World of Warcraft (WoW) is a 2004 video game called a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). It was created and published by Blizzard Entertainment for computers running Windows and macOS. The game is set in the Warcraft fantasy world 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 introduced in 2001 and released on November 23, 2004, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft series. Since its launch, World of Warcraft has had eleven major expansions: 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.

World of Warcraft was inspired by other MMORPGs, such as EverQuest. Players can create a character and explore the game world from a third-person or first-person view. They can fight monsters, complete quests, and interact with non-player characters (NPCs) or other players. The game encourages teamwork for quests, dungeons, and player versus player (PvP) battles, but it can also be played alone. Players earn experience points to level up their characters, gain better equipment by defeating monsters, and use in-game money to buy or sell items.

World of Warcraft was very successful when it was first released in 2004. It became the most popular MMORPG, reaching 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-grossing video game franchises. Gaming journalists have called it one of the greatest MMORPGs and video games of all time. The game has received updates and expansions for over 20 years since its release. In 2019, a version of the game called World of Warcraft Classic was released, allowing players to experience the original game 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, either from a third-person or first-person view. They explore the landscape, fight monsters, complete quests, and interact 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 many features are not available.

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

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

Before the seventh expansion, "Battle for Azeroth," both "Normal" and "RP" realms were split into PvE (player-versus-environment) and PvP (player-versus-player) servers. This division was removed after "War Mode" was added. War Mode lets players aged 20 and older choose whether to participate in PvP combat by enabling it in two capital cities.

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

To create a new character, players choose between the Alliance or Horde factions. Pandaren characters, introduced in "Mists of Pandaria," do not pick a faction until after completing their starting zone. Characters from opposing factions can team up for most challenges, like raids and dungeons. Starting in patch 10.1, characters can also join guilds from the opposite faction. Players select a race, such as orcs or trolls for the Horde, or humans or dwarves for the Alliance, and a class, like mages, warriors, or priests. Most classes are limited to specific races.

As characters grow stronger, they gain new abilities and skills. Players choose two primary professions, such as tailoring or mining, and can learn three secondary skills: archaeology, cooking, and fishing. Characters can form or join guilds, which provide features like chat channels, guild names, and access to a guild bank or repairs.

Many parts of the game involve completing quests. Quests are usually given by NPCs and reward experience points, items, or in-game money. They help characters learn new skills, explore new areas, and advance the game's story. Quests are linked in chains, where each quest is triggered after completing the previous one. Tasks may include killing creatures, gathering resources, finding objects, speaking to NPCs, visiting locations, or delivering items.

While players can play alone, grouping with others helps tackle harder challenges. Most end-game content requires teamwork, with each class having specific roles in a group. The game has a "rested bonus" system that gives extra experience points after time away from the game. If a character dies, it becomes a ghost (or a wisp for Night Elves) near a graveyard. Other players or the character itself can resurrect it by returning to where it died. If a character is above level 10 and resurrects at a graveyard, its equipped items may degrade and need repair using in-game money and a specialist NPC. If the character's body is unreachable, a "spirit healer" NPC can resurrect it, but the items degrade further, and the character becomes weakened for up to 10 minutes.

World of Warcraft offers many ways to play against other players. On PvE (Normal or RP) servers, players can enable "War Mode" to make themselves attackable by opponents. PvP combat can happen almost anywhere, except starting zones, where players must activate the "PvP flag." Both server types have areas for free-for-all combat. Battlegrounds, similar to dungeons, have set objectives like capturing flags or defeating enemies. Winning gives tokens and honor points used to buy armor, weapons, and other items. Players earn more rewards for winning and when they or teammates kill 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, allowing players to explore without interference. Dungeons are spread across the game world and suit characters of different skill levels. A typical dungeon allows up to five players, while some require larger groups for raids with up to 40 players.

