World of Warcraft News and Development Updates - WoW (2024)

Welcome to the latest World of Warcraft news and update roundup. Read on to learn what’s happening in the Shadowlands, Dragonflight, and WoW Classic. Hop on the boat with fellow adventurers well on their way to Northrend in Wrath of the Lich King Classic, get ready to soar the Dragon Isles skies when Dragonflight arrives in November, grab the Winds of Wisdom buff, and more.

Dragonflight News and Development

Mark Your Calendars: The Journey to the Dragon Isles Begins November 28

Heed the dragons' call as their ancient homelands are revealed once more, beckoning adventurers and treasure seekers alike to unravel the many mysteries waiting for them. Learn more about World of Warcraft: Dragonflight, including the global release schedule in our article.

Dragonflight Season 1 and Raid Schedule

Dragonflight Season 1 goes live starting the week of December 12, bringing a new raid, an updated rotation of challenging Mythic+ dungeons, and a new PvP Season. Mark your calendars for the road ahead, and prepare to take on all new challenges. Full details can be found in our article.

Dragonflight: Major Factions Overview

Dragonflight ushers in a unique way of experiencing outdoor progression with a system called Major Factions, boasting an additional way to experience the Dragon Isles and earn Renown ranks through Reputation. Learn more about this system in our overview.

The Winds of Wisdom 50% Experience Buff Now Live!

It’s a great time to return to World of Warcraft, level a new character, or prepare for the Dragonflight expansion as the Winds of Wisdom buff blows into Azeroth. Full details can be found here.

Dragonflight Development Update Posts on the Forums (English Only)
  • Vault of the Incarnates Raid Testing Schedule is available [Learn More]
  • Dragonflight Season 1 Class Set Updates [Learn More]

WoW Classic News and Development

Shatter the Ice: Wrath of the Lich King Classic™ Now Live!

The time has come to explore bone-chilling lands, storm Icecrown Citadel, and halt the Lich King’s baleful efforts once more. Read everything you need to know about the rerelease of the 2008 expansion in our article.

Wrath Classic: Naxxramas, Eye of Eternity, and Obsidian Sanctum Now Live!

Steel your hearts, denizens of Azeroth, for the time has come to take the fight to the Lich King’s minions and unite the dragonflights of Azeroth in Wyrmrest temple under one banner. Gather your friends and venture into the first three raids of Wrath of the Lich King, available now. Full details can be found in our article.

WoW Classic Development Update Posts on the Forums (English Only)
  • Battle for Undercity Development Retrospective [Learn More]
  • Savage and Hateful Gladiator’s weapons to be added to Savage and Hateful gear vendors [Learn More]

WoW Esports

Esports Welcomes the Lich King’s Return!

With the release of the Wrath of the Lich King Classic™, it is time for more WoW® Esports events! We are excited to showcase our first raid event for the Classic community in the Undying Challenge and a return to the Classic Arena Tournament for our amazing PvP community. Learn more about these eventshere.

Hotfixes

Here are the latest hotfixes that address various issues related to the World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, Burning Crusade Classic, and WoW Classic. This list is updated as additional hotfixes are applied, so check back often.

Promotions

Dragonflight Beta Key Giveaways Are Here!

The Dragonflight beta is in full swing. For the next several weeks, dozens of content creators will provide various ways to access beta keys. More details can be found in our official news post.

Available for Pre-Order: Wield the Power of Frostmourne

The most powerful runeblade currently known to exist, Frostmourne has long been the instrument of destruction wielded by the mighty Lich King. Now you can add this legendary sword to your collection. For details, read our article.

THIS WEEK IN SHADOWLANDS

  • Darkmoon Faire
    • Meet Silas Darkmoon and his troupe, play games that test mind and nerve, and behold exotic sights from the four corners of Azeroth… and beyond!
  • Fated Raids: Castle Nathria
    • This week, bosses in Castle Nathria are empowered with increased difficulty and a special affix. Loot drops are upgraded to a higher item level.
  • Torghast: Beasts of Prodigum
    • Beasts of Prodigum have been unleashed up Torghast, Tower of the Damned!
  • PvP Brawl: Comp Stomp
    • Jump into Arathi Basin for a head-to-head battle against AI opponents.
  • Shadowlands Dungeon Event
    • While this event is active, the final boss of each Shadowlands dungeon awards an extra item when defeated.
  • The Great Gnomeregan Run
    • Join the Gnomes as they celebrate their unrelenting moxie! Race across the Eastern Kingdoms, from Gnomeregan down to Booty Bay!

COMING UP IN SHADOWLANDS

Beginning Next Week:
  • Fