Number of Patches Prior to The War Within Confirmed by World of Warcraft Game Director

Article Key Points

Three additional content updates for Dragonflight leading up to The War Within have been confirmed by World of Warcraft game director Ion Hazzikostas. Each patch is set to be released approximately every eight weeks.

World of Warcraft has announced its next three expansions - The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan. However, there are more tales to unravel in Dragonflight, with the latest addition being Patch 10.2, titled Guardians of the Dream.

Taking into account the expected 8-week intervals between updates, players can speculate that the initial post-patch update may arrive around mid-January 2024. The second update can be anticipated in either early or mid-March, followed by the third update in early May.

World of Warcraft game director Ion Hazzikostas confirmed that there are three more content updates planned for Dragonflight before The War Within. Each patch is scheduled to release approximately eight weeks apart, providing World of Warcraft players with a good estimate for the next expansion's release date.

At BlizzCon, World of Warcraft unveiled the titles of the next three expansions: The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan. However, they emphasized that Dragonflight still had a wealth of stories to tell. This was evident with the recent release of Patch 10.2, Guardians of the Dream, just a few days after the convention concluded.

Hazzikostas recently disclosed additional details about the future of Dragonflight in a Forbes interview regarding World of Warcraft. He stated that World of Warcraft has plans to maintain its patch cadence for Dragonflight going forward, with a new update anticipated approximately every eight weeks, with holidays being the only exception. Additionally, players of World of Warcraft can anticipate three more content updates in Dragonflight, encompassing fresh story developments, world events, new features, and revamped raiding reminiscent of the Fated raids in Shadowlands.

Projected Release Schedule for World of Warcraft: The War Within in 2024:

- First Post-Patch 10.2 Update: Expected release in mid-January 2024, accounting for additional time needed during the holiday season (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve).

Second Update: Early or Mid-March

Third Update: Early May

The release dates mentioned here are based on speculation, taking into account World of Warcraft's past release schedule and statements made by Hazzikostas. However, it's important to note that other factors, such as the release of Final Fantasy 14's upcoming Dawntrail expansion next summer, could potentially cause the release dates to be adjusted, either earlier or later, by a few weeks or even months.

That being said, this scheduling aligns well with recent statements from World of Warcraft. Dragonflight was launched in late November 2022, so a July release would result in a gap of approximately 20 months between expansions, deviating from the usual two-year timeframe that both it and other MMOs typically adhere to. World of Warcraft's creative director, Chris Metzen, hinted that the expansions in the Worldsoul Saga might arrive more quickly than players anticipate, and reducing the time between major releases by a quarter or more would certainly meet that expectation. Regardless, fans can expect an ample amount of World of Warcraft content to indulge in throughout the upcoming year.

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight

The ninth expansion pack for the popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft, titled Dragonflight, was developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It introduces a revamped user interface, increases the level cap to 70, and introduces a new race and class. Dragonflight is available on PC and was released on November 28, 2022. Blizzard and Activision are the developers and publishers of the game. For more information, visit the official website.

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z netizen, I am excited about the upcoming releases for World of Warcraft. The announcement of multiple patches leading up to The War Within expansion has me eagerly anticipating the new content and experiences that await. The Dragonflight expansion has been a thrilling ride so far, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for the game.

The projected release schedule for The War Within in 2024 aligns well with recent statements from Blizzard, and I appreciate their commitment to maintaining a consistent patch cadence. The introduction of a new race and class, along with the revamped user interface and increased level cap, has added depth and excitement to the game. I am confident that Dragonflight will continue to offer a captivating journey for players throughout the upcoming year.