World of Warcraft: Midnight review: "My devotion to this world has been renewed thanks to solid RPG storytelling, and questing that feels more varied than ever"

World of Warcraft: Midnight, Blizzard Entertainment's latest expansion for its iconic MMORPG, demonstrates that The War Within before it wasn't a fluke. World of Warcraft is going through a very strong and very enjoyable phase right now. Does Midnight reinvent the wheel? No, but it's a satisfying expansion with a mostly intriguing storyline, and some fantastic quality of life tweaks and changes that improve upon what continues to be excellent foundations for adventuring.

Hardcore raiders will have to wait a little longer for new raids (March 17 is the date to put on your calendar), but for everyone else, Midnight is a fantastic adventure. Alterations Midnight does bring, such as reinventing some familiar zones, makes me wonder what the future might hold for the game that has continued to reign supreme for over 20 years. It isn't perfect and some opportunities are missed but it already leaves me keen to see if the upcoming The Last Titan expansion – the third part of the World Soul Saga – could be the best expansion yet. Hefty praise for a game on its 11th expansion pack and its 22nd year – Midnight simply makes me feel good to be a World of Warcraft fan.

Refreshing the familiar

Storyline-wise, Midnight can feel a little convoluted. That's not exclusive to this expansion pack as the Warcraft world is something that its players can find divisive. Many players absorb every inch of the lore while others simply stick to leveling and unlocking new content. It's near impossible to avoid taking in the story starting out given you're thrust into repelling an invasion. However, once you reach Silvermoon, the expansion's core hub, you're left to decide to fight through the campaign or tackle side quests at your leisure. The focus is on Arator, a half-elf paladin who also happens to be the son of Turalyon and Alleria Windrunner, names that will spark excitement among Warcraft enthusiasts. There's a lot going on here but its basic theme rings true: families are complicated.

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It's easy enough to skip dialogue in Midnight if you want but I wouldn't advise it. For once, you can choose to learn more about the storyline, feeling a little more part of the tale. It's not as all encompassing as a traditional RPG but it's a nice enhancement. There are plenty of side quests to expand the story, and one big decision is even actually down to you. For RPG fans, this is basic stuff but for WoW? This is a big step forward. Of course, the seemingly significant choice doesn't appear to change anything all too much, but it's nice to feel a bit more in control rather than the usual rollercoaster ride that you see in WoW.

Similarly, you can expand storylines by clicking 'stay a while and listen' on certain quests. It's a feature that was in The War Within, but this time around, it's actually worth paying attention to.

You'll spend a lot of time in Silvermoon which is nothing like you remember from The Burning Crusade days. It's vast, wondrous, and a little confusing at first. Pro tip: get used to flying around. Everything about Midnight is very focused on using your flying mount and it actually means you'll see more of the world than relying on the automated flight paths that are speedy but take out any sense of adventure or autonomy. I've loved getting to see a new dimension of Silvermoon, and it feels like that extra level of engagement is rewarded.

A lot of quests aren't simply 'kill x creature' this time around, and move on with some surprisingly cozy moments. The storytelling ends up reminding me of some of the ways notable competitor Final Fantasy 14 develops its tale, and it's great to see World of Warcraft: Midnight begin to experiment away from simply attacking rats.

'Kill x' type stuff is still here, of course, in some capacity, which you'll find throughout Eversong Woods, Harandar, Quel'thalas, Zul'aman, and Voidstorm. I absolutely adore Eversong Woods. It's a beautiful reimagining of its earlier incarnation and it makes me excited to see if this type of re-envisioning will be the trend for every zone in the game eventually. I've enjoyed poking around and seeking out every side quest which is good because if you focus exclusively on the campaign, you'll likely end up underleveled at times.

Once you've completed the core part of Eversong Woods, you open up the other zones. Harandar is the letdown here. It's pretty dull, both visually and in terms of story development. It has its moments though. As you'll find throughout the expansion, some quests have actual simple puzzles linked to them. Others may have you talking and psyching up allies and other creatures. There's more variety than I remember usually seeing and it's much appreciated.

The true icing on the cake though? Getting to return to familiar fan favorites like Scarlet Monastery and Blackrock Mountains. These are the names that provoke a lot of emotions ranging from glee to gaming PTSD and it's great to have an excuse to go back. Even more so given it's tied into this expansion pack's storyline. There are plenty of other nods to the past that remind you this is a game keen to appeal to old hands at the game like me.

