‘World of Warcraft: Midnight’ gets a huge new detailed deep dive video — and I can’t wait to visit the new Monster Hunter-style Arcantina player hub

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While World of Warcraft: Midnight isn’t launching until 2026, Blizzard will give players a first look through an exclusive Alpha Test starting October 2, 2025.

To build anticipation for the upcoming expansion, Blizzard Entertainment has released a new video showcasing its gameplay features, including Player Housing and the Prey System, among other things.

Here’s what you need to know from this gameplay deep dive.

The story begins with a reminder of what’s happening: after the events of World of Warcraft: The War Within, Xal’atath has strengthened the Dark Heart artifact and is now commanding an army of Voidwalkers called the Devouring Host.

She plans to take over Silvermoon City and taint its powerful Sunwell, plunging the world into eternal darkness that drains all life. During our early access to the game, we saw Voidwalkers running wild through the city, killing its protectors. These Voidwalkers are different from those controlled by the Burning Legion – they aren’t held back by any restraints and don’t disappear when defeated. They’re acting on their own, and their only purpose is to destroy.

As players journey to defeat Xal’atath, they’ll discover brand new areas and revisit familiar locations that have been visually updated.

Silvermoon City has received a complete visual overhaul, with updated graphics and architecture, and Eversong Forest has recovered from past damage, revealing previously inaccessible areas. However, the expansion will also show that an overabundance of Light can be harmful, causing unexpected biological changes. According to World of Warcraft Design Director Maria Hamilton, Midnight will demonstrate that the Light, under certain conditions, can be just as dangerous as the Void.

Players can explore several unique zones, including Zul’Aman, the ancestral home of the Amani Trolls; the Voidstorm, a desolate land twisted by void energy; and Harandar, a lush, fungal jungle that’s the home of the Haranir, the new Allied Race in World of Warcraft: Midnight.

When you need a rest from quests and battling Xal’atath’s forces in World of Warcraft: Midnight, you can now visit the Arcantina, a new social area designed for players to relax and connect.

The Arcantina is a tavern designed as a neutral meeting place for both Horde and Alliance players, allowing them to chat and relax between quests. It’s similar to the central hub in Monster Hunter World and draws inspiration from the tavern found in the Warlords of Draenor Garrison. This magical space exists in its own separate dimension, created and maintained by the Kirin Tor and powerful mages like Khadgar, and even features some fun mini-games.

Similar to the Garrison tavern, the Arcantina is a popular spot for characters (many familiar to long-time World of Warcraft players) who share stories and offer optional quests. This adds life to the game world and feels like a feature that will become a regular part of the experience.

Get some good rest now, because the new World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion will challenge you with dangerous enemies! You’ll face monstrous creatures, invading Ethereal forces, and powerful bosses corrupted by the Void in the upcoming Raids, Dungeons, and Delves.

You won’t have to face challenges alone! You’ll be joined by Valeera Sanguinar, a powerful Blood Elf Rogue, as your new Delves companion. Valeera is versatile and can fill the roles of damage dealer, tank, or healer to help you succeed in Delves. When focusing on damage, she quickly moves around enemies using her Killing Spree ability and then delivers a flurry of attacks.

Valeera is a versatile hero who can play both a healing and tank role. As a healer, she drains health from enemies, turning it into healing orbs for her teammates. As a tank, she draws enemy attention by taunting and dodging attacks, while also dealing damage over time. Regardless of her role, Valeera can apply poisons that enhance her allies’ abilities. And if enemies try to escape her, she can deliver a powerful backstab.

Players will receive a Delves Companion and a new Demon Hunter specialization called the Devourer. This specialization focuses on dealing damage from both close and long range by harnessing the power of the Void. It’s designed for a mid-range playstyle, mixing melee and magical attacks.

The Devourer can extend its Metamorphosis transformation beyond its normal time limit by absorbing the souls of enemies during battle. It then uses a devastating finishing move, the Collapsing Star, to defeat opponents with a powerful explosion.

As an analyst, I’m excited to share that players will gain access to the Haranir, a brand new Allied Race, with the launch of World of Warcraft: The War Within. They’ll be a valuable addition to the game and offer players a fresh experience.

This ancient and spiritual people will aid both the Horde and Alliance in thwarting Xal’atath’s plans, using powers drawn from nature. They can play as any of the following classes: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Shaman, Mage, Warlock, Monk, and Druid.

