At today's BlizzCon opening ceremony, Blizzard unveiled a short cinematic teaser for the next expansion, "The Last Titan," but didn't reveal too much about how the current expansion, "Darkest Night," will conclude.
The World of Warcraft segment focused largely on "Darkest Night," with a major announcement for the final large patch, "Critical Etching." In version 12.2, "Critical Etching," the Void Herald Zaragas's plot to devour world-souls will reach its peak, and players will finally (at last!) face off against this villain. In the teaser trailer, Zaragas tears open a gateway to Azeroth's world-soul, leading a swarm of Void forces through it.
After showcasing this content, Game Director Ian Hazakostas mentioned that they couldn't reveal much about "The Last Titan" just yet. However, he hinted that the final chapter of "Critical Etching" will lead to a major revelation, setting the stage for the climax of World of Warcraft's 20-year narrative.
However, we did get a brief glimpse of the new expansion's visuals: in the snow-covered Northrend, before the Wyrmrest Temple, a massive black figure strides forward and unleashes a colossal laser beam. The footage also revealed the release year: 2027. That's when the next expansion will launch! Hazakostas stated that more details will be announced early next year, after the storyline of "Critical Etching" concludes.