by Hald Twinpack

February 3, 2024

Should you play WoW in 2024?

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With so many changes and updates coming to both WoW Retail and Classic, should you play WoW in 2024? Let’s find out!

World of Warcraft is a name known to any gamer, even if they have never played the game themselves. For decades, the game held the title of the King of MMOs, being an unreachable height for its competitors. But as time changes and new ambitious projects arrive, gamers can’t help but wonder: “Is it worth playing WoW in 2024?” And the short answer is yes. Even now, WoW is rich with various content, so everyone may find something to their taste. For those who crave more details, it’s time to dive in and figure out why you should play WoW in 2024.

Should you play WoW: current state and what to expect

There are two main branches of World of Warcraft that the Developers actively work on: The Retail and Classic versions. And we will start off with Retail.

WoW Retail

Dragonflight

After the series of objectively underwhelming expansions like Battle for Azeroth and Shadowlands, many players were too disappointed and decided to leave WoW and play other games. However, as Dragonflight came along, it managed to reignite the excitement of the WoW community.

The ninth expansion brings back veterans and attracts new players with features like Dragonriding, Profession rework, and more. The time gates have become way less predatory. The new types of content, improvements to the gaming experience, and a more engaging narrative resonate well with the player base. In addition, all of these elements have also greatly improved over time since Dragonflight’s release.

Currently, we are approaching the end of the expansion, with only a pre-patch on the horizon and The War Within scheduled for release on August 22 for those who bought the Epic Edition, and on August 26 worldwide. This means it’s a great opportunity to dive into the game without waiting for new content.

Dark Heart

As of now, we are at Patch 10.2.7, also known as Dark Heart. Although not a major patch, it brings new features to enjoy. The biggest sellpoint of Dragonflight, the Dragonriding, is now available anywhere in the world, not just on Dragon Isles. Also, the newly introduced race, Dracthyr, can now Soar through the skies using Dynamic Flight mechanics. 

The flight speed in other parts of the world is limited to 80% of the maximum Dynamic Flight speed of Dragon Isles. Since other zones were not created with this feature in mind, the developers don’t want you to zoom from Ashenvale to Tanaris in mere seconds. Also, new Dragon Racing cups are added to the lands of previous expansions.

For the lore and story enthusiasts, there are new activities and events to learn about the history of Azeroth and its future. With the new Hunt for the Harbinger questline, you will face the grim reality of Azeroth’s impending doom and Xalatath’s role in it, while Draenei and Troll heritage questlines will tell the next chapter of these races’ story. Also,  remember to visit Chromie and embark on a new Identity Crisis quest to create your personal tabard and emphasize your individuality. 

Besides, the Dark Heart patch introduces new character customization options for Kul Tiran humans, including six additional hair colors. The Pet Stable UI has also been updated with new visual features, making it easier for you to favorite and rename your pets, as well as sort them by name, specialization, or abilities.

A significant addition in this patch is WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria, which allows you to experience the entire MoP expansion as if Blizzard newly launched it, but with a fresh approach. The event’s highlight is the opportunity to level up your characters in various ways at an accelerated pace by completing Timerunning raids, scenarios, and dungeons to earn Threads of Time, Bronze Caches, and other valuable items. These can help you develop a new artifact piece of gear known as the Cloak of Infinite Potential, enabling you to level up your characters quickly.

This event is an excellent opportunity to prepare your characters for The War Within, as all the characters from MoP Remix will be transferred to the upcoming expansion. It also offers a chance to collect cosmetics, transmogs, and mounts if you want to relax.

The War Within

At Blizzcon 2023, not just one or two but three upcoming expansions were announced. Named as the World Soul trilogy, it includes The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan. 

The first part of this big journey, The War Within, is expected to be released on August 22 for Epic Edition owners and on August 26 worldwide. It will bring new features, new types of content, a new allied race, and much more.

One of the much-awaited implementations of The War Within is the Warband system. Despite being an alt-heavy game, WoW has never been that much alt-friendly. You needed to create a new character and walk the same path as you did on your main. 

But that is no longer required with the Warband! You can select a group of your characters who will share their bank, renown, achievements, and much more. This makes multiclassing in WoW so much more accessible.

