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Join the Battle for Azeroth, World of Warcraft's Newest Expansion

Dust off your subscriptions! The Battle for Azeroth begins this August.

Chris Jarrard

April 5, 2018 10:25 AM

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Blizzard’s World of Warcraft is a little-known gem of an MMO that remains popular with its fanbase many years after it launched. The company has been keeping the experience fresh since 2004 with major expansions and the fun train has no plans to stop in 2018. Beginning August 14, WoW players will be able to get their hands on Battle for Azeroth, the newest expansion centered around the faction war between the Horde and Alliance.

Like most Blizzard offerings, Battle for Azeroth will be available in multiple editions, both digital and physical. The full details of these packages is as follows:

Battle for Azeroth – Standard, Digital Deluxe, and Collector’s Editions

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth will be available in both a standard edition (physical and digital versions available; SRP $49.99) and Digital Deluxe Edition (SRP $69.99). The latter contains an arsenal of in-game bonuses for a variety of Blizzard games, including the Seabraid Stallion (Alliance) mount, Gilded Ravasaur (Horde) mount, and Tottle the Baby Tortollan pet for World of Warcraft; an “Azeroth Is Burning” card back for Hearthstone; a Primal Flamesaber mount in Heroes of the Storm; Horde and Alliance sprays for StarCraft II; and a collection of faction-themed extras for Overwatch.

Battle for Azeroth will also be available in a retail-exclusive Collector’s Edition (SRP $99.99). In addition to the in-game items from the Digital Deluxe Edition, the Collector’s Edition contains an array of loot to fuel players’ faction pride, including:

Horde & Alliance Double-Sided Mark of Allegiance: Declare your allegiance with this hefty two-sided emblem (stand included). Place it on your desk or shelf and proclaim your chosen faction to the world.
Hardcover Double-Sided Book: Elegy & A Good War: This limited-edition hardback collects two new World of Warcraft novellas depicting the Burning of Teldrassil from the points of view of the Alliance and the Horde. Each story includes original artwork exclusive to this edition.†† Written by Christie Golden and Robert Brooks.
Battle for Azeroth Digital Soundtrack: Each Collector’s Edition contains a key to download the stirring orchestral pieces from the expansion’s soundtrack—the perfect mood music for laying siege to your enemies.

Those who choose to pre-order Battle for Azeroth digitally from the Blizzard Shop will receive the current expansion, Legion, for free. Additionally, players who pre-order will be provided a level-110 character boost so you can jump right into the action without worrying about the leveling grind.

For those interested in what Battle for Azeroth will bring to the table, Blizzard provides a quick overview of the numerous features:

• Explore Two Fabled Kingdoms: As a champion of the Horde, travel to the empire of Zandalar to persuade the trolls to lend their naval might. As a defender of the Alliance, venture to the seafaring kingdom of Kul Tiras, home of Jaina Proudmoore, and rally its inhabitants to fight for your cause.
• Recruit Allied Races: Take a new form for your adventures as several new playable Allied Races, each with unique racial abilities. Earn the favor of the Highmountain tauren, Void elves, Dark Iron dwarves, and others to create a new character of that race and add their strength to your faction.
• Plunder the Islands of the Great Sea: Set out on Island Expeditions and conquer an ever-changing array of enemies, environments, and objectives. Battle in groups of three as you race against cunning rival intruders—or enemy players—to collect each island’s resources and fuel the war effort.
• Charge Into a Warfront: Fight on the battlefields of a large-scale, 20-player cooperative Warfront to claim a key strategic location. Capture resources to build your faction’s forces, lead the charge as your troops lay siege to objectives, and fight the enemy commander to claim victory in this new mode inspired by classic Warcraft real-time strategy–game battles.
• Infuse Your Armor with Titanic Might: Seek out Azerite, an invaluable new resource that has emerged in the Burning Legion’s wake. Imbue the Heart of Azeroth—a legendary neck piece entrusted to each hero by Magni Bronzebeard—with Azerite to customize your armor with new powers and traits.
• Battle to Level 120: Trace the corruption of the Blood God to the Underrot, unearth the secrets of a lost titan vault, escape from the Drust Realm of the Dead, and more as you quest through 10 new levels—then continue to grow in power through new World Quests, raids, dungeons, and more.

Battle for Azeroth should be a welcome sight for Warcraft fans who may have been less than excited about Blizzard’s April Fools announcement of the WoW Battle Royale mode.

Chris Jarrard

Contributing Tech Editor

Chris Jarrard likes playing games, crankin' tunes, and looking for fights on obscure online message boards. He understands that breakfast food is the only true food. Don't @ him.