1. Blizzard is launching a pre-patch for World of Warcraft's expansion The War Within on July 24th, featuring a new event and two new features, Warbands and Skyriding. 2. The event will involve players battling in three zones in 90-minute cycles, with old bosses returning as echoes. 3. Warbands allow access to additional features like the Warband bank and Warbound gear, facilitating faster progression across characters.