World of Warcraft's success with its consistent release of expansions has made it one of the best MMORPGs ever, if not the best. The first expansion released was The Burning Crusade in 2007, which introduced the iconic new world, the Outlands, and memorable antagonists like Illidan Stormrage and Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider. The most recent expansion came in 2022, titled Dragonflight, which provided the new Dragonriding feature that can be used in the Dragon Isles, a location that had been mentioned numerous times since World of Warcraft first launched in 2004.
There are some expansions that have defined World of Warcraft, like Wrath of the Lich King, which helped World of Warcraft flourish as Blizzard's best game. In this expansion, players went to Northrend and slowly battled their way to Icecrown to face the Lich King himself, Arthas Menethil. Then, there are other expansions like Shadowlands, that forced players to wonder if there was any hope for the game. While World of Warcraft does go through droughts where players feel the content is lacking, there are those occasional expansions, like Legion and Dragonflight, in between that manage to recapture players' interest and give them hope for the future of the game.
10 Shadowlands - 6.4
The dislike for the Shadowlands made the expansion feel that it lasted too long. Story-wise the Shadowlands wasn't terrible and the concept of the afterlife was genuinely intriguing. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands did sell well initially and was genuinely exciting.
The biggest issue with Shadowlands is that the game failed to add any compelling updates to the overall game and the expansion didn't feel at all unique from its prequel, Battle for Azeroth. However, for new fans, the expansion wasn't too awful and the narrative, antagonists, and supporting protagonists are all compelling enough to get any fan more interested in the overall lore and story. The zones are also excellently designed, with a balance of inspiration from gothic horror and typical fantasy interpretations of heaven and hell.
9 Battle For Azeroth - 7
Battle for Azeroth was able to successfully resurrect the rivalry between the Alliance and the Horde, which has had quite the evolution in the Warcraft franchise. Legion saw the final conclusion of the Burning Legion once and for all and Battle for Azeroth focuses on the aftermath of this.
While quests have always been a large part of World of Warcraft, the more recent expansions like Battle for Azeroth truly possess some of the best-written ones. The overall story helps add more depth to several characters including Jaina Proudmoore and her ascending to the role of Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras. Kul Tiras is a major zone in Battle for Azeroth and was first introduced in Warcraft II but never appeared much in between. Witnessing Kul Tiras rise to importance as it did was a brilliant tug at nostalgia and a way to include more worldbuilding for Azeroth that the game needed.
8 Warlords Of Draenor - 7.3
World of Warcraft, one of the best MMORPGs ever, had its fifth expansion with Warlords of Draenor which managed to accomplish a sense of nostalgia and made the orcs a major threat. This expansion returned the Burning Legion, as well as the world of Draenor, as Garrosh Hellscream travels through time and causes havoc once more.
One of the best features introduced into Warlords of Draenor was Garrisons, which enabled players to set up their own Garrison with various followers that players could send out on missions and unlock different awards, including new gear, mounts, and materials. Buildings could also be constructed in a way that felt akin to the original RTSgames and the overall feature helped the player truly feel like a general of the Alliance or Horde.
7 Mists Of Pandaria - 7.5
World of Warcraft is one of the best multiplayer open-world games and the previous successful expansions were a lot for Mists of Pandaria to live up to. The character work of the Pandarens and the lore of their culture wasn't as exciting or intriguing as it could have been and narratively, the highlight of the expansion was Garrosh Hellscream and his rise to a villain.
The design of the zones was drawing to the eyes with its East-Asian influence clearly seen in the architecture, mountains, and trees which all wonderfully captured the mystical atmosphere of Pandaria. There weren't significant changes to the expansion following Cataclysm, however, the game did add many beneficial features regarding pets such as the pet battle system. There was also a better skill tree system integrated for players that worked more naturally with leveling up.
6 Cataclysm - 7.6
Even the biggest dragons in Game of Thrones would be put to shame next to Deathwing, the final and main antagonist of Cataclysm. While this expansion was doomed to be disappointing in comparison to Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm did a lot to keep players intrigued and invested.
