Highlights

  • The next expansion of World of Warcraft, The War Within, focuses on making the game more welcoming for new players by simplifying leveling and gear acquisition.
  • Changes such as revamped talent trees and a streamlined questing interface make it easier for players to customize their experience and progress through the game.
  • Solo players can now participate in end-game content through features like Follower Dungeons and Story Mode raids, making World of Warcraft more accessible to those who prefer to play alone.

World of Warcraft, with its twenty years of content, can seem like an impenetrable fortress to any new player. It’s only natural for one to hesitate, feeling as though they’d be far too late to the party. But there is no better time to consider creating a character for the game, as sailing through the tedious and right into the fun is a priority for the next expansion, The War Within.

This expansion, coming in late 2024, follows World of Warcraft: Dragonflight by continuing its legacy of pruning the game’s more unwelcoming aspects. With the addition of each new patch, earning the levels and gear required to jump right into end-game content is the easiest it’s ever been. The options for which content to focus on have been broadened as well, from dungeons and raids to quests and exploration, it’s always up to the player to choose their favorites.

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All Beginner-Friendly Changes Made to World of Warcraft

  • Revamped Talent trees allow players to freely decide how they want to play their class.
  • A streamlined questing interface makes it easy to see where to go and what to do.
  • Raid-ready gear can easily be obtained through both solo and group activities.
  • New players can level up by questing through multiple past expansions or just one.
  • Skyriding, the new dynamic flight system, doesn’t require having already played during Dragonflight.
  • Guilds and pre-made groups are now cross-faction, meaning a new player can be any race they want and still play with friends.
  • The requirements for playing as allied races from previous expansions have been removed.
  • Purchasing The War Within comes with an instant level 70 boost for one character.

The Dawn of a New Era For Solo World of Warcraft Players

A major aspect of World of Warcraft has always been its community. Like many MMOs, there’s a lot of exciting and momentous content that lies beyond the reach of solo play. While this has long been considered a necessary aspect of the genre, it does limit the fun for those who prefer to go at it alone. A variety of reasons, from PC performance to social anxiety, means there are many who either can’t or won’t join an organized group with a voice chat to take down the game’s fiercest bosses.

Follower Dungeons Are Already Here

In Dragonflight, Follower Dungeons were added to the game, allowing players to participate in the expansion’s dungeons on normal difficulty with a group of automated NPCs acting as the other needed roles. This was so that solo players could still experience all the content, and leveling players didn’t have to wait to queue for a group. This isn’t yet available for raids, but in The War Within, solo players can participate in more end-game content.

The War Within's Story Mode Raids

The_Gilded_Gate of Azjol-Nerub

The first raid of The War Within, Nerub-ar Palace, will feature a new difficulty called Story Mode, in which the final boss, Queen Ansurek, can be defeated in a simplified solo encounter. This will become available alongside the Raid Finder difficulty and will allow non-raiders to experience the climax of the story surrounding the Nerubians of Azj-Kahet. The priority naturally lies with the final boss, upon which the main lore usually revolves, but Story Mode will likely be extended in the future, and will most certainly apply to the last boss of all raids going forward.

At the very least, solo players can finally complete an expansion’s campaign like Dragonflight without ever having to rely on other players, and this makes for a remarkable shift in gameplay. This gives new players time to breathe and get the hang of their abilities before feeling overwhelmed by players who want to race through content and compete with the best. World of Warcraft is rapidly becoming an option for solo gamers to sink their teeth into, making it more accessible to countless new players.