In World Of Warcraft: Midnight, What’s Old Is New Again

World of Warcraft’s Midnight enlargement is coming early subsequent 12 months, and it is reimagining an usually forgotten a part of outdated Azeroth to appear and feel model new–the Blood Elf lands of Quel’thalas.

Blizzard threw again the veil on WoW’s eleventh enlargement, the second in its three-expansion-long Worldsoul Saga trilogy, at Gamescom 2025. It revealed that two of the enlargement’s 4 new zones are literally outdated ones rebuilt from the bottom up, with a reimagined Silvermoon Metropolis serving because the enlargement’s primary hub. Blizzard additionally detailed different new options coming with Midnight, like a brand new opt-in open-world system known as Prey, one other playable Allied Race, a 3rd Demon Hunter specialization, and the total arrival of participant housing.

GameSpot spoke with just a few completely different builders at Blizzard, together with WoW senior recreation director Ion Hazzikostas, affiliate design director Maria Hamilton, and affiliate recreation director Paul Kubit, to be taught extra about Midnight, together with how Blizzard approached revisiting older zones, what gamers can count on from Midnight’s story, how the brand new Demon Hunter spec performs, and far more.

Quel’thalas Reborn

Two of the enlargement’s new zones are ones that anybody who has ever created a Blood Elf character in WoW will already be acquainted with. In Midnight, Eversong Woods, the world previously often known as the Ghostlands, and the previous raid Zul’Aman have all been reimagined as trendy questing zones, full with all-new property.

When Silvermoon Metropolis and its surrounding areas have been added again in 2007 as a part of The Burning Campaign enlargement, a pesky loading display separated the brand new zones from the remainder of Azeroth. It was a development that might proceed in future expansions, which might go on so as to add quite a few new landmasses for gamers to discover, however at all times felt bizarre on this occasion for the reason that Blood Elf lands of Quel’thalas have been instantly linked to the Japanese Kingdoms by way of the Japanese Plaguelands zone.

In Midnight, Eversong Woods, Zul’Aman and Silvermoon Metropolis will lastly be part of the Japanese Kingdoms proper–no loading display required. Gamers will be capable of fly, stroll, or journey on to the brand new zones from wherever within the Japanese Kingdoms. Hamilton defined how Blizzard approached rebuilding Quel’thalas and the encompassing areas.

“Many of the scars of the Scourge invasion have been healed,” Hamilton mentioned. “Time has handed. Blood Elves like their gardens tidy and their magical bushes stunning, so plenty of these scars have light. As a result of we would have liked to do a transition from the forest into Zul’Aman correct, into an precise zone of Zul’Aman, we would have liked to increase there somewhat bit as effectively, as a result of we would have liked room for the mountains to turn into mountainous with out simply immediately being sheer, ‘okay, now it is tall.’ There was some dimension adjustment there, however the intent was to make the zone really feel as recognizable as potential. Issues are typically, comparatively, proportionally within the locations you count on them to be. It needs to be acquainted to the gamers which can be fairly acquainted with the zone, it ought to really feel identical to house. It is just a bit bit prettier wanting, somewhat bit nicer graphics and graphical upgrades for the property. We just about mentioned, “If we may reimagine it in a contemporary setting and join it appropriately to the remainder of the world and now permit entry to Zul’Aman, how would we try this, what would we have to do?'”

Silvermoon Metropolis itself is bigger, Hamilton mentioned, however will nonetheless embody all the enduring elements of town gamers know and love. There are additionally new additions, just like the Sanctum of Mild and a Memorial Backyard. That every one being mentioned, it is also nonetheless very a lot a Horde metropolis. Whereas it can function the hub metropolis for each the Horde and Alliance throughout Midnight, Alliance gamers will solely be capable of entry sure elements of town, with the remainder of Silvermoon off-limits. A number of the most iconic areas in Quel’thalas, like Windrunner Spire, Magisters’ Terrace (a dungeon first added again in TBC), and Homicide Row will now be dungeons.

Into The Void

The remaining two zones for the enlargement, Harandar and the Voidstorm, are new. Many gamers thought Harandar, a primordial forest the place the roots of the World Timber converge, was set to look as a part of The Warfare Inside enlargement, however it can as a substitute play a key function in Midnight. It is there that gamers will be taught extra in regards to the Haranir, a brand new playable Allied Race that was first launched throughout The Warfare Inside.

In a shake-up from WoW’s newer expansions, how gamers expertise Midnight’s story will probably be somewhat completely different this time round. Each participant will kick off the story marketing campaign in Eversong Woods shortly after the occasions depicted in Midnight’s opening cinematic, however will select whether or not to deal with Harandar or Zul’Aman subsequent. No matter zone they do not choose can then be performed via after that, earlier than gamers head to the mysterious Voidstorm for the story’s finale.

Whereas Blizzard did not reveal an excessive amount of in regards to the mysterious last zone, Hamilton mentioned a part of Midnight’s story revolves across the heroes of Azeroth making an attempt to determine the way to entry the Voidstorm, which serves as primary villain Xal’atath’s base of operations. Hamilton mentioned the zone is in contrast to others gamers have seen earlier than, a world drenched in Void energies the place even its native creatures battle to continually eat each other. There are low-gravity areas of the zone that can change up WoW’s regular gameplay as effectively.

A New DPS Choice

Becoming with the enlargement’s Void theme, a 3rd Demon Hunter specialization is formally coming with Midnight that sees the category harness the facility of that which they struggle in opposition to. Known as Devourer, the spec is a “mid-ranged” DPS that makes use of Void vitality to decimate foes.

Kubit made clear that Devourer gamers would not be sitting at max-range casting spells, however did say that in plenty of circumstances, the spec’s rotation might be achieved at vary. The core loop of the spec is for gamers to enter Void Metamorphosis after which attempt to keep within the kind for so long as potential to maximise harm.

