The new cinematic for World of Warcraft: The War Within has been released. It makes you crave more – even though some are asking, “Wtf was that?”
Almost a bit secretly, World of Warcraft released the new cinematic for the upcoming expansion “The War Within” on a Saturday morning. The video gives a first taste of the expansion’s release, provides a glimpse of various characters, and shows the places we will visit in a few weeks when The War Within celebrates its release.
What can be seen in the cinematic? The cinematic “Shadows Beneath” features swiftly changing cuts showing different people and cultures from the areas we will see in “The War Within.”
- An Earthen Dwarf operates a massive forge that crashes down with seemingly unimaginable force, while molten metal is being shaped into something still unknown.
- A Paladin of the Arathi prepares for war, and we see her and her followers lined up, apparently ready for a battle.
- A Harronir performs a ritual dance, shaping nature.
- The Queen of the Nerubians stands before a dark, eerie mixture, while in the background, tentacles with eyes from an Old God or a Void creature are visible.
- Finally, there is a close-up of Xal’atath, who appears amused and quite satisfied, laughing.
Some parts of this cinematic were already seen in a previous trailer.
This is how the community reacts: Reactions to the cinematic are quite mixed. While some very much like the look, there is also a lot of criticism. The lack of dialogue or portrayal of conflicts leads some fans to bewilderedly ask, “Is this now WoW or Diablo?” while others believe that it “just doesn’t set the vibe.”
The somewhat disjointed showing of various characters that many simply do not know (yet) often leads to puzzled faces. The cinematic seems to be missing something that makes the spark ignite for many, as the comments on YouTube show:
- “Did someone tell the Crusaders that they are in the wrong game?” – KushanGaming
- “What the Avatar was that?” – kierthas6351
- “The Paladin looked like something you’d see in Destiny. The troll came from Avatar? The only thing that looked somewhat like WoW was the dwarf, lol.” – Vikturus22
- “Somehow something is missing, without Xal’atath revealing a grand plan or something…” – YetiUprising
Although predominantly negative opinions dominate the comment section, the video is generally rated positively. As of now (27.07.2024, 10:30 AM), the video has around 80% positive ratings and 20% negative ratings. The vast majority seems to like the video well, even though the negative voices are the most visible. For comparison: Under the video on the German WoW channel, the ratio is nearly 95:5 – much more positive.
What do you think of the new cinematic for World of Warcraft: The War Within? Did you like the design, and does it make you excited for the new expansion? Or do you agree with the critics and feel that something is simply missing in the video?
