Since 2004, Blizzard has captivated millions of players with the largest MMORPG of all time: World of Warcraft. After over 20 years, the second chapter of the three-part World Soul saga, the first multi-expansion storyline in the game’s history, designed both as a celebration of the franchise’s twenty-year legacy and as a foundation for Azeroth’s future, has dropped. My anticipation for World of Warcraft: Midnight could not be matched, but how did it hold up against the first expansion in this saga, the War Within, and what else can we look forward to in this iconic game’s future?

Midnight picks up immediately after the War Within, following the fall of the Void Lord, Dimensius. In the aftermath, the Harbinger of the Void, Xal’atath, claims the Dark Heart, now infused with Dimensius’ power. This ancient relic, which played a central role in the destruction of Dalaran and the rise of the Nerubians in Azj-Kahet in the previous instalment, becomes her weapon to ignite a new chapter in the war.

The campaign opens with Lady Liadrin’s call for aid at the Sunwell, where Xal’atath has launched her assault, unleashing a massive Void invasion – the first step in her plan to extinguish the Light itself. The opening cinematic sets the stage as Liadrin and Lor’themar Theron lead Silvermoon’s desperate defence of the Sunwell on the Isle of Quel’Danas, joined on the front lines by several familiar allies rallying to protect Silvermoon City, Quel’Thalas, and Azeroth as a whole.

Midnight’s campaign is broken down into five parts, taking us back to the region of Quel’Thalas in the most northern area of the Eastern Kingdoms. After wrapping up the initial introduction in the Isle of Quel’Danas to protect the Sunwell from the void invasion, you are then guided through the Eversong Woods chapter, exploring the overhauled Silvermoon City and Eversong Woods areas.

Offering a richer and more detailed area in comparison to when it was first introduced in 2007 with the Burning Crusade expansion, Silvermoon City is the essential player hub for Midnight, now a neutrally aligned space, with new districts, renown factions, delves and the new Murder Row dungeon being implemented.

The surrounding Eversong Woods has also been reworked for this release, including being partially merged with the Ghostlands, also first seen back in 2007, in an effort to reclaim and restore parts of the Eversong Forest, allowing the area to feel more on par with the larger zones of more recent expansions. Although partially restored, the Ghostlands still retain their haunting qualities within the Eastern Plaguelands and serve as a reminder of the former kingdom of Lordaeron and the ongoing rule of the Scourge.

From here, you are invited to commence one of three of the remaining parts of the story line: Arators Journey – which takes you back to the Burning Steppes to face the Scourge, uncover lost relics of paladins past and gain access to the Arcantina; Harandar – explore the new bioluminescent jungle biome of Harandar where all World Tree roots converge, introduced in Midnight that dives into the history of the new playable race and renown faction, the Haranir, and their role in the battle against the Void; and Zul’Aman – explore the reimagined area of Zul’Aman, home to the Amani troll tribes, during a period of a tense stalemate in the neverending tensions with the Blood Elves of the region, and assist the faction in protecting its lands against the void and reconnect with their Gods in the process.

There is another part to the story, the fifth and final part of the expansion, but I do not want to touch on that here while running the risk of treading into spoiler territory. Now, although the stories are interesting and the new areas are truly beautiful, I couldn’t help but find the story a little lacklustre after such a captivating storyline during the War Within. It feels like this story almost played on the too-safe side, and in some spaces, a little bit of what we’ve seen before with the Legion invasion back in the day, but I’m optimistic that this is just the calm before the storm that is the final chapter for this three-part saga.

The world of Midnight opens up with a wide range of fresh content. Players will work with four new, distinct Silvermoon factions, building reputation to unlock exclusive cosmetic rewards. Adding another layer of gameplay, the new Prey system allows adventurers to take on open-world hunts for formidable targets that drop unique cosmetics and mounts, with scalable challenges across Normal, Hard, and Nightmare modes. To help players navigate this wealth of activities, Blizzard is introducing the Journeys Tab, a new feature in the Adventure Guide that unifies progression tracking for Renown, Delves, Prey hunts, and even Great Vault rewards into one convenient hub.

