It has been two decades since the world had its first RTS encounter with orcs and humans through Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. Now, in the franchise’s 20th anniversary year, fans are getting the 10th expansion of the iconic MMORPG, and it’s called World of Warcraft: The War Within. In addition to a plethora of exciting updates including a new alliance, class-specific hero talent trees, new end-game content called Delves, four new zones, a new landmass called Khaz Algar, and more, fans are finally getting an alt-friendly account-wide progression system, called Warbands.

It’s definitely exciting to have all these expansions coming up, with two more in the pipeline in The Worldsoul Saga. However, it's safe to say that a macro progression system in the upcoming World of Warcraft: The War Within expansion, shared across all the characters is one of the most prominent updates in recent times and was a need of the hour at this point, precisely because it was highly frustrating to go through the same quests with different characters, over and again.

an orc in wow using mountain thane abilities from the war within
Related
World of Warcraft Reveals Eight More The War Within Hero Talent Trees

World of Warcraft pulls back the curtain on one of headlining features from The War Within by revealing eight more Hero Talent trees.

What Does the Warband System Include?

The War Within’s Warband will help players get recognized for their gameplay as a WoW player on an account level, instead of just a character level. While it’s just the beginning, and only certain gear is going to be passable between characters, a general account-wide progression is not only convenient, but if successful, it can also possibly pave the way for major gameplay updates moving forward. For now, here’s all that the Warband is initially bringing to the table:

  • An account-wide Warband bank feature.
  • Shared access across all characters for transmogs, reputation, achievements, flight paths, and more.
  • Newly designated Warbound items that will be shareable on the owner’s Battle.net account.
  • Delves companion gear-up will maintain its setting across the player’s account.
  • An updated look for the character-select screen, without changing servers.

Account-Wide Bank for Crafting Materials and Items

World of Warcraft players have long had a need to share some of the resources they’ve owned instantly with another character. However, the process was long, and in-game mailing was outdated at this point. The good news is that banks will now offer a shared Warband bank which will make it a breeze for all the characters to immediately share items. Better yet, it will now be possible to share reagents and crafting materials as well, making the process all the more conducive for players who are constantly experimenting with their alts and main characters.

Shared Achievements, Transmog Collections, Reputation, and More

Grinding in World of Warcraft fun, but it can get tedious when players are trying to earn Renown or the reputation of various factions within the game. Doing the same quests, time and again, for different characters, and never being recognized for it can be frustrating. Thankfully, the new system changes it now and reputation earned in every new area of the game will now be counted across the Warband.

Additionally, transmogs will also be account-wide now, so if one character loots an item that it can’t use, it will still be usable by another class. The same idea goes for flying paths, collections, and achievements. As referred to in the BlizzCon 2023 Deep Dive Panel for WoW, the franchise’s goal is to reduce the number of times players have to grind for the same achievement and respect their time behind the keyboard.

Sharable Warbound Items Until Equipped

Certain loot drop items, designated “Warbound Until Equipped” will be shareable on the owner’s Battle.net account until equipped on one of the characters. However, there’s a catch here — these particular items won’t be tradable with other players or at the in-game WoW Auction House, and once the item is equipped, it will become soulbound to that particular character.

Maintained Progress for Delves’ Companion Across the Account

Brann Bronzebeard is going to be the first companion, and thanks to Warband, WoW players will now be able to tweak its gear and skills as per their playing style for its continual use across the board. As a result, they’ll have a ready-to-tag-along companion for all the characters on one account.

Updated Lobby-Like Character-Select Screen

This is a smaller feature compared to other Warband elements, but it’s instantly noticeable. World of Warcraft players will now be able to see all their characters on a single screen, instead of having to jump from one server to another. By extension, the players will also be able to feature their favorite character ensembles from their Warband on the main screen, in a rather traditional battle-royale lobby-like view.

World of Warcraft: The War Within’s Warband system, therefore, is a powerful enough tool to lure in some of the oldies of the game. At the same time, it’s safe to say that if this macro update finds success, these initial limits can be pushed further. For instance, they might later include the sharing of map exploration and not just flight paths. Profession sharing between different characters and being able to send multiple characters on missions could also be an interesting dynamic for the devs to explore down the line.