World of Warcraft (WoW) is a 2004 video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment for Windows and macOS. It is a type of online game where many players can play together, known as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). The game is set in the Warcraft fantasy universe on a fictional planet called Azeroth, about four years after the events of the previous game in the series, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. The game was first announced in 2001 and released on November 23, 2004, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise. Since its launch, World of Warcraft has received eleven major expansion packs: The Burning Crusade (2007), Wrath of the Lich King (2008), Cataclysm (2010), Mists of Pandaria (2012), Warlords of Draenor (2014), Legion (2016), Battle for Azeroth (2018), Shadowlands (2020), Dragonflight (2022), The War Within (2024), and Midnight (2026). An additional expansion, The Last Titan, was announced in 2023.

Inspired by other MMORPGs, such as EverQuest, World of Warcraft lets players create a character and explore a game world from a third- or first-person view. Players can travel through the game world, fight monsters, complete tasks called quests, and interact with other players or non-player characters (NPCs). The game encourages teamwork for quests, dungeons, and player versus player (PvP) battles, but it can also be played alone. Players improve their characters by earning experience points to increase their level, defeating monsters to get better equipment, and using in-game money to buy or sell items.

World of Warcraft became very popular after its 2004 release and was the most successful MMORPG at the time. It reached 12 million subscribers in 2010. By 2014, the game had over 100 million registered accounts, and by 2017, it had earned more than $9.23 billion in revenue, making it one of the highest-selling video game franchises. Gaming journalists have called it one of the greatest MMORPGs and video games of all time. The game has continued to receive updates and expansions for over 20 years since its release. In 2019, a version of the original game called World of Warcraft Classic was released, allowing players to experience the game as it was before any expansions were added. Later, additional content for Classic was released, including versions of some expansions.

Gameplay

In World of Warcraft, players control a character avatar in a game world, exploring the landscape, fighting monsters, completing quests, and interacting with non-player characters (NPCs) or other players. Like other MMORPGs, players must pay a subscription using a credit or debit card, prepaid Blizzard game cards, or in-game WoW Tokens. Players without a subscription can use a trial account that allows their character to reach level 20, but some features are not available.

To enter the game, players choose a server, called a "realm" in the game. Each realm is a separate version of the game world and falls into one of two categories:

• Normal – a regular realm where the main focus is defeating monsters and completing quests, with player-versus-player (PvP) fights and roleplay optional.
• RP (roleplay) – similar to a "Normal" realm, but players are encouraged to roleplay as their characters.

Before the "Battle for Azeroth" expansion, both "Normal" and "RP" realms were split into PvE (player-versus-environment) and PvP (player-versus-player) servers. This division was removed after the introduction of "War Mode," which lets players on any server choose whether to participate in PvP combat by enabling War Mode in two capital cities.

Realms are also grouped by language, with in-game support for that language. Players can create new characters on all realms in their region, and existing characters can be moved between realms for a fee.

When creating a character, players choose between the Alliance or Horde factions. Pandaren characters, added in "Mists of Pandaria," do not pick a faction until completing their starting zone. Characters from opposing factions can team up for most content, such as raids and dungeons. As of patch 10.1, characters can also join guilds from the opposing faction. Players select a race (e.g., orcs or trolls for the Horde, humans or dwarves for the Alliance) and a class (e.g., mage, warrior, or priest). Most classes are limited to specific races.

As characters grow stronger, they gain talents and skills, allowing players to customize their abilities. Characters can choose two primary professions, such as tailoring or blacksmithing, or gathering skills like mining or skinning. All characters can also learn three secondary skills: archaeology, cooking, and fishing. Characters can form or join guilds, which provide features like a guild chat, name, tabard, bank, and repairs.

Many parts of the game involve completing quests. Quests are usually given by NPCs and reward experience points, items, and in-game money. Quests help characters gain new skills, access new areas, and learn the game's story through text and NPC actions. Quests are often linked in chains, with each quest triggering the next. Quests may involve killing creatures, gathering resources, finding objects, speaking to NPCs, visiting locations, or delivering items.

While players can play alone, grouping with others helps tackle challenging content. Most end-game challenges require groups, with classes fulfilling specific roles. The game has a "rested bonus" system, which gives extra experience points after time away from the game. If a character dies, it becomes a ghost (or wisp for Night Elves) near a graveyard. Other players or the character can resurrect it by returning to the death location. If a character is level 10 or higher and resurrects at a graveyard, equipped items degrade and need repair. If the body is unreachable, a "spirit healer" NPC can resurrect the character, but items degrade further, and the character is weakened for up to ten minutes.

