Summary
- Get ready for weekly animated shorts leading up to The War Within expansion in WoW, starting August 6th.
- Fans can enjoy Radiant Echoes, WoW Remix, and Dragonflight Season 4 events before the expansion drops on August 26.
- Expect the animated shorts to explore major characters and storylines, with Xal'atath and Queen Ansurek likely featured.
World of Warcraft just seemingly teased the launch of the first animated short for The War Within with a cryptic, never-before-seen picture of Xal’atath in new lighting. Players can likely expect these motion stories to be released once a week throughout the rest of August, leading up to the release of the next World of Warcraft expansion.
With its launch planned on August 26, World of Warcraft: The War Within is rapidly approaching its release day. Until then, fans have plenty to keep them busy in World of Warcraft, with the Radiant Echoes Pre-Patch event, WoW Remix: Mists of Pandaria, and the final weeks of Dragonflight Season 4 all available for players to catch up on.
Now, it seems like World of Warcraft fans will have something else to build the hype for the new expansion. Recently, World of Warcraft shared a closeup image of Xal’atath in unique sepia lighting, along with a single word: “TOMORROW.” Based on the timing, content, and art style, this teaser is almost certainly for the first of The War Within’s animated shorts, which players expected to arrive in the weeks leading up to the expansion’s launch.
WoW: The War Within Animated Shorts Seemingly Start August 6
Every World of Warcraft expansion since Mists of Pandaria has featured a series of animated shorts. Sometimes called motion stories, these animations usually introduce major characters or storylines of an expansion. Though the "The Burdens of Shaohao" episodes were released near the end of Mists of Pandaria, all the others were dropped in the weeks leading up to their respective expansion releases.
While some series had up to six different episodes, the animated shorts from World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, Battle for Azeroth, and Legion each consist of three different entries, and the similarly-presented "Lore in Short" series does as well: two released before Burning Crusade Classic and a third ahead of Wrath of the Lich King Classic. Assuming the first of The War Within shorts arrives on August 6, and the second and third on subsequent weeks, the final motion story would arrive on August 20 – two days before early access for The War Within begins.
Previous Animated Shorts Before World of Warcraft: The War Within
|
World of Warcraft Expansion |
Animated Shorts |
Number of Episodes |
|---|---|---|
|
Mists of Pandaria |
"The Burdens of Shaohao" |
6 |
|
Warlords of Draenor |
"Lords of War" |
5 |
|
Legion |
"Harbingers" |
3 |
|
Battle for Azeroth |
"Warbringers" |
3 |
|
Shadowlands |
"Afterlives" |
4 |
|
Burning Crusade Classic and Wrath of the Lich King Classic |
"Lore in Short" |
3 |
|
Dragonflight |
"Legacies" |
3 |
Most players adore these incredible animated shorts, and they cannot wait to see what World of Warcraft does for The War Within’s batch. Considering Xal’atath’s prominence, at least one will likely show how she and Queen Ansurek – the final boss of WoW: The War Within’s Nerub-ar Palace raid – first met. The other two will probably delve into other major groups found on Khaz Algar like the Earthen, Arathi, or Harronir. Luckily, it seems like fans won’t have to wait long to find out for sure.
- Released
- August 26, 2024
- Base Game
- World of Warcraft
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Publisher(s)
- Blizzard
WHERE TO PLAY
In this opening chapter of The Worldsoul Saga, you’ll journey through never-before-seen subterranean worlds filled with hidden wonders and lurking perils, down to the dark depths of the Nerubian empire, where the inscrutable Harbinger of the Void has gathered her arachnid forces to bring Azeroth to its knees.
