Today, Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the next raid test on the beta servers of WoW Classic for the upcoming addon The Burning Crusade was scheduled to start. In this test, Karazhan will be opened, and you can help eliminate bugs and provide feedback. However, for technical reasons, the test has been postponed for now.
Update 11:00 PM – The raid test has been postponed for now (via Blizzard Forums). The reason is a technical issue that the developers need to fix first. There is no new date for the start yet.
What kind of raid is this? Karazhan is a raid for ten players and the first raid available back in The Burning Crusade. The instance is located in the Deadwind Pass in the Eastern Kingdoms.
In the huge tower of the guardian Medivh, twelve bosses await, many rooms full of enemies and secrets, and even special events like the theater event or a chess game that you must win during a boss fight.
The atmosphere resembles a noble castle that has been more or less abandoned for a while – except for the undead and demons now haunting it. The flair, the scope, and the overall design make the raid the best raid WoW has ever had – according to MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus.
When will the test take place? You have the opportunity to test this raid as some of the first players before it is released (again) as part of The Burning Crusade Classic. The test was initially set to start on April 27 at 11:00 PM German time but has been postponed for now. There is still no new start time.
A special server is available for the test: “Badge of Justice”. Characters created here start immediately at level 70 with strong gear, allowing you to head straight to Karazhan and thoroughly test everything.
How long exactly the test will run has not been revealed by the developers. It is expected to last “at least a few days,” and you can provide feedback directly in-game using the F6 key.
In raids, you typically find the best loot available in the game. Additionally, you’ll be fighting against the major villains of the story, learning more about the narrative and proving how good you are at PvE. Raids are akin to the highlights of WoW.
TBC Classic – Sign up for the beta and test
How can I participate? To participate in the beta and the raid test, you must register on the official Blizzard site. There, a lottery will determine who will gain access, and you will be invited directly if you are selected:
- here’s the registration page for the WoW Classic beta – scroll down and click the “Become a beta tester” button
- on MeinMMO, you can find a short guide to the TBC beta
The beta has been live since March 24th, meaning for a little over a month now, and many players have already been invited. If you haven’t signed up for the test yet but want to participate, it might be a bit late for Karazhan. However, you still have a chance for the next raid test.
Make sure to check your Battle.net launcher if you have the option to switch to the Classic beta in WoW. If this option is available to you, you have access – even if no confirmation email has arrived yet.
When will TBC Classic be released? It is still uncertain when exactly TBC Classic will be released. The beta has been running for a while now, and with Karazhan, the first raid is being tested. A little more work needs to be done.
At the same time, Blizzard is also working on Patch 9.1 for WoW Retail, which is also set to be released. The tests are running simultaneously. However, the game director of WoW, Ion Hazzikostas, has already noted: It is highly unlikely that Patch 9.1 and TBC Classic will be released at the same time.