World of Warcraft includes many ways to play PvP. Players on PvE servers can toggle "War Mode" to be attackable by the opposite faction. On PvE servers, players can choose whether to engage in PvP. Both server types have areas for free-for-all combat, such as battlegrounds. Battlegrounds have set objectives, like capturing flags or defeating enemies, and reward tokens and honor points used to buy gear. Winning gives more rewards than losing. Players earn honor for killing opponents in battlegrounds.

Some challenges require grouping, such as dungeons (also called "instances"). Each group has its own copy of the dungeon with unique enemies and rewards, preventing interference. Dungeons are spread across the game world and are designed for different skill levels. A typical dungeon allows up to five players. Some require larger groups, called "raids," with up to forty players to face difficult challenges.

Plot

Thrall's Horde aimed to settle in Durotar and grew larger by inviting the undead Forsaken to join the orcs, tauren, and trolls. At the same time, dwarves, gnomes, and the ancient night elves chose to support the Alliance, led by the human kingdom of Stormwind. After Stormwind's king, Varian Wrynn, disappeared without explanation, Highlord Bolvar Fordragon became the leader. However, his leadership was influenced by the mind control of the black dragon Onyxia, who disguised herself as a human noblewoman. As heroes uncovered Onyxia's actions, the ancient elemental lord Ragnaros returned to threaten both the Horde and Alliance. Heroes from the Horde and Alliance defeated Onyxia and sent Ragnaros back to the Elemental Plane.

Deep inside Blackrock Mountain, the black dragon Nefarian performed strange experiments using the blood of other dragonflights. Wanting to take control of the area, he gathered the remaining Dark Horde, a group that broke away from the old Horde and embraced demonic power. These corrupted orcs, trolls, and other races fought against Ragnaros and the Dark Iron dwarves for control of the mountain. Nefarian created strange chromatic dragons and a group of other strange creatures to build an army strong enough to rule Azeroth and continue the legacy of his famous father, Deathwing the Destroyer. Heroes from the Horde and Alliance defeated Nefarian.

Years ago, in the ruined temple of Atal'Hakkar, priests loyal to the Blood God Hakkar the Soulflayer tried to bring the god's powerful form into the world. However, the Atal'ai priesthood discovered that the Soulflayer could only be summoned in the ancient capital of the Gurubashi tribe, Zul'Gurub. Hakkar was brought back to life in this jungle fortress, where he took control of the Gurubashi tribe and mortal champions of the trolls' animal gods. The Soulflayer's dark influence was stopped when the Zandalari tribe recruited heroes and attacked Zul'Gurub.

The great desert fortress of Ahn'Qiraj, sealed for a long time behind the Scarab Wall, was home to the insect-like qiraji, a savage race that once attacked Kalimdor. However, a far more dangerous threat existed inside Ahn'Qiraj: the Old God C'Thun, an ancient being whose evil has spread across Azeroth since the beginning of time. As C'Thun caused the qiraji to act wildly, both the Alliance and Horde prepared for a large war. A combined force of Alliance and Horde soldiers, called the Might of Kalimdor, opened the gates of Ahn'Qiraj under the leadership of the orc Varok Saurfang. The heroes attacked the ruins and temples of Ahn'Qiraj and defeated C'Thun.

In the Lich King's rush to spread the plague of undeath across Azeroth, he gave one of his strongest servants, the lich Kel'Thuzad, the flying citadel of Naxxramas as a main base for the Scourge. Repeated attacks by the Scarlet Crusade and Argent Dawn groups weakened Naxxramas's defenses, allowing heroes to attack and defeat Kel'Thuzad. However, a traitor in the Argent Dawn took Kel'Thuzad's cursed remains and fled to Northrend, where the fallen lich could be brought back to life.

Development

After releasing StarCraft in 1998, Blizzard started working on its next game. At first, this project was called Nomad, inspired by a tabletop role-playing game called Necromunda, which took place in a world after a disaster. During the first year of development, Nomad lacked a clear direction. Many Blizzard developers had become fans of EverQuest, an MMORPG released in 1999 by Verant Interactive. Interest in Nomad declined as the company decided to create its own MMORPG based on the Warcraft series, aiming to improve on aspects of EverQuest. In a vote, all developers except Duane Stinnett, the lead of Nomad, supported the shift. By the end of 1999, work on Nomad stopped, and World of Warcraft began development.

