World of Warcraft's sixth expansion now has a release date. Blizzard today took to social media to announce that WoW: Legion will reach stores on August 30th 2016, a little over a year after its unveiling at GamesCom 2015.
WoW: Legion progresses the storyline past the events of Warlords of Draenor, and sees the return of the corrupt Night Elf Illidan to the main continuity. The expansion also features the debut of the Demon Hunter hero class, a 10-level increase in the level cap to 110, and a host of new story and raid content.
“Legion opens a dark and thrilling new chapter in one of the Warcraft series’ greatest conflicts, and things will never be the same for some of Azeroth’s most iconic heroes and villains,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This expansion is loaded with features and content that give players whole new ways to explore the world and customize their heroes. We’re looking forward to sending everyone into battle against the Burning Legion this August.”
In this expansion chronicling the events following Warlords of Draenor, all hellfire breaks loose when the warlock Gul’dan, betrayer of the orcs and twisted servant of the Burning Legion, unleashes a demonic invasion force upon Azeroth unlike any the Horde and the Alliance have ever faced. To save their world from annihilation, heroes must unlock the mysteries of the mythic Broken Isles, master powerful Artifact weapons, and strike a forbidden pact with the Demon Hunters of the Illidari—vengeful disciples of the dreaded Illidan Stormrage.
In this expansion chronicling the events following Warlords of Draenor, all hellfire breaks loose when the warlock Gul’dan, betrayer of the orcs and twisted servant of the Burning Legion, unleashes a demonic invasion force upon Azeroth unlike any the Horde and the Alliance have ever faced. To save their world from annihilation, heroes must unlock the mysteries of the mythic Broken Isles, master powerful Artifact weapons, and strike a forbidden pact with the Demon Hunters of the Illidari—vengeful disciples of the dreaded Illidan Stormrage.
A pre-expansion patch, with limited time content setting up the new expansion, is likely to precede the expansion by four to six weeks (based on previous expansion release schedules). A Closed Beta is also on the cards, probably scheduled to cause minimum disruption to other Blizzard properties that are due this Spring.
Pre-orders for the next expansion have been up for some time, and it entitles subscribers to early access to the Demon Hunter class and a free boost to level 100 for any of your characters. Pricing starts at $49.99 (£34.99) for the Standard Edition, and $69.99 (£49.99) for the Digital Deluxe Edition; a monthly subscription (£9.99/month) is required to play.
The first Warcraft movie is another highlight of the Summer, hitting the cinemas on June 10th. It's directed by Duncan Jones, who also helmed critically acclaimed films Moon and Source Code.
Source: Press Release
