The BlizzCon 2023 interview covered the story, systems, and art direction behind the then-upcoming expansion. The sections below summarise what Stickney and Wang shared in each topic area.
At BlizzCon 2023, Wowhead sat down with Senior Narrative Designer Anne Stickney and Associate Art Director Tina Wang for an exclusive interview covering the then-announced expansion, The War Within. Stickney explained that the Hallowfall Arathi are a splintered tribe of the original Arathi Empire — a massive empire that predated the seven kingdoms known in-game. This branch of humanity developed its own culture entirely outside the familiar kingdoms. Stickney clarified that the Arathi were a group of super-devoted paladins deeply connected to the Light, making them the ideal choice for a faction built around devotion to the Light in the underground zones of Khaz Algar.
On the art side, Wang noted that the team was excited to explore the culture and history of the Arathi humans. They wanted to give players a human-focused storyline, as it had been some time since WoW had featured one prominently. Wang also mentioned that players could look forward to encountering animal companions unique to the Arathi.
The discussion moved to the Holy Flame and its role in Arathi society. Stickney and Wang confirmed that the airships of the Arathi were powered by the Sacred Flame. The Arathi were depicted as fighting against the darkness and clashing with the Nerubians deep within Khaz Algar. Stickney highlighted one of her favourite dungeons from the expansion: the Priory of the Sacred Flame, which featured a Cathedral-like atmosphere and served as a stronghold for the Light-devoted Arathi. The Hallowfall zone itself was designed around the enormous crystal Beledar as its central light source, solving the visual challenge of making an underground world feel open and alive.
Stickney was asked about the sword revealed in The War Within announcement cinematic. She confirmed that the sword was part of the Worldsoul Saga — the overarching storyline spanning all three expansions in the trilogy. Stickney indicated that the sword called to people for a reason and played a significant role in the broader story. She was unable to provide specific plot details at the time, but confirmed it was not a standalone story element and that the Hallowfall crystal in the zone was separate from it.
Stickney and Wang discussed the character development of Anduin, addressing comparisons players drew between him and Arthas. Stickney clarified that Anduin did not carry Arthas within him, but that vestiges of Domination magic had left a lasting psychological mark. Anduin underwent a transformative experience that caused him to question his worthiness and struggle with his connection to the Light. Stickney also confirmed that the Arathi humans were written to support Anduin in his journey — their deep devotion to the Light made them natural allies as he worked through the war within himself.
Wowhead asked about the decision to announce three expansions simultaneously and what the Worldsoul Saga meant for the franchise's future. Stickney and Wang explained that the plan allowed them to fully explore and pay off twenty years of storytelling. They wanted to deliver an epic, overarching narrative that could not be contained within a single expansion. The Worldsoul Saga — comprising The War Within (launched August 2024), Midnight (launched March 2026), and The Last Titan — represented Blizzard's most ambitious long-form commitment to WoW lore.
Stickney and Wang acknowledged the community's desire for a faster expansion release cadence. They expressed a commitment to delivering content at a responsible pace, one that did not overwhelm the development team or burn out the player base. The team aimed to avoid extended content droughts like those experienced between Mists of Pandaria and Warlords of Draenor. Their goal was consistent, meaningful pacing that respected both creators and players — a promise that ultimately bore out, with The War Within launching in August 2024 and Midnight following in March 2026.
One of the most discussed new features was Delves — short-form instanced endgame content designed to respect players' time. Stickney and Wang explained that Delves were built for flexible sessions of roughly 15-20 minutes, rewarding loot and progression without requiring a full group or a strict schedule. Players could tackle a Delve solo or with up to four others, with eleven difficulty tiers scaling the challenge and the rewards. Brann Bronzebeard served as an AI companion throughout, able to fill DPS, healer, or tank roles depending on what the player needed. Stickney compared the Delves format to scenarios from Mists of Pandaria, combining combat, puzzles, and treasure hunting in instanced outdoor environments.