World of Warcraft was first announced by Blizzard at the ECTS trade show in September 2001. The game was released in 2004 and took about 4–5 years to develop, including testing. The 3D graphics in World of Warcraft use a special graphics technology originally used in Warcraft III. The game allows players to explore freely, with optional quests that help guide players, develop characters, and spread players across different areas to avoid overcrowding. Players can customize their appearance, controls, and install add-ons to modify the game.

World of Warcraft runs on both Mac and Windows computers. Boxed versions of the game use a hybrid CD, eliminating the need for separate Mac and Windows versions. Players can join together regardless of their operating system. While there is no official version for other platforms, the game can be played on Linux and FreeBSD using tools like Wine and CrossOver. Blizzard has not released or announced a native Linux version, though an internal version might exist due to challenges with Linux software.

In the United States, Canada, and Europe, Blizzard sells World of Warcraft as retail software. The package includes 30 days of free gameplay. To continue playing, players must buy additional time with a credit card or prepaid card. The minimum purchase is 30 days with a credit card or 60 days with a prepaid card. Players can also buy three or six months of gameplay at a discount. In Australia, the U.S., and parts of Europe, stores sell a trial version on DVD, which includes the game and 20 levels of gameplay. After that, players must upgrade to a retail account using a credit card or game card.

In Brazil, World of Warcraft was released on December 6, 2011, through BattleNet. The first three expansions are fully translated into Brazilian Portuguese, including voice acting.

In South Korea, players do not need a software package or CD key to play. Instead, they must buy time credits online. Time can be purchased in 5-hour or 30-hour blocks, or in 7-day, 1-month, or 3-month blocks. Since no software packages are required, all players can access expansion content on launch day.

When World of Warcraft first launched in China, players could buy tokens to play at Internet cafés. The game was very popular in China because many players had already played on North American and European servers.

Chinese versions of the game have changes, such as turning skeleton remains into tidy graves instead of leaving them as bare bones. These changes, made by the regional licensee The9, aimed to create a "healthy and harmonious online game environment." Despite some belief that such content needed censorship, the Chinese government does not restrict such elements, as they appear in other games. NetEase took over licensing from The9 in 2009 and launched Wrath of the Lich King in 2010, two years after its Western release. Due to a contract dispute, these servers closed in 2023. In 2024, NetEase announced World of Warcraft would return to China, with a livestream in June 2024 outlining the release of Wrath of the Lich King for World of Warcraft Classic and The War Within expansion.

The World of Warcraft launcher, called the "Blizzard Launcher," helps players start the game and update it. It was first included with version 1.8.3. Version 2.1.0 allowed players to skip the launcher. Features include news, support access, test versions of the game, and updates. Version 3.0.8 redesigned the launcher and let players adjust settings. Version 4.0.1 allowed players to play while downloading non-essential files, requiring a high-speed internet connection.

Patch 1.9.3 added support for Macs with Intel chips, changing the minimum Mac OS X version to 10.3.9. PowerPC Macs are no longer supported since version 4.0.1.

As new content is added, system requirements may change. In version 1.12.0, the Windows requirement for RAM increased from 256 MB to 512 MB. Support for Windows 98 ended, but the game continued to run on it until version 2.2.3. Before Mists of Pandaria in 2012, support for Windows 2000 was dropped, followed by Windows XP and Vista in 2017, and all 32-bit support.

Starting with version 4.3, players could try an experimental 64-bit version of the game, which was later automatically installed by default from version 5.0.

Since World IPv6 Day, the game and most servers support IPv6.

Eleven expansions have been released: The Burning Crusade (January 2007), Wrath of the Lich King (November 2008), Cataclysm (December 2010), Mists of Pandaria (September 2012), Warlords of Draenor (November 2014), Legion (August 2016), Battle for Azeroth (August 2018).

Reception

World of Warcraft received very good reviews when it was first released, after many people were excited about it before it came out. The game uses ideas from the role-playing genre, but it made changes to help players avoid long breaks between actions. For example, if a character died in the game, players could recover quickly and continue playing. This was different from some older online games, where losing a character had bigger consequences. Combat was also improved by letting all types of characters heal after taking damage, so players could return to fighting faster. These changes helped the game feel easier for people who play for short periods, while still offering deep and interesting gameplay for all players. A feature called the "rested bonus" allowed players to gain experience faster, helping them catch up with friends who played more often.

