Summary
World of Warcraftis working on mapping out the entirety of the Worldsoul Saga several years before it is set to end. ThoughThe War Within– Patch 11.0 – has only just been released,World of Warcraftis already planning things as far ahead as Patch 13.2 fromThe Last Titan.
The Worldsoul Saga is amulti-expansion storylineWorld of Warcraftrevealed during BlizzCon 2023. The plots that started in the recently-launchedThe War Withinwill continue all the way throughMidnightandThe Last Titan, its 11th and 12th expansions.
However, it seems like theseWorld of Warcraftexpansions are already in various states of development. During a recent WoWCast episode,Warcraftexecutive creative director Chris Metzen revealed the developers were already mapping things out as far as 13.2 – ostensibly the final major patch ofThe Last Titan. “We’re building three of these at a time,” Metzen said. “Guys like [cinematic narrative director Terran Gregory] and I have to map out where we’re going way ahead of the caravan.” WhileWoWpreviously confirmed it was developingMidnight andThe War Withinconcurrently, Metzen is already figuring out how the entire multi-expansion narrative will play out and connect.
Chris Metzen on the Future of World of Warcraft
Metzen also gave some teasers about what players could expect inThe Last Titan. They already knowWoWis bringing them back to Northrend, but Metzen also confirmed the Sword of Sargeras plot thread wouldn’t be resolved untilThe Last Titan, saying fans are “not prepared for that moment” – which itself could be a hint that Illidan Stormrage is involved in some way, given the evocation of his iconic line fromBurning Crusade. Likewise, Xal’atath is not a “one-and-done” villain who will be dealt with inThe War Within, and players should expect to contend with her throughout the entire saga.
Were that not exciting enough, Metzen also revealed thatWorld of Warcraftis already talking about ideas and concepts for its 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th expansions as well. Though the Worldsoul Saga is building to some huge conclusions, it is clearWorld of Warcraftdoesn’t intend forThe Last Titanto be the final expansion.
“We’re building three of these at a time. Guys like Terran and I have to map out where we’re going way ahead of the caravan.”
This level oflong-form storytelling has never been done before inWorld of Warcraft. While expansions likeMists of Pandaria,Warlords of Draenor, andLegionall had plot threads that wove into one another, the Worldsoul Saga sounds like it is going to be on a different level. Reception to the story ofThe War Withinhas been positive so far, so as long asWorld of Warcraftcan keep up this momentum, players can look forward to some good stuff over the next several years.
World of Warcraft: The War Within
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In this opening chapter of The Worldsoul Saga, you’ll journey through never-before-seen subterranean worlds filled with hidden wonders and lurking perils, down to the dark depths of the Nerubian empire, where the inscrutable Harbinger of the Void has gathered her arachnid forces to bring Azeroth to its knees.