Plot

Thrall's Horde wanted to settle in Durotar. They invited the Forsaken to join the orcs, tauren, and trolls. At the same time, dwarves, gnomes, and night elves pledged their support to the Alliance, led by the human kingdom of Stormwind. After King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind disappeared, Highlord Bolvar Fordragon became Regent. However, Onyxia, a black dragon, controlled him using magic. She pretended to be a human noblewoman. As heroes investigated 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 dragons. He wanted to take control of the mountain and gathered the remaining Dark Horde, a group of orcs, trolls, and other races who followed the old Horde's violent ways. These corrupted forces fought against Ragnaros and the Dark Iron dwarves for control of the mountain. Nefarian created strange chromatic dragons and other unusual creatures to build an army strong enough to rule Azeroth and continue the legacy of his father, Deathwing the Destroyer. Heroes from the Horde and Alliance defeated Nefarian.

Years ago, in the ruined temple of Atal'Hakkar, priests of the Blood God Hakkar the Soulflayer tried to summon the god's powerful form into the world. However, the Atal'ai priesthood learned that Hakkar could only be summoned in Zul'Gurub, the ancient capital of the Gurubashi tribe. Hakkar was reborn in this jungle fortress and took control of the Gurubashi tribe and the trolls' animal gods. The Zandalari tribe stopped Hakkar's influence by sending heroes to invade Zul'Gurub.

The desert fortress of Ahn'Qiraj, sealed behind the Scarab Wall, was home to the qiraji, a fierce race that once attacked Kalimdor. However, the Old God C'Thun, an ancient evil, lived inside Ahn'Qiraj. C'Thun caused the qiraji to act疯狂ly, leading to a large battle between the Alliance and Horde. A combined force of Alliance and Horde soldiers, called the Might of Kalimdor, opened the gates of Ahn'Qiraj under the command of the orc Varok Saurfang. The heroes attacked the ruins and temples of Ahn'Qiraj and defeated C'Thun.

In his rush to spread the plague of undeath across Azeroth, the Lich King gave Kel'Thuzad, one of his strongest servants, the flying citadel of Naxxramas as a base for the Scourge. Attacks by the Scarlet Crusade and Argent Dawn weakened Naxxramas's defenses. This allowed 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 lich could be brought back to life.

Development

After releasing StarCraft in 1998, Blizzard began working on its next game. The project was first called Nomad, inspired by the tabletop game Necromunda, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. During its first year, Nomad lacked clear direction. At the same time, many Blizzard developers had become fans of EverQuest, an MMORPG released in 1999. Interest in Nomad declined as Blizzard considered creating their own MMORPG based on the Warcraft series, aiming to improve on parts of EverQuest they found unsatisfactory. In a vote, all but Duane Stinnett, the Nomad project lead, supported shifting focus to the Warcraft-based MMORPG. By the end of 1999, work on Nomad stopped, and World of Warcraft was started.

World of Warcraft was first announced by Blizzard at the ECTS trade show in September 2001. Released in 2004, the game took about 4–5 years to develop, including extensive testing. The 3D graphics use elements from the special graphics engine 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 zones to avoid overcrowding. The game interface lets players customize appearances, controls, and install add-ons or modifications.

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

In the United States, Canada, and Europe, Blizzard sells World of Warcraft in retail software packages. These include 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 3 or 6 months of gameplay at a discount. In Australia, the U.S., and parts of Europe, stores sell a trial version of the game on DVD, which includes 20 levels of gameplay. After that, players must upgrade to a retail account using a credit card or prepaid card and a retail copy.

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

In South Korea, players do not need a software package or CD key to play. Instead, they must buy time credits online. Two types of time credits are available: one based on actual minutes and one based on days. Time can be purchased in 5-hour, 30-hour, 7-day, 1-month, or 3-month increments. Since no software packages are required, all players receive expansion content on launch day.

