As a long-time fanatic of the World of Warcraft universe, I must say that the enigmatic character Xal’atath has truly captured my imagination! Her complex backstory and intricate connections to various magical artifacts within the game have left me utterly spellbound. The tantalizing mystery surrounding her intentions and motives keeps me on the edge of my seat, eagerly awaiting each new twist in the storyline.
After many moons of anticipation, World of Warcraft: The War Within is finally here.
To date, the expansion has garnered overwhelmingly positive responses, keeping up the game’s victorious run, echoing the successful reception of the preceding Dragonflight expansion.
2024 will mark the 20th anniversary of World of Warcraft (WoW), a milestone that places it among the longest-running and most successful video games in history. Although it may not hold the cultural impact it once did, WoW has undergone significant changes in recent years to cater to diverse playstyles by incorporating various modes and features. Blizzard Entertainment has reintroduced the classic version of the game, updated it with new features, and even remixed a classic experience from a previous expansion called Mists of Pandaria: Remix, which allows players to enjoy overpowered gameplay and earn rewards. To keep up with trends, they also experimented with the popular battle royale PvP format through Plunderstorm.
“Retail” as its known continues unabated, serving the bulk of the playerbase, while also pushing the game’s story forward. The War Within sees the start of a new saga that Blizzard has named The Worldsoul Saga, featuring the mysterious entity known as Xal’atath as its central antagonist. The game has taken a decidedly dark slant for this expansion, owing to Xal’atath’s cosmic horror origins. With the story showing up increasingly well with new cinematic tech and more investment in writing and storytelling, Blizzard has also been keen to boost the MMO’s gameplay for its evolving player base, particularly when it comes to gameplay styles.
Lately, we had engaging interviews with Michael Nuthals (Senior Game Designer), Tina Wang (Associate Art Director), Maria Hamilton (Associate Design Director), and Mateusz Albrewczynski (Assistant Lead Quest Designer) from Blizzard Entertainment. The conversations focused on Blizzard’s objectives for “The War Within,” their efforts to enhance single-player experiences and manageable time requirements for busy professionals, as well as the broader vision for this iconic MMORPG.
Note: Some responses were edited for brevity.
On boosting solo play, and respecting players’ time in World of Warcraft: The War Within
In contemporary terms, I can be classified as a blend of casual and hardcore player. I no longer strive for server-first boss kills at Mythic difficulty, but I aim to optimize my Mythic+ dungeon rating with my guild each season and engage in Heroic raids. During my late teenage years, I used to raid almost every day without a regular job or family obligations. For numerous players like me, the times have shifted, and Blizzard’s knack for adapting to changing player habits has kept World of Warcraft engaging for over two decades.
In summary, Blizzard has expanded The War Within to introduce a new feature called Warbands. This feature expands the content associated with your account rather than just your character. Once you finish the campaign story on one character, you can bypass it on other characters if desired. Your reputation with in-game factions now increases for your entire account, not individually per character. Additionally, sharing gear, currencies, and other items between your Warband’s characters is simplified, enabling players to effortlessly explore the game’s diverse classes and races without the need for excessive grinding.
As a tech-savvy individual, I probed my team about the factors shaping their decision-making process, especially concerning the ease of accessing content and its potential impact on player retention. In other words, I was curious if this enhanced accessibility might accelerate the pace at which players consume our content, potentially escalating the need for frequent updates to keep them engaged, a situation that could increase churn rates.
Tina Wang shared that our Global Insights Team meticulously examines every player’s activities and the kind of content they interact with, categorizing them based on their specific behaviors. This has been immensely beneficial in creating features tailored to diverse playstyles, even when players may not always be vocal about it. It underscores our commitment to investing in technology for Warbands.
Michael Nuthals highlighted that The War Within aims to provide content for everyone, taking into account their varying schedules and tastes. In simpler terms, our goal is to ensure that every player who logs in can discover and embark on an adventure tailored to their preferences. We strive to cater to each group of players, offering them the chance to seek such an adventure. For instance, if your primary interest lies in the storyline, we’ve introduced a new difficulty level called Story Mode for the first time, allowing you to defeat the major raid season end boss solo without relying on external sources like YouTube, as it was previously necessary to see how the story culminates.
