World of Warcraft Classic (Season of Discovery)

Play it on: Windows (Steam Deck YMMV)
Current goal: See what’s over the horizon
Buy it from: Blizzard

Blizzard shared a ton of World of Warcraft news at BlizzCon earlier this month, with the reveal of the game’s three upcoming expansions getting the most attention. However, it was a different announcement that perked up my ears: World of Warcraft Classic, the faithful recreation of the landmark MMO as it was in its early years, was getting new seasons that’d toss some game-changing new elements into the mix. The first of these, called Season of Discovery, has just launched, and I’ll be hopping in this weekend to see if it can lure me back to Azeroth.

I won’t sum up everything the season is doing to change up the classic WoW experience—this video does a fine job of that if you’re interested—but I will say that the emphasis on exploration is particularly appealing to me. The star of World of Warcraft, for me, has always been Azeroth itself, with its varied and beautiful zones, its immaculate fantasy vibes, and its rich sense of history. If Season of Discovery can rekindle the feeling that Azeroth still holds secrets waiting to be discovered, well, I just might find myself spending way too much time roaming its lands once again. — Carolyn Petit

And that concludes this week’s weekend guide. What games are you playing?