This Week in WoW: The War Within Early Access (2024)
In August 2024, The War Within early access went live, the Enhanced Level 70 Boost arrived, and select character services dropped up to 30% off.
By:
John Langan
Key Takeaways
- The War Within early access opened on August 22, 2024 for Epic Edition buyers, the first paid early access in WoW history, with the global launch following on August 26, 2024.
- The expansion took players to Khaz Algar and its four zones, with Xal'atath, the Harbinger of the Void, marshalling the Nerubian empire against Azeroth.
- The Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost shipped with every edition, granting level 463 gear (up from 424), Renown 20 with the four core Dragonflight factions, and five dragonriding mounts including the Winding Slitherdrake.
- Select character services (Transfer, Race Change, Faction Change, Name Change) ran at up to 30% off through September 2, 2024.
- As of 2026, The War Within is the previous expansion. Midnight (patch 12.0.5) is the current chapter, so the gear and prices below are a historical snapshot, not live targets.
The week covered in this roundup was one of the biggest in the 2024 calendar: it was the launch window for World of Warcraft's ninth expansion. Here is what dropped that week and how it has aged.
The War Within Early Access Went Live in August 2024
Early access to The War Within opened on August 22, 2024, around 3:00 p.m. PDT, the first time Blizzard had ever sold paid early access for a WoW expansion. Epic Edition buyers got in three days ahead of the crowd; the global launch for all editions followed on August 26, 2024. During the early-access window players could level and run Normal dungeons, while Heroic dungeons and the first Mythic+ season opened up at the general launch.
The expansion moved the story underground, into the new continent of Khaz Algar and its four leveling zones: the Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, Hallowfall, and the Nerubian capital of Azj-Kahet. The antagonist driving the campaign was Xal'atath, the Harbinger of the Void, who had spent the previous expansion in the shadows and was now twisting the Nerubian empire into an army aimed at the surface. The headline new feature was Delves, bite-sized instanced content built for solo players and small groups, which became the defining catch-up system of the expansion.
📌 Worth remembering: The War Within early access set the template Blizzard reused for later launches. If you only owned the Base or Heroic edition in 2024, you waited until August 26 while Epic Edition players were already three days into Khaz Algar.
The Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost
The other big launch-window item was the Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost, included with every edition of The War Within. It took a single character straight to level 70 and, more importantly, geared and unlocked them for Dragonflight's endgame so they were ready to start The War Within campaign. The package included:
- Level 463 gear, a sizeable jump from the standard boost's 424
- Four 30-slot bags and one 32-slot reagent bag
- Access to the start of the Guardians of the Dream campaign
- Renown 20 with the four original Dragonflight major factions and Renown 12 with the Loamm Niffen
- Five dragonriding mounts, including the Winding Slitherdrake, plus unlocked flight paths and Dragon Isles waygates
- 5,000 Dragon Isles Supplies for a head start on outdoor content
That gear level mattered in 2024 because it slotted a fresh character close to where returning players were sitting, so an alt could jump into the new campaign without a long pre-grind. Players who would rather skip the climb on a new character can compare our character boost packages for the current expansion instead.
Up to 30% Off Select Character Services
Rounding out the week, Blizzard ran a sale of up to 30% off several account services through September 2, 2024: Character Transfer, Race Change, Faction Change, and Name Change. It was timed for the launch, when a lot of players were consolidating alts onto a main realm or swapping factions to play with friends ahead of the new content. Activating any of these worked the same way it does today, from the in-game shop or Battle.net, with unused tokens staying on the account for later.
That promotion expired in September 2024 and is not live now, but the pattern repeats around most expansion launches, so it is a reasonable thing to watch for whenever a new patch or expansion is on the horizon.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did The War Within early access start?
The War Within early access opened on August 22, 2024, at roughly 3:00 p.m. PDT for players who bought the Epic Edition. It was the first paid early access ever offered for a WoW expansion. The standard global launch for all editions came on August 26, 2024.
What did the Enhanced Level 70 Character Boost include?
The Enhanced Level 70 Boost took one character to level 70 with level 463 gear (up from 424), four 30-slot bags and a 32-slot reagent bag, Renown 20 with the four core Dragonflight factions and Renown 12 with the Loamm Niffen, five dragonriding mounts including the Winding Slitherdrake, 5,000 Dragon Isles Supplies, and access to the start of the Guardians of the Dream campaign. It shipped with every edition of The War Within.
Who is the villain of The War Within?
The expansion's main antagonist is Xal'atath, the Harbinger of the Void. After spending earlier patches manipulating events from the background, she surfaced in The War Within to corrupt and command the Nerubian empire of Azj-Kahet, turning it into a Void-aligned threat to Azeroth's surface.
Are these 2024 launch prices and gear levels still current?
No. The level 463 boost gear and the September 2024 services sale were a snapshot of the launch window. The War Within is now the previous expansion, and Midnight (patch 12.0.5) has moved the gear ceiling and the active boost offerings well past these numbers. Treat everything here as historical context.
What are Delves in The War Within?
Delves are instanced mini-dungeons introduced in The War Within, designed for solo players or groups of up to five. They scale across difficulty tiers, reward gear and cosmetics, and became the expansion's main catch-up path for players who do not run organized raids or Mythic+.
Which zones make up Khaz Algar?
Khaz Algar, the continent introduced in The War Within, is made up of four main zones: the Isle of Dorn, The Ringing Deeps, Hallowfall, and Azj-Kahet. Players leveled from 70 to 80 across these zones during the campaign, ending in the Nerubian depths of Azj-Kahet.
Last reviewed 2026-06-22 against The War Within launch content from August 2024 — Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.