World of Warcraft Expansions Tier List: Ranking the Best and Worst

World of Warcraft has had many expansions since launch, each with new content, lore, and gameplay mechanics that shape the game. With the latest expansion The War Within (TWW) out now, it’s a good time to look back and see how all these expansions stack up. In this post, we’ll be doing a World of Warcraft Expansions Tier List, ranking each one based on community feedback, gameplay features, and overall impact on the game.

The Evolution of World of Warcraft Expansions

Every World of Warcraft expansion brings something new—new continent to explore, new classes to play, new systems that change how we play the game. From classic Burning Crusade to TWW, each expansion has its pros and cons. By looking at these we can create a tier list that will help players know which expansions had the best content and which ones were lacking.

Before we get into the tier list, let’s set the criteria: we will be looking at impact on gameplay, raid quality, world content, and how the expansion’s story contributed to the lore of Azeroth. Community feedback is also a big factor.

S-Tier Expansions: The Best of World of Warcraft

At the top of the World of Warcraft Expansions Tier List are the ones that changed the game for the better, introducing features that are still loved today. These expansions are timeless classics, for both gameplay and community.

Wrath of the Lich King

Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK) is considered one of the best, if not the best expansion. This expansion introduced the death knight class, epic raids like Ulduar, and one of the most iconic villains in WoW history—Arthas, the Lich King. Its success is in the engaging story and atmospheric zones like Northrend. The gameplay and raid structure set the stage for future expansions.

Good Features:

1. Death knight hero class: This added a new layer of gameplay, allowing players to start at a higher level and experience a new class with new mechanics.
2. Ulduar and Icecrown Citadel raids: These are still some of the best designed raids in WoW history, with great boss fights and mechanics.
3. Northrend continent: The environment is immersive, Northrend has many zones that are visually stunning and lore-rich.
4. Memorable characters and lore: Arthas as the main villain is one of the best storylines in WoW.

Not-so-Good Features:

1. Faction imbalance in zones: Some zones, like Wintergrasp, had faction imbalances that made PvP unbalanced for one side.
2. Long raid lockouts: The weekly raid lockout system sometimes made it hard to get back into content.

The Burning Crusade

The Burning Crusade was the first expansion and set the standard. It introduced flying mounts, two new playable races (Blood Elves and Draenei), and the Outland continent. The raid design in The Burning Crusade was some of the best in WoW’s history, Black Temple and Sunwell Plateau being the most iconic.

Good Features:

1. Flying mounts: This changed exploration in WoW, allowing players to fly in the Outland and eventually Azeroth.
2. Blood Elves and Draenei: Two new races added a new layer of gameplay, with their racial abilities and starting zones.
3. Outland continent: Zones like Nagrand and Netherstorm were visually diverse and challenging.
4. Karazhan, Black Temple and Sunwell Plateau raids: These were hard and complex, a challenge for endgame players.

Not-so-Good Features:

1. Reputation grinding: The Burning Crusade introduced reputation requirements for many factions which led to a lot of grinding for rewards.
2. Limited content for casual players: The expansion was heavy on raiding and dungeons, leaving casual players with not much to do outside of group content.

A-Tier Expansions: Close to the Top, but Not Quite

These expansions had great content but didn’t quite make it to the top. They were good additions to the game but some things held them back from being perfect.

Legion

Legion was a breath of fresh air after the mixed bag that was Warlords of Draenor. It introduced the Artifact Weapon system which was well received by players for adding depth to class progression. It also brought back Illidan Stormrage, a fan favorite, and introduced Mythic+ dungeons which would become a cornerstone of endgame content.

Strong Features:

1. Artifact Weapon system: Players could empower iconic weapons for their class, a new sense of progression.
2. Mythic+ dungeons: This added an extra layer of difficulty and replayability to dungeons which would become a staple in WoW.
3. Class Order Halls: These were unique hubs for each class, more roleplaying.
4. Return of Illidan: Illidan’s storyline was a major highlight and a big win for longtime fans of the Warcraft franchise.

Weak Features:

1. Artifact Weapon grind: Initially well-received but the endless grind for Artifact Power became a pain for many players.
2. Class balance issues: Some classes were left behind by the Artifact Weapon system, causing imbalance in PvE and PvP content.

Mists of Pandaria

Mists of Pandaria was met with skepticism due to the theme but turned out to be a well-balanced expansion with good class design and a good storyline. The expansion was all about exploration and the introduction of the Pandaren race and the monk class. While the raid content was good, some players didn’t like the Pandaren theme which hurt its standing.

Strong Features:

1. Monk class: A new versatile and fun-to-play class with three specializations: Brewmaster, Mistweaver, and Windwalker.
2. Pandaria zones: Beautiful zones with a focus on exploration and worldbuilding.
3. Flexible raid system: Flex Raid was a great change for many raid groups.
4. Good storytelling: The Horde vs Alliance storyline had depth and lasting consequences.

