There’s A (Mostly) Free Battle Royale Mode In World of Warcraft For A Limited Time

World of Warcraft has added a new limited-time event called Plunderstorm as part of the 10.2.6 content update. The event will run for several weeks and introduces a battle royale mode with a pirate theme. Essentially, you’re trying to be the last pirate standing in a mode you’ll know from many of today’s most popular games.

Up to 60 players can play in each Plunderstorm match, either playing alone or teaming up as a pair (duos). Matches happen in the Arathi Highlands and usually last 10 to 15 minutes. To stay alive, you have to look for loot, abilities, and upgrades spread across the map. Spells and abilities found are automatically added to the player’s action bar, providing offensive and utility options like leaps, speed boosts, and crowd control.

So it’s like World of Warcraft in a battle royale. Obviously, there’s some resemblance between Plunderstorm and the discontinued Spellbreak, a magic-themed battle royale game. This connection is probably because Blizzard acquired Spellbreak’s creator, Proletariat, in 2022, and the team has now become part of the World of Warcraft crew.

1. Select Plunderstorm2 from the World of Warcraft game menu to get into the action.
2. Create a new, ready-to-play character—player characters are unique to this event. You don’t need previous knowledge of races and classes to chart your course for mayhem.
3. Choose between Solo or—to play with your Battle.net friends—make a group from the Plunderstorm character screen and select Duo. If queued for a Duo without a partner, you’ll be automatically matched with one. You can also access chat, customize characters, and see the queue from the Character Select Screen.

Instructions on how to join from the official website.

Plunderstorm is made to be accessible to everyone. You don’t need to own any expansions to play, but you need an active World of Warcraft subscription. You can find the mode in the game menu, and you’ll need to create a new premade character for this event. It’s available for both Modern and Classic WoW players, so don’t worry about your version.

The Plunderstorm event also offers rewards for participants. As players enter the event, they can unlock items like the Polly Roger parrot mount, Bubbles the crab pet, special cosmetics, and Trader’s Tender currency. Notably, players can earn progress towards these rewards regardless of their match outcomes. The full event announcement has all you can earn if you’re curious.