World of Warcraft’s next expansion is Battle for Azeroth, players will travel to Kul Tiras and Zandalar

By Stephany Nunneley

Looks like the World of Warcraft Kul Tiras leaks ahead of BlizzCon 2017 were spot on.

At BlizzCon 2017, the next World of Warcraft expansion was announced during the opening ceremony.

The features video shown was narrated by none other than Jaina Proudmoore, who hasn’t been seen or heard of in-game since the Legion expansion was released. The video showed the island nation of Kul Tiras, and emphasizes the fact players will be choosing their allegiance and searching for new allies before battling it out against the opposing side in Battle for Azeroth.

In Battle for Azeroth, the fall of the Burning Legion started a chain of disastrous events which reignited the rivalries between the Alliance and Horde. Players must “go on a harrowing journey,” in search of new allies, as thye “race to claim the world’s mightiest resources,” to turn the tides of war.

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth will include the new features and content listed below. More information on the expansion can be found in the Battle for Azeroth post with the awesome cinematic trailer.

• Explore Two Fabled Kingdoms: As a champion of the Horde, travel to the Zandalar empire to persuade the trolls to lend their naval might. As a defender of the Alliance, venture to the seafaring kingdom of Kul Tiras, home of Jaina Proudmoore, and rally its inhabitants to fight for your cause.

• Recruit Allied Races: Take a new form for your adventures as several new playable Allied Races, each with unique racial abilities. Earn the favor of the Highmountain tauren, Void elves, Dark Iron dwarves, and others to create a new character of that race and add their strength to your faction.

• Plunder the Islands of the Great Sea: Scour Azeroth’s myriad uncharted Islands and conquer an ever-changing array of enemies, environments, and objectives. Battle in groups of three as you race against cunning rival intruders—or enemy players—to collect each island’s resources and fuel the war effort.

• Charge Into the Warfronts: Fight on the battlefields of a large-scale, 20-player cooperative Warfront to claim a key strategic location. Capture resources to build your faction’s forces, lead the charge as your troops lay siege to objectives, and fight the enemy commander to claim victory in this new PvE mode inspired by classic Warcraft RTS battles.

• Infuse Your Armor with Titanic Might: Seek out Azerite, an invaluable new resource that has emerged in the Legion’s wake. Imbue the Heart of Azeroth—a legendary neck piece entrusted to each hero by Magni Bronzebeard—with Azerite to customize your armor with new powers and traits.

• Battle to Level 120: Trace the corruption of the Blood God to the Underrot, unearth the secrets of a lost titan vault, escape from the Drust Realm of the Dead, and more as you quest through 10 new levels—then continue to grow in power through new World Quests, a new raid with eight bosses, dungeons, and more.

• Instantly Boost to Level 110: Enter the raging conflict between the Horde and the Alliance prepared to survive on the front lines of a vicious new war.

• Connect Through Cross-Realm Communities: Join up with WoW players who share common interests in persistent cross-realm Communities. Share strategies with members of your class, fraternize with auction house magnates, talk shop with fellow tailors, and expand your social circles.

Along with the new expansion, Blizzard will be expanding zone scaling, and some of the older world zones will be given level ranges with level caps. Players will be able to choose expansion order and the new changes are expected with Legion update 7.3.5.

“Tensions that have been simmering for a long time escalate into all-out war in Battle for Azeroth,” said Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime during the opening ceremony.

“World of Warcraft players are incredibly passionate about the characters and factions they identify with in the game, and this expansion will make them prouder than ever to declare their allegiance to the Horde or to the Alliance.”

A release date for the World of Warcraft expansion wasn’t provided, but it’s expected sometime next year. Players will be able to try the expansion out via an upcoming beta.

A section of Battle for Azeroth is playable on the show floor this weekend at BlizzCon.