All World of Warcraft expansions in release order

It's been a long time.

Ragnaros in the Molten Core WoW Classic
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

World of Warcraft’s latest expansion, The War Within, is probably one of the most ambitious Blizzard has put out. With so many expansions, it’s tricky to track when each expansion was released and in what order.

Recommended Videos

So, here’s a quick refresher on when each expansion launched in release order.

WoW expansions in release order

The dragon Bazual as it appears in World of Warcraft in expansion Dragonflight.
The list keeps growing. Image via Blizzard Entertainment
ExpansionDate
World of Warcraft (original game)November 2004
The Burning CrusadeJanuary 2007
Wrath of the Lich KingNovember 2008
CataclysmDecember 2010
Mists of PandariaSeptember 2012
Warlords of DraenorNovember 2014
LegionAugust 2016
Battle for AzerothAugust 2018
World of Warcraft Classic (legacy servers)August 2019
ShadowlandsNovember 2020
The Burning Crusade Classic (legacy servers)June 2021
Wrath of the Lich King Classic (legacy servers)September 2022
DragonflightNovember 2022
The War WithinAugust 2024
MidnightTBD
The Last TitanTBD

The Burning Crusade

The very first expansion, The Burning Crusade, was released on Jan. 16, 2007, and included many significant additions to the game. Draenei and Blood Elves were added as playable races, the level cap was raised from 60 to 70, and many dungeons, quests, raids, cities, and zones were added. PvP received an overhaul with new death-match modes for plenty.

Wrath of the Lich King

This second expansion focused on the infamous Lich King himself, Arthas. Wrath of the Lich King was released on Nov. 13, 2008, and quickly became one of the best-selling PC games of all time. The most notable highlights were the introduction of the hero class Death Knight, the 70 to 80 level cap raise, a huge new region called Northrend, and a ton of PvP content.

Cataclysm

The third expansion launched on Aug. 21, 2009, and featured a story revolving around Deathwing the Destroy and his threat to the realms. The level cap was increased to 85, and Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms were given a huge facelift, adding landscape changes, new NPCs, and a whole new story to boot.

Mists of Pandaria

This fourth expansion is quite possibly the game’s most hilarious. Mists of Pandaria, released on Sept. 25, 2012, seemingly takes inspiration from Kung Fu Panda, featuring a whole new panda race and world. The level cap was increased to 90, and a new playable race called the Pandaren was introduced, along with a Monk class and new instances.

Warlords of Draenor

Warlords of Draenor is the game’s fifth expansion, launching on Nov. 13, 2014. Outside of raising the level cap to 100, this expansion was set in the orc homeworld Draenor. The game also received a graphical overhaul.

Legion

The sixth expansion Legion came out on Aug. 30, 2016. This time, the level cap increased to 110, and players could explore Broken Isles, an entirely new area of Azeroth. A new Demon Hunter hero class and a few new raids and dungeons joined the game.

Battle for Azeroth

Battle for Azeroth, the seventh WoW expansion pack, dropped on Nov. 3, 2017. It raised the level cap to 120 and came with the new Zandalar and Kul Tiras continents. Four new races were also added, along with a slew of raids, dungeons, and uncharted islands. The story centers around an artifact called the Heart of Azeroth, which threatens to start a war.

Shadowlands

Shadowlands came out on Nov. 1, 2019, and is the eighth expansion pack released by Blizzard. This is the first time Blizzard introduced a “level squish,” which reset all max cap characters back to level 50, setting the cap at 60—akin to a New Game+ reset. This expansion centered around the iconic character Sylvanas, who featured as a final boss for players to fight.

Dragonflight

Dragonflight, the ninth expansion, was released on Nov. 28, 2022. A new dragon race called the Dracthyr was added, along with Dragonriding skills and the ability to customize and raise your own personal dragon. The level cap was raised to 70.

The War Within

The War Within is the first of three expansions to make up The Worldsoul Saga. Set in the underground land that a race called the Earthen considers their home, this expansion released on Aug. 26, 2024.

Midnight

We know little about the second part of The Worldsoul Saga, but we know that Midnight will be set in Quel’Thalas. We also know that a great deal of the story for Midnight will revolve around the origins of High Elves, Blood Elves, and Night Elves.

The Last Titan

Naturally, the final segment of the yet-to-begin Worldsoul Saga is the one we know the least about. We know that the ancient beings known as Titans will play a part somehow. Of course, that isn’t much to go on, but there’s plenty of content for World of Warcraft players to look forward to.

Author
Image of Michael Kelly
Michael Kelly
Staff Writer covering World of Warcraft and League of Legends, among others. Mike's been with Dot since 2020, and has been covering esports since 2018.
Author
Image of Jerome Heath
Jerome Heath
Senior editor at Dot Esports. Jerome has been in and around the gaming industry for the last eight years, and he's not going anywhere anytime soon.