BlizzCon 2023 has officially begun and its opening ceremony was packed with big announcements, including the first Diablo 4 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 make sure you don’t miss any of the big news from BlizzCon, this article will round up the biggest announcements, reveals, and trailers throughout the weekend, and we’ll continue to update them throughout the show!
Diablo 4’s first expansion will be called Vessel of Hatred
The first expansion for Diablo 4 will be called Vessel of Hatred and will include a new class never seen before. We didn’t learn much, but it was confirmed that it will take place in the Nahantu region of Diablo 2 and will concern the fate of Mephisto and his plans for Sanctuary.
Blizzard announces the next three expansions for World of Warcraft: The Worldsoul Saga
Blizzard has announced The Worldsoul Saga, a larger narrative that will contain the next three World of Warcraft expansions. 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 that these expansions will be the “culmination of the first 20 years of our storytelling” that will “take us To the next one”. 20 years of adventures.”
The War Within will take place in the subterranean realms of Azeroth, where the Nerubians and an allied race called the Earth Dwarves await. This major expansion will also contain much more, including the promised return of the ancient talking knife community feature called War Bands and new dungeons and raids.
We didn’t learn much about the other expansions, but the second expansion to The Worldsoul Saga will be called Midnight. It will take place in the “Old World” of Azeroth, in Quel’thalas, where the forces of the Void have invaded and are attempting to destroy the Sunwell and plunge the world into darkness.
The third expansion of The Worldsoul Saga, which will be the twelfth expansion for World of Warcraft, is called The Last Titan. It will take place in the Old World, but in Northrend, which was the setting for Wrath of the Lich King.
World of Warcraft: Classic is adding Cataclysm expansion
World of Warcraft: Classic fans will soon be treated to the Cataclysm expansion and will be able to revisit the adventure that revamped Azeroth, transforming entire regions and making old quests and stories unplayable. Cataclysm was also where the giant dragon Deathwing flew into the sky and rained fire on players, worgen and goblins were added as playable races, and archeology 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 allow players to create new characters and bring them up to a maximum level of 25 while discovering “class-altering abilities.” This will allow players to become tank warlocks, mage healers, and more.
Overwatch 2’s next hero is Mauga, the game’s first Samoan hero
After an initial leak, Blizzard officially revealed Mauga, the game’s first Samoan hero who is also a heavy assault character. He wields a number of heavy artillery weapons such as the Incendiary Chaingun and the Volatile Chaingun. If that wasn’t enough, he nicknamed them Gunny and Cha Cha, respectively.
His charge move is called Overrun, and it’s basically an unstoppable ability that sees him running and charging across the battlefield, destroying everything in his path.
Hearthstone’s next big expansion is the showdown in the Badlands
Hearthstone: Showdown in the Badlands is the next expansion for the card game and takes place in the wild west of Azeroth. This new expansion was a Western twist and 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 will feature the game’s neutral hero card.
Diablo tabletop role-playing game announced
Blizzard Entertainment, Glass Cannon Unplugged and Genuine Entertainment have announced an adaptation of the Diablo tabletop role-playing game. The main book will be released in fall 2024 and Diablo TTRPG will be released through a pre-order campaign on Kickstarter.
Diablo 4 is the main inspiration for the TTRPG, and will “further explore the world and underworld of Sanctuary, embarking on adventures up and down with fan-favorite mechanics returning straight from the screen.”
Phil Spencer makes a surprise appearance at the BlizzCon 2023 opening ceremony
Xbox boss Phil Spencer made his first appearance at BlizzCon, which is also the first BlizzCon since Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
“Throughout Blizzard’s history, they have pioneered and greatly refined the gaming industry and many of you today have been a part of that journey,” Spencer said on stage. “Think Diablo: it kicked off the action role-playing game genre. StarCraft laid the foundation for what esports would eventually become, and StarCraft 2 was a major catalyst for the evolution of gaming as live entertainment.
“World of Warcraft not only changed the way people developed and supported games, it actually introduced a much broader audience to the concept of online communities,” he continued. “And Overwatch not only reinvented the gameplay but also the possible representation in class-based shooters.”
Warcraft Rumble Gets Launch Cinematic and Launch Gameplay Trailer
Warcraft Rumble, which is now available for iOS and Android, has received a launch cinematic and a launch gameplay trailer.
Adam Bankhurst is a news editor for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter. @AdamBankhurst and darling Twitch.