World of Warcraft: The War Within

World of Warcraft has been around for many years, and the overall story has become so complex that even seasoned fans can find it hard to follow. To put it in perspective, the most simplistic explanation I've seen was a 30-minute video.

As an old gamer who has been around since the beginning, I crave simple and understandable narratives that make sense within a limited area. For example: 'In this area there is an evil king who oppresses the population and plans to invade neighbouring kingdoms - help defeat him and his army of evil soldiers equipped with advanced military technology.' We don't get that here.

We are once again in the midst of a total apocalyptic event that - this time even more literally - threatens to end all life on the planet. The War Within is the first of three chapters dealing with the battle between good and evil. In the simplest form, the overall story is that the entire planet Azeroth harbours the soul of a new Titan, the gods of the WoW universe, and this Titan is potentially the most powerful in the history of the universe. That's why, a few expansions ago, another Titan tried to plunge its sword through the planet. All the evil gods we've fought have tried to corrupt the planet into evil, because if Azeroth is on the side of good, it can more or less single-handedly defeat the Void - the dark and evil where the Warlocks get their magic from. In this expansion, we scratch the surface and literally dive beneath the planet's surface through a new island where we can explore the planet's interior - or at least part of it.

Here we meet the Earthen, a kind of dwarves made of stone. They are working people who keep machines and functions running to protect and maintain the planet. Above them are Keepers, and above them Watchers - creatures that have been around since the earliest days of WoW. Naturally, they have a lot of problems that we can help with, including a surface invasion from the Nerubians and the game's new primary villain, Xal'atath. This villain has taken the body of a deceased Night Elf in this edition and has thus materialised. Yes, it can get a little complicated.

As always, there are new systems, such as Delves - small mini-dungeons for individuals and small groups, previously known as 'scenarios.' Here they're integrated as large cave systems that need to be cleaned, some need to be rescued, or similar. It's actually quite entertaining, and several of them have their own specific game mechanics, such as mushrooms that act as trampolines, or lights that need to be kept on because darkness causes physical damage. I'd go so far as to say that if you get a little more out of it in terms of new equipment and money, I'd definitely want to complete them all at the highest level repeatedly - and I love having Brann Bronzebeard as my personal healer.

When you're tired of helping on the surface, it's time to dive below the surface - literally. You fly down into a huge underground cave system. It's been done before, but all the little graphical updates make it more beautiful than ever, filled with airships, small flying islands and divided into three distinct areas. Of course, this also means new factions, while still retaining some elements of Dragonflight. I personally quite like the in-built aerial racetracks.

Otherwise, it's very much as we know it. Through questing and dungeons, you build a world and universe that the player moves through, and you explore the story to get better and better gear. This is necessary because when the final raids are released in a month's time, you'll need some pretty good gear to be able to participate.

The WoW developers are to be commended for getting better at utilising verticality. Altitude is a dimension that has only occasionally been used in the past. It got better with Dragonflight, but with The War Within you have to constantly think in three dimensions, which gives a completely different sense of space and a sense of grandeur. And with the new Warband system, it's suddenly easier to have more characters and skip the more boring parts, not to mention more room in the bank. It's not quite on par with the Legacy system in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but it's a big upgrade that definitely incentivises you to play alts.

The graphical quality has improved over time and hopefully there will be a total overhaul of the entire game engine when this trilogy is over. But even more important is the music that sets the mood in each zone. It's back to an impressively high level. If you have the right equipment, you'll be impressed by the orchestral music that fills your ears - something that doesn't always get the praise it deserves.

What I'm not so impressed with, however, is the talent tree. Here they have chosen to let new levels result in Hero Talents - special talents above level 70. What I've tried is a wide range of passive talents that make you more deadly. It works, but I probably would have preferred to get 10 more points to use in my regular talent tree instead of a bunch of extra passive bonuses.

Additionally, I'm a little tired of the dynamic flight. Yes, it can be turned off, but it requires a Pathfinder achievement, which takes time away from levelling up - time that I don't necessarily have. On top of that, the crafting system has become too complex; there are too many variables and extra details to take into account, and the visual presentation seems a bit cluttered.

That said, there are many elements that I really like. For example, there are many new things to discover without necessarily having achievements or quest items attached to them. By chance, I found a cave behind a waterfall. There was no purpose to the cave other than there was a flower to harvest - but someone spent time making it, knowing it serves no functional purpose, and that's one of the things I loved most about WoW in the beginning. There's also a little less of a 'saviour of the world' approach to it all. You come as a stranger to a world where you're not necessarily welcome, and the focus is more on discovery than heroics.

The War Within offers more of the same, although the setting is different. But it's hard not to get invested in helping these stone dwarves, who are fully aware of their limited lifespan, their role in the world and that their purpose is to serve through maintenance and hard work. It's hard not to empathise and do your best to help them - so in this respect, the expansion is definitely successful. I was halfway through levelling before I even got to the inner world, which looks like something out of an expensive animated film - this also helps the overall impression.