If it's been a while, you're in luck. Returning to the game is a little more straightforward than before with a catch up mode that takes you through Arathi Highlands and right up to date. You can skip catch up if you prefer but I wouldn't advise it. Blizzard has put a decent amount of effort into streamlining the lapsed player experience so you're not stuck with an endless battle to get back up to speed. When starting afresh, Exile's Reach has been tweaked too to improve the new player experience, although my OG loving heart still prefers the starting zones. Still, it's less complicated than before to follow the preferred path set out by Blizzard which means you get to the good stuff faster.

The next war

Another refreshing adjustment comes from Delves. I was a big fan of the concept when they were introduced in The War Within but they didn't entirely work. Essentially mini-dungeons that you could run solo and quickly, earlier Delves felt like a regular dungeon shrunk down and lacking personality. The new ones in World of Warcraft: Midnight's zones feel far better designed and actually feel like a mini single-player adventure. Some are even quite maze-like so you're not just going through the motions. Others like Grudge Pit have you participating in a Fight Club-esque experience which is short but sweet. The variety keeps things interesting rather than just constantly following a samey to-do list.

Talking of things that World of Warcraft has needed for a while, the potentially biggest thing to arrive via Midnight is player housing. You can finally call a place your own and do a huge amount to personalize said home. Players have been craving this feature for a long time, constantly side-eyeing Final Fantasy 14 which has done it so well in recent years. World of Warcraft's housing experience is solid, with grid and freeform placement starting proceedings and many quests unlocking new decor that you can place within your home. It all ties together neatly. There's a lot to figure out in an almost The Sims-like way, but you can also keep things simple and still feel like you've achieved something worthwhile.

Dare I say it but the housing experience actually feels cozy and relaxing in comparison to the usual bloodshed of the main game. I've already spent a lot of time trying to build my dream house already, and I still feel like I'm only scratching the surface . It's wonderfully idyllic and I think I'm dedicating chill Sunday afternoons to sprucing up my home after a busy week of collecting new decor. I can't wait to see how it's expanded in the future but even now, it's fun roaming around the neighbourhood and feeling part of something bigger. Likewise, the transmogrification system is much improved too. If looks are everything to you, you'll love the revamp which makes it much simpler to get your characters to rock the fits of your choice.

Less appealing is the introduction of the Prey system. The idea is you hunt down specific 'prey' – basically much stronger enemies that are more akin to the bosses you see in Delves rather than regular zone mobs. They can pursue you too in the general world and it can be tough even on Normal mode (with harder options, naturally, available). Surviving an ambush and emerging victorious is tricky work but it isn't particularly fun. It's a brief distraction that I suspect will only appeal to a small subsection of players. In that vein, its niche appeal is similar to the skyriding races seen in The War Within which haven't been expanded here.

There's also a new allied race in the form of the Haranir which unlocks after finishing the Harandar part of the campaign. A neutral race, think of them as like a cross between a troll and an elf. Class options include Druid, Hunter, Mage, Monk, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior. The Haranir looks cool and there's some nice lore behind it but it's similar to other recent race classes in that there's nothing revolutionary going on here.

If you do want to level one, you'll soon notice that accruing experience points is more balanced. It takes a little longer to level up (albeit not as slow as WoW Classic), so it's a touch more satisfying than before. It feels like a return to enjoying the journey rather than exclusively aiming for endgame content all the time. There's also a new specialization for Demon Hunters – the Devourer. Think part ranged, part melee, all DPS. In predictable fashion, this one will be divisive as is any major change to a spec.

Mostly though, World of Warcraft: Midnight is a very strong expansion for the MMORPG. Following on from The War Within, the World Soul Saga is shaping up to be one for the ages. While no one's playing WoW for its visuals alone, it also looks far more luscious than before with some lovely character models if you look past the still aged looking cutscenes.

We're at the start of a new expansion pack so there's more to come too. Later in the month, three raids, Heroic dungeons, and new Bountiful Delves are coming with Season 1 starting. That's the beauty about WoW at this point. It's doing a good job of being appealing to a wide range of demographics. There's the cozy side of things with player housing, more balanced leveling, a welcoming experience for returning players, but also some high-end content on its way.

I'm itching to devote far more of my life to World of Warcraft than I have in a long time, something I really didn't expect to feel from Midnight. Count on setting aside plenty of spare time to absorb all that's available here, and don't be surprised if the love affair starts afresh.

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