While Blizzard didn’t hold a BlizzCon this year, it has still gone all out to make sure its presence is felt this November with a bunch of announcements.
The first of its kind, the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct broadcast was held this morning. It featured updates on practically everything related to Warcraft, though another franchise also managed to get a look in.
There was a whole bunch shown in the 45-minute presentation, so let’s get to it!
Warcraft and Warcraft II Are Getting The Remaster Treatment
The remasters will boast brand-new, hand-drawn visuals. You can swap between both on the fly as you want too. Both games have been given minor quality-of-life changes like health bars and mission select screens, to help them feel a bit…well…modern. Warcraft has modern controls, including right-click moving and speed improvement. Warcraft II will also include full multiplayer functionality, and legacy custom maps will be compatible with the remaster. Both games are out now.
Mists Of Pandaria Classic Was Revealed
The reveal was less than surprising given how the Classic rollout has happened so far. Regardless, the direct showed off a new cinematic featuring the most fearsome and cuddly denizens of Azeroth. It’s out in 2025.
Housing Is Coming To World of Warcraft With The Midnight Expansion
It’s called Midnight, which we knew already, but the teaser looks to be insinuating that we’ll finally be able to buy and live in our very own house. The expansion will form the second part of a new trilogy that began with The War Within. No release date has been announced.
Patch 2.0 Brings Heaps Of New Features To Warcraft III: Reforged
The update is free of charge to all existing owners of Warcraft III: Reforged and includes overhauls to lighting, environments and UI. All the assets have also been given the uprez treatment and, if they’re not your vibe, you can choose which assets will look like the new style and which will look like the old style. You can grab the update right now.
The Next Mini Set For Hearthstone Is None Other Than Starcraft
It’s the first time Blizzard has explored another world outside of Azeroth this deeply and the biggest set that Heart. The cards will hail from all three factions – the Zerg, Terran and Protoss – and each has a hero to represent them: Kerrigan, Raynor and Artanis respectively. There’s even a murlock dressed in Terran armour which is cute. It’s out in January 2025.
Arena Is Getting A Big Overhaul In Hearthstone
The arena is getting split into two distinct types of play. The first is the normal arena, which features shorter and quicker rounds. The underground arena, on the other hand, has longer matches with a much more “rogue” style of matchmaking. You can be matched with anyone on the underground, so it’s important that your deck is built to perfection before you head there. There are separate rankings for both and the major changes are expected to hit Hearthstone in the first half of 2025.
The Next Year Of Hearthstone Is Three Expansions And Lots of Dinosaurs
The first expansion, Into The Emerald Dream, will focus on a druid conflict long requested by fans, while The Shrouded City will focus on the mighty dinosaurs of the crater. The final expansion of the year will have players exploring time and multiple realities.
Warcraft Rumble Is Coming To PC
While you can log in to the game right now to earn some cool first anniversary goodies, the PC beta begins on December 10th, just a month away.
A Reminder That The Reven Charity Pet Pack Is Available For Two More Months
As detailed last month, the pack is officially available until January 7th, 2025, and purchases of the pack will support CureDuchenne.
A 20th Anniversary Edition Of World Of Warcraft: Classic Resets Things For Those Wanting Something Fresh
The update will bring with it all new fresh realms. They’re launching on November 21st. Everyone starts fresh, you don’t need to rush to Level 60 and it’s the best time to jump into WOW Classic if you missed it in 2019.
Blizzard Detailed The 2025 Roadmap For Both World of Warcraft and Classic Players
There is a HEAP of content coming for those playing on either of the experiences or even both.