I’d like to know details about how the Story Mode operates within this game. For single-player enthusiasts, they can join the raid as part of a mission, accompanied by AI companions to simulate the “raid” experience. Notably, in the Story Mode, only the final boss is encountered, omitting the rest of the raid. However, players can still engage with the season’s key story moments in a typical raid format, which accommodates between 10 and 30 participants.
“We meticulously infuse love, care, storytelling, and art into these dungeons as we craft unique environments. This approach ensures a broader range of players can enjoy the experience, while also enabling us to delve deeper into dungeon-based narratives. Previously, we might have excluded certain elements from dungeons due to concerns that many players wouldn’t get to see them.”
Delivering a new story saga in The War Within
In the realm of storytelling within the new Khaz Algar universe, Blizzard has significantly altered their approach in terms of game storytelling over the past few years. Earlier versions of the game primarily presented stories through quest text with occasional pre-rendered cutscenes if you were fortunate. Now, they’ve developed advanced technology that allows for more engaging in-game storytelling, making characters feel more real and immersive. The Worldsoul Saga begins with ‘The War Within’, and while I won’t reveal any spoilers, I’ve found that plot points from threads dating back several decades have been skillfully woven into the narrative, creating a captivating storyline.
Mateusz Albrewczynski and Maria Hamilton pointed out that The War Within’s narrative is brimming with grand ambition in its overall presentation.
“It seems fitting now to share a tale so vast and impressive that it transcends our regular storytelling cycles,” said Albrewczynski.
“This isn’t just the culmination of two decades of World of Warcraft storytelling, but also paving the way for future developments… don’t you think? We have no plans to slacken our pace. We’re brimming with ideas, and the team is eager to experiment with this fresh format.”
In approximately 40 hours of gameplay, including a good deal of exploration and dungeon delving, I finished World of Warcraft: The War Within’s main storyline and all its additional quests. Despite the grandeur of Khaz Algar, its zones seemed slightly smaller compared to Dragonflight, which made me ponder if it was designed that way or if my perception was skewed. Maria Hamilton clarified the design intention behind it for me.
Maria pointed out that the team strives to design spaces with both intimacy and grandeur, depending on the story they aim to tell. In Dragonflight, they created expansive zones due to uncertainty regarding Dragonriding requirements. However, for The War Within, they focused on making ‘appropriately sized’ zones instead of simply large ones. As they move forward to Midnight expansion in Eastern Kingdoms, they reflect on how the classic zones were actually smaller than their recent creations, hinting at a potential blend of both sizes in future designs. Additionally, Maria mentioned that certain areas like Hollowfall have vast landscapes with an open sea edge, which serves a purpose and invites players to contemplate what lies beyond.
The Worldsoul Saga is undoubtedly a grand endeavor, with storylines unfolding over the coming decade. Maria Hamilton clarified that while the overall structure of the tale is predetermined, there’s flexibility to adapt and adjust if needed, particularly leading up to the next expansion “World of Warcraft: Midnight,” followed by “The Last Titan.”
“So, we have our big story beats, we know what those are throughout the entire saga. We know the themes we want to explore. The War Within is out there now, but we’ve already started taking feedback that will inform when we put, you know, Midnight into beta testing. We’ll be considering what players have said over the course of The War Within and its content updates as well, so we’re trying to leave room to adjust and pivot. If we find that people are not understanding motivations or connecting well with a character, we have opportunities to add quest content to help explain that, or cinematics. It’s unlikely we’d make changes to the broad strokes, however.”
One of the things WoW has been criticized for in recent years is how some major story characters have developed (or undeveloped, as it were) over some previous expansions. In The War Within, the game has an abundance of “Stay a while and listen” optional dialogue, where players can essentially eavesdrop on conversations between major characters to learn bits of additional character development. This feature has been a personal favorite of mine, and has made The War Within’s story one of the most “immersive” for me personally, as a multi-decade Warcraft fan.
Mateusz Albrewczynski outlined that they continue to develop what follows “The War Within,” with numerous ideas in store over the next twenty years, representing an extensive amount of storytelling. There are many intricate plots and characters we’re considering for inclusion, deciding which ones will join us on this journey. Making these choices isn’t simple, given the array of beloved characters. “Worldsoul” promises to be a significant adventure for all of them.
