WotLK Classic Release Date Confirmed: Dungeons, Content & Lore to Expect

Players have been waiting for what seemed like an eternity for any content related to WOTLK. Thankfully, Blizzard has revealed the release date for the Wrath of the Lich King Classic. Around late July 2022, a leak surfaced that suggested that the Lich King expansion would come to the Classic servers in September 2022. Blizzard has since confirmed this leak was accurate and revealed more juicy details about the launch.

When Will WotLK Classic Release?

Hold onto your mounts because World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic will officially launch on September 26. Much like Burning Crusade Classic, you can expect the same experience with Lich King Classic, where while everything will remain untouched, it won’t be the same as you first played it 13 years ago.

How Much Will WotLK Classic Cost?

You don’t need to worry if you already have an active subscription for WoW Classic. WotLK Classic will be part of your monthly World of Warcraft subscription fee—this includes access to TBC Classic, WoW Shadowlands, and WoW Classic.

For now, there’s no confirmation whether you need to pay a premium to clone your character (this is so if you want to continue playing the other Classic versions). The only thing that’s certain is you’ll only need to pay extra if you want to transfer your character to another server or use a level boost.

Content and Features to Expect in WotLK Classic

Besides the leak, Blizzard has provided more information on the overview of what fans can expect in Wrath of the Lich King Classic. They’ve noted this WotLK Classic will “thrill both veterans and newcomers,” mentioning a slew of improved features and additional content.

1. To The North

The latest expansion for WoW Classic will take us to Northrend to conclude the story of Arthas Menethil’s journey (which started way back in Warcraft 3) and have players face him as the Lich King in Icebrown Citadel. You’ll begin your journey on either one of the two zones in Northrend: Howling Fjord or Borean Tundra. Regardless of which zone you choose, you’ll get to traverse through some of the most beloved storylines and epic vistas in all of World of Warcraft until finally, you breach the seat of the Lich King’s power.

2. Death Knights Make A Return

Available for the Alliance and Horde factions, you can roll your first Death Knight without needing a level 55 character on your realm. That means you can bypass all the requirements and skip a huge chunk of the leveling process to get the Death Knight. However, this will only apply to the first Death Knight that you make; any Death Knights that you make in the future will require to meet the original requirements of having only one per server and having a level 55 (or higher) character on that server.

3. WotLK Will Have Fresh Start Servers

Since Wrath of the Lich King is arguably the most memorable expansion in all of WoW’s releases, Blizzard expects that a good chunk of the players will jump to the game for the first time. To prevent these players from feeling late to the party, they’ve introduced these “Fresh Start” servers. These servers aim to let you create a new character from scratch while building a community together with these like-minded players simultaneously.

The Fresh Start servers will come with a few stipulations:

• You cannot create Death Knights on these realms without fulfilling the requirement of having a level 55 character on that same realm.
• You cannot boost a character on these realms for at least 90 days
• The Fresh Start realms will not be available destinations for character transfers for at least 90 days.

Additionally, all the Burning Crusade Classic and WoW Classic zones will be unlocked on the Fresh Start servers, including the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj.

How Many Phases in WotLK?

There’s currently no planned schedule for the WotLK phases, but we know the content you can expect for each of them:

• Phase 1: Naxxramas, The Eye of Eternity, The Obsidian Sanctum
• Phase 2: Ulduar
• Phase 3: Trial of the Crusader, Onyxia’s Lair
• Phase 4: Icecrown Citadel
• Phase 5: The Ruby Sanctum

If you’ve been itching to try the Death Knight before fully committing to it in Lich King Classic, there’s a chance for you to do so in the WotLK pre-patch before you arrive in Northrend.

More to Come

There’s more content you can expect in Wrath of the Lich King Classic once it releases this September besides the ones we’ve discussed. You can relive seminal five-person dungeons like the Culling of Stratholme and Azjol-Nerub. And thanks to the new Inscription profession, you’ll be able to scribe mythical glyphs to modify the properties of spells/abilities and craft deadly off-hand items. As the hype for the next installment in the WoW Classic saga continues, it goes without saying that everyone is excited for Blizzard to open the snowy gates of Northrend once more.