World of Warcraft went live on November 23rd, 2004 meaning it is almost going to be old enough to drink in every country around the world. But in that time they have had 10 expansions released for the game, with the first 9 being solo stories, but all that changed when The War Within released. This was the first chapter in a new saga, which would span three expansions and while players have been enjoying the first for more than a year, they want more and now, we have more.

Blizzard were kind enough to invite us to a preview event for the new game, as well as giving us the chance to speak with a few of the developers that are bring the game to life and there was a lot to learn. While the first details of the new expansion were revealed back at Gamescom 2025, we now have a lot more information on what is going on in this new land. Before we dive into the contents coming to the game, here is a little bit about the story and setting for what is going on.

World of Warcraft: Midnight is the next installment of the Worldsoul Saga where players must return to Quel'Thalas, home of the Blood Elves, to mount a valiant defense. The lush forests of Eversong and the deep jungles of Zul'Aman, which have been fully rebuilt and reimagined, will serve as the starting backdrop of this epic new chapter. Along the way, players will work to earn the trust of the enigmatic and reclusive Haranir, an ancient people that pre-date many of Azeroth's oldest races. With allies in tow, both old and new, heroes will need to venture into the chaos of the Voidstorm, where Xal'atath has established a foothold and plots her campaign bent on dominating the worldsoul of Azeroth.

Right, with that done and to make this a bit easier, we are going to group the information into a few categories, so you can look for the one that interests you the most, and knowing how popular housing is going to be, let us begin there.

Housing

Housing is just what you think it will be, based off the name. After 21 years, players will finally have a place to store their obtained items, creating a space that reflects themselves and their adventures across Azeroth. These locations will be fully customisable, including the ability for items to float. So, how does it all work? Well there are three real aspects, item obtaining, interior decoration and exterior decoration, let’s begin with the items you can get.

If you have been playing the game since day one, or at any point over the past 20 years, you will be given a host of items to match the adventures that you have already been on. You will also be able to earn decor by completing dungeons and raids, obtaining from reputation vendors, completing quests and even unlocking achievements. For those curious, yes you can also make your own items and then sell them on the auction house, meaning you could spend your time in the game making furniture for other players, if you desired.

Once you have your items, you can place them within your place without restriction. There is no snapping of items here, if you want a giant painting to go over a beam, you can do that. Want a torch to hang from the ceiling like a chandelier, then go for it. Almost all the items that you can place down can also be scaled in size, so if you want a 1m or 5m tall Christmas Tree, you can do that. Many of the items can also be dyed, so you can have a room that is fully neon green, or shades of purple. This is not a system where you can select a stool and make it yellow and the entire thing is yellow, no you can select the timber and make it one shade and then its metal base another shade. Even the planks that make up a table can be coloured different. You also have the freedom to use templates for rooms, like rectangle or circle, or you can make your own. All of that is just the inside, because you still need to look at the outside.

The outside is just as flexible as the inside, you can change things like the windows and doors, or go as crazy as you want with 3m tall bird statues or fountains right by the gate to your place. You are also not restricted in where you place the house, there is no fixed point, so if you want to place it in the back right corner of your plot, go for it.

If all these sounds a little complex, don’t worry the team has you covered. When Midnight launches, you will be able to select from one of four fully decked out themes, Humans, Orcs, Blood Elf and Night Elf. These are preconfigured looks so you can set and forget, but you can also tweak them. As you level up your house, you can increase the number of rooms and other options, to really make it your own. None of that takes into consideration the Neighbourhoods that players will be a part of, you can join a public one, or a private and if you are part of a guild you can have a private guild one as well. The guild option will scale to the number of players in your guild, but there are also charter neighbourhoods, which are capped at 50 houses. The best thing and last point I will talk about, is that there are no faction restrictions here, if you want to have an Orc be a neighbour to a Human you can do that.

Locations

There are a number of new locations that players will get to discover in Midnight, some might feel familiar, but they are new. Let’s dive into these now.

Silvermoon City

Reimagined as a shared hub for Horde and Alliance, Silvermoon gleams with renewed light. New areas like the Sanctum of Light and Garden of Remembrance offer fresh lore and exploration. Alliance players must tread carefully—some areas remain hostile.

Eversong Woods

Previously scarred by the Scourge campaign led by Arthas Menethil, the lands once thought to be unhealable are now teeming with life. The zones that were separated between Eversong and the Ghostlands are now merged into a seamless, expanded zone connected to the Eastern Kingdoms. The Sunwell’s energy revitalizes the land but also causes a mysterious and dangerous overgrowth known as “lightbloom.” Quests include solving noble feuds, investigating apothecaries, and unravelling a murder mystery with Magister Umbric.

Once you have ventured through Eversong Woods, there is going to be a very large change on what you do next, as there are three options to choose from. There is no right or wrong option and you can always swing back and try the others. Once you make it through one of the areas, you will find yourself heading into The Voidstorm.

