The seventh expansion of World of Warcraft now has a solid launch date. World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is set to drop on August 14, Blizzard announced on Thursday.
Battle for Azeroth evokes new emphasis on the opposing factions of the Alliance and the Horde. The expansion will introduce two fabled kingdoms - the kingdom of Kul Tiras for the Alliance and the empire of Zandalar for the Horde - as well as new playable Allied Races, a 20-player co-op mode, a new resource called Azerite and a level cap increase to 120, among other new features.
Mike Morhaime, co-founder and CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, said a player's faction will have a more meaningful impact on their experience in Battle for Azeroth than in any other WoW expansion to date. "Whether they're journeying to unexplored lands to recruit allies or fighting to secure war resources, players will redefine what it truly means to be 'For the Horde' or 'For the Alliance' when the expansion arrives this August."
Blizzard is currently accepting pre-orders for the expansion, available in a Standard Edition for $49.99 or and a Digital Deluxe Edition priced at $69.99. There will also be a retail-exclusive Collector's Edition for $99.99 that'll include a hardcover double-sided book, a digital soundtrack and a double-sided trinket in addition to loads of digital goodies.
Those who pre-order will receive a level 110 character boost to use immediately and can "begin their journey to recruit the first four of the expansion's new Allied Races, including the valiant Lightforged draenei on the Alliance and ancient Nightborne on the Horde."
Blizzard's massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) launched in 2004 and although it isn't quite as popular as it once was, it's still worth playing in 2018 for the simple fact that there's nearly 14 years' worth of content.