14 DAY TRIAL // The next adventure for World of Warcraft Classic players is about to unfold. Blizzard announced over the weekend that the Burning Crusade Classic expansion will be released this year. Until we get an exact release date, fans of old-school World of Warcraft will be able to engage in beta testing very soon.
Burning Crusade Classic adds a wide range of content for players to explore. Apart from the new zones accessible through the Dark Portal, the upcoming expansion will also bring two new playable races – blood elves and draenei, arenas, flying mounts, new 5-player dungeons and heroic dungeons, a new jewelcrafting profession, two new classes (paladin for the Horde and shaman for the Alliance), new 70 level cap, as well as new abilities to master.
The first step before the Burning Crusade Classic arrives is a pre-expansion patch in which players will be given access to the new Blood Elf and Draenei races before the Dark Portal opens. The move is meant to allow players to get a jump on leveling so they can join their friends in Outland.
Also, Blizzard revealed that Burning Crusade Classic content will be released over 5 phases. In the first phase, Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, and Magtheirdon's Lair Raids will open, while in the second phase, players will be able to access Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep, and Arena Season 1.
Hyjal, Black Temple, and Arena Season 2 will open in the third phase, followed by Zul'Aman and Arena Season 3. The fifth phase will mark the opening of The Sunwell and Arena Season 4.
It's important to mention that going forward, current World of Warcraft: Classic live servers become progression servers will access Burning Crusade Classic and its content updates. On patch day, players will be presented with a choice of where they want to play their characters. The good news is you'll be able to make a choice for each of your individual characters, so you get to keep playing both versions of the game if that's what you want.
Those who choose to continue to play World of Warcraft: Classic when Burning Crusade Classic launches, will be able to do so on Classic Era realms, which will launch at the same time as the pre-expansion patch.
Finally, Blizzard announced it will introduce an optional paid service to unlock a clone of a player's character that can be used in both clients so that they can continue their adventures in both eras.