Maria Hamilton teased that even now, Blizzard is setting the seeds for events for The Last Titan, which we probably won’t see until 2027 at the absolute earliest. “I was in a meeting a couple of weeks ago, where an amazing idea for The Last Titan came up. We realized, for that to land well and feel good, we needed to seed hints and clues much earlier on in the story. In addition to the expansions themselves, with Dragonflight, we started to introduce quests that would continue the story, both in larger updates but also smaller ones. We have opportunities to pace those out and touch more points, and help guide the story, rather than expand plot points out of nowhere.”
Mateusz Albrewczynski suggested that “The War Within” explores significant family themes, focusing on the Bronzebeard clan and Alleria Windrunner, who is struggling with confronting her adversary Xal’atath while seemingly distancing herself from her own family in the process. In a simpler way: Mateusz hinted that “The War Within” will delve into deep family matters, featuring the Bronzebeard family and Alleria Windrunner, who finds herself torn between fighting against her enemy, Xal’atath, and what seems to be leaving her own family behind. Additionally, he mentioned that there are many intriguing characters returning in this story.
How Delves are making WoW’s endgame more solo-friendly than ever
In simpler terms, the narrative in World of Warcraft is now easier for everyone to understand due to recent changes. Though we’ll delve deeper into The War Within during our upcoming pre-season assessment, it’s important to note that the core appeal of the game has always been its dungeon exploration (or adventuring in dungeons).
World of Warcraft (WoW) offers some of the most engaging MMORPG gameplay ever created within the genre, boasting numerous one-of-a-kind boss encounters, intricately designed dungeons, and thrilling 30-player raids that demand teamwork and coordination. However, if you’re short on time or not particularly interested in delving deep into WoW’s raid culture, Blizzard has introduced a new system called Delve as an alternative for you.
Michael Nuthals clarifies that Delves are intended for smaller teams or those who prefer solo play or a few companions. In a Delve, you’ll find a compact adventure with a reward to match. However, it’s important to note that players involved in more structured activities like timed Mythic+ dungeons or Heroic, Mythic raids will receive better rewards compared to the rewards from a Delve.
In simpler terms, Delves can be thought of as short, self-contained adventures within the game, lasting approximately 10 to 20 minutes. During these Delves, players join a character from the storyline and engage in various combat situations, leading up to a final boss battle and a treasure-filled reward. Blizzard has dabbled with similar features before, but Delves offer a more engaging experience due to the diverse activities and settings involved.
I asked the team if there was any concerns that Delves might undercut more traditional raid structures. Guilds often have a hard time recruiting, especially on smaller servers. If the rewards can come from going solo, why bother jumping through hoops? Tina Wang emphasized that the team is taking a lot of care in their approach to solo content to that end. “Balancing Mythic+ and Heroic raid rewards against Delves is definitely something we’ll be watching. However, they can also potentially help players who are raiding in Heroic. One thing we sometimes hear is that they struggle to keep up with their raid team because they don’t have time to run Mythic+ dungeons during the week. This potentially gives them an outlet to find more gear between raids.”
On the top end, you might find that Delves appear to be designed primarily for casual play, but they have their own adjustable difficulty levels. These Delves can escalate to a “Tier 13” difficulty, adding extra perils (alongside greater rewards). Yet, they also offer a max-level challenge mode boss fight. In other words, the 13th Delve serves as a platform for players to exhibit their expertise in their chosen classes. We’ve deliberately kept this feature under wraps during beta testing and haven’t revealed the boss battle before it officially launches.
As a researcher studying the upcoming content of Delves, I can say that its future largely depends on your preferences as players. Maria Hamilton has noted some initial comparisons between Delves and Blizzard’s earlier solo dungeon endeavor, Torghast. The team is mindful of the feedback from players regarding Torghast, where some felt compelled to play it despite not enjoying it. Therefore, they are cautious about compelling players to explore Delves if it doesn’t appeal to them.
On building Xal’atath, Blizzard’s unlikely central antagonist
It wasn’t supposed to be this way.
