Blizzard announced World of Warcraft Classic at BlizzCon, the company’s annual convention, nearly two years ago. After a long wait, the game is now close to dropping.
Fans with an active subscription to retail World of Warcraft will have access to Classic. This is the “vanilla,” base version of the game that debuted 15 years ago. None of the updates that have come along with its seven expansions are included. Instead, Blizzard plans to launch it with the game’s Patch 1.12, Drums of War. This patch introduced cross-realm battlegrounds and ironed out a lot of the earlier version’s bugs, but it’s early enough in the game’s history to provide the authentic vanilla experience.
This means players can relive the game as it once was, back when the world of Azeroth seemed fresh and new. Players won’t have access to tools like Dungeon Finder, which allows them to quickly and easily find groups. Instead, they will have to ask for group members using in-game chat.
Conveniences like large gold rewards and riding skills are also gone. Players will have to grind all the way to level 40 before being able to ride mounts.
The worldwide launch is scheduled for August 27. It launches on August 26 in North America. Blizzard opened the servers for character creation on August 13. Even with players limited to three initial characters, servers quickly filled and Blizzard added a few more.
Method, an esports organization and the top World of Warcraft guild in the world, plans to host 24/7 coverage of Classic’s “race to world first.” This event will take place in Las Vegas and be streamed live on Twitch.
It will follow along as top guilds from around the world level their characters to 60 (the highest level for Classic) and attempt to beat the game’s first raid bosses.
Dil Bole Oberoi
