{"id":32275,"date":"2026-02-28T04:43:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T20:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=32275"},"modified":"2026-02-28T04:43:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T20:43:36","slug":"world-of-warcraft-midnight-review-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=32275","title":{"rendered":"World of Warcraft: Midnight Review So Far"},"content":{"rendered":"


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At the very outset of World of Warcraft\u2019s Midnight expansion, we are summoned by an actual prayer to aid in repelling recurring big bad Xal’atath’s invasion of the elven kingdom of Quel’Thalas. And while I’m all for starting out in medias res, this feels like a particularly hamfisted and contextless way to begin a story. It’s almost disorienting at first, and I imagine even more so if you haven’t watched the five or six pre-expansion cinematics Blizzard has released at this point. Thankfully, from that point onward, the 10 hours or so I’ve spent with Midnight so far have otherwise been delightful.<\/p>\n

Riding into the reimagined elven capital of Silvermoon is one of those WoW moments I’m not going to forget for a long time. Its gleaming ivory spires towered above me as an excellent new musical theme that references multiple previous ones filled me with awe. The layout does feel a bit alienating sometimes while on the ground since it’s clearly built for flying mounts, and I think there’s a bit too much open space. But the level of detail is maybe the highest we’ve ever seen for an in-game city in WoW ever, with evocative interiors that interconnect in unexpected ways and invite exploration. My framerate has been less than stellar, though.<\/p>\n

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Expanding legacy areas like Murder Row into extensive subzones with a lot going on helps the city come alive. And I spent more than half my playtime so far without ever venturing outside the walls, excitedly completing every side quest. It’s no secret that I’m a big “Thalassaboo,” having been a fan of the elves of Quel’Thalas since Warcraft 2. And even the smaller, optional adventures in Silvermoon excellently immerse you in the decadence, pridefulness, and political maneuvering that characterize the city. As an Alliance player, I was also impressed with how much of it we get to explore \u2013 only about a quarter of it is off-limits to us.<\/p>\n

Beyond the shining capital, Eversong Woods has also been reimagined gorgeously. It was already one of my favorite zones in the entire history of WoW, and to see it get such a glow-up, finally healed from the scars of Arthas’ invasion all those years ago, is fantastic. The brewing story about the dangers of fanaticism hasn’t completely gripped me yet. But Xal’atath’s Voidstorm being held back by essentially a giant drain plug that won’t last forever adds an ominous urgency to all of it. And I feel like I have a little bit more context now for who Xal is as a villain, thematically, though most of that comes from those out-of-game cutscenes I mentioned.<\/p>\n

Eversong Woods has also been reimagined gorgeously.\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

I played several different classes to level 80 in the pre-patch event, which included most of the class changes for Midnight, focusing on my trusty Marksmanship Hunter main and the new Devourer Demon Hunter that unlocks with the expansion. I’m not ready to pass judgement on any spec until I see how they play at max level in difficult content. But as far as Marksmanship goes, I mostly agree with the changes so far thematically. Aimed Shot should be a big nuke that takes a long time to cast. But with the removal of talents like Streamline, the damage needs to feel a lot chunkier than it currently does to earn that fantasy. Our final apex talent, which will give it a 100% critical chance at level 90, could be the answer. We’ll see.<\/p>\n

As far as Devourer, I’m not sold on it quite yet. I like the other Demon Hunter specs quite a bit, but the flavor of Devourer is a bit more caster-coded than the melee monsters Demon Hunters have always been in the lore. Baseline abilities like Consume don’t feel kinetic enough to me. They don’t feel\u2026 Demon Hunter-y, if that makes sense. And it could just be an animation thing. I kind of wish Reap was our main button instead. But the mobility is there, and the mid-range DPS playstyle is interesting. Again, I’ll report back on how it feels at max level.<\/p>\n