Quests were an important part of the game, often used to tell stories or guide players through the world. There were many quests in each area, and players liked the rewards they received. The variety of quests helped players avoid doing the same tasks over and over. However, some quests required collecting items from dead creatures, which was unpopular because the chance of finding these items was low, making the tasks feel repetitive. In busy areas, there were sometimes not enough creatures to kill, or players had to wait their turn to complete a quest. Some critics said the game focused too much on solo play, as few quests required working with others. Others mentioned that some group quests were difficult for new players and could take a long time to finish. A few quests had problems when the game first launched, making them impossible to complete.

Characters in the game were well-designed, with each class and race having unique abilities and appearances. Players liked the choices they had for developing their characters, such as selecting talents and professions. However, some players thought there were not enough options for customizing how characters looked. The game world was praised for its detailed and beautiful environments. Players could travel across large areas without waiting for the game to load, and the scenery was described as "breathtaking." Each area had a different look, making it easy to find your way around. The game ran smoothly on many computers, though some said the graphics were simple. Flying over the landscape was described as "very atmospheric." The user interface was simple and easy to understand, with helpful tips for new players.

The game's music and sound effects were well-received. Music changed depending on the area, helping players feel more immersed in the world and increasing the game's replay value. Sounds and voices from characters and non-player characters added personality to the game.

World of Warcraft won many awards when it was released, including Editor's Choice awards. It was also named the best game in its genre by media outlets. The game's graphics and music were praised, and it won awards for its art style and sound design. It received the Best Mac OS X Entertainment Product award at the 2005 Apple Design Awards. Computer Games Magazine called it the best computer game of 2004 and gave it awards for art direction, music, and interface design.

The game was recognized at the 2005 Spike TV Video Game Awards, where it won Best PC Game, Best Multiplayer Game, Best RPG, and Most Addictive Game. At the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, it was named "Massively Multiplayer/Persistent World Game of the Year" and was nominated for other top awards. In 2008, it was honored at the Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for advancing MMORPG games. GameSpot named it the best massively multiplayer game of 2004 and nominated it for graphics awards. In 2009, it was ranked 11th on Game Informer's list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time." In 2015, it was listed as the third best game since 2000 by USgamer and inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

World of Warcraft was the best-selling PC game in 2005 and 2006. In the United States, it sold 1.4 million copies ($68.1 million) by August 2006. It was the third best-selling computer game in the U.S. between 2000 and 2006. By January 2008, the game had more than 10 million subscribers worldwide, with over 2 million in Europe, 2.5 million in North America, and 5.5 million in Asia. At its peak in 2010, it had 12 million subscribers. As of November 2014, it had over 10 million active subscribers. In 2014, Blizzard announced that 100 million accounts had been created for the game. In 2015, it had 7.1 million active subscriptions, but by the end of September, that number dropped to 5.5 million.

In China, the game was shut down in 2009, which could have affected Activision Blizzard's earnings. In 2008, the game had 62% of the MMORPG subscription market. It has earned $9.23 billion in revenue, making it one of the highest-grossing video games ever. In 2012, Blizzard started tournaments for World of Warcraft and StarCraft II, known as the Battle.net World Championship Series.

Security concerns

In September 2006, reports showed that fake websites pretending to offer advice for the game World of Warcraft contained harmful software called malware. Computers that were not protected could be infected through web browsers, which would then download a program that sent account details back to attackers. Blizzard, the company that makes World of Warcraft, had to help many users whose accounts were affected. Some users said they could not get help by phone because there were too many calls.

In April 2007, attacks changed to use new tricks, such as animated cursors, and were spread across many websites. A security research group called Symantec reported that a stolen World of Warcraft account was worth about $10 on the black market, compared to $6 to $12 for a stolen computer (as of March 2007). In February 2008, fake emails were sent to users, asking them to confirm their account details on a fake website that looked like the real World of Warcraft login page.

In June 2008, Blizzard introduced the Blizzard Authenticator, a tool that helps protect accounts. It works as a hardware device or a mobile app that creates a temporary password when a player logs in. This password, used with the user’s regular password, is only valid for a few minutes, making it harder for hackers to steal information.