In China, players initially bought hourly and daily tokens to play at Internet cafés. The game was very popular because many Chinese players had already played on North American and European servers. Chinese versions include changes, such as turning skeletal remains into tidy graves, to create a "healthy and harmonious" environment. These changes were made by the regional licensee, The9. NetEase took over licensing in 2009 and launched Wrath of the Lich King in 2010, two years after its Western release. Due to a contract dispute, servers were closed in 2023. NetEase announced a return to China in 2024, 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. Players could skip the launcher starting with version 2.1.0. The launcher provides news, support access, test versions, updates, and settings changes. After version 3.0.8, players could adjust game settings from the launcher. Version 4.0.1 allowed gameplay while non-essential files downloaded, requiring a fast internet connection.

Patch 1.9.3 added support for Intel-powered Macs, making the game a universal application. This changed the minimum Mac OS X version to 10.3.9. PowerPC Macs are no longer supported since version 4.0.1.

Official system requirements may change with new content. In version 1.12.0, Windows requirements increased from 256 MB to 512 MB of RAM. Support for Windows 98 ended, though the game ran on it until version 2.2.3. Before Mists of Pandaria (2012), support for Windows 2000, XP, and Vista was dropped in 2017, along with 32-bit systems.

Starting with version 4.3, players could test a 64-bit version of the client, 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), Shadowlands (November 2020), Dragonflight (June 2022), The War Within (October 2023), and The Tides of Vengeance (2024).

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 make the game more enjoyable. For example, when a player's character dies, they can quickly recover and continue playing, unlike some older games where dying had big consequences. Combat was also improved by reducing pauses between battles, as all character types can heal quickly. These changes helped make the game easier for players who only play for short times, while still offering complex gameplay for others. A feature called the "rested bonus" allowed players to gain experience faster, helping them catch up with friends.

Questing, or completing tasks, was an important part of the game. It helped players follow the story and explore the world. Many quests were available in each area, and they gave good rewards. Players liked that quests reduced the need for repetitive tasks, but some quests required collecting items from dead creatures, which was frustrating because the chance of finding items was low. This made some quests feel boring. Some quests also made it hard for players to work together, and others took a long time to finish. A few quests had problems that made them impossible to complete at first.

Characters in the game were well-designed, with each class and race having unique abilities and appearances. Players enjoyed the options for developing their characters, such as choosing talents and professions. However, there were not many choices for customizing a character's look.

The game world was praised for being large and easy to explore without needing to wait for loading screens. The environment was described as beautiful and well-designed, blending fantasy and realism. The game ran smoothly on many computers, though some noted the graphics were simple. The user interface was easy to use, with helpful tips for players.

The game's music was well-received, with different songs playing in different areas to help players feel immersed in the world. Sound effects and character voices added to the game's atmosphere.

World of Warcraft won many awards when it was released, including Editor's Choice awards and being named the best game in its genre. It was also recognized for its graphics, music, and interface. The game won awards from magazines, television shows, and organizations, including the Best Mac OS X Entertainment Product in 2005.

World of Warcraft was the best-selling PC game in 2005 and 2006. In the United States, it sold 1.4 million copies by August 2006. By 2008, it had over 10 million players worldwide, with more than 5.5 million in Asia. At its peak, the game had 12 million subscribers. As of 2014, it had over 10 million active players. In 2012, Blizzard started tournaments for the game.

In China, the game was shut down in 2009, which affected the company's profits. The game earned $9.23 billion in revenue, making it one of the most successful video games ever. It held 62% of the MMORPG market in 2008. By 2015, the number of active players had dropped to 5.6 million, the lowest since 2005. In 2015, the game was added to the World Video Game Hall of Fame.

Security concerns

In September 2006, fake websites that looked like official World of Warcraft game advice pages were discovered. These sites 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 the attackers. Blizzard's support teams had to handle many more requests during this time, as many users were affected. Some reports said that phone support was temporarily closed because of the high number of calls and long wait times.

In April 2007, attacks changed to use new methods, such as animated cursors, and were found on several websites. A security research group called Symantec reported that a hacked World of Warcraft account was worth about $10 on the black market, compared to $6 to $12 for a hacked computer (as of March 2007). In February 2008, fake emails were sent to users, asking them to confirm their account details using a fake version of the World of Warcraft account management page.