One of the best features World of Warcraft has ever had is Transmogrification, which allowed players to change the appearance of all of their gear and weapons. While the zones were difficult to follow for new players (as there wasn't one whole new region or continent created like most expansions), they were incredibly memorable, with some of the best raids in all of World of Warcraft like the epic confrontation of Ragnaros in the Firelands. The concept of the final raid boss against Deathwing was also brilliant, where players had to fight on his back.
5 Dragonflight - 7.7
Dragonflight is the best expansion in years and has the player aiding Alextstrasza and the other Dragon Aspects against Raszageth and her followers of Primalists. The story, so far, has been exciting and the deeper unraveling into the lore of the Dragonflights and the aspects which represent them have been incredibly intriguing.
The new expansion introduced incredible new features such as improvements to professions, renown tracking, and the beloved Dragonriding ability that can only be used in the Dragon Isles. This makes traversing the isles much easier and there are many new abilities to unlock for Dragonriding to make the experience even better. The new race and class, the Dracthyr Evoker, are also quite exhilarating and have their own flying abilities that can be performed all across World of Warcraft. The Dractyhr Evokers are also some of the best classes to use in PvP for Dragonflight.
4 Legion - 8.2
Illidan Stormrage has long since been praised as one of the most compelling and interesting characters that World of Warcraft has to offer. He shines the brightest in this expansion as he gives one final go in some of the most epic cinematics the franchise has ever had to offer.
This expansion introduces the long-awaited Demon Hunter class, which debuted in the pre-patch for Legion in an incredible narrative where players fought outside the Black Temple. The gameplay of the Demon Hunters alone made the expansion more than worth purchasing, as players felt like they were playing as Illidan himself. The new zones at the Broken Shore are mixed with some excellent ones and some that feel less refined. Regardless, Legion offered one of the best expansions in years with some of the most shocking twists in World of Warcraft's history.
3 World Of Warcraft (Vanilla) - 8.4
World of Warcraft (Vanilla) is the base game without any of the expansions, and while it does often get overshadowed by the constant content added, it still contains some of the best gaming content ever created for an MMORPG.
This is the foundational part of the game and players can explore a plethora of quests in the Eastlands and Kalimdor. Even before they are represented as main antagonists, players can fight against the forces of evil like Deathwing and the Lich King as their armies serve as major enemies. The most iconic raid was against Kel'Thuzad, who served the Lich King and acted as a major playable character in Warcraft III in the army of the Scourge. The relaunch of the game as Classic has allowed new players to see how World of Warcraft is a video game that actually lives up to the hype.
2 The Burning Crusade - 8.5
The Burning Crusade was at the height of World of Warcraft's popularity and gamers flocked toward the highly anticipated first expansion with many real-world controversies rising about the game and whether it was demonic or appropriate for children to play.
The real-gaming experience was mind-blowing and offered narrative continuations from Warcraft III that saw major characters like Illidan Stormrage, Kael'thas Sunstrider, and Lady Vashj all return as major raid bosses. The details placed into the zones in the Outlands were incredible, and the quests were addicting to sit and play through, even for those who weren't as interested in their stories. While the battles the heroes undergo against several important figures are incredibly fun, the lore behind them in The Burning Crusade is far more tragic when players know the hidden story, especially when playing Warcraft III first and growing attached to playable characters who are now killable bosses.
1 Wrath Of The Lich King - 8.8
Wrath of the Lich King stands as the highest-rated World of Warcraft expansion. It is often referred to as the golden age of World of Warcraft.
There was an incredible amount of addictive content with an intense grind that took a long time to hit the max level. The build-up to the final raid was well worth it and the final battle against the Lich King himself is one of the best moments in World of Warcraft. as the true Arthas is seen one last time before he passes onto eternal darkness. This is a much sadder conclusion for those who know the lore of Wrath of the Lich King. This full-on experience is what brought so many players to the game and what kept so many others. The expansion has yet to be topped, and it seems unlikely that it ever will be.
Source:gamerant.com