This archival interview was first published during BlizzCon 2023. The War Within has since launched and concluded as the previous expansion.
Anne Stickney explained that the Hallowfall Arathi humans were a splintered faction of the original Arathi Empire. They were part of a massive empire that had united all of humanity before it split into the seven kingdoms known to modern Azeroth. These Arathi left the empire and formed their own society across the sea. They received a vision about a falling star that led them to Hallowfall, where they found the massive key art depicted in the expansion. The Arathi humans were deeply devoted to the Light and could be considered the original Paladin tradition — zealous guardians of the Holy Flame. Blizzard introduced this group because of their rich history as one of the first empires of humanity.
Tina Wang added that the team wanted to create more human-focused content, as it had been a while since the game explored their culture and history. The team was eager to examine the unique aspects of the Hallowfall Arathi renown, such as their animal companions and their evolution as a branch of humanity outside of the known kingdoms.
The Arathi humans utilised the Holy Flame to power their airships and fortifications. Stickney and Wang noted that the Arathi were fighting against the darkness, particularly against the Nerubians. Stickney highlighted the Priory of the Sacred Flame dungeon, which had a cathedral-like design and showcased the Arathi humans' extensive use of the Holy Flame as both a power source and a spiritual focus.
Stickney discussed the sword seen in the cinematic and confirmed that it was part of the Worldsoul Saga, a storyline spanning three expansions. The Worldsoul was calling out to individuals for a specific reason, and Stickney hinted that the sword played a crucial role. While she could not provide full details about its significance in The War Within, she confirmed it was not a side plot but an integral part of the main story.
Stickney also addressed the confusion surrounding the crystalline ceiling and clarified that it was separate from the sword. The ceiling served as a mysterious light source adding to the enigmatic nature of the expansion.
The players in the expansion's trailer were depicted as not yet knowing the origin of Azeroth's call. Stickney confirmed that characters like Magni, who served as a direct line to the Worldsoul, would be involved in exploring this call. Iconic figures like Thrall and Anduin were not fully aware of these world-changing events at the outset, due to their own personal journeys. Stickney indicated that revelations unfolded over the course of the expansion as the story progressed.
Anduin Wrynn faced a profound inner turmoil in The War Within, questioning whether he was worthy of the values he had always aspired to uphold. Stickney explained that Anduin's devotion to peace, compassion, and diplomacy had deep roots in his childhood. However, the events of Shadowlands shook him to his core and left him doubting his own worthiness. As Stickney stated in the interview: "Anduin doesn't feel worthy of the Light. He is still traumatized by his actions in Shadowlands." His arc in The War Within centred on confronting that trauma directly.
Addressing the comparisons drawn between Anduin and Arthas, Stickney clarified that there was "no Arthas within Anduin." She acknowledged that the power of Domination, which both characters had encountered, left a lasting impact. Anduin's darkness stemmed from guilt and self-doubt rather than corruption. His devotion to the Light and his traumatic experiences shaped his character's journey, but Blizzard was explicit that he would not follow in Arthas' footsteps.
Stickney emphasised the importance of closure after enduring such horrific events and hinted at Anduin's interactions with the Arathi humans, who offered companionship and a different kind of Light-forged perspective.
Wowhead asked about the frequency of future expansions. Wang noted that the team aimed to increase the release cadence while maintaining a responsible pace that allowed for proper development and sustained player engagement. The goal was to avoid long periods of content drought between expansions, as had been experienced during the transition from Mists of Pandaria to Warlords of Draenor. Blizzard's stated ambition was to complete the full Worldsoul Saga before 2030.
Stickney confirmed that 10.2 was not the final patch of Dragonflight and that more story remained to be told before The War Within launched. The Worldsoul Saga extended beyond the initial trilogy of expansions, and Stickney expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming content as the story unfolded over the years. The focus was on delivering a satisfying payoff for players who had been invested in the game for two decades.
At the time of the interview, detailed information about professions in The War Within was limited. Stickney mentioned that the team wanted to keep professions engaging and rewarding, committed to refining the system but planning to share more details with the community as development progressed.
Wang discussed the lessons learned from Island Expeditions and Torghast and how they shaped the development of Delves. The team wanted to offer progression without the pressure of timers and without requiring specific group compositions. Delves were designed to be flexible — short, rewarding content completable in roughly 15 minutes, available to 1-5 players at multiple difficulty tiers with no weekly lockouts. Wang also highlighted that Delves offered players a way to engage with the mastery aspect of World of Warcraft while providing more freedom than timed content like Mythic+ dungeons and raids.
