Some had their issues, but they're outnumbered pretty handily. As the patches came through for Legion , more and more people were sold on it.
The final raid tier in particular was especially fun. The grind was still present, but that is normal for an MMO. Cataclysm, released on December 7th of , killed World of Warcraft dead and the series was never heard from again. Naturally, despite what some might have said at the time, this proved to not be true. The existing areas had started to really suffer from age, and old quests felt archaic by comparison.
The Azeroth of old was burnt to the ground kind of , and everyone got a piece of what the expansion had to offer. Critics were absolutely in love with the expansion's attempts to revitalize what had become somewhat stale. Fans, on the other hand, were divided on whether this was a good idea or not.
Some fans thought that the streamlined quests were much needed, others felt it ruined the "challenge. The gameplay was still addictive and fun, delivering high-octane raids and fun quests, but now with better customization. Wrath of the Lich King had a little something for all types of fans and reignited interest in the game. Burning Crusade , released on January 16th of , was World of Warcraft 's first expansion and a smashing success.
While it did have a somewhat poor new-player experience, Burning Crusade still sits among WoW 's best expansion packs. Burning Crusade added a little bit of everything without drastically changing what made WoW good. New races were solid additions, the new mounts were great , and the raids and endgame content were just as good as what was delivered before. There's a lot to love with Burning Crusade , and there's a good reason why people won't shut up about it after all of these years.
Does Classic count as an expansion? Just to be clear, this is referring to 's original release and not the version. Classic defined an entire genre and generation of PC gaming. Blizzard was at the top of their game with this release. It was a bit of a grind and often obtuse, but there was hardly a better social experience in gaming than WoW Classic.
It's not surprising to see Classic at the top; sometimes, the original is just the best. Controversial YouTube sensation Logan Paul issues a challenge to professional boxer Tyson Fury to fight him after their brothers' upcoming match. Each new World of Warcraft expansion represents a tectonic shift in Blizzard's MMO, and never has that been more true than with Shadowlands. In addition to squishing the level cap down to 60 and introducing an entirely new starter zone, Shadowlands makes a wonderful change to how you level, too.
Instead of playing through each expansion sequentially, you now choose just one to play at level 10 and it carries you all the way to the beginning of Shadowlands at level It's called Chromie Time , and instead of jumping between expansions or having to drop quests because you outleveled them and need to move on, this new system encourages you to explore a single expansion to its fullest. It's fantastic. But with seven expansions to choose from, which World of Warcraft expansion is best?
This list breaks down your choices, highlighting the pros and cons of each expansion in order from best to worst. To be clear, we're rating expansions based on how they hold up today, not based on their overall reputation or influence—if that were the case, Wrath of the Lich King would obviously be at the top of this list. This also means that we won't be taking into account how these expansions structured their endgame since you won't have to bother with raids or anything like that.
This is more about the story and leveling experience. Note for new players: You can only choose your expansion if you already have a max-level character. First-time players will automatically have to play through Battle of Azeroth, the current expansion, to help catch them up on the story and set the stage for Shadowlands.
Mists of Pandaria didn't get a fair shake when it came out because so many people were mad at all the chubby pandas and the ancient Chinese aesthetic, which was so different from everything else in WoW to that point. But, in hindsight, Pandaria is one of Warcraft's best continents: It's vibrant, teeming with fascinating bits of lore and story, and entirely unique. Going back today isn't a nasty shock, either. Pandaria came out after Blizzard had made some big improvements to quest design, which means varied objectives and storytelling that don't require you to read reams of quest text.
But you should, anyway, because Pandaria's lore is cool. The same can be said for its zones. It's hard to focus on just one—Valley of the Four Winds' sweeping vistas are just as majestic as Kun-Lai Summit's frosted peaks—but wherever you go it's easy to get swept up in the splendor of Pandaria's jungles and rice farms.
It'll take slightly longer to beat than some of the other expansions on this list, but Pandaria is worth it. It's one of the coolest WoW expansions and even if you're a veteran player, chances are it's been a long time since you last experienced its story anyway.
Legion is World of Warcraft's epic comeback after the disaster that was Warlords of Draenor. Sure, most of what it fixed was issues with the endgame, but the Broken Isles and the stories contained within these five zones are classic Warcraft fun and even feature some dramatic twists and turns—especially if you're a fan of the elf races.
When you first arrive, it's to liberate the Broken Isles and stop the evil orc warlock Gul'Dan from freeing Sargeras, but the adventure quickly frays into romps through Warcraft's version of Valhalla, druidic alternate dimensions, and forlorn ruins of long-dead elven empires. Legion is modern WoW at its best. Quests are colorful and varied, so you're never stuck killing too many boars for their livers, and the way it weaves in cutscenes and plot twists is great.
I just wish Blizzard had chosen to make the story linear, because it is a little jarring how each zone is so self-contained. The upside is that you can choose the order in which you complete zones. The other nice thing is that Legion will only take you around 14 hours to beat, making it the second-shortest expansion.
It doesn't overstay its welcome and you get to experience all of the classic Warcraft elements in new and fun ways: Dragons, lush forests, and even a cool detour to the underworld. Many players expected a full 10 levels rather than five, so many world-first achievements were earned the night of release as power gamers raced to be the first to reach the new max. Many long-time players felt the changes Blizzard made to the leveling systems simplified the game too much and removed all challenge from it.
These players longed for the endless grind of vanilla WoW, not the race-to-the-top leveling of the new games. The expansion is one of the best because it introduced a new class to the game after a longtime drought: the Demon Hunter. With this new class came new zones, an increased level cap, and artifact weapons that take time and effort to level to their most powerful forms.
Legion also came with an expansive storyline that immersed fans of the lore and kept them glued to their PCs for hours on end as they explored every nook and cranny of the story. These four are the best expansions to World of Warcraft to date, although there is still plenty of room for Blizzard to launch more expansions. The recent release of World of Warcraft Classic, a true-to-form version of the original level 1 to 60 gameplay, has brought many players out of retirement to experience the world of Azeroth all over again.
Who knows? Perhaps Blizzard might launch Burning Crusade Classic, if only for the chance to relive the battle for the Dark Portal once more. What is your favorite World of Warcraft expansion?
Do you have fond memories of playing the game? Let us know in the comments below. Patrick is an Atlanta-based technology writer with a background in programming and smart home technology.
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