Weak Features:

1. Pandaren theme: Some players felt the light-hearted tone didn’t fit the more serious tone of World of Warcraft and felt out of place.
2. Daily quest overload: The expansion was heavy on daily quests which led to burnout for some players.

B-Tier Expansions: Good, but With Some Flaws

Expansions in the B-tier were okay but lacked content or had some major missteps.

Battle for Azeroth

BFA is a divisive expansion. While the faction conflict had potential, it didn’t deliver for many players. Azerite gear and Island Expeditions didn’t live up to the hype but the expansion had some good narrative moments and nice zones like Zandalar and Kul Tiras.

Strong Features:

1. New continents Zandalar and Kul Tiras: These two areas were well done, rich in lore, and varied environments.
2. Memorable story moments: The Horde vs Alliance conflict gave players some epic battles and moments.
3. Allied Races: The introduction of Allied Races allowed players to unlock new races through specific questlines.

Weak Features:

1. Azerite gear system: The system was too complex and didn’t feel like progression, frustrating many players.
2. Island Expeditions: Became repetitive and felt like filler content.

Cataclysm

Cataclysm remade much of the old world of Azeroth and while it was needed, some players felt it took away the charm of the original zones. The addition of Goblins and Worgen as playable races was cool but the endgame content and raid difficulty was polarizing.

Strong Features:

1. Old zones reworked: Many old world zones were redone, making questing for new players better.
2. Goblins and Worgen: Two new races with their own starting zones and lore.
3. Challenging raids: Raids like Firelands and Dragon Soul were tough for dedicated raiders.

Weak Features:

1. Disjointed leveling zones: The new zones felt disconnected from the rest of Azeroth and leveling felt fragmented.
2. Endgame was meh: Players felt there was not enough content, especially compared to previous expansions.

C-Tier Expansions: Missed Potential

These expansions had some good moments but overall failed and are considered weak compared to the higher tiers.

Warlords of Draenor

Warlords of Draenor started strong but lost steam quickly. The Garrison system was cool at first but got old fast and the lack of endgame content left players frustrated. Despite some good raids and zones, it’s considered one of the weakest expansions.

Good Features:

1. Garrison system: Was fun at first, a home base where players could command followers and gather resources.
2. Initial zones and leveling experience: Zones like Frostfire Ridge and Shadowmoon Valley were beautiful and had good questlines.
3. Raids like Blackrock Foundry: Some of the raid content was good and challenging.

Not-so-Good Features:

1. Lack of endgame content: After the initial release, content updates were few and far between, leaving players with nothing to do.
2. Garrison burnout: What was fun at first became a chore, many players felt tied to their Garrison.

Shadowlands

Shadowlands had a big idea, exploring the afterlife in WoW, but it had inconsistent content patches and a confusing Covenant system. While the initial zones were beautiful, the expansion’s story and gameplay systems didn’t land with the community as well as Blizzard hoped.

Good Features:

1. Beautiful new zones: Visually, Shadowlands brought some amazing zones like Ardenweald and Revendreth.
2. Torghast: The Tower of the Damned was a new rogue-like dungeon experience with endless replayability.
3. Soulbinds and Covenant abilities: More class customization and flavor.

Not-so-Good Features:

1. Covenant system limitations: While cool at first, the Covenant system became restrictive for players who wanted to switch between them.
2. Inconsistent content updates: Long stretches between content patches left players with nothing to do.

The War Within (TWW): A New Chapter for World of Warcraft

The War Within (TWW) is the latest expansion for World of Warcraft and has the community hyped. New subterranean zones, the Nerubian Empire back and Warbands in multiplayer, TWW is bringing WoW back to its roots. It’s too early to say for sure but TWW has a lot of potential so it’s ranked high among players.

Features:

1. New underground zones with lore
2. Warbands for multi-character management
3. Nerubian lore and dungeons back
4. Alt-friendly progression systems

The War Within (TWW) is a new chapter for WoW that’s both nostalgic and new. The return of the nerubian empire and new underground zones adds to the lore, the Warbands system makes alt friendly progression easier to manage and multiple characters. Too early to tell long term but the community is already hooked and this will be one of the best expansions for WoW. Players can’t wait to see what the future holds.

The Best and Worst of WoW Expansions

World of Warcraft has gone through a lot of expansions and each one has left its mark on the game. From the high of Wrath of the Lich King to the low of Warlords of Draenor, each expansion has its own story. As The War Within unfolds we’ll have to see where it ranks among the all-time greats.

Use this WoW Expansions Tier List to decide which ones to go back to. There’s always something new to do in Azeroth.

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