BlizzCon 2023 opened its doors today, and set the stage for the publisher’s road ahead. From an acquisition to new heroes and expansions, there’s a quite a few things to recap from the BlizzCon 2023 Opening Ceremony.
This year’s ceremony certainly had a big ring of roping old fans back into the fold.But the star of the show was certainlyWorld of Warcraft, which saw the reveal of aClassic Cataclysmand a new structure for its story and expansions moving forward, under theWorldsoul Sagamoniker.
Here’s everything Blizzard announced at the BlizzCon 2023 Opening Ceremony.
Overwatch this
While theOverwatch 2heroleaked a little early, Mauga still took center stage forOverwatch 2‘s news. The new hero wields dual chainguns and is playable this weekend.
Though that surprise got a little spoiled, game director Aaron Kellerteased a few more reveals. A new game mode, Clash, is coming toOverwatch 2and sounds like a familiar kind of tug-of-war mode. A competitive rework and two other heroes—Venture and Space Ranger—are being teased too, with more info coming in the “What’s Next” panel forOverwatch 2this weekend.
Diablo 4 gets a new expansion
The first expansion forDiablo 4is calledVessel of Hatred, and it arrives sometime in late 2024. Alongside new demons to demolish, there’s also going to be a new class, one completely new to the series. No word yet on class details.
Additionally, Blizzard ran down the list of quality-of-life updates that they’ve issued, and are continuing to patch into,Diablo 4. Season 3 will add leaderboards, and later Season 2 will see an Enchanting preview heading to the Occultist and more Seasonal Events on the way.
Draw yer cards, partner
Hearthstone‘s next expansion heads to the wild, wild west withShowdown in the Badlandson November 14. It’s got some obvious Western themes, including a jail mechanic, which looks fun. It was already revealeda while ago, but today’s cinematic really sells the vibe.
Additionally,Hearthstoneis getting “Catch-Up Packs,” which are big packs of collected cards from the last two years of Constructed play. Every player who logs in can get some, and get more through upcoming bundles, in an effort to “catch up” with theHearthstonemeta.
For autobattler fans,Hearthstone Battlegroundsis getting a co-op game mode, Duos. It’s a smart update that other auto-rumbler games, likeTeamfight Tactics, have implemented. These updates do feel likeHearthstoneis trying to reignite interest, but they seem like a pretty solid set of additions to do so.
Rumble time
If you hadn’t already downloaded it,Warcraft Rumbleis out now on mobile devices. TheClash of Clans-adjacent line battler went fully live with Season 1 today, and it’sadding Sylvanasas a mini-fig today.
Additionally, Raids and more are on the way. More of that is getting discussed at the panels throughout BlizzCon 2023 after the Opening Ceremony concludes.
The end of the World (of Warcraft)
Yes,Cataclysmis coming toWorld of WarcraftClassic. The apocalyptic expansion is making its way to the throwback experience with some changes in thefirst half of next year.
It’ll be interesting to see how the team handles the world changes ofCataclysm, when it feels like a big appeal ofClassicis touring the old haunts. New seasonal servers,Season of Discovery, is also teasing some new content. Season of Discover will start with a Level 25 cap which will increase as time goes on. There will also be new content to explore.
TheSeason of Discoverywill not Public Test, and instead heads toWoW Classicon November 30.
The Worldsoul Saga
For modernWoWplayers,Guardians of the Dreamgoes live very soon. But Chris Metzen took the stage to reveal something much larger in store: theWorldsoul Saga.
Billed as a story spanning several expansions, Metzen intimates this will have a pretty massive scope. And instead of debuting one expansion by itself, Blizzard showed a glimpse of the next three expacs.
First up isThe War Within, with earthen and Nerubian enemies. Players will be called in to “dispense indiscriminate justice upon all those who got it coming,” as Metzen says. Then comesWorld of Warcraft: Midnight, with a dark-versus-light motif. Which, hey, that should be pretty interesting.
Finally,World of Warcraft: The Last Titanheads north to see the titans return to Azeroth. A “vast conspiracy” will be uncovered, challenging “everything you think you know” about Azeroth.
The War Within
A teaser forThe War Withinshowed Anduin and Thrall talking about ominous portents. It’s a strong trailer, and definitely one that seems like it could reignite the spark forWoWplayers. This first expansion is set to arrive in Fall 2024.
Warbands, Delves, and more are on the way. you’re able to get a deeper look from aWorld of Warcraftfan inour write-up of the news here, but it certainly seems like Blizzard is gearing up for big things inWoW.
That’s everything to recap from the opening ceremony at BlizzCon 2023, but there’s even more in store this weekend at the panels and talks. You can followthe schedule here.
