WoW: Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition launches on February 5. Before the pre-expansion patch arrives on January 13, Classic Anniversary realm players will need to decide if their characters will advance on to The Burning Crusade content or move to a Classic Era server.
WoW Classic Anniversary Prepares for The Burning Crusade transition
WoW Classic Anniversary servers launched in 2024 to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of World of Warcraft. The servers offer a streamlined vanilla WoW experience with some modern quality of life improvements and faster raid progressions. The first era of WoW Classic Anniversary is about to come to an end as the first Classic Anniversary expansion arrives in February.
WoW: Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition launches on February 5 at 3:00 pm PST globally and is included with a standard WoW Subscription or Game Time. Beginning January 13, after each regional scheduled maintenance, the Pre-expansion Patch will be released. Each character must choose whether to advance onward to WoW: Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition or move to a Classic Era realm by January 12.
Classic Anniversary players who do not want their characters to continue to WoW: Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition can use a free character transfer from Anniversary Realms to Classic Era realms for a limited time starting November 25. After January 12, 2026, the transfer option will no longer be available, and players will not be able to transfer their Classic Anniversary characters to Classic Era realms
Here is a breakdown of the timeline and the new features that will become available when the Dark Portal opens in Azeroth’s Anniversary Edition servers:
- New quests and stories in the Exiled World of Outland
- Playable Races: Blood Elves and Draenei
- January 13: Level 58 Character Boost Standalone Purchase Available
- February 17: PvP Arena Season 1 Begins (With Each Region’s Weekly Reset)
- February 19: Three Challenging Raids: Karazhan, Gruul’s Lair, and Magtheridon’s Lair Unlock
- Flying Mounts: Take to the Skies on Flying Mounts
- A New Profession: Jewelcrafting
- Guild Bank
The inclusion of the Guild Bank is a pretty exciting one. Players on Burning Crusade Classic servers did not have this modern convenience right out of the gate.
The Guild Bank is found inside the bank and accessible by clicking on the vault near the bankers. There are eight purchasable tabs with 98 item slots each; unlike regular banks, bags are not needed for these slots. The price for the first tab is 100 gold, and increases for each successive tab.
Popularity on the Classic Era servers has slowed down over the last year as a lot of the active Classic community has embraced Anniversary Edition servers. Lots of players are idling now, while they wait for The Burning Crusade Anniversary Edition to launch, so it will be interesting to see if there is a spike in active players when this new content arrives.
Upcoming Raid Unlocks and PvP Arena Season 1
The first Burning Crusade Classic Edition raids will unlock on February 19. The most hardcore Classic Anniversary Edition players are likely looking forward to the next race to complete a new round of challenging raids. The Burning Crusade content brings some iconic large-scale battles back with the inclusion of Karazhan, Gruul’s Lair, and Magtheridon’s Lair.
PvP Arena Season 1 begins on February 17 with each region’s weekly content reset. Players can enter the arena to compete for mounts, gear, and title rewards.
Gamers who skipped the WoW Classic Anniversary experience and are interested in diving straight into The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition are able to purchase a level 58 character boost. The Level 58 Character Boost (Anniversary) is available in the Outland Epic Pack, but will also be available as a standalone purchase starting on January 13.
WoW: Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition launches on February 5 on PC.
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