Blizzard has also introduced single-click assistance that utilises a single key to press repeatedly, which rolls through the class’s meta spells and abilities in combat based on priority. At first, this move seemed mostly for the convenience of new players getting used to the game without getting too overwhelmed, but it could also bring players to the game that perhaps didn’t have the mobility physically to play the game with a normal keyboard.

During my campaign run, I tested this feature and did find that it was casting what I wanted it to cast a good 85% of the time, but this feature does not account for healing, buffs, enemy debuffs or more the niche situational abilities that are handy in certain combat circumstance – not exactly useful if you’re dungeoning or raiding, but it does provide a level of relief in open world play if you’re trying to also write a review of the expansion on the side.

Group content in Midnight has also expanded significantly with the introduction of 10 new Delves, plus a rotating Nemesis Delve, each offering new rewards and encounters. Longtime adventuring partner Brann Bronzebeard steps away, making room for Valeera Sanguinar, the Blood Elf Rogue who, like Brann, can fill any role (DPS, Tank, or Healer) depending on the group’s needs, but I would recommend just keeping her on DPS. Endgame content has also been given a lot of love, with 8 new dungeons and 3 raids available, each rich with story and unique environments. On the PvP side, the highlight is Slayer’s Rise. This massive 40v40 battleground pits two armies against each other, beginning on opposite ends of the map before erupting into an all-out clash for dominance in the centre.

I had a chance to check out a couple of the dungeons, and they’re quite diverse. For example, Murder Row is a shorter, maze-like instance with heavy Legion-inspired theming, featuring a quirky tavern disguise event that adds both flavour and challenge, whilst Windrunner Spire, on the other hand, showcases the spirit of Lirath Windrunner, alongside a more straightforward layout, breathtaking visuals, and meaningful story moments. Both dungeons are rich in atmosphere and exploration, and I’m excited to see what else Blizzard has in store on this front with the new expansion.

Player housing, one of the most requested features, has also finally arrived in Azeroth. There are 5 public neighbourhoods available for players to settle down in, each one offering a pretty diverse landscape for you to find that perfect little slice of heaven. There are also private neighbourhoods for you and your friends available, as well as Guild neighbourhoods, which scale to roster size, ensuring everyone has a room. Cross-faction housing allows guild members to claim homes together, regardless of their allegiance. Although districts maintain Horde or Alliance themes for exteriors, interiors are fully customisable with no faction restrictions, giving players creative freedom inside their homes.

As someone who just loves a good housing system in an MMO or any game, for that matter, the system that has been implemented for World of Warcraft’s housing feature is fantastic. The UI is easy to use and understand; it’s almost effortless to edit every aspect of your home, from the exterior roofs and trimmings to the interior decorating. You can collect household items through questing, rewards, renown, and treasures to fully decorate your home, as well as having the ability to buy furniture from ‘Decor Specialists’ that sell furniture that specialises in selling specific pieces from different parts or cultures from around Azeroth. I love this new system, and I’m very excited to go into full build mode once I have some more special pieces in my storage.

The iconic look of World of Warcraft hasn’t changed with this expansion, but the new areas are so detailed and so immersive that I have to give props where they’re due – well done, Blizzard. Harandar is gorgeous, the revamped areas look incredible, and you can truly see the leaps and bounds the game has made in its 20+ year history, especially when you return to the Eastern Plaguelands during the campaign.

World of Warcraft: Midnight has introduced a lot of new quality-of-life features including streamlined goal tracking, gameplay enhancements, accessibility options whilst also offering a plethora of new content for this already massive game, but Midnight is the middle child of this three-part saga, the calm before the storm of the final chapter, and its very obvious also a little too familiar in some parts. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Midnight and its endgame content and new features, but it definitely felt like the campaign played a little on the safe side in comparison to its predecessor, the War Within. In saying that, Midnight is great, the new and improved areas of Quel’Thalas are beautiful, and you can really see the game shifting and progressing into something new, and I’m excited to see what else is in store.