“This isn’t going to be enjoying like a 100% traditional ranged class,” Kubit mentioned. “You will have the DH [Demon Hunter] mobility ,which goes to encourage you to maneuver round, to be leaping into the fracas and melee, after which leaping again out once more, transferring round to gather soul shards and the like.”

A number of the Devourer’s key talents are Void Ray, a line assault much like Demon Hunter’s present Eye Beams capability, in addition to highly effective finisher talents like Collapsing Star and Reap, which eat soul fragments on use. In an unsurprising little bit of synergy, Void Elves will be capable of turn into Demon Hunters come Midnight.

Hunt Or Be Hunted

Whereas The Warfare Inside launched a brand new type of occasion solo content material within the type of Delves, Midnight will boost the sport’s open world with a brand new opt-in system known as Prey that can see gamers searching down targets and being hunted themselves.

There are three completely different difficulties for gamers to select from: regular, arduous, and nightmare. Kubit mentioned the traditional problem is for gamers who need to see the story related to the system, which sees gamers working with Astalor Bloodsworn to search out “shady” characters. On regular problem, the problem of the hunts will not be out of line with what gamers usually expertise from WoW’s open-world content material.

These in search of extra of a problem, enjoying on arduous or nightmare, will deal with enemies sporting extra affixes and mechanics, together with a secluded last showdown with their goal that sounds much like what gamers have seen from Delve pinnacle bosses in The Warfare Inside.

Progressing via hunts will grant gamers extra cosmetics like mounts, titles, and housing decor gadgets, however crucially will not grant extra uncooked energy to those that opt-in to the system.

“We’re not trying to power folks into content material that they don’t seem to be concerned about, however we have heard from a lot of our gamers who actually get pleasure from spending time on the planet and exploring and questing there, that the expertise can typically really feel flatter than they’d choose,” Hazzikostas mentioned. “This can be a actually flavorful, participating means so as to add an additional layer for individuals who need that.”

Placing Approachability Entrance And Heart

Midnight can be one other alternative for Blizzard to proceed bettering and refining the sport’s consumer interface, one thing it has put a a lot larger give attention to for the reason that recreation’s UI overhaul that was a part of 2022’s Dragonflight. Many instruments gamers at the moment use exterior add-ons for, like harm meters and boss timers, will probably be baked into the sport itself come Midnight.

Gamers have been utilizing add-ons to unravel varied issues or encounters for practically 20 years, Hazzikostas mentioned, prompting the crew to combine a few of these key instruments into the baseline expertise. Giving gamers these extra instruments is only one a part of the equation, nonetheless, and Hazzikostas mentioned the opposite is for Blizzard to take a more durable take a look at the sport’s mechanics and their visible readability to verify it by no means seems like gamers need to resort to utilizing exterior add-ons to achieve success.

“Whereas we began to shift in our philosophy over the course of The Warfare Inside, I believe Midnight goes to be our first enlargement that basically places approachability entrance and middle in all elements of its encounter and sophistication design,” Hazzikostas mentioned.

The current addition of an in-game rotation assistant software, and even a single-button rotation choice, are nice examples of Blizzard’s newfound philosophy. Blizzard is trying to make enhancements to each options sooner or later, and mentioned the single-button assistant particularly has been a significant success, regardless of the preliminary detrimental response from some within the WoW group.

“Actually, it has been superior,” Hazzikostas mentioned. “It is actually met, and in some methods exceeded, our expectations. The concept of the single-button assistant was positively controversial in the neighborhood main as much as it. There have been some gamers saying ‘Nicely, that is simply dumbing down the sport, what is the level of ability?’ And what we have seen is not any, WoW nonetheless has a really excessive ability cap. The folks pushing themselves and difficult themselves to the bounds of their efficiency aren’t this software in any respect. Whereas there are tens of hundreds, if no more, of gamers who, from an accessibility perspective, have had their recreation expertise remodeled, the place they will now interact in content material that beforehand felt off-limits to them due to the power to make fight work this manner.”

Make It Sooner, Do It Higher

All the above is simply the tip of the iceberg for the enlargement. Regardless of Midnight poised to reach sooner than WoW’s typical two-year enlargement cycle (one thing Warcraft government artistic director Chris Metzen mentioned was a aim again at BlizzCon 2023), Blizzard seems set to ship simply as a lot content material as gamers have come to count on, with 4 zones, seven Delves, eight dungeons, a brand new PvP battleground, and for the primary time in a very long time, three completely different raids at launch. One raid, The Voidspire, will home six bosses, whereas The Dreamrift will embody a single boss, and March on Quel’Danas packing two.

Hazzikostas and Kubit mentioned there have been quite a few elements at play in how the crew was capable of ship content material sooner (and extra persistently) than ever earlier than, together with higher planning and having an extended roadmap as to the place the sport goes subsequent.

“We’re not essentially pursuing pace for the sake of pace,” Hazzikostas mentioned. “Extra sooner is not at all times higher, however once we’ve had lulls, we all know no one likes content material draughts. Our focus has at all times been on making an attempt to remove these, and if we will movement seamlessly from a sequence of robust patches into the subsequent enlargement, that appears perfect. One other piece of that is additionally simply plenty of pre-planning. That is one of many actually thrilling issues from a story, world-building perspective in regards to the Worldsoul Saga. We knew we have been headed right here with far more element than we often do earlier than The Warfare Inside even got here out. All of these issues assist.”

For extra on Midnight, you should definitely learn up on how early entry to participant housing within the recreation’s 11.2.7 patch will work, the massive adjustments coming to transmog to make it cheaper and extra handy, and the way its opening cinematic units the stage for the enlargement’s story. WoW: Midnight is slated to reach in early 2026.