Summary

World of Warcraftwilling to pay more forThe War Withinexpansion will get three days early access. Blizzard recently revealed its ambitious plans forWorld of Warcraft’s future, unveiling the next three expansions that will release for the wildly successful MMORPG.

As confirmed by Blizzard, thenext threeWorld of WarcraftexpansionsareThe War Within,Midnight, andThe Last Titan. These three expansions will make up the Worldsoul Saga storyline, withThe War Withinup first.WoWfans were buzzing after Blizzard detailed all the big new features coming inThe War Withinwhen it launches next year, but the game’s $90 Epic Edition has given them pause.

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Blizzard has putThe War Withinexpansionup for pre-order, revealing that fans have three different editions to choose from.World of Warcraftplayers can get the Standard Edition for $50, which nets them access toWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight,The War Withinexpansion when it launches, an enhanced Level 70 character boost, and 500 Trader’s Tender. For $70,WoWfans can get all that plus 250 additional Trader’s Tender, the Algarian Stormrider mount, and the upgradable Stormrider’s Attire Transmog Set. And finally, the $90 Epic Edition includes everything in the other editions, 1,000 total Trader’s Tender, beta access, 30 days game time, Squally the Storm Hatchling pet, the Sandbox Storm Gryphon Toy, the Deepdweller Earthen Hearthstone Effect, and, controversially, three days early access.

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Algarian Stormrider mount with dynamic flying and access to special racecourses

Deepdweller Earthen Hearthstone Effect

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Recent years have seen more publishers offering early access to their games for those willing to pay for more expensive versions. This practice has proven to be controversial, even for single-player games, but the community gets especially upset when it happens with multiplayer games. As one might have imagined,World of Warcraftfans aren’t happy about the $90 Epic Edition ofThe War Withinoffering early access, as it means that those with more money can jump in the game earlier, potentially getting an advantage in the process.

Blizzard has done a lot to repair its relationship withWorld of Warcraftplayers in recent years. The game is riding high off the success of theDragonflightexpansion and thecelebrated return of Chris Metzen, but moves like this could potentially sour fans on Blizzard. It’s unlikely that Blizzard will reverse this decision, which is unfortunate forWorld of Warcraftfans that can’t afford the $90 Epic Edition and may get left behind by their friends and guild members.

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World of Warcraft is an incredibly successful MMORPG that has been going strong for almost two decades. It’s one of the highest-grossing franchises in history and is widely considered the most popular MMORPG ever made.