Originally, the pre-patch for the first expansion of WoW Classic, Burning Crusade was scheduled for release today, May 19th, at 9 AM. Since then, there have been some delays regarding the launch and maintenance work. Blizzard has addressed this on Twitter. Here’s the situation at a glance.
[Update] When is it supposed to start? The servers went live at 3:40 PM. You should be able to play now. Remember to select the correct WoW version at launch and choose the desired path for your character (Burning Crusade or Classic).
After the update was originally supposed to go live at 9:00 AM, the end of the maintenance was postponed to 4 PM. However, everything should be working by now, even slightly earlier than announced on Twitter.
What’s going on? The release of the patch has been postponed time and again. Blizzard has now announced another delay via their official Twitter account.
How are players reacting? They are not pleased with the process, as shown by their reactions on Twitter. It is particularly criticized that Blizzard announces the delays on such short notice and constantly pushes them back by a few hours (via Twitter.com).
The Highlights of the Pre-Patch to Burning Crusade
What are the main features of the pre-patch? With the update, there are already some features to discover that should prepare you for Burning Crusade:
- The new races of the Draenei and Blood Elves are playable with the patch ahead of time.
- Paladins for the Horde and Shamans for the Alliance will also be available.
- Additionally, you can learn the new profession Jewelcrafting and therefore create socketed items, necklaces, rings, trinkets, and headpieces.
What else changes with the pre-patch can be read in our summary of the most important information about the update: The most important changes in the big TBC pre-patch of WoW: Classic
Release and Content of the Burning Crusade Expansion
What is Burning Crusade? It is the first major expansion for World Of Warcraft. BC was released in 2007 and was extremely successful. At that time, over 3 million copies of the addon were sold in just one month. (via webarchive.org)
What is included in the addon? Players can pass through the Dark Portal and enter the shattered world. You first arrive on the Hellfire Peninsula, after which there are 4 more areas to explore.
Additional content:
- An increase of the level cap from 60 to 70
- Flying mounts
- Raids featuring interesting characters like Illidan, Lady Vashj, and Kael’thas
- The new profession Jewelcrafting
- Arena battles in PvP
When does Burning Crusade release and what do you need to play it? The release is set for June 2nd. You will only need an active subscription.
If you want to know more about Burning Crusade, check out our article on the content of the expansion: All about the release, pre-patch, and content phases of TBC
