‘World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth’ is the game’s fastest-selling expansion

By Gabe Gurwin Published August 23, 2018

Cinematic: “Old Soldier”

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is an enormous expansion for Blizzard’s long-running online game, and the excitement surrounding all-out war between the Horde and the Alliance appears to be translating to big sales. The company has announced that Battle for Azeroth is the best-selling expansion in the game’s history.

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In just one day, World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth managed to sell more than 3.4 million copies, narrowly edging out 2016’s Legion expansion, which sold 3.3 million copies in its first day. Battle for Azeroth has been on sale for just over a week as of now, so we’ll likely see those numbers continue to grow.

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World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth has a lower barrier to entry than previous expansions, as Blizzard recently abandoned its “battle chests” in favor of making all previous expansions and the base game free. This means that in order to enjoy Battle for Azeroth, all you have to do is purchase the expansion and a subscription to World of Warcraft. As six expansions had already released prior to the most recent one, it certainly makes entering the game for the first time easier.

Story quests and new areas are available in Battle for Azeroth right now, and additional content will be coming soon in free updates. The upcoming content includes the Uldir raid, which launches on September 4, as well as the cooperative Warfront mode, which will arrive “in the coming weeks.”

World of Warcraft has a reputation for being an all-consuming game, and players have shown their dedication since Battle for Azeroth launched. One player going by the name “Gingi” managed to hit the expansion’s level 120 cap just four hours after the expansion launched. We’re not sure why anyone would want to speed through a game like that, but we aren’t here to judge.

If you’re curious about whether you should pick up World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, stay tuned for our full review. We’ll also have guides available to help you through the game, just in case you find its new features to be overwhelming.

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth is available now on PC and Mac.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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