Updated on November 20, 12:26 p.m. (GMT+8): Improved relevancy.
If you are looking to jump into World of Warcraft or just want to know about the sheer size of the game in terms of content, you have come to the right place.
In this guide, we list all of the WoW expansions in chronological order while sharing a summary of them.
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World of Warcraft is a massive game filled with diverse activities, a robust storyline, unique characters and settings, and a plethora of engaging content that can last thousands of hours.
This year, the game celebrates its 20th anniversary with new WoW expansion, The War Within, which received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from fans.
WoW expansions in chronological order including new WoW expansion and more
Over the past few years, as one of the MMOs that sits at the pinnacle of its genre, World of Warcraft has a long list of released and upcoming expansions that expand the game’s story, regions, gameplay, and other aspects.
So, if you want to learn about how many expansions World of Warcraft has, keep reading our guide.
At the time of writing, World of Warcraft has nine released and three upcoming WoW expansions.
The Burning Crusade
The Burning Crusade was the first of the WoW expansions in 2007.
It increased the level cap to 70, introduced the Blood Elves and Draenei as playable races, added Outland, and provided a plethora of other content in the form of new zones, dungeons, items, monsters and quests.
Wrath of the Lich King
The Wrath of the Lich King expansion was the second expansion released in 2008. It increased the level cap from 70 to 80 while introducing the Death Knight hero class, PvP and World PvP content, new NPC races and much more.
Wrath of the Lich King is still considered one of the best WoW expansions today.
Cataclysm
The Cataclysm was the third expansion to arrive in World of Warcraft in 2010.
It increased the level cap to 85 while adding a multitude of new content, such as two new races, Goblins and Worgen, the Transmogrification System, seven new zones and three starting zones, new dungeons, raids, elemental plains, etc.
Mists of Pandaria
Mists of Pandaria was the fourth of the WoW expansions, released in 2012, further increasing the level cap to 90.
The expansion also added a new class, Monk, a new continent called Pandaria, a new race, Pandaren, a pet battle system, Dungeon Challenge modes, a talent system, account-wide achievements and many other content.
Warlords of Draenor
Released in 2014, Warlords of Draenor was the fifth expansion for World of Warcraft that raised the level cap to 100 while adding a new world called Draenor.
Included in the new WoW expansion was refined quests, a group finder feature, a level 90 character upgrade, permanent ability bonuses and a ton of other content mixed with quality of life and game balance changes.
Legion
Legion is World of Warcraft’s sixth expansion, released in 2016. It increased the level cap from 100 to 110 and added a new continent called Broken Isles.
We also got the Demon Hunter class, Artifact weapons, class orders, a brand new honour system, an increased character slot, a new social feature and a lot more with several changes and improvements to existing features.
Battle for Azeroth
Among the World of Warcraft expansions, the Battle for Azeroth was one of the most massive ones released in 2018, becoming the seventh major expansion for the game. It increased the level cap to 120 while adding three new continents: Kul Tiras, Zandalar, and Nazjatar.
Moreover, we also got ten new allied races, Island expeditions, two Warfronts, a 20-player PvE mode, War campaigns, new items, PvP content, dungeons and raids and more.
Shadowlands
Shadowlands is World of Warcraft’s eighth expansion, released in 2020. Unlike the other expansions, it didn’t increase the level cap; instead, it reduced it to 50 and made the new cap to 60.
Along with that change, it added a ton of new content to the game, such as Covenants, six new zones, new character customization, dungeons, raids, infinite dungeons, creatures, and a lot more.
Dragonflight
Dragonflight is the most recent and ninth expansion for World of Warcraft, released in 2022. It increased the level cap to 70 and introduced flying mounts, thanks to the Dragonriding feature.
The expansion also included the Dragon Isles zone, new dungeons, raids, systems, and several changes to the races and classes. Dragonflight concludes the list of currently after WoW expansions.
The War Within
The War Within is the 10th expansion for World of Warcraft and the first chapter in The Worldsoul Saga. It was released on August 26, 2024.
Midnight
The second chapter in The Worldsoul Saga, Midnight, is the 11th expansion for World of Warcraft. It is expected to be released in Summer 2025.
The Last Titan
The Last Titan is the 12th expansion for World of Warcraft and the final chapter in The Worldsoul Saga that will conclude the trilogy story and open paths for the next series of expansions. That’s as far as has been made public when it comes to upcoming WoW expansions.
That sums up our guide on all current and upcoming WoW expansions in chronological order.
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