Zul’Aman

The fallen Amani empire seeks redemption. Players join Zul’jarra, granddaughter of Zul’jin, to reclaim sacred temples and fight Void cultists. Expect fog-shrouded ruins, stormy wilds, and sky-scraping peaks.

Harandar

A primordial jungle deep within Azeroth with the roots of the World Trees converge. Home to the Haranir, a reclusive race now forced to join the surface war. The zone features fungal towers, moss bridges, and the Cradle—a sacred site once ruled by a nascent goddess, now vanished.

Arator’s Journey

Follow Arator, son of Turalyon and Alleria Windrunner, on a continent spanning quest to strengthen the Light. Defend Light’s Hope Chapel, cleanse Scarlet Monastery, and confront his legacy at Blackrock Mountain.

Voidstorm

A chaotic, gravity-defying zone filled with ancient Void creatures called domanaar. Three Nexus Points fuel Xal’atath’s power. Players must uncover the storm’s secrets alongside the Void Elves.

Haranir

Of course, a new expansion also means a new playable race and this time it is the Haranir. For those who have never heard of the Haranir before, there is good reason, they often ignore whatever is going on upon the surface world and spend their time living in peaceful lands below the surface.

The Haranir live in locations that are not constrained by city design, instead they use elements that are organic in nature. They don’t chop down trees to make timber beams, but rather they use the trees as they are. Even the clothes that they wear are organic, this is a race that is one with the world, which is why due to the threat that Xal’atath imposes, they need to take action.

The beasts that call Harandar home know to avoid the Haranir, as they are dangerous warriors, due to how many paths are open to them. They can choose Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Mage, Warrior, Shaman, Monk, Druid and Warlock. For those counting, that is all but four of the playable classes. For those who do take up the Druid way of life, they will find all new forms to transform into, all of which pay tribute the way that the Haranir live.

Prey

Speaking of animals, let’s talk about Prey. Ok, it is not animal that you will be hunting with the new Prey system, but bounties. For those who want to join in, Silvermoon City has a location where Astalor Bloodsworn is located, it is in Murder Row, so you know, maybe it is not all on the up and up.

For any hero that does sign up to tackle the bounties offered, Murder Row is where you will pick the bounties you want to go for, it will also be where you turn them in for rewards. These rewards include cosmetics for yourself, new mounts and even new items for your lovely home.

There are three difficulty levels to this, Normal, Hard and Nightmare, with that last one described as the best way to discover Midnight’s new graveyards. While you are the bounty hunter in Prey, it does not mean you are going to be ignored by your target, as they can target you at anytime, even if you are doing another quest. For those who seek to do a challenge on something other than Normal, you will have to deal with personal afflictions torment you, one such example is a bloody spirit that deals lethal damage if it catches you.

The targets are varied with Magister Sunbreaker, High Vindicator Vureem, and Executor Kaenius being just a few of them. But don’t think you have time to hunt them down at your leisure, because if you take too long, Astalor might decide that his payment is best served coming directly from you.

Quality of Life, PVP, & UI Updates

As the name above implies, there are also a host of updates to the game, which are designed to fix irksome elements, but also just make things easier. There will be loads more than what is below, but these are what Blizzard have said is coming.

Transmog overhauled with slot-based looks and auto outfit swapping.
Apex Talents: powerful multi-point capstones in the talent trees.
PvP additions: Slayer’s Rise and Training Grounds.
- Slayer’s Rise: Both an instanced epic battleground (inspired by others like Alterac Valley and Isle of Conquest) and an open world PVP area.
- Training Grounds: Formerly known as the brawl “Comp Stomp,” these are now a permanent fixture to PVP battlegrounds with Silvershard Mines and Battle for Gilneas being added to this feature. These serve as a great entry point for those just starting out in PVP, or, simply wish to learn a new class or spec in a more relaxed competitive environment playing against non-player combatants.
New player experience enhancements: fast-track to Dragonflight, lorewalking.
Combat assistant, cooldown manager, profession streamlining, and more.

There is a lot more on the games Delves, Dungeons and Raids, but you are best getting that direct from Blizzard. I mean there are more than 10 new Delves, 8 new Dungeons and 3 new Raids, so there is a lot to learn. You can get an overview via the video below.

The last thing that I wanted to touch upon was the third Demon Hunter specialisation, the Devourer. Devourer Demon Hunters interweave ranged capabilities with the signature quick mobility and agility of the class as they forsake the Fel energy that fuels the other specializations and instead embrace the power of the Void. Additionally, the class expands with Void Elves joining the ranks of the Illidari as a Demon Hunter.

While Midnight is not launching until 2026, players can opt to join in on the Alpha, which as long-time fans will know, helps shape the final release. Those who want to join, will need to keep an eye on their email or Battle.net accounts over the coming weeks and months, as Blizzard will invite people in. Just a heads up, if you are jumping into WoW today and expect to get into the Alpha, you likely won’t be selected.

Finally, for those players who love their collector’s edition, the physically Collector’s Edition for Midnight has been announced and includes the following: