World of Warcraft: Midnight

The start of every new expansion is close to magical. It somehow recreates your first experience with WoW, as while there is no raiding yet, as it's simply not an option, you are once again a low level and constantly searching for new gear. At the same time, you're looking forward to exploring new areas and themes and I adore that part.

However, I did run into some starting issues... One quest in the intro area kept crashing the game for several days, before a quick update eventually fixed it, somewhat voiding my 'Early Access'. I will also admit that I cheated a little. I had tried some of the player housing systems beforehand and already loved them, so I rushed to get myself a quaint abode. To my surprise, the homes are defined and placed in very small clusters, making it easy to get the placement you want. I managed to get a tranquil location by the beach, but I'm not sure if I will get a house in the woods next, as that part looks brilliant. The only drawback is that you need to unlock most furniture items, which almost feels like a faction grind on its own, a decision I somewhat understand after speaking with the developers ahead of launch.

The building system itself is extremely easy to use and there are also an incredible number of call-backs and references to earlier versions and periods of WoW's long history, which I really appreciate. I would perhaps enjoy a few more premade large structures to use as a foundation for a player home, but overall the system works very well. I do hope players will eventually be allowed more than one home in the future, as my warlock and my mage definitely do not share the same taste in interior décor.

Moving onto mainline Midnight, the story somehow manages to feel more localised even though the stakes are once again world-ending. I have grown weary of stories that constantly revolve around semi-permanent death, with villains who simply appear to taunt a large cast of new or forgotten characters before launching their attack. Many of these villains lack clear motivations for their hatred and I tend to prefer more nuanced antagonists and more complex narratives. Windrunner and the Lich King remain some of my favourites because of this while many of the newer villains often feel like they are simply one-dimensional. That being said, this expansion is a continuation of The War Within.

I am not sure that new players who have missed the last few expansions will understand what is happening. While I enjoy the direct and abrupt "come help us" style of the opening quest it must be confusing for newcomers. Blizzard has however included some well made catch up cinematics that summarise the narrative in a good way. I would still recommend that players either complete or at least explore some of the existing areas before heading to the Blood Elf lands.

The main narrative quests will take you far but not all the way. I personally try to clear every zone in each expansion and that often means I reach max level long before I finish the final zone. Dungeon runs therefore become optional and the experience feels less focused on farming. This is especially true if you play delves, as these are now slightly different since there is only one per zone. Perhaps there were too many before, but personally I would have preferred two, since I still enjoy these mini dungeons that can be played solo thanks to the companion system.

New players may also be excited about the Prey system. It works much like bounty contracts that gradually build up with a twist that you always risk being ambushed by the NPC you are hunting. If you do not enjoy that type of surprise encounter you can simply ignore the system, but it's a fun addition that's not essential.

To cater to long-time players the story also pairs you with a character named Arathor. Through him you revisit older locations and connect many of the larger narrative threads, where this is done in a way that ties things together well without letting the religious themes become too dominant. As a result, the expansion feels less like an isolated event and more like a continuation of the existing world. It's solid storytelling.

I also enjoyed the restored Silvermoon and Eversong Woods. These areas have changed from starting zones into areas clearly designed for high-end players. The level of detail is impressive and combined with the new underground zone, it's clear that a great deal of care has gone into their design. After more than two decades, WoW still sets the standard.

Perhaps unlike many players I have always had a fascination with places like Voidstorm and Zul'Aman. I enjoy anything related to trolls and I also appreciate the strange semi-ethereal environments of Voidstorm. Some quests even include the "stay a while and listen" feature and I find this to be a wonderful tool for world building and a welcome extra detail for lore enthusiasts.

This expansion also introduces a new playable race called the Haranir, but more importantly it adds another underground zone called Harandar. I have grown quite fond of these underground environments as they create a stronger sense of three dimensional space than areas with an open sky. Personally, I feel the game already has enough playable races, perhaps even too many, yet still I understand why players enjoy having something new.

The Haranir come with new druid shapeshifting forms that are unusual but interesting, and unless I am mistaken their Shaman class also uses unique totems. The customisation options for this race are impressive and feel more thoroughly developed than some earlier expansion races. I suspect we will see many Haranir characters in the near future and I will probably create one myself. They are one of the better additions among the neutral races and their abilities feel genuinely different.

I do worry that new or returning players might find the overall complexity overwhelming. The number of currencies and the interactions between spells and abilities can make the game feel cluttered compared with the early years. The skill tree rework also requires players to manage three different categories. That said it allows for far more flexible builds and I appreciate that freedom. The crafting and gathering systems still feel somewhat overcomplicated to me as well. I understand the need for more depth compared with the original system that lasted many years, but a more streamlined middle-ground might have been ideal.

WoW also needs to compete with other modern games in order to retain high-end players. At the same time the growing number of playable races means some of them now have less developed lore. In that context, Midnight stands out as one of the stronger recent expansions.
One of the areas where Midnight truly shines is in its many small improvements, be that side quests that feel more polished making daily play easier. Travel and access has improved significantly too and it's almost like a wave of small quality of life updates have crashed onto the metaphorical shores. It's all much smoother than it was five years ago.

Building on The War Within was the right decision as Midnight doesn't attempt to reinvent the game. Instead it refines what already works and while that may not sound revolutionary, the core experience is already extremely strong. Grinding is still part of the game but it no longer feels like the exhausting gold farming that once dominated the experience.

So overall, Midnight is a very solid expansion. Levelling remains exciting, gear acquisition feels less tedious, and Blizzard clearly understands what makes the game work. It's World of Warcraft at near its finest once again.