World of Warcraft hands out 100% bonus XP for the next month

(Image credit: Blizzard)
WoW: Shadowlands

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Everything we know about World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, the ambitious new expansion for World of Warcraft.

There’s a lot of advice out there about what you should be doing while you're stuck at a distance from others during the pandemic, either due to healthy following of the social distancing ethos or because you're under actual lockdown. The World Health Organization says you shouldn't smoke or drink because you don't want to compromise your immune system. How about something equally addictive, then? How about a little... World of Warcraft. Yes, the game that once hosted a horrible pandemic of its own wants you to play a bit while on lockdown.

"If you're staying inside and find yourself returning to Azeroth," reads a post on Blizzard's website, "... you'll be getting a special bonus to help you on your way." Players who log in to World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth in the next month will get a lovely buff called "Winds of Wisdom" which increases their experience gains by 100%. It's a lovely doubling of the rate of progression and frankly there's no way to complain about that.

World of Warcraft still sits on our list of the best MMOs nearly 16 years after its first debut. It  has had a big last few years, and despite the rocky weirdness of it all there's a lot to love about the game. From the endless duel between the game's raids and the modders who break them to the unexciting ending of an otherwise excellent expansion, there actually hasn't been a better time to try WoW in years.

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.