Azeroth gets a little bit bigger on November 13, which Blizzard has set for the release of World of Warcraft‘s latest expansion, Warlords of Draenor. The studio shared a short cinematic to accompany the news, a mood piece that sets the tone for the expansion. It’s the first of five-part animated series called “Lords of War” that dives into the lore of the new expansion.
Warlords of Draenor is WoW‘s fifth expansion, following the Mists of Pandaria add-on that was released in 2012. The previous expansion’s slightly whimsical flavor — it’s about talking, kung fu-fighting pandas — is replaced in Warlords with a much darker tone. It actually leaves the game’s Azeroth setting behind, shifting the action to the orc homeworld of Draenor.
In addition to new missions, story content, and a raised level cap, Warlords of Draenor also features the new “Mythic” difficulty setting for raids, the ability to build player-owned garrisons, and some changes to the way PvP showdowns work.