World of Warcraft Classic: How Long Between Phases

World of Warcraft Classic was brought back to life again recently with the release of WoW Classic Anniversary servers. Just like in 2019 Classic WoW, Blizzard has based the WoW Classic phase release schedule around how quickly the average players progress through the game.

Because this is many players’ third time around (considering Season of Discovery also builds on the Vanilla client), the time between phases in WoW Classic fresh 2024 is shorter than it was in 2019 (or vanilla WoW back in 2004). This guide explains when we can expect each of the WoW Classic phases to release, as well as when Anniversary servers will progress to The Burning Crusade.

WoW Classic Fresh Phases & Release Dates (2024)

Endgame Content Will Be Staggered Over Time, Leading To TBC In 2025

Phase 0: Launch & Leveling

In the first phase for WoW Classic Anniversary, players will be able to get to the max level (60) and begin working on acquiring pre-BiS gear. However, most endgame content will be locked until about three weeks after launch to allow for players to take their time leveling and not feel rushed.

In this first phase, most players will get one or two characters to max level and begin farming BRD, UBRS, LBRS, and other endgame content for gear.

Phase One: Molten Core & Onyxia

Phase One will add the first major Raids to the game with Molten Core and Onyxia’s Lair. You can complete the Attunement questlines for Molten Core and Onyxia’s Lair before they release during the Leveling phase to be ready to Raid as soon as they go live.

Phase One, which adds Onyxia’s Lair and Molten Core, will be released on December 12, 2024.

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Phase Two: Honor, Dire Maul, World Bosses, Battlegrounds

Phase Two for WoW Classic Anniversary servers will add the Honor system into the game alongside two Battlegrounds: Warsong Gulch and Alterac Valley. It also introduces World Bosses like Lord Kazzak and Azuregos that players can hunt down for Raid-level gear. It also adds the complete Dire Maul instance, allowing players to complete all wings and get the Tribute buffs so coveted from this dungeon.

According to the official WoW Classic timeline displayed during the 2024 WoW Direct, Phase Two is set to launch in late Winter 2025 (Jan or Feb), though we do not have a confirmed, specific release date yet.

Phase Three: Blackwing Lair, Darkmoon Faire

WoW Classic Phase Three will add another iconic WoW Classic Raid to the game with Blackwing Lair, home to Nefarian. It also adds the Darkmoon Faire, which will rotate between Mulgore and Elwynn Forest every week (meaning each Faction gets a week of easy access to the current Darkmoon Faire location).

Phase Three is set to launch in late Spring 2025, likely relatively soon after Phase Two.

Phase Four: Zul’Gurub, Arathi Basin

In Phase Four for WoW Classic we will be able to go to Zul’Gurub, another endgame Raid with more loot and two unique Mounts that are extremely rare drops from the final boss. It also adds Arathi Basin, considered by many PvP enthusiasts to be the best WoW battleground.

Phase Four is set to be released in early Summer 2025.

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Phase Five: Ahn’Quiraj, War Effort

The opening of the Gates of Ahn’Quiraj is one of the most memorable server-wide events in WoW Classic, and in Phase Five, WoW Classic Anniversary players will get to relive this iconic moment in the game’s history. In addition to the War Effort, it also adds two Raids: the Temple of Ahn’Quiraj, and the Ruins of Ahn’Quiraj.

Phase Five of WoW Classic Anniversary is set to launch in early Autumn 2025, likely no more than a couple of months after Phase Four.

Phase Six: Naxxramas, Scourge Invasion Event

The final WoW Classic phase, Phase Six, will add the final WoW Classic Raid: Naxxramas, as well as the associated Scourge Invasion world event. Naxxramas is infamous for having an incredibly low clear rate in original vanilla WoW, so this is players’ chance to finally experience the original, iconic Raid as it once was.

Phase Six is set to launch in late Autumn 2025, and will likely stay active for a few months before the The Burning Crusade pre-patch goes live.

The Burning Crusade Release Date

Some WoW Classic Anniversary players refer to these new fresh vanilla servers as the “TBC waiting room”. Perhaps because there have been so many versions of Classic in recent years, some players just want to get a character to max level and wait for the TBC release date for WoW Classic Anniversary.

Thanks to a faster release cadence than either vanilla WoW or WoW Classic, The Burning Crusade is set to go live about a year after the Anniversary servers launch.

According to the official release timeline, WoW Classic Anniversary fresh servers will progress to The Burning Crusade in late 2025. The pre-patch is likely to go live around December 2025, while the full expansion and its contents will likely go live a short while after in early 2026.

Systems

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Released

November 23, 2004

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer

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Engine

Unreal Engine

ESRB

T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence (online interactions not rated)

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