BlizzCon 2023 has officially kicked off and its opening ceremony was filled with big announcements, including Diablo 4’s first expansion called Vessel of Hatred, three new expansions for World of Warcraft in The Worldsoul Saga, a new Overwatch 2 hero named Mauga, and much more.
To ensure you don’t miss any of the big news from BlizzCon, this article will gather all the biggest announcements, reveals, and trailers from throughout the weekend, and we will continue to update it throughout the show!
Diablo 4’s First Expansion Will Be Called Vessel of Hatred
Diablo 4’s first expansion will be called Vessel of Hatred, and it will include a brand-new, never-before-seen class. We didn’t learn too much, but it was confirmed it will take place in Diablo 2 region Nahantu and will concern the fate of Mephisto and his plans for Sanctuary.
Blizzard Announces Next Three Expansions in World of Warcraft: The Worldsoul Saga
Blizzard has announced The Worldsoul Saga, a larger narrative that will contain the next three expansions for World of Warcraft. The first of these expansions will be called The War Within and will be released in 2024.
WoW legend Chris Metzen, who recently returned as executive creative director of the Warcraft franchise, stopped by BlizzCon to reveal the news and say these expansions will be the “culmination of the first 20 years of our storytelling” that will “vector us into the next 20 years of adventure.”
The War Within will take place in the subterranean kingdoms in Azeroth where Nerubians and an Allied race called the Earthen Dwarfs await. This big expansion will also contain a ton more, including the promised return of former talking knife Xal’atath, new zones like Azj-kahet, Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, and Hallowfall, a new treasure hunting adventure activity called Delves, a community feature called War Bands, and new dungeons and raids.
We didn’t learn too much about the other expansions, but the second expansion in The Worldsoul Saga will be called Midnight. It will take place in Azeroth’s “Old World” in Quel’thalas, where Void forces have invaded and are trying to destroy the Sunwell and plunge the world into darkness.
The third expansion in The Worldsoul Saga, which will be World of Warcraft’s 12th expansion, is called The Last Titan. It will take place in the Old World, but in Northrend, which was the staging ground for Wrath of the Lich King.
World of Warcraft: Classic Is Adding the Cataclysm Expansion
World of Warcraft: Classic fans will soon be treated to the Cataclysm expansion, and they will be able to revisit the adventure that was a revamp to Azeroth and transformed entire regions and made old questlines and stories unplayable. Cataclysm was also where the giant dragon Deathwing flew in the sky and rained fire down upon players, the Worgen and Goblins were added as playable races, and Archaeology was introduced.
It was also announced that Classic’s Season of Discovery will begin on November 30, which is described as “Vanilla World of Warcraft with a twist.” It will let players create new characters and bring them up to a level cap of 25 while discovering “class-altering abilities.” This will let players become tanking Warlocks, mage healers, and more.
Overwatch 2’s Next Hero Is Mauga, the Game’s First Samoan Hero
After an early leak, Blizzard officially revealed Mauga, the game’s first Samoan hero who also happens to be a heavy assault character. He wields a number of heavy artillery weapons like the incendiary chaingun and the volatile chaingun. If that wasn’t great enough, he has nicknamed them Gunny and Cha Cha, respectively.
His charge move is called Overrun, and it’s basically an unstoppable skill that see him rushing and charging through the battlefield, destroying everything in his path.
Hearthstone’s Next Major Expansion Is Showdown in the Badlands
Hearthstone: Showdown in the Badlands is the card game’s next expansion, and it takes place in Azeroth’s wild west. This new expansion was a western spin, and it will also serve as an origin story for Hearthstone’s Reno Jackson and Elise Starseeker. These two must work together to save the Badlands from a nefarious mining operation.
Hearthstone: Showdown in the Badlands will be released on November 14, 2023, and it will feature the game’s neutral hero card.
Diablo Tabletop RPG Announced
Blizzard Entertainment, Glass Cannon Unplugged, and Genuine Entertainment have announced a tabletop role-playing game adaptation of Diablo. The core book will launch in Fall 2024 and the Diablo TTRPG will launch via a pre-order campaign on Kickstarter.
Diablo 4 is the main inspiration for the TTRPG, and it “will further explore the overworld and underworld of Sanctuary, embarking on adventures above and below with fan-favourite mechanics torn straight from the screen.”
Phil Spencer Makes Surprise Appearance at BlizzCon 2023 Opening Ceremony
Xbox boss Phil Spencer made his first appearance at BlizzCon, which itself is the first BlizzCon since Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
“Throughout Blizzard’s history, they’ve pioneered and refined so much across the gaming industry and many of you today have been a part of that journey,” Spencer said on stage. “Think of Diablo – it propelled the action RPG genre forward. StarCraft spawned the foundation for what esports would eventually become, and StarCraft 2 was a major catalyst for the evolution of games as live entertainment.
“World of Warcraft changed not only how people developed and supported games, but, really, it introduced a much wider audience to the concept of online communities,” he went on. “And Overwatch not only reimagined gameplay but also the representation possible in class-based shooters.”
Warcraft Rumble Gets a Launch Cinematic and Launch Gameplay Trailer
Warcraft Rumble, which is out now on iOS and Android, received a launch cinematic and launch gameplay trailer.
Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.
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