World of Warcraft: The War Within is going full Goblin mode for its next major update, taking players to the city of Undermine, where they’ll partner with various Goblin trading cartels and even have their own fully customizable race cars to smash. city ​​streets.

The news comes as part of Blizzard’s Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct; Here, the developer announced what’s next for the MMORPG, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The 11.1 update, titled Undermined, is scheduled to arrive early next year and will introduce a new raid, dungeon, two new quests, and the start of The War Within Season 2.

The tools in WoW aren’t exactly new, but they’ve never had anything like this. The new DRIVE system is similar to how the game overhauled the airborne (originally dragon-riding) flying mounts, but this time it’s a similar idea for cars, allowing players to fully utilize Mario Kart in their personal rides. Instead of passively going from point A to point B as in ground-mounted vehicles, players will actually drive the car as in a racing game. This means customizing not only the appearance and appearance of the Goblins-created gas gulper, but also its stats. Those who want to reach full speed can do so, while others may want to invest in better drifting abilities, improved acceleration, more grip, or a combination of the four. And yes, you can increase it.

“I don’t think people will be prepared for the speed at which the ground-mounted vehicle (car) moves when they get inside it,” assistant lead mission designer Mark Kelada told GameSpot. “I think by default it moves three to five times faster than your normal ground mount, not taking into account when you boost, and I guess the boost happens to be faster (speed) than airborne under normal circumstances (without car speed upgrades). It flies, an unintended pun.” Interfacing with a new landmass like Undermine with a car is really fun.”

Undermine city streets have been specifically designed to take advantage of the new feature. There will be timed races throughout the region, but Kelada said those looking for PvP races should organize their own tours. For now, this feature has been transferred specifically to the Undermine region and only works on the new vehicle introduced as part of the update. However, this was also initially true for parachuting; something that can now be used with almost any flying mount. With this in mind, it’s hard not to see a future where the system will be adapted to other ground-based motor vehicle mounts already available in WoW’s ever-growing catalog of mounts.

The bulk of Undermine consists of four Goblin trading cartels that have plunged the city into chaos, and players will be able to choose a side. The Steamwheedle, Bilgewater, Blackwater and Venture Company cartels will be available to team up with, with specific rewards and events tied to each cartel, including car parts. Signing up to a cartel isn’t a special arrangement, and Blizzard said players can work with any Goblin faction.

Kaleda said the cartels also play a role in the Undermine story campaign, as do some new characters introduced to show a new side of Goblin culture. Kaleda said the story is more personal in some ways and aims to help players better understand how Goblins interact with the world and where they come from. But don’t worry, there will still be plenty of weird gadgets and explosions.

“I want to say this though, we made sure to maintain the Goblins’ civility,” Kelada said. “I think people relate to it being crazy and creative.”

Delves, the new form of end-game content created for solo or small group play introduced in The War Within, will continue to be the focus of the Undermined update. Two new studies will be added, as well as new variations of existing studies. There will also be a new research summit boss to take on, similar to Zekvir from Season 1. Brann Bronzebeard, the customizable AI companion who assists players during research, is also getting some new changes. No longer relegated to just a damage or healer role, Brann will be able to tank in Season 2, giving players who are primary healers an easier way to research.

“We’re really pleased with how Delves are turning out, and I think they’re on track to be another pillar of the endgame alongside raids, dungeons, and PvP that we always hoped they would be,” said game director Ion Hazzikostas.

Liberation of Undermine will be the game’s next eight-boss raid, taking players to a vast complex hiding dark secrets in the city streets. These secrets belong to the infamous former Goblin faction leader Gallywix, and it appears that players can somehow claim them in the raid. Additionally, a new dungeon located in The Ringing Deeps, one of the expansion’s launch zones, will task players with stopping a group of Goblins from destroying a dam. The Operation: Floodgate dungeon will be available immediately as part of the Season 2 Mythic dungeon pool, along with Battle for Azeroth’s Goblin-themed dungeon, The Motherlode.

Blizzard made several other announcements during the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct, including the future of WoW Classic and the remastered versions of Warcraft 1 and 2 available today.