Home World of Warcraft: The War Within release date, pre-patch details, and everything we know so far?

World of Warcraft: The War Within release date, pre-patch details, and everything we know so far?

TL:DR

  • The War Within releases on August 26, with early access starting from August 22 for Epic edition buyers.
  • Prices range from $49.99 for the Base edition to $89.99 for the Epic edition, granting early access.
  • Pre-patch titled The Radiant Echoes is expected to launch on July 30, with an announcement on July 23.
  • A new Story Mode Difficulty allows players to experience raid narratives without full battles.
  • Top-tier classes in the beta include Mage, Paladin, and Evoker, with Shaman rated lower in performance.

World of Warcraft: The War Within is fast approaching, with beta, pre-patch, and a full release on the near horizon.

Set to explore deeper, darker themes, The War Within is the tenth expansion since the game’s release in 2001. There are two more (Midnight and The Last Titan) announced but only The War Within has a set release date – and it’s coming up soon.

As with previous expansions, there are opportunities to play The War Within ahead of its official release through the beta and early access releases. Read on for all these details, as well as what to expect from the expansion itself.

When is World of Warcraft: The War Within coming out?

Blizzard has confirmed that World of Warcraft: The War Within will be released on August 26, with early access starting from August 22.

To get involved with early access, players will need to purchase the top tier (and most expensive) edition of The War Within, titled the Epic edition.

The price for The War Within starts from $49.99 for the Base edition, $69.99 for the Heroic edition, and US$89.99 for the Epic edition, which is the only one that offers access to the beta and early access periods. You’re guaranteed at least three days of early access, meaning that it will start at the latest from August 23, as the dates can be subject to change.

If you’ve already bought a lower-tier edition and want to upgrade, there’s still time to do so in the online Battle Net shop.

The beta version of the expansion is available earlier than the early access and also be played by those who bought the Epic edition. It includes new systems, the complete leveling experience, zones, dungeons, delves, Warbands, and the new playable Earthen, with raid testing coming later.

Other players may also be selected to join the beta, although that’s not guaranteed. If you are selected, you’ll receive an email inviting you to download the game client directly from the Battle.net desktop app. From there you should follow these steps for the best experience, according to Blizzard:

  • Make sure your graphics drivers are up to date
  • Run the Battle.net desktop app and check for any updates, ensuring you have the most recent version
  • Select World of Warcraft from the list of games and choose The War Within in the drop-down menu, and click Install
  • Once installed, click Play and select any available Test Servers
  • Create a new test character or use the character copy to import your existing Dragonflight character
  • Enjoy testing the available content

How to access WoW TWW pre-patch

Players are also waiting for news on the pre-patch access.

Pre-patch events for World of Warcraft expansions usually take place about a month before the expansion itself, offering all of the system changes that the expansion brings without the actual content of the expansion.

While a date hasn’t been given for The War Within’s pre-patch, titled The Radiant Echoes, but a new splash screen element suggests that it will launch on July 30, with an announcement expected on July 23. That fits with the typical schedule of these releases, coming roughly one month ahead of The War Within’s release on August 26.

The War Within tank tier list

As The War Within’s beta has already started, there’s already a good idea of which classes are ranking higher than others.

Of course, this is relatively subjective but those who have already started playing the new expansion generally seem to agree Mage, Paladin, and Evoker are all strong top-tier classes, while Shaman seems underserved by the dev team in the beta version.

That could certainly be subject to change as the game continues to develop and is based on largely anecdotal evidence at this early beta stage.

What is The War Within’s new Story Mode Difficulty?

Although raids are an integral part of World of Warcraft, The War Within marks Blizzard’s debut of a new Story Mode Difficulty, geared towards non-raiders and solo players to allow them to hit all the important story beats found in raids without the need to actually battle through them – but you can of course still get stuck in if you want to.

The mode is currently scheduled to release alongside the Looking For Raid difficulty of The War Within’s first raid, titled Nerub-ar Palace.

It’s thought to be a one-and-done experience for story discovery with the option to replay later if you want to. Blizzard has not confirmed whether it will drop loot.

The main difference between the story mode and regular raids is that it’s limited to the raid’s final boss, Queen Ansurek. That means players will only have to fight one boss rather than all eight found in the raid, as well as enjoy reduced difficulty and complexity throughout, allowing players to focus on narrative beats rather than gameplay. Story Mode Difficulty is geared towards between one and five players, requiring fewer people and even allowing you to complete it on your own if you want.

Featured image: Blizzard Games

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The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Rachael Davies
Tech Journalist

Rachael Davies has spent six years reporting on tech and entertainment, writing for publications like the Evening Standard, Huffington Post, Dazed, and more. From niche topics like the latest gaming mods to consumer-faced guides on the latest tech, she puts her MA in Convergent Journalism to work, following avenues guided by a variety of interests. As well as writing, she also has experience in editing as the UK Editor of The Mary Sue , as well as speaking on the important of SEO in journalism at the Student Press Association National Conference. You can find her full portfolio over on…

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