What World of Warcraft events would you like to experience interactively?

There’s a lot of hubbub around the upcoming World of Warcraft 20th Anniversary these days. Big events — and even bigger rewards — will be ours for the earning once everything kicks off towards the end of the year. And yet, possibly one of the coolest activities yet has already passed — an interactive, 4D virtual reality version of our escape from Dalaran that kicked off The War Within.

This one-of-a-kind experience was the product of hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of collaborative effort between Blizzard teams and external creatives. Through their setup, Gamescom attendees could soar through the collapsing flying city amidst the Nerubian attack while feeling the very ground tremble, the passing wind of rapid flight, the sounds of destruction surrounding them, and their literal stomachs dropping out while they dive to safety. It sounds like an experience more likely to show up in an expensive amusement park! The interactive experience was all of three minutes long, taking participants safely out of Dalaran to briefly explore Azj-Kahet, but even so — can you picture it? You can get a glimpse of the hard work that went into this incredible activity by watching IGN’s video below.

Imagine being a long-time player, who has seen Dalaran through its monitoring of the Scourge and Malygos in Northrend, to the incessant attacks of the Legion in the Broken Isles, and had just experienced flying through the beloved magical city as it crumbled around you. Now, just think of what other truly awe-inspiring experiences could unfold with such a setup (and an untold amount of money for development). Picture walking around Mount Hyjal and experiencing a sensation of tree bark through advanced haptics. Throwing a Frostbolt and feeling a chill from a heating and cooling element. Sitting on the back of a Hippogryph as you join the Flights over the Dragon Isles.

Sometimes, I think technology can get away from us — the constant struggles with the ethics of AI consuming everyone’s content for model training alone is frankly, a stressful nightmare. And yet, occasionally companies make incredible things, like the Escape from Dalaran — not because it will make them a slew of money, or lead to some incredible patent, but because they want to celebrate a milestone with something undoubtedly unique.

So tell me — would you want to soar above Silvermoon City, brush the bottom tip of Beledar, dive into the Emerald Dream? What would you want to do, and where would you love to go, in World of Warcraft? Share in the comments, my friends.