World of Warcraft: The War Within

It’s no secret that World of Warcraft’s newest expansion, The War Within, has been doing incredibly well on many fronts. Its narrative is refreshingly complex and exciting, its gameplay is as amazing as always, the music somehow got even better, and last but not least, the zone design is impeccable.

Simply put, there are four new zones, and they are all wonderful. They are large and spacious (as dragon-riding – which is now sky riding – needs to be taken into account for each zone’s size and scope), and they don’t feel empty at all.

Rather, all four areas are full of life and have a unique design aesthetic. It’s hard to ask for more than that.

4 Ringing Deeps

Earthen And Kobold And Goblins, Oh My!

The Ringing Deeps, when compared to the other three zones, isn’t the most exciting visually. Sure, there is some very cool bioluminescent plant life hanging from the ceiling in some places and some pleasant-looking hot springs and magma pools in others.

However, the greener portions of this zone lack the brightness of the Isle of Dorn and Hallowfall (due to the sun and Beledar, respectively). Furthermore, the gray and smokey machine aesthetic is dominant in this zone, overshadowing most of the other aesthetics.

That said, one of the main inhabitants of the Ringing Deeps – the kobold – brings so much life to the zone. We haven’t had too many interactions with kobolds during past WoW expansions other than mocking their “you no take candle” and then promptly killing them and their friends.

Which, we still do now, just only to the evil ones serving the Candle King.

However, not all the kobolds of the Ringing Deeps are evil, and we actually get to befriend those who aren’t! Through the main campaign and many of the side quests, we help them, learn their culture, and get to know them on a far more personal level.

In addition to the kobold, we interact more with the Earthen – specifically the machine speakers – and even the goblins who have set up shop in the Ringing Deeps. Seeing how these three races interact and blend with one another is a true treat.

To conclude, the different peoples of the Ringing Deeps make it feel lived in, though the blander visuals, on the whole, put it in last place.

3 Isle Of Dorn

Open Skies And Robot Sheep

The Isle of Dorn is the first zone we are introduced to in The War Within and it certainly makes a great first impression for seasoned and new players alike.

Open skies, beautiful sunsets, and wonderfully symmetrical and angular Earthen buildings (the latter of which are present in the Ringing Deeps too, but in the Isle of Dorn they aren’t overshadowed by machine structures and generally look brighter since they are aboveground).

And if that wasn’t enough, the endless green hills and mountains, along with the classic dwarven bunkers really pull this zone together.

Throughout World of Warcraft, there are several Titan-made races inhabiting Azeroth, but the Earthen of the Isle of Dorn gives us a far more up-close look at their culture than we have ever been afforded before.

The attention to detail of this zone’s design (especially the capital city, Dornogal), only hammers this point home more. And that’s not even mentioning the side quests.

Said side quests do an excellent job at worldbuilding, giving us insights into varying aspects of Earthen culture, from farmers and their adorable mosswool sheep, all the way to the workings of the criminal underground.

And although the Isle of Dorn boasts the best side quest in The War Within, there is still one small thing it lacks that puts Azj’Kahet just ahead of it: nostalgia.

2 Azj-Kahet

Lots Of Spiders… Lots Of ‘Em

Admittedly, Azj-Kahet is likely the lowest on your list if you hate spiders. But, the deepest underground zone in The War Within is home to the Kaheti Nerubians, and Nerubians bring us all the way back to World of Warcraft’s glory days: Wrath of the Lich King.

The visuals of Azj-Kahet are definitely dark and creepy—everything you can expect from an area predominantly inhabited by spider people. The architecture is stunning and a sharp—yet unique—departure from the Titan-style architecture of the Earthen in the Isle of Dorn and Ringing Deeps.

There’s also a Void theme in the zone thanks to Queen Ansurek’s deal with Xal’atath, which brings with it that wonderful purple and galaxy-style aesthetic.

In light of all this, one of the best parts of this zone is our ability to dive deeper into Nerubian culture as a whole.

The side quests are excellent ways to do this, but there are also treasures strewn and hidden within Azj-Kahet that give us lore hunters tons more information about the Kaheti, and even how the Nerubians of Azjol-Nerub and their war against the Scourge tie into everything.

A bit of extra-juicy lore here, a bit of nostalgia there; what could possibly be better…?

1 Hallowfall

We Are The Holders Of Hope

Hallowfall is at the top of this list for a few reasons. However, one clear standout in this zone that all the others lack: a giant crystal star in the skybox with a magnificent animation of shifting between Light and Void.

This obvious reason aside, the worldbuilding in this zone is top-tier. The side quests to flesh out many of the Arathi characters: characters who we spend a lot of time within the main campaign and characters who we meet for the first time in said side quests are sublime.

On top of this, the interior design of not only the large standout buildings but the small, cozy, and ordinary houses of the common folk is something else. The attention to detail tells a whole story without any words needing to be said.

All in all, it feels like the most lived-in zone of the four, which only raises the stakes and enhances storytelling across the board.

The Undersea also makes Hallowfall feel absurdly vast in scope – vaster than even the Isle of Dorn, which is an above-ground zone – and subtly reminds us that perhaps the Void-crystal in the sky isn’t the scariest thing down here….