Another notable addition is a new type of end-game content — Delves. These new dungeon-like instances are full of challenges and epic rewards. A notable feature is that you can complete them solo, with others, or even with NPC.

Of course, new expansions mean new talents! The War Within also brings specific sets of talents for each class specialization. Also known as Hero Talents, these sets are themed around iconic class stereotypes from the Warcraft universe! 

If you have always dreamt of being a Priest or Priestess of the Moon, or maybe get a taste of what it feels like to be a Keeper of the Groove — The War Within brings the opportunity to do so. For more information, check out Everything We Know about WoW 10th Expansion: The War Within. 

WoW Classic

Classic WoW is always worth playing to relive those epic times of an era long past or try out new surprises created by developers. In 2023, WoW Classic Hardcore was introduced. This relentless realm, where every character has only one life, is the ultimate test for your WoW skills, knowledge, and will. Meanwhile, 2024 holds another present from the developers: Season of Discovery.

Season of Discovery

Introduced to the vanilla version of Classic servers, Season of Discovery or SoD creates a feeling of a “new old game.” The developers wanted to create a fresh experience with the same nostalgic decorations of classic Azeroth, and they managed to do that perfectly.

Season of Discovery shifts around various aspects of classic WoW, adding many new things to the formula. Want to heal as Mage or tank as Rogue? Smash everything with Crusader Strike from the very beginning? 

It’s all possible now, thanks to the new Rune Engraving system. Many new items and recipes were added to Professions, while factions got new rewards for maximizing their reputations. New battle content, such as new Raids and open-world PvP events, was added, and the players were waiting to discover them.

SoD is split into 5 Phases. We are in Phase 3 at the moment, but Phase 4 is coming on July 11. Each Phase raises the level cap and adds new content to explore. So, if you love Azeroth and that feeling of exploring, Season of Discovery is a perfect reason to play WoW. You can learn more about SoD in our Season of Discovery Guide: All 5 Phases here.

Cataclysm Classic

The future of WoW Classic has always been a popular topic of discussion for many players. Will there be a new “alternative timeline” expansion after Cataclysm Classic? Or will there be no further expansions because Blizzard released a new WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria event on May 16, 2024? Although Blizzcon 2023 provided some answers about the release of Cataclysm Classic, it remains uncertain whether the company will follow the same approach for future Classic expansions.

Still, Cataclysm is an iconic expansion worthy of your attention, as it is the period when WoW decided to start a big new chapter in the Warcraft universe story. If you didn’t know, the previous expansions were created to resolve the plotlines that existed way before the birth of WoW. For instance, The Burning Crusade followed Illidan’s destiny. In Wrath of the Lich King, we ended Arthas’ reign over the Scourge. Meanwhile, we must end Deathwing terror in Cataclysm and bring peace to Azeroth.

The new Cataclysm Classic expansion includes the chance to play as a Goblin or Worgen and explore five different locations, including the PvP zone called Tol Barad. It also brings updates to professions and talents, introduces new dungeons, and features four new raids, such as iconic Baradin Hold, The Bastion of Twilight, Blackwing Descent, and Throne of the Four Winds for players who reach level 85, offering high-level gear and exciting challenges. Moreover, there are new factions to build reputation with by completing daily tasks, allowing players to earn mounts, pets, and high-quality armor to enhance their stats.

Considering the fact that every Classic expansion brings a plethora of exciting content, starting your journey now is always an excellent idea. This way, you can rediscover the old but revamped content as if this is the first time Blizzard has released it.

Conclusion

As we said before, whether you are a veteran who used to play the game or has never tried it, 2024 is the perfect time to start playing WoW. The MMORPG houses a vibrant world filled with content to cater to your every interest, from epic raids and challenging M+ dungeons to PvP fights and numerous narratives rich with lore and history. And don’t forget all the exciting surprises the future holds for the game. 

Players agree that 2024 is WoW’s Golden Era. After all, Chris Metzen, the father of Warcraft, is back as full-time Executive Creative Director of the Warcraft universe. The developers provide the community with detailed roadmaps and clear goals for the future, allowing players to know what to expect from Blizzard. 

The Developers are listening to the player base more actively than ever and trying their best to implement their wishes and ideas. For many, WoW is excellent again, just like it was before. We hope our article convinced you to try World of Warcraft or, perhaps, give it another chance.