The interview also covered Hero Talents — a new 10-node mini talent tree system that unlocked between levels 71 and 80 during The War Within levelling experience. Stickney and Wang explained that Hero Talents were intentionally kept passive-heavy to avoid ability bloat, while still providing meaningful visual and thematic differentiation in combat. Each specialisation had access to two Hero Talent trees and chose one path to follow. The system was designed to lean into class fantasy and give players a stronger sense of identity without replacing the existing talent grid. Choices could be changed outside of combat, giving players flexibility to adapt to different content.
Warbands was one of the most anticipated quality-of-life systems announced at BlizzCon 2023. The system allowed all characters on a single Battle.net account to share Renown progress, Warband Bank items, transmog unlocks, achievements, and flight paths. A physical Warband Bank was accessible to every character, and Warbound items could be passed freely between alts. This addressed a long-standing frustration for players who maintained multiple characters, eliminating the need to repeat content on each alt to access account-wide progression milestones.
Throughout the interview, Stickney and Wang returned repeatedly to the importance of player feedback. They acknowledged that classes and talent systems had been areas of constant community engagement and that the team remained committed to listening and adjusting. The BlizzCon 2023 conversation reflected a Blizzard that was actively engaging with its community — using feedback loops to shape the direction of systems like Hero Talents and Delves before the expansion launched.
Anne Stickney was Senior Narrative Designer at Blizzard Entertainment, responsible for major lore and story decisions in World of Warcraft. Tina Wang served as Associate Art Director on WoW. Both were interviewed by Wowhead at BlizzCon 2023 to discuss The War Within, which launched in August 2024 as the first chapter of the Worldsoul Saga trilogy.
Anne Stickney explained that the Hallowfall Arathi are a splintered tribe descended from the original Arathi Empire — humanity's first empire. They followed a divine vision to the underground zone of Hallowfall in Khaz Algar. Deeply devoted to the Light, they used the Sacred Flame to power their airships and built a Cathedral-like stronghold that became the Priory of the Sacred Flame dungeon.
Delves were a new endgame activity introduced in The War Within for 1-5 players. They featured no timer, 11 difficulty tiers, and an AI companion — Brann Bronzebeard — who could fill DPS, healer, or tank roles. At higher tiers, Delves rewarded gear comparable to Heroic raids and contributed to the Great Vault. The feature continued into Midnight.
Hero Talents were 10-node mini talent trees unlocked between levels 71 and 80, with players earning one Hero Talent per level. Each specialisation could access two Hero Talent trees and choose one path to follow. The system was designed to be predominantly passive, avoiding new ability bloat, while adding visual combat differentiators and thematic identity.
Warbands was an account-wide progression system introduced in The War Within. It let all characters on a single Battle.net account share Renown, Warband Bank items, transmog, achievements, flight paths, and NPC companion progression from Delves. The Warband Bank was a physical shared bank accessible to every character, and Warbound items could be passed between alts.
The Worldsoul Saga is a planned trilogy of World of Warcraft expansions announced at BlizzCon 2023. The three entries are The War Within (launched August 2024), Midnight (launched March 2026, set in Quel'Thalas with a Void invasion storyline), and The Last Titan (set in Northrend, focusing on the Titan Pantheon's return). The saga is the most long-form narrative commitment Blizzard has made for the franchise.
Anne Stickney confirmed that Anduin Wrynn's arc in The War Within centred on his psychological trauma from Shadowlands, specifically his experience of being controlled by Domination magic under the Jailer. He struggled with feelings of unworthiness regarding the Light. The Hallowfall Arathi, who are themselves deeply devoted Light-users, were written to support and intersect with his personal redemption journey.
Yes. Anne Stickney confirmed during the BlizzCon 2023 interview that the mysterious sword featured in The War Within announcement cinematic was intentionally connected to the broader Worldsoul Saga narrative spanning all three expansions. She declined to reveal specific plot details at the time, but confirmed it was not a standalone story element. The Hallowfall Crystal in the zone was confirmed to be separate from the sword.
Last reviewed 2026-06-18 against The War Within (BlizzCon 2023 reveal) — Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.
