World of Warcraft: The War Within Lets You Pay for Early Access
World of Warcraft willing to pay more for The War Within expansion will get three days early access. Blizzard recently revealed its ambitious plans for World of Warcraft’s future. Unveiling the next three expansions that will release for the wildly successful MMORPG.
As confirmed by Blizzard, the next three expansions are The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan. These three expansions will make up the Worldsoul Saga storyline, with The War Within up first. WoW fans were buzzing after Blizzard detailed all the big new features coming in The War Within when it launches next year. The game’s $90 Epic Edition has given them pause.
Blizzard has put The War Within expansion up for pre-order, revealing that fans have three different editions to choose from. World of Warcraft players can get the Standard Edition for $50, which nets them access to World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, The War Within expansion when it launches, an enhanced Level 70 character boost, and 500 Trader’s Tender. For $70, WoW fans 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.
World of Warcraft: The War Within Editions and Pre-Order Bonuses
| Standard Edition – $50 | Heroic Edition – $70 | Epic Edition – $90 | |
| World of Warcraft: Dragonflight | X | X | X |
| Access to World of Warcraft: The War Within | X | X | X |
| Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost | X | X | X |
| Trader’s Tender | 500 | 750 | 1000 |
| Algarian Stormrider mount with dynamic flying and access to special racecourses | X | X | |
| Upgradable Stormrider’s Attire Transmog Set | X | X | |
| Early Access to World of Warcraft: The War Within | X | ||
| Beta Access to World of Warcraft: The War Within | X | ||
| 30 Days of Game Time | X | ||
| Squally, the Storm Hatchling Pet | X | ||
| Sandbox Storm Gryphon Toy | X | ||
| Deepdweller Earthen Hearthstone Effect | X |
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 Warcraft fans aren’t happy about the $90 Epic Edition of The War Within offering 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 with World of Warcraft players in recent years. The game is riding high off the success of the Dragonflight expansion and the celebrated 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 for World of Warcraft fans that can’t afford the $90 Epic Edition and may get left behind by their friends and guild members.
