Blizzard Entertainment has announced the global launch of World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition for February 5. This release is included with an active World Of Warcraft subscription or Game Time, allowing players to revisit the iconic expansion that first opened the Dark Portal to Outland.
The Anniversary Edition commemorates the original 2007 expansion with a curated progression schedule. The core experience raises the level cap to 70 and introduces the two races that debuted with the expansion: the Horde's Blood Elves and the Alliance's Draenei. These races come with their unique starting zones, racial abilities, and expanded class options, including Paladins for the Horde and Shamans for the Alliance.
A significant feature of this release is the accelerated content unlock cadence. Unlike the original multi-year rollout, key features and endgame activities will become available over a condensed timeline starting from the launch date.
Central to the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition are three major raids scheduled to unlock on February 19. These include the iconic 10-player adventure in Karazhan, the ogre stronghold of Gruul's Lair, and the confrontation with the pit lord Magtheridon in his lair. These instances represent the initial tier of endgame PvE content for the expansion.
Player versus player combat receives a major update with the introduction of the Arena system. PvP Arena Season 1 is set to begin on February 17, coinciding with regional weekly resets. The season will feature battles in three dedicated arenas located across Outland and the Eastern Kingdoms, offering new gear, titles, and mounts as rewards. The traditional Honor system will operate without a ranking component, with competitive progression focused solely on the Arena ladder.
A new mode of transportation, flying mounts, will be available, granting access to the full verticality of Outland's zones. The expansion also introduces the Jewelcrafting profession, allowing players to craft socketed gems, rings, necklaces, and stat-boosting trinkets. Draenei characters receive a racial passive that provides a bonus to leveling this new trade skill.
To facilitate guild management, the Anniversary Edition includes the Guild Bank feature at launch. This provides shared storage for items and gold across eight purchasable tabs, with permissions managed by guild leadership.
For players seeking a quicker entry into the Outland campaign, a standalone Level 58 Character Boost will be available for purchase starting January 13. This boost prepares a character to immediately journey through the Dark Portal upon the expansion's release. It is specifically designed for use on Anniversary realm characters.
Blizzard has also outlined a limited-time character transfer option. Players on Classic Anniversary realms who do not wish to continue into the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition content can move their characters to Classic Era realms for free. This transfer window began on November 25 and will close on January 12, 2026. After this date, characters remaining on Anniversary realms will progress with the expansion.
The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition aims to deliver a streamlined version of the expansion's defining moments, from the initial assault on Hellfire Peninsula to the challenges posed by Kael'thas Sunstrider and Lady Vashj in later phases. It packages the landmark features that significantly altered World of Warcraft's landscape in a single, commemorative release.
