World of Warcraft’s latest expansion, The War Within, is probably one of the most ambitious Blizzard has put out. With so many expansions, it’s tricky to track when each expansion was released and in what order.
So, here’s a quick refresher on when each expansion launched in release order.
WoW expansions in release order
| Expansion | Date |
|---|---|
| World of Warcraft (original game) | November 2004 |
| The Burning Crusade | January 2007 |
| Wrath of the Lich King | November 2008 |
| Cataclysm | December 2010 |
| Mists of Pandaria | September 2012 |
| Warlords of Draenor | November 2014 |
| Legion | August 2016 |
| Battle for Azeroth | August 2018 |
| World of Warcraft Classic (legacy servers) | August 2019 |
| Shadowlands | November 2020 |
| The Burning Crusade Classic (legacy servers) | June 2021 |
| Wrath of the Lich King Classic (legacy servers) | September 2022 |
| Dragonflight | November 2022 |
| The War Within | August 2024 |
| Midnight | TBD |
| The Last Titan | TBD |
The Burning Crusade
The very first expansion, The Burning Crusade, was released on Jan. 16, 2007, and included many significant additions to the game. Draenei and Blood Elves were added as playable races, the level cap was raised from 60 to 70, and many dungeons, quests, raids, cities, and zones were added. PvP received an overhaul with new death-match modes for plenty.
Wrath of the Lich King
This second expansion focused on the infamous Lich King himself, Arthas. Wrath of the Lich King was released on Nov. 13, 2008, and quickly became one of the best-selling PC games of all time. The most notable highlights were the introduction of the hero class Death Knight, the 70 to 80 level cap raise, a huge new region called Northrend, and a ton of PvP content.
Cataclysm
The third expansion launched on Aug. 21, 2009, and featured a story revolving around Deathwing the Destroy and his threat to the realms. The level cap was increased to 85, and Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms were given a huge facelift, adding landscape changes, new NPCs, and a whole new story to boot.
Mists of Pandaria
This fourth expansion is quite possibly the game’s most hilarious. Mists of Pandaria, released on Sept. 25, 2012, seemingly takes inspiration from Kung Fu Panda, featuring a whole new panda race and world. The level cap was increased to 90, and a new playable race called the Pandaren was introduced, along with a Monk class and new instances.
Warlords of Draenor
Warlords of Draenor is the game’s fifth expansion, launching on Nov. 13, 2014. Outside of raising the level cap to 100, this expansion was set in the orc homeworld Draenor. The game also received a graphical overhaul.
Legion
The sixth expansion Legion came out on Aug. 30, 2016. This time, the level cap increased to 110, and players could explore Broken Isles, an entirely new area of Azeroth. A new Demon Hunter hero class and a few new raids and dungeons joined the game.
Battle for Azeroth
Battle for Azeroth, the seventh WoW expansion pack, dropped on Nov. 3, 2017. It raised the level cap to 120 and came with the new Zandalar and Kul Tiras continents. Four new races were also added, along with a slew of raids, dungeons, and uncharted islands. The story centers around an artifact called the Heart of Azeroth, which threatens to start a war.
Shadowlands
Shadowlands came out on Nov. 1, 2019, and is the eighth expansion pack released by Blizzard. This is the first time Blizzard introduced a “level squish,” which reset all max cap characters back to level 50, setting the cap at 60—akin to a New Game+ reset. This expansion centered around the iconic character Sylvanas, who featured as a final boss for players to fight.
Dragonflight
Dragonflight, the ninth expansion, was released on Nov. 28, 2022. A new dragon race called the Dracthyr was added, along with Dragonriding skills and the ability to customize and raise your own personal dragon. The level cap was raised to 70.
The War Within
The War Within is the first of three expansions to make up The Worldsoul Saga. Set in the underground land that a race called the Earthen considers their home, this expansion released on Aug. 26, 2024.
Midnight
We know little about the second part of The Worldsoul Saga, but we know that Midnight will be set in Quel’Thalas. We also know that a great deal of the story for Midnight will revolve around the origins of High Elves, Blood Elves, and Night Elves.
The Last Titan
Naturally, the final segment of the yet-to-begin Worldsoul Saga is the one we know the least about. We know that the ancient beings known as Titans will play a part somehow. Of course, that isn’t much to go on, but there’s plenty of content for World of Warcraft players to look forward to.
