For nearly ten days, fans of World of Warcraft have been eagerly following the Race to World First event, where top guilds compete to conquer Nerub-ar Palace, the latest heroic raid from the expansion The War Within. Numerous players and streamers are broadcasting the race, with some even topping Twitch's list of most-viewed channels.
These Race to World First events occur with each major World of Warcraft expansion. The goal is to be the first to complete the new raid and defeat the final boss on the highest difficulty, earning a place in the game's history. In The War Within, that final boss is Queen Ansurek, the ruler of the nerubian kingdom of Azj-Kahet.
Attempts to conquer the Nerub-ar Palace raid kicked off on September 17, with top guilds like Team Liquid, ECHO, and Method entering the competition. The raid features several challenging bosses, and teams must first take down Queen Ansurek's lieutenants before facing her. It often takes teams several days and hundreds of failed attempts to develop a solid strategy to defeat each boss. As of now, Team Liquid, ECHO, and Method have successfully cleared 7 out of the 8 bosses, leaving only Queen Ansurek left to conquer.
The Race to World First isn’t just about streaming for fun—it’s a major esports event and an interactive marathon that captivates audiences. While the primary focus is on the raid itself, these broadcasts offer a variety of engaging content. Between attempts, players host interviews, chat with fans, share their thoughts on the expansion, and give tips for newcomers. Some guilds even invite professional commentators, analysts, popular streamers, and DJs to elevate the entertainment factor. There are also giveaways from sponsors and charity fundraisers. For example, during this Race to World First, Team Liquid is raising funds for the Santa Monica Animal Shelter Foundation.
Most Watched Twitch Channels by Hours Watched
From September 19 to 25, the most-watched channels on Twitch were those streaming the Race to World First event. Leading the pack was Echo_Esports, which racked up over 4 million hours watched in just one week. In comparison, the official ESLCS channel, which broadcast the English coverage of the ESL Pro League Season 20, garnered only 1.96 million Hours Watched during the same period.
In second place was Maximum, an American streamer from Team Liquid and one of the most popular community casters for World of Warcraft. Rounding out the top three was the official Team Liquid channel, which also featured streams of the guild's raid attempts.
Most Popular World of Warcraft Twitch Channels by Peak Viewers
It’s important to note that the streams on Echo_Esports and Team Liquid run nearly around the clock, significantly boosting their total watch time. In contrast, Maximum has less airtime but excels in average concurrent viewership.
Twitch Drops also play a role in the increased viewership on these channels, including Echo_Esports and Maximum. This incentive program began on August 26, coinciding with the release of The War Within expansion. Viewers can earn rewards like the Watcher of the Huntress pet and the Ghastly Charger mount simply by watching the streams. This giveaway will conclude on September 26 at 10:00 a.m. PDT.
As for the Race to World First: Nerub’ar Palace, it remains uncertain what the final results will be or if this event will surpass previous live-streaming races. Currently, the most popular event is still the Race to World First: Amirdrassil The Dream's Hope, which peaked at over 388,800 concurrent viewers.
Despite RWF's decent numbers, The War Within expansion itself has proven to be one of the least popular WoW updates in recent memory. In comparison to the viewership peaks achieved by the previous two expansions, Dragonflight and Shadowlands, The War Within has struggled to reach similar heights.
