of these are mythic versions of certain TWW dungeons, and four of them are mythic versions of previous expansion favorites. These are:
- Ara-Kara, City of Echoes
- City of Threads
- The Stonevault
- The Dawnbreaker
- Mists of Tirna Scithe
- The Necrotic Wake
- Siege of Boralus
- Grim Batol
Similar to the new raid, Mythic+ dungeons will only become available on September 17th.
Notable Changes
Those are all the major additions coming with The War Within, however! They’re not the only notable changes. Let’s discuss some of the smaller but still significant changes coming with TWW.
Cross-Realm Guilds are Here!
Cross-realm guilds are a new feature that finally allows you to invite players from other realms. This has been a feature that’s been requested for years but was previously unfeasible because of technical reasons.
Having to wait for the right people to get on to run a dungeon will be a thing of the past. Now, everyone in the guild can run dungeons together, regardless of which realm they’re playing on.
Skyriding Improvements
Skyriding was one of the most beloved features of Dragonflight, so much so that it was a mystery to many players as to why it wasn’t included a few expansions earlier. Nevertheless, Skyriding is back in The War Within, with a few significant changes.
For starters, yes, you’ll be able to Skyride in the new zone. What’s more, you’ll be able to toggle between Skyriding and Stable Flying. In addition to that, the Skyriding Talent Tree will also become an evergreen system.
In total, 464 mounts will be able to Skyride, with more to be added in the future.
The New UI Changes
Certain UI screens have received a facelift in The War Within. The first of these is the Map Legend screen which has become easier to navigate. The second of these is the Spellbook screen which looks completely different now and includes a search function.
There’s also the addition of Arachnophobia Mode which transforms every spider-type monster in the game into slightly less creepy crab-type monsters.
Profession Changes & Tweaks
Many of the professions have undergone changes and slight tweaks in The War Within. The most notable changes are the following:
- Tailors are now the only profession that can loot cloth from humanoids.
- Reagent Quality now provides fewer bonuses at lower levels.
- Ingenuity has replaced Inspiration as a possible Secondary Stat.
- You may not receive NPC Work Orders as part of your Crafting Orders.
Expansion Pre-Order Bonuses
The War Within has three tiers of expansion pre-order bonuses, all with their own unique rewards. As a baseline, everybody who pre-ordered The War Within also gains access to the previous expansion, Dragonflight. Depending on which tier you purchased, here’s what you’ll be getting.
- Tier 1 (Base Edition): Access to The War Within, an instant level 70 character boost for 1 character and 500 Trader’s Tender.
- Tier 2 (Heroic Edition) Everything from the previous tier + 250 additional Trader’s tender, and the Algarian Stormrider mount. In addition, the player will also receive a quest for unlocking the Ensemble: Stormrider’s Attire.
- Tier 3 (Epic Edition): Everything from the previous two tiers + 500 Trader’s Tender for a total of 1000 Trader’s Tender. 30 days of game time, early access to TWW and access to the beta build, and Squally, the Sandbox Storm Gryphon toy. In addition to all that, the player will also receive the Deepdweller’s Earthen Heartsone effect.
The War Within Schedule
Here are all the important dates for TWW:
- August 22nd: Early Access
- August 26th: Full Release
- September 10th: Season 1 begins, Raid Finder Wing 1 opens, & certain dungeons become available
- September 17th: Mythic raids open along with certain Mythic+ Dungeons. Raid Finder Wing 2 also opens
- September 25th: Raid Finder Wing 3 opens