Stickney noted that Delves combined elements from various gameplay modes, including scenarios from Mists of Pandaria, treasure rooms, and Withered Training. They offered a mix of combat and puzzle-solving, providing a distinct experience across each of the 12 themed Delves. Stickney also highlighted the importance of the companion system: Brann Bronzebeard served as the NPC companion inside every Delve, and players could customise his spec and abilities to complement their playstyle.
The introduction of Hero Talents gave players the freedom to lean into specific class fantasy archetypes. Wang explained that this system allowed for deep customisation without disrupting the existing talent trees. Each specialisation had two Hero Talent path choices, granting 10 additional talent points earned while levelling from 71 to 80. Each path was themed around an iconic archetype, complete with visual combat cues that made it apparent to other players when a character triggered a significant ability.
Warbands introduced account-wide progression as a major feature of The War Within. They provided a shared bank for currencies and crafting materials accessible to all characters on the account. Items flagged as Warbound Until Equipped could be freely transferred between characters before being worn. Reputations, renown levels, flight paths, transmog collections, and Brann Bronzebeard's companion progression all became account-wide under the Warbands system.
While Hero Talents brought new options, Stickney acknowledged that class revamps and improvements were ongoing based on player feedback. The team remained open to making necessary changes and confirming that classes reflected the expectations of the player community throughout The War Within's lifecycle.
Anne Stickney was a Senior Narrative Designer at Blizzard Entertainment, promoted to that role in May 2023. She had previously worked as a columnist for WoW Insider and Blizzard Watch before joining Blizzard full-time in 2019. Tina Wang was the Associate Art Director on World of Warcraft. Both were interviewed by Wowhead at BlizzCon 2023 to discuss The War Within's story and systems.
Blizzard revealed that the Hallowfall Arathi were a splinter faction of the original Arathi Empire — the ancient civilisation that had united humanity before it fragmented into the seven kingdoms. These Arathi followed visions of a falling star to the underground zone of Hallowfall, where they founded their own society. They were deeply devoted to the Light, using Holy Flame to power their airships and fortifications. The Priory of the Sacred Flame dungeon showcased their cathedral-like architecture.
Delves were 1-5 player instanced adventures introduced in The War Within as a flexible endgame activity. They had no timers, multiple difficulty tiers, and no weekly lockouts. Brann Bronzebeard acted as an NPC companion inside every Delve. Each of the 12 themed Delves focused on exploration and puzzle-solving rather than linear boss corridors, and they rewarded gear scaling up to high item levels at greater difficulty.
Hero Talents were a new talent system added in The War Within that granted 10 additional talent points earned while levelling from 71 to 80. Each specialisation could choose between two distinct Hero Talent paths, each themed around an iconic class fantasy archetype. The system added visual combat cues to help players distinguish their Hero Talent choices in action. Blizzard described them as a way to let players lean further into a specific playstyle or class identity.
Warbands were an account-wide progression system launched with The War Within. They provided a shared bank where currencies and crafting materials could be accessed by any character on the account. Items flagged as Warbound Until Equipped could be freely transferred between characters before being worn. Reputations, renown levels, flight paths, transmog collections, and Brann Bronzebeard's companion progression all became account-wide under the Warbands system.
The Worldsoul Saga is a planned three-expansion narrative arc for World of Warcraft, comprising The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan. Blizzard announced the full arc at BlizzCon 2023, confirming that each expansion would build on a continuous storyline centred on Azeroth's Worldsoul. The team stated their goal was to release all three expansions before 2030, signalling a faster expansion cadence than previous years to avoid content droughts between major releases.
Blizzard confirmed that Anduin's storyline directly addressed the trauma from his actions during Shadowlands, when he was dominated by the Jailer. Anne Stickney stated that "Anduin doesn't feel worthy of the Light" and that he was still processing what he did while under that control. Blizzard explicitly clarified there was "no Arthas within Anduin" — his darkness stemmed from guilt and self-doubt, not corruption. His arc was described as one of the most carefully planned character journeys in recent WoW history.
The Priory of the Sacred Flame was a dungeon set in the Hallowfall zone of Khaz Algar in The War Within. It served as the fortress-cathedral of the Hallowfall Arathi faction and showcased their extensive use of Holy Flame as a power source. The dungeon was part of the original The War Within launch dungeon pool and returned in Season 2 with updated tuning. It was available at Normal, Heroic, Mythic, and Mythic+ difficulty.
Last reviewed 2026-06-18 against The War Within (BlizzCon 2023 reveal) — Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.