For the past two decades, the World of Warcraft franchise and its expansive universe have found novel and unforeseen manifestations. Initially, it presented a cosmic perspective with the introduction of orcs from another planet through an interdimensional portal, but now we’re exploring even deeper cosmic realms. With the primary adversaries vanquished, the central malevolent force in the universe, called The Void, is taking prominence.
In simpler terms, the Void and its rulers, the Void Lords, are cosmic beings that thrive on chaos and decay. Essentially, they have an innate tendency to consume and corrupt everything in the universe. If the Void can be likened to the Lovecraftian family of cosmic horrors, their counterparts, the Titans, resemble the ancient Greek gods. However, recent developments suggest that the Titans might not be the benign creators we once believed them to be.
In Dragonflight, there were subtle indications that the Titans’ account of past events may not be entirely accurate. In Xal’atath, we have a link to the Black Empire, and we’ll revisit the conflict between them and the Titans from ages past. We’re delving deeper into this history, exploring various viewpoints and interpretations. Xal’atath is an ideal character for this exploration because her motivations are complex and hard to decipher at present. I’m mindful of N’Zoth enthusiasts out there. Here’s hoping everyone finds it engaging and has a great time on this journey.
Xal’atath, it appears, occupies a sort of middle ground. Initially introduced as a secondary character, she was embedded within a dagger utilized by priest players during the Legion expansion. However, players grew fond of her due to her habit of whispering to them while in use. Since then, Blizzard has significantly developed Xal’atath into a major antagonist in the game.
Everything concerning Xal’atath remains shrouded in enigma. She appears to be connected with the Void Lords, yet there are indications that she was the one they had confined initially. So far, she has been wielding an artifact called the Dark Heart, which she uses to draw in various forms of magical energy, including the soul of the ancient necrotic dragon Galakrond and the arcane might from Dalaran’s city. It seems that Blizzard is delighting in keeping us intrigued with these clues.
“I think one of the most interesting things about Xal’atath is that we don’t know the full extent of what she’s planning, right? She has a very different way of doing things. She pulls strings from behind the scenes. She will knock somebody over just at the right time so they will fall into her plan just at the right moment.”
Moreover, she has the freedom to present herself however she desires, and currently, she opts for an elf-like appearance. It’s likely there’s a motive behind this choice as she is quite deliberate in her actions.
While discussing Xal’atath, I also brought up the fact that she was initially tied to the Class Hall quests from Legion. I wondered why Blizzard had never revisted the Class Hall feature, which essentially gave every character class its own unique storyline to explore, which ultimately led to the creation of Xal’atath and compelling lore around that as a result.
Maria Hamilton expresses, “Always keep an open mind. We deeply appreciate Class Halls and find ourselves conducting some classes without them at the moment. This situation offers us a chance to reestablish them. Initially, it could have been a chance with Hero Talents, but they were decided to be made more integrated into the system rather than tied to specific content.”
“It’s clear that everyone on our quest and narrative team is enthusiastic about exploring more possibilities with Class Halls. We are optimistic that we may be able to reintroduce it someday. In our continuous search for chances to incorporate elements from the past that excite us, Class Halls offer a wealth of compelling storytelling opportunities.”
Thanks a ton to Blizzard for talking with us
I’ve already put dozens of hours into The War Within, and it has been years since an expansion has sucked me in like this, playing for fun rather than habit. The Warbands mechanic makes playing different classes incredibly easy and rewarding, the story has been spectacular, and the volume of content to hunt down has been remarkable. And this is all pre-season.
I’m still left with a lot of unanswered questions regarding Hero Talents. I fear they might boil down to a selection between aesthetics and power, similar to the disliked Covenants system in Shadowlands. Moreover, I’m not thrilled about the dilution of the Horde versus Alliance narrative, as it seems the classic factions are becoming increasingly friendly. However, I must admit that the overall picture so far is impressive. The characters are captivating, the gameplay remains top-notch, and the new zones feature some of the best music and visuals the franchise has ever offered.
Additionally, we have Xal’atath. I strongly feel that the quality of a tale hinges significantly on its antagonist, and thus far, Xal’atath is truly excelling in this role.
World of Warcraft: The War Within is out now on PC.
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2024-09-02 15:10