You buy the newest World of Warcraft expansion straight from the official Battle.net Shop (shop.battle.net) or the in-game Shop, priced around $49.99 for the Standard Edition. Heroic and Epic bundles cost roughly $69.99–$89.99 and stack extras like early access, a character level boost, mounts, and cosmetics. You still need an active subscription or game time to log in and play once it's on your account.

How to buy it, step by step

  1. Log in at shop.battle.net or open the Battle.net desktop app and pick World of Warcraft.
  2. Choose the current expansion (right now that's The War Within; the next one, Midnight, appears here to pre-purchase when Blizzard opens sales).
  3. Pick your edition: Standard, Heroic, or Epic — the higher tiers add early access, a level boost, and cosmetics.
  4. Pay and it's tied to your account instantly. Log into the game and the content unlocks on release.

Quick facts

  • Where: Battle.net Shop (shop.battle.net) or the in-game Shop tab.
  • Standard price: ~$49.99 USD (varies slightly by region/currency).
  • Epic/Deluxe: ~$89.99, typically the best value if you want the mount, boost, and early access.
  • Also required: an active subscription or game time (~$14.99/month, cheaper on 3/6-month plans).
  • New players: the base game up through the prior expansion is free — you only buy the newest one.

Do I need to buy older expansions first?

No. Blizzard bundles all previous expansions into the base game for free. Buying the current expansion gives you everything up to and including it, so a brand-new account only pays for one expansion plus a subscription.

Standard, Heroic, or Epic — which edition?

Standard gets you the full expansion and all its zones, dungeons, and raids. Heroic and Epic add a level boost, an exclusive mount and pet, transmog, and usually a few days of early access before global launch. If you plan to raid or level fresh alts at launch, Epic's boost and head start pay for themselves. Casual returners are fine with Standard.

Can I pre-purchase the next expansion early?

Yes, when Blizzard opens pre-orders. Pre-purchasing the upcoming expansion usually unlocks perks right away — like a level boost you can use immediately and early access on launch weekend for the top edition. The full content still goes live on the official release date.

If you'd rather skip the grind after buying in, PewPewShop can pair you with a vetted, long-standing pro to fast-track the parts you don't enjoy — leveling coaching, gear and Mythic+ progression, or fresh-launch raid prep. It's real human help playing alongside you (no bots, no cheats), so you hit the new content ready instead of starting from zero.