‘World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth’ is dropping August 14 and I’m going to play until I die

Blessed be the makers, the next WoW expansion is dropping during my semester break. Somehow, without even planning it, I’ve found myself playing the game two or three days a week again. And, I don’t know if it’s because I took six years off, but I fucking love it. So, I’m sweating this next drop hard. Very hard.

Digital Trends:

Drink your mana potions, finish up your current quests, and put on your best gear, because you don’t have much time until World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth sends Blizzard’s MMO into an all-out war between the Horde and the Alliance. The expansion arrives on August 14, and it’s shaping up to be one of the best the game has seen thus far.

Alongside the release date announcement, Blizzard also revealed the Battle for Azeroth Collector’s Edition, which offers a number of extra goodies for World of Warcraft, as well as other Blizzard games.

For $100, the Collector’s Edition includes the content from the Digital Deluxe Edition, such as a mount for both the Horde and the Alliance, and a baby Tortollan pet. As with the other versions of the game, it will also offer a free Level 110 character boost so new players won’t be too far behind everyone else.

Additionally, the Collector’s Edition comes with a “double-sided story book” compiling the novellas Elegy and A Good War, which tell the story of the Burning of Teldrassil from the perspective of the Alliance and Horde, respectively. Also included is a double-sided “Mark of Allegiance” depicting the Alliance insignia on one side and the Horde insignia on the other, as well as a digital Battle for Azeroth soundtrack.

If you’re interested in Blizzard’s other ongoing games, both the Digital Deluxe Edition and the Collector’s Edition have you covered, as well. Included is the “Azeroth is Burning” card back for Hearthstone, Alliance and Horde sprays for Starcraft II, and a “Primal Flamesaber” mount for Heroes of the Storm. Overwatch, naturally, is the biggest recipient of free goodies — you’ll get Alliance and Horde banner emotes for Tracer and Torbjorn, as well as sprays depicting Andiun, Jaina, Sylvanas, and Varok, and icons depicting Zandalar and Kul’Tiras.

If you’ve already pre-ordered one of the other versions of Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard will allow you to upgrade automatically. All you have to do is purchase the more expensive version of the game and your Blizzard account will be credited with the price of the original version you purchased. This only applies to those who bought the game digitally — if you ordered a physical game, you’ll have to cancel it with your retailer.