Summary
World of Warcraftjust seemingly teased the launch of the first animated short forThe War Withinwith a cryptic, never-before-seen picture of Xal’atath in new lighting. Players can likely expect these motion stories to be released once a week throughout the rest of August, leading up to the release of the nextWorld of Warcraftexpansion.
With its launch planned on August 26,World of Warcraft: The War Withinis rapidly approaching its release day. Until then, fans haveplenty to keep them busy inWorld of Warcraft, with the Radiant Echoes Pre-Patch event,WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria, and the final weeks ofDragonflightSeason 4 all available for players to catch up on.
Now, it seems likeWorld of Warcraftfans will have something else to build the hype for the new expansion. Recently,World of Warcraftshared a closeup image of Xal’atath in unique sepia lighting, along with a single word: “TOMORROW.” Based on the timing, content, and art style, this teaser is almost certainly for the first ofThe War Within’s animated shorts, which players expected to arrive in the weeks leading up to the expansion’s launch.
WoW: The War Within Animated Shorts Seemingly Start August 6
EveryWorld of Warcraftexpansion sinceMists of Pandariahas featured a series of animated shorts. Sometimes called motion stories, these animations usually introduce major characters or storylines of an expansion. Though the “The Burdens of Shaohao” episodes were released near the end ofMists of Pandaria, all the others were dropped in the weeks leading up to their respective expansion releases.
While some series had up to six different episodes, theanimated shorts fromWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight,Battle for Azeroth, andLegioneach consist of three different entries, and the similarly-presented “Lore in Short” series does as well: two released beforeBurning Crusade Classicand a third ahead ofWrath of the Lich King Classic. Assuming the first ofThe War Withinshorts arrives on August 6, and the second and third on subsequent weeks, the final motion story would arrive on August 20 – two days before early access forThe War Withinbegins.
“The Burdens of Shaohao”
6
“Lords of War”
5
3
4
Burning Crusade Classic and Wrath of the Lich King Classic
“Lore in Short”
“Legacies”
Most players adore these incredible animated shorts, and they cannot wait to see whatWorld of Warcraftdoes forThe War Within’s batch. Considering Xal’atath’s prominence, at least one will likely show how she and Queen Ansurek – thefinal boss ofWoW: The War Within’s Nerub-ar Palace raid– first met. The other two will probably delve into other major groups found on Khaz Algar like the Earthen, Arathi, or Harronir. Luckily, it seems like fans won’t have to wait long to find out for sure.
World of Warcraft: The War Within
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