To succeed, you’ll need to quickly learn the Haranir and Devourer classes. Raids, Dungeons, and Delves aren’t the only challenges you’ll face in PvE – we’ll share more details soon.

We’ve had a chance to preview some of the new talents and features in the World of Warcraft Alpha. Blizzard plans to share detailed explanations of major class updates as they become available, and we’re offering a first look to get you started.

I’ve been watching the changes to Warlocks, and the Demonology spec has gotten a big overhaul. Now, when you summon an Imp, it appears right on you instead of at a distance. They’ve also simplified how Imps work – basically, build up enough of them, and your Hand of Guldan transforms into a powerful fel laser! Plus, the Demonic Tyrant can now engage enemies up close. Affliction Warlocks are getting a change too: they’ve removed Malefic Grasp from the usual spell rotation and brought back the ability to stack Unstable Affliction, which should feel good for players of that spec.

As a researcher, I’ve been following the recent class changes, and it’s exciting to see what’s happening with Unholy Death Knights. They’re really leaning into the pet class fantasy now – Scourge Strike will actually summon lesser ghouls with every hit. Plus, a new ability called Putrify will let me detonate those ghouls for some area-of-effect damage. Shadow Priests are getting a fun new tool as well – Tentacle Slam, which does exactly what it sounds like, spreading Vampiric Touch to multiple targets. And Frost Mages are getting some cool icy hands that erupt from the ground and freeze enemies. It’s a visually interesting and mechanically engaging set of changes overall.

There are many other class adjustments – too many to cover in detail here – so check Blizzard’s website for a complete list. Overall, it seems Blizzard has done a great job revitalizing classes that were underperforming.

In World of Warcraft: Midnight’s new “Prey” activity, you’ll use all your skills to complete hunts assigned by Astalor Bloodsworn. You’ll track down special bosses and collect a magical energy called Anguish for a mysterious purpose. Completing these hunts rewards you with exclusive items like cosmetics, mounts, titles, and decorations for your player housing.

Every time you defeat a Prey target, you weaken it until you finally trap it in its hiding place, leaving it with no escape.

Be cautious while exploring, as your target can attack suddenly, even when you’re focused on other tasks. Prey offers three difficulty levels – Normal, Hard, and Nightmare – each one more challenging than the last.

As a researcher on this project, I can tell you that we’re increasing the challenge in higher difficulty levels with something we call ‘Torment’ mechanics. These will make hunting Prey much harder. Expect things like random area-of-effect hazards appearing on the ground, damage that lingers over time, and even time pressure to finish each hunt. Basically, we want to really test players’ skills!

I recently read an interview with Ion Hazzikostas, the Game Director, and he explained that the ‘Prey’ update is all about making the open world feel more dangerous and exciting while you’re doing quests. He wants to recapture that classic feeling of being hunted – like when a rogue ganks you on a PvP server, or even the tension of running from The Butcher in Diablo IV. And honestly, from what I’ve seen, it looks *amazing*.

Finally, the detailed preview showcases Player Housing, a feature World of Warcraft players have been asking for for a long time.

In this mode, players can purchase and fully customize a home, changing everything from the outside appearance to the interior design and decorations.

World of Warcraft players have many ways to collect thousands of items to decorate their homes. They can earn these items by completing in-game achievements, buying them from local vendors, participating in group mini-games through Endeavour activities, and through other means.

Blizzard is aiming to make Player Housing easy for everyone to enjoy, without a steep initial investment. However, they also plan to offer unique decorations and items for players who conquer the game’s hardest content. Long-time players will also receive special rewards recognizing their past accomplishments.

A Monster Hunter-style gathering hub and bounty hunting system? Sign me up!

I’m getting more excited about World of Warcraft: Midnight with every new detail! It’s currently scheduled for release on PC in 2026, and the good news is it won’t require a powerful computer to run – it should even work on devices like the Xbox Ally with a mouse and keyboard connected. Plus, a redesigned beginner experience might make it easier for new players to jump in.

I was already excited about the new Devourer Demon Hunter and Haranir race, but the new Arcantina story area has really surprised and delighted me, especially since I enjoy both World of Warcraft and Monster Hunter.

This is essentially a social space, much like the Gathering Hub in Monster Hunter, where World of Warcraft players can hang out, chat, and team up before embarking on adventures.

With the addition of the new Prey feature – letting you hunt monsters and risk being ambushed while exploring – World of Warcraft: Midnight feels a lot like a Monster Hunter game, and that’s a change I really like.

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2025-10-01 19:42