World of Warcraft game director Ion Hazzikostas confirmed that the upcoming Midnight expansion will include more features based on popular add-ons, including boss timers, extra nameplate options, and damage meters. The announcement continues a trend that World of Warcraft has been on since Dragonflight, as Blizzard doubles its efforts to have players not depend on add-ons.
During Gamescom Opening Night Live, Blizzard gave players a first look at World of Warcraft: Midnight, the game's 11th expansion. Along with revealing the revamped zones of Quel'thalas and Zul'Aman, which have been around since 2007's The Burning Crusade, Blizzard showed off two new zones called Harandar and the Voidstorm. Alongside the arrival of the Haranir as an allied race for both Alliance and Horde players to pick from, Midnight will also introduce the Devourer specialization for Demon Hunters, which will offer another mid-range DPS option similar to the Devastation Evoker.
Epic World of Warcraft Cinematic Sets Up the New Midnight Expansion
World of Warcraft officially reveals the Midnight expansion with an epic cinematic trailer featuring Xal'atath's shadowy assault on Azeroth.
World of Warcraft Is Adding More Add-On Functions As Baseline Features
Although Blizzard has made efforts to improve the baseline World of Warcraft user interface, the developers are not done making changes. Hazzikostas and associate game director Paul Kubit hosted a Gamescom panel that focused on the systems and user interface changes planned for the Midnight expansion. Hazzikostas stated that popular add-ons, such as Deadly Boss Mods and Details, will be the basis for the upcoming boss timer and damage meter features. Boss timers will give players an idea of when an attack is coming and tell them where they should stand, while damage meters will give raid leaders a clearer picture of their group's damage output. Hazzikostas also stated that Midnight will bring more nameplate customization options, along with showing what buffs and debuffs are active on a target and which attacks should be interrupted.
Hazzikostas said that the goal of these features for Midnight is to provide players with the information they need during combat without relying on an add-on. Along with the user interface changes planned for Midnight, Hazzikostas stated that Blizzard would also focus on improving the game experience for new and returning World of Warcraft players. Blizzard will also add a mode that gives returning players a way to get their bearings straight. The returning player experience is designed to ease WoW players back into the main gameplay loop without the overwhelming feelings that a full inventory or a long quest log can bring.
Players interested in testing out WoW's planned features can secure their spots in the upcoming beta by pre-ordering World of Warcraft: Midnight Epic Edition or signing up on Blizzard's website. Though Midnight is slated to launch in 2026, only time will tell when the expansion's core features will be rolled out.
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