Blizzard uses a system called Warden on the Windows version of the game to find third-party programs, such as software that automates tasks in the game. Warden checks other programs running on a player’s computer and sends some information back to Blizzard. This practice caused some people to say it was like spyware because it collects details, such as the titles of all open windows while the game is running. However, many gamers supported Warden if it helped reduce cheating. The use of Warden was explained in Blizzard’s Terms of Agreement.

Warden was mentioned in March 2008 during a legal case against MDY Industries. The lawsuit, filed in Arizona federal court, also included Michael Donnelly, the creator of a program called MMO Glider, which automatically plays tasks in the game. Blizzard claimed the program broke its copyright and license agreement, saying it hurt the game experience for other players by making the game unfair and harming the in-game economy. Donnelly said he sold 100,000 copies of the $25 software.

On July 6, 2010, Blizzard announced that users’ accounts on its game forums would show their real names. This change was part of an agreement with Facebook to let users share their real identities (called Real ID by Blizzard). Many fans of Blizzard’s games were worried about this feature.

On July 9, 2010, Blizzard said it would stop using Real ID on its official forums after hearing concerns from users.

Community and study of player interaction

World of Warcraft players enjoy the game, discuss it on Blizzard’s forums, and take part in the online community in creative ways, such as drawing fan art or creating stories in a comic style.

In January 2006, Blizzard faced criticism after banning groups from advertising their support for LGBTQ+ rights. This happened after some players were accused of "harassment" for promoting a group that supported a gay-straight alliance. Later, Blizzard changed its decision and stopped punishing players who supported LGBTQ+ friendly groups.

On October 7, 2010, World of Warcraft had more than 12 million players. By May 2011, the number of players had dropped by 10%, from 11.4 million to 10.3 million. Blizzard’s CEO, Mike Morhaime, said the decline might be linked to fewer players in Eastern countries. In 2012, a senior producer, John Lagrave, told a gaming website that the drop might also be because of the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic, a game by BioWare.

World of Warcraft has been studied by scholars because of its popularity and long history. Early research focused on how players work together, especially in groups called guilds. Scholars from fields like game studies, anthropology, psychology, and communications studied the game. One well-known study is My Life as a Night Elf Priest by Bonnie Nardi. Over time, researchers from other areas, such as economics, design, and philosophy, also began studying the game.

Like other online games, companies sell virtual gold and in-game items for real money. This practice, called "gold farming," caused problems when U.S. players competed with Chinese players who were paid to generate in-game resources to sell online. The game had no translation tools for chat, so players who spoke different languages rarely communicated. Media scholar Lisa Nakamura noted that gold farming and certain play styles were sometimes linked to Chinese players, leading to unfair stereotypes.

After Blizzard offered free trial accounts, players saw more spam from bots advertising services. Studies showed that gold was much more expensive to buy on European servers than on U.S. servers.

In response, Blizzard added rules to reduce spam, such as limiting how often players could send messages and allowing trial accounts to use only private chats. Trial accounts also could not trade items, use the Auction House, or send mail.

In May 2007, Blizzard sued a company called in Game Dollar LLC for using the game’s chat to advertise services. In 2008, the company agreed to stop advertising in the game. Also in 2007, a player named Antonio Hernandez filed a lawsuit against IGE for interfering with the game’s intended use.

As players progress in the game, some rewards are tied to their characters and cannot be traded. This led to a market for trading accounts with powerful characters. In 2007, an account was sold for £5,000 because the character had rare items. However, Blizzard banned the account five days later.

Buying or selling gold in the game has caused controversy. In 2008, Blizzard reported that many gold sales came from hacked accounts. Players who paid for leveling services often found their accounts stolen later. In 2015, Blizzard introduced a way to sell in-game gold for real money by offering a $20 token that could be traded for gold.

In 2015, Blizzard sold a battle pet named Brightpaw for $10, with all money going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This raised over $1.7 million. In 2016, another pet named Mischief helped raise $2.5 million for the same charity. In 2017, a pet named Shadow the fox was sold for $10, with proceeds going to the Red Cross for disaster relief.

The Corrupted Blood plague was one of the first events to affect all players on a server. When players fought the final boss in Zul’Gurub, they were infected with a disease called "Corrupted Blood," which spread to others nearby. The plague escaped the dungeon and infected major cities, killing many low-level players. Blizzard fixed the issue by limiting the plague to the dungeon.

Scientists have studied the Corrupted Blood event because it closely resembled real-world disease outbreaks. Researchers believe games like World of Warcraft can help model how diseases spread in real life.

Legacy

World of Warcraft changed the way MMORPG games are made. While some of its ideas were not new alone, together they created a model for the genre that focused more on fun and variety than on realistic simulations. The game’s world had serious stories and well-developed characters, but it was designed to entertain players. It used completing quests to help players gain experience, making gameplay feel like a list of tasks and encouraging players to move around the game world instead of staying in one place for long. The use of instanced dungeons allowed groups of players to complete challenges together without interfering with other players, creating different areas for group activities, large battles, and leveling up. World of Warcraft’s original talent system, which let players choose upgrades, was later used in other games, such as Star Wars: The Old Republic. The game also organized "raid" activities, where players had to follow specific strategies. These strategies led to new ways of playing that were later added to the game.

Although not the first MMORPG to keep players engaged for hundreds of hours, World of Warcraft was the most successful at the time. In 2019, Vice reported that many people knew someone who said they were "addicted" to the game. For some players, the game became a major focus, taking priority over basic needs and relationships. The game’s many quests gave some players a sense of purpose or a way to cope with life challenges, even though spending time on the game often did not improve their real-life happiness. The game inspired a group called Wowaholics Anonymous, which helps players stop playing. It also brought people together, with some players forming real-life relationships through the game.

In 2008, the first restaurant themed around World of Warcraft opened in Beijing. In 2011, an amusement park called World Joyland Play Valley, inspired by the game, opened in China.

Before working at Breitbart News and joining the Trump campaign, Steve Bannon found an audience among World of Warcraft players. He was involved with a company that employed "gold farmers" who sold in-game currency for real money, introducing him to players he described as "rootless, white males" with "monster power." This experience influenced his later work with Breitbart, which became a far-right news site.

Vitalik Buterin, who later co-founded Ethereum, was inspired to explore decentralized technologies after a 2010 update in World of Warcraft changed his character’s preferred spell. Requests from players also led Microsoft to change how hotkeys work in Windows.

To celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary in 2024, Blizzard partnered with the University of Washington, temporarily renaming the university’s football team "University of Warcraft."

World of Warcraft has inspired artists to create satirical works and acknowledge its influence in popular culture. One example is the Emmy Award-winning South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft." The game has also been used to advertise unrelated products, such as Toyota trucks.

In late 2007, television commercials for the game began airing, featuring celebrities like Mr. T, William Shatner, and Verne Troyer discussing the strengths of their character classes. Similar ads were made in Spain and France, featuring Guillermo Toledo and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Additional ads in 2008 and 2011 included Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Van Zandt, and Chuck Norris, who played on the "Chuck Norris facts" internet trend.

World of Warcraft has inspired three board games: World of Warcraft: The Board Game (with expansions), World of Warcraft: The Adventure Game, and a Trivial Pursuit edition. There is also a trading card game and a collectible miniatures game, now produced by Cryptozoic Entertainment. In 2012, Megabloks released building block toys based on the game. In 2014, Hearthstone, a free-to-play digital card game, was launched.

In 2007, DC Comics published the first issue of a World of Warcraft comic under their WildStorm imprint.

In 2015, Blizzard released Heroes of the Storm, a multiplayer game where players can use heroes from the Warcraft universe, such as Arthas, Gul’dan, and Sylvanas. The game includes a Warcraft-themed battleground called Alterac Pass. In 2018, Warcraft-themed skins were added to Heroes of the Storm during the "Echoes of Alterac" event. Soundtracks from World of Warcraft, such as "Obsidian Sanctum" and "Stormwind theme," are used in the game.

To celebrate Hearthstone’s release, Blizzard gave players a special mount called Hearthsteed, which can be earned by winning three games in Arena or Play mode. This promotion encouraged players to try Hearthstone and marked the first major crossover between Blizzard games.

Players who buy certain editions of Warlords of Draenor receive an Orc-themed card back in Hearthstone. Heroes of the Storm players who reach level 20 earn a Grave Golem battle pet in World of Warcraft, and World of Warcraft players who reach level 100 earn an Ironside Dire Wolf mount in Heroes of the Storm. Starting in March 2016, players who level a character to 20 in World of Warcraft (using the free starter edition) earn the alternate Paladin hero Lady Liadrin in Hearthstone.

Players who buy Overwatch Origins, Game of the Year, or Collector’s Edition receive the Baby Winston battle pet in World of Warcraft.