The Burning Crusade Classic‘s phased content release
The official release date for The Burning Crusade (TBC) Classic is not yet available, but beta testing has been occurring and we can guess that we will see TBC’s release by the third quarter of 2021 and some say as soon as May. When TBC Classic does finally release Blizzard has mentioned they will stick to a phased release that focuses on the ‘gearing up’ aspect of end-game in addition to PvP. The following was written from info provided by Blizzard on 2/19/21, is not official, and is open to change.
Pre-Patch- The pre-patch will roll out before TBC Classic’s official release, during which multiple changes to the game will be implemented. This will affect your adventures if you continue to the Outlands or stay in Azeroth. The chronoboon, which allows classic vanilla players to save buffs, is an example of changes that will be happening during the pre-patch that will affect Classic. Overall this will be an introduction of Outland’s new features before TBC Classic actually goes live, read the patch notes the day of the official pre-patch release to see a list of all changes.
Phase 1`- Phase one will consist of leveling from 60 to 70 and the opening of TBC zones and dungeons. In addition, the raids Karazhan, Gruuls lair, and Maghtheridon’s lair will be opened. These were the first 3 raids released during the original TBC release in 2007 and will give adventures the chance to gear up and earn their pieces of tier 4 (T4) gear. T4 helm, shoulder, and gloves drop in Karazhan, legs in Gruul’s lair, and chest in Magheridon’s lair. In TBC tier gear is only 5 pieces until T6.
The original 2007 release of TBC launched on January 17th, arena season one started shortly after on January 30th and ended on June 19th. Expect a similar pattern here as the phase releases seem similar to 2007. In Blizzard’s announcement, they said arena season 1 would release in phase two which would differ from its 2007 release.
Phase 2- When TBC was originally released in 2007, T4 and T5 raids were opened at launch but you had to complete long attunement quest lines to enter them. Two of these raids, Serpentshrine Cavern and The Eye at Tempest Keep, will now be released in P2 and not available at launch. T5 gloves, helm, and legs drop in Serpentshire Cavern and shoulders and chest in the Tempest Keep. Players can expect these raids to release between arena seasons 1 and 2, expect them around 4 months after P1.
Phase 3- P3 will include Hyjal, another raid that was originally open upon TBC release, but now is being released in P3 so players can enjoy the “gearing up” experience of TBC Classic. Hyjal is where the T6 headpiece and gloves drop. Black temple should be released during this time as well allowing players to finally conquer Illidan and his forces and earn their T6 shoulders, legs, and chest pieces.
This will also be the release of arena season two, which originally released six months after season one. 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 arena will be able to have double the players on their roster than what the team calls for, which will be nice for casual players like me. If TBC Classic mimics 2007’s release expect P3 to drop around 5 months after P1.
Phase 4- During the 2007 release of TBC the 10-person raid Zul’Aman was opened on November 13th and later that month arena season three was released, 23 weeks after arena season 2. Fittingly, arena season three is slated to arrive during the P4 rollout . The opening of Zul’ Aman should still offer a challenge to groups while still providing speedy raids a chance at the Amani war bear. This phase will give players a chance to catch up on epics and get ready for Sunwell in P5. We may see this phase around 10–11 months after TBC Classics release.
Phase 5- The final and most difficult raid in TBC was originally released on April 8th, 2008, almost 15 months after the release of P1. Players can expect a similar timeline for the release of the Sunwell during TBC Classic. Sunwell is where players can find Otulands end boss, Kil’Jaeden, in addition to their T6 bracers, belt, and boots. Magisters Terrace should also be released at this time.
For those who prefer PvP, arena season 4 will also be released during this phase giving players another shot at arena gear and for some the elusive Gladiator title. Expect this phase to start around 15 months after TBC CLassics release.
Blizzard has been clear the details of these phases are not concrete and even the release of the pre-patch is unknown as of this writing. Still, this is a great look at what's to come, and personally, I am excited for the slower rollout of content like in Vanilla Classic. Let me know what part of TBC classic you are most excited about in the comments below, on Twitter @biddlesan, or on my stream at twitch.tv/biddybaybee.