In June 2008, Blizzard introduced the Blizzard Authenticator, which could be used as a physical security token or a mobile app. This tool adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to enter a one-time password that changes every few minutes. This password is used along with the user’s regular password to log in, making it harder for malware that records keystrokes to steal information.

Blizzard uses a system called Warden on the Windows version of the game to detect third-party programs, such as botting software, which allows players to automate tasks. Warden works by analyzing other programs and files on a player’s computer, similar to how antivirus software functions. However, unlike most antivirus software, Warden sends some of this information back to Blizzard, which raised concerns about privacy. For example, Warden collects the titles of all open windows on a computer while the game is running. Some gamers supported Warden if it helped reduce cheating, while others worried about its privacy implications. The use of Warden was outlined in Blizzard’s Terms of Agreement.

Warden was mentioned in March 2008 during a legal case against MDY Industries. The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Arizona and included Michael Donnelly as a defendant. Donnelly created MMO Glider, a program that automatically performs tasks in the game. Blizzard claimed that Glider violated its copyright and license agreement, arguing that it harmed the game experience for other players by changing the balance of play, disrupting the game’s social and immersive elements, and affecting the in-game economy. Donnelly claimed he sold 100,000 copies of the $25 software.

On July 6, 2010, Blizzard announced that user accounts on its game forums would display real names linked to those accounts. This change followed an agreement with Facebook to allow users to share their real identities with friends. However, the introduction of this feature, called Real ID, caused concern among fans of Blizzard’s games.

In response, Blizzard released a statement on July 9, 2010, saying that the Real ID feature would no longer be added to the official forums.

Community and study of player interaction

In addition to playing the game and using discussion forums created by Blizzard, players of World of Warcraft often join the virtual community in creative ways, such as creating fan art or writing stories in a comic strip style.

Blizzard faced criticism in January 2006 for banning guilds from advertising preferences about sexual orientation. This happened after some players were warned for "harassment" after supporting a group that promoted a gay-straight alliance. Later, Blizzard changed its decision and stopped issuing warnings to players who promoted guilds friendly to the LGBTQ+ community.

On October 7, 2010, World of Warcraft reached 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 drop might be because of fewer players in Eastern countries. In 2012, a senior producer, John Lagrave, told Eurogamer that the decline might also be linked to the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic by BioWare.

World of Warcraft has been studied by academics because of its popularity and long history. Early research focused on how players work together, especially in groups called guilds, and was done by experts in fields like game studies, anthropology, psychology, and communications. 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 massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), companies have sold virtual gold and related services. This practice, called "gold farming," involves earning in-game money and items for real money. In 2004, U.S. players faced competition from Chinese players who were paid to create in-game resources to sell online. The game had no translation tools for in-game chat, so English-speaking and non-English-speaking players rarely communicated. Media scholar Lisa Nakamura noted that gold farming and certain play styles were often linked to Chinese players, leading to online racism that was hard to address.

After Blizzard introduced free trial accounts, players noticed more spam from bots advertising services. A study found that this issue was common in European game areas, where gold cost 14 times more than in U.S. areas.

In patch 2.1, Blizzard added new tools to reduce spam, such as limiting private messages and allowing players to report spam. Trial accounts could not use public chat, trade items, use the Auction House, or send mail, among other restrictions.

In May 2007, Blizzard sued In Game Dollar LLC (known as peons4hire) in U.S. federal court. In February 2008, a court agreement forced the company to stop advertising or selling services related to World of Warcraft through the game’s chat. In June 2007, a player named Antonio Hernandez filed a lawsuit against IGE for interfering with the game’s intended use.

As players advance in World of Warcraft and complete difficult challenges, some rewards are tied to specific characters and cannot be traded. This led to a market for selling accounts with strong characters. The highest recorded sale was £5,000 (€7,000, $9,900) in September 2007. The character had rare items that few players owned, but Blizzard banned the account five days after the sale.

Buying or selling gold in World of Warcraft has caused controversy. In February 2008, Blizzard warned that a large amount of gold sold came from hacked accounts. Players who paid for leveling services often found their accounts stolen, with items sold for virtual gold. These services also caused problems for the game’s performance. In April 2015, Blizzard introduced a way to sell in-game gold for real money. Players could spend $20 on a one-month "game time token" that could be sold for gold on the Auction House.

In December 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 for the charity. In December 2016, another battle pet, Mischief, was sold for $10, raising more than $2.5 million. In September 2017, a battle 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 servers. Patch 1.7 introduced Zul'Gurub, the game’s first 20-player raid dungeon, where players fought trolls. After defeating the final boss, players were infected by a debuff called "Corrupted Blood," which damaged their health over time. The disease spread to others simply by being near infected players.

The plague escaped the dungeon through hunter pets or warlock minions that carried it. Within hours, major cities were infected because of large groups of players. Low-level players died quickly from the disease. Blizzard fixed the problem by limiting the plague to the dungeon.

The Corrupted Blood event closely mirrored real-world disease outbreaks. Scientists now study how games like World of Warcraft can model human behavior during epidemics. Players’ reactions to the plague helped researchers better understand how diseases spread in real life.

Legacy

World of Warcraft changed how MMORPG games were made. While some of its ideas were not completely new, together they created a model for the genre that focused more on a theme park style than a realistic simulation. The game had a mix of serious stories and well-developed characters, but its main goal was to entertain. 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. The use of instanced dungeons allowed groups of players to work together without others joining, so different parts of the game had different purposes, like areas for teamwork, large group challenges, and leveling up. World of Warcraft’s original talent system, which let players choose upgrades for their characters, became popular in other games, such as Star Wars: The Old Republic. The game also set rules for "raid" group activities, where players had to use specific strategies. These strategies led to new gameplay features being added later.

Although it was not the first MMORPG to keep players busy for hundreds of hours, World of Warcraft was the most successful one at the time. In 2019, Vice wrote that "most people know someone who said they were 'addicted' to World of Warcraft." For some players, the game became a major distraction, 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 feelings of emptiness, even though spending so much time playing did not improve their happiness in real life. The game inspired a group called Wowaholics Anonymous, which helps players quit playing. It also helped some players find real-life relationships.

The first restaurant based on World of Warcraft opened in Beijing in 2008. 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 a group of supporters among World of Warcraft players. He was involved with a company that employed "gold farmers" who sold in-game money for real money, which introduced him to players he described as "rootless, white males" with "monster power" before Reddit became popular. He later used this experience to help build Breitbart into a far-right news and entertainment site by hiring Milo Yiannopoulos to reach disaffected gamers.

Vitalik Buterin, who later co-founded the cryptocurrency Ethereum, was inspired to work on 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 parodies and recognize 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 in ads for unrelated products, like Toyota trucks.

In late 2007, television commercials for the game began airing with pop culture celebrities like Mr. T, William Shatner, and Verne Troyer talking about the strengths of the character classes they play. Similar ads were made in Spain and France with Guillermo Toledo and Jean-Claude Van Damme, and later in 2008 with Ozzy Osbourne and Steve Van Zandt. Another ad in 2011 featured Chuck Norris and used the "Chuck Norris facts" internet trend.

World of Warcraft 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 a line of building block toys based on the game. In 2014, Hearthstone was launched as a free-to-play digital card game using classes from World of Warcraft.

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 control heroes from the Warcraft universe, such as Arthas, Gul’dan, and Sylvanas. The game includes a battleground named Alterac Pass and has introduced Warcraft-themed skins. Soundtracks from World of Warcraft, like "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 get 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 players who reach level 100 in World of Warcraft get 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 Editions receive the Baby Winston battle pet in World of Warcraft.