Warcraft 3’s new campaign, The Forsaken Kingdom, takes the series in a noticeably different direction. Rather than focusing on the traditional real-time strategy formula, it plays more like an RPG and does not include base construction.
That approach still fits within Warcraft 3’s history. The original game’s bonus campaign featuring Rexxar also leaned heavily into RPG design and was well received. Even so, players expecting a conventional RTS expansion may be surprised by the change in emphasis.
At BlizzCon, Warcraft senior manager Brad Chan and game director Ion Hazzikostas explained why the new campaign leaves base building aside.
“This more RPG-focused campaign was made just to serve the story essentially,” Chan said. The campaign follows more grounded characters: a city guard rather than a prince, king or all-powerful commander.
Chan described the RPG structure as a way to support a more character-led story. He also argued that Warcraft 3 has always occupied an unusual space, combining RTS systems with RPG elements. If a future story requires huge battles and the player taking the role of an overarching commander, he said the developers could return to those larger-scale mechanics.
For players looking for a classic strategy experience, the decision may feel less satisfying. Traditional RTS fans have had little new content to explore since Reforged launched, making the absence of fresh base-building gameplay a notable disappointment.
Chan nevertheless believes the RTS genre remains relevant. He pointed to successful contemporary and returning series including Total War, Company of Heroes, Dawn of War, Age of Empires and Tempest Rising.
Hazzikostas said the company is “re-entering this space”, while stressing that future plans will depend on community feedback. If players enjoy the new story but ask for base construction, army creation and battles fought at a broader scale, he said the team is open to responding to that demand.
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A connected chapter in the Warcraft story
The Forsaken Kingdom is also positioned as a bridge between Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft. Hazzikostas indicated that it has narrative links to the upcoming WoW: Forever, while Blizzard’s broader plans place several Arthas-related stories and characters in the spotlight at the same time.
The Last Titan, the next World of Warcraft expansion, is set in Northrend, formerly the centre of Arthas’ power. A limited-time remix mode will revisit the climax of his story in Wrath of the Lich King, and undead paladins are planned for both World of Warcraft and WoW: Forever.
Arthas and the locations, characters and events connected to him have consistently ranked among Blizzard’s most popular Warcraft material, appearing across Warcraft 3, World of Warcraft and related projects. Hazzikostas confirmed that the timing is deliberate at a franchise level, with the different stories designed to have a degree of cohesion.
Why Warcraft’s interactive format matters
From Hazzikostas’ perspective, this format gives Warcraft its strongest storytelling tool. He contrasted it with an MMO, where players can find it difficult to form the same connection with a character because they observe that character’s actions from the outside while pursuing their own adventure.
“It is the best storytelling medium that Warcraft has had,” Hazzikostas said. He attributed Arthas’ enduring popularity partly to the fact that players could take control of him and experience his descent first-hand, following the logic of ends justifying the means as he moved down a dark path.
That direct participation, he argued, is something this type of game can provide in a way other storytelling formats cannot. Whether future campaigns continue with RPG-style character journeys or return to base construction and mass warfare will depend, at least in part, on what the community wants next.
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