State of Azeroth recapped: What's in store for World of Warcraft in 2026?

2026 is set to be another big year for World of Warcraft, as it's in this calendar year, in March to be exact, when the second part of the wider Worldsoul Saga arrives in Blizzard's long-running MMORPG. World of Warcraft: Midnight is less than six weeks away, and with that in mind, Blizzard has just finished hosting a lengthy showcase that explores the State of Azeroth and the various World of Warcraft projects.

As there was a lot to unpack, we're saving you some trouble by condensing and spotlighting the various bits of news and information in this single, handy text.

Key takeaways from WoW: Midnight

To begin with, let's focus on Midnight as this is the most exciting debut that World of Warcraft has in store when it comes to 2026. While plenty of information about the expansion has already been shared, executive producer Holly Longdale talked in great depth about how its narrative has a key focus on Light versus the Void, and how building on the events of The War Within, players will be joining forces with Haranir and Devourer Demon Hunters to overcome the rising threats facing Azeroth.

We're told that the campaign is designed to be emotionally resonant and that it will set the precedent for the final part of the Worldsoul Saga in the upcoming The Last Titan expansion. These recurring themes will also span to and include loss, resilience, moving on from grief, and heroism in the face of hard choices.

Longdale explains: "The campaign of Midnight is the kind of story that will find your heart whether you've just joined us in Azeroth, been with us our entire 21 years, or somewhere in between."

On top of this, senior game director Ion Hazzikostas talked a bit about what players can expect in the weeks leading up to Midnight and at launch too.

The pre-launch events and new features tied to the expansion will include the Devourer Demon Hunter spec and Void Elf Demon Hunters becoming available, on top of the anticipated Transmog 2.0 system, a PvP training ground is being added for players to test their mettle against AI opponents, and this is on top of the Twilight Ascension event seeing players teaming up with Magister Umbric and Rommath to repel Twilight's Blade to earn various bits and pieces of gear. The Winds of Mysterious Fortune event then goes a step further by making it easier for players to catch up on their alternative characters by boosting reputation and XP gains. Lastly, over the next few days and lasting until February 1, a Welcome Back Weekend is being held that will showcase a revamped onboarding system and spotlight the pre-launch content.

Looking then ahead to Midnight when that becomes available on March 2, Blizzard re-affirms what will be present in the awaited expansion. It will offer four new zones to explore and eight dungeons to overcome, on top of a further 11 Delves to conquer with a new companion. There will be a new PvP battleground and warmode hotspot called Slayer's Rise, the Arcantina social hub to visit with friends and chill out, the Prey system will debut, and the level cap will be raised up to 90.

This will then be supported by the introduction of a six-boss Voidspire raid and a one-boss Dreamrift mini-raid in Season 1, plus new world bosses, a Mythic+ season that brings four new and four returning dungeons, and a two-boss Quel'Danas raid that will open a few weeks after Season 1 commences.

Key takeaways for WoW Classic

It will seemingly be a less busy year for the alternative experience, as we're promised a handful of additions for Classic. For one, Mists of Pandaria Classic will get an Escalation patch that adds a new quest campaign, another battleground, and fresh Scenarios (Siege of Orgrimmar and Timeless Isle will come later in 2026). The Burning Crusade will be getting an update that brings Anniversary Realms and Outlands content, and also we can expect Titan-Reforged Realms to debut that are geared for Chinese players and their regional playstyle.

So, is that it? Longdale did conclude with a short teaser, stating, "That's not all we're cooking up. I can say with confidence that all Classic players across the globe have a lot to look forward to."

What's next for Housing?

As we know, Housing will launch fully alongside Midnight. But so far it seems to have been a huge success for Blizzard, as the developer reveals that in the first two weeks of the feature's Early Access period, it notched up as many as over four million hours spent in player housing and 14 million decor items placed.

Looking at the future, we're told that Blizzard intends to spend its time to "continually improve the feature from every angle," with this coming from economy adjustments, UI updates, and supporting creative expression. But it will add new elements all the same, with key points including pet and mount integration, more advanced tools, the ability to import and export builds.

We'll know more about this down the line as Blizzard continues to share information, but Hazzikostas did state: "This is just the ground floor for housing in WoW. We want this feature to be a reflection of your life and times in Azeroth, and we're serious about expanding it and improving it alongside you."

Looking ahead further into 2026

Lastly, while Blizzard didn't share what else it had planned for World of Warcraft in 2026, it did allude that there is much more on the table for the MMORPG. For one, BlizzCon returns in September, and this is somewhere we are expecting the developer to have a big presence, with it described as a "landmark event" that will serve as the place to see their vision for "Warcraft's next 20 years."

Hazzikostas concluded with: "We know the void and Xal'atath are dark threats, and that the stakes are high and the tone is dire. But we also never want to forget that Azeroth is, for all of us, home. A place of light, community, family, and friends. This is a world that could warm the heart of even the prince of darkness..."

As you can see, 2026 is going to be a massive year for World of Warcraft as a whole, and it all begins on March 2, when the anticipated Midnight expansion arrives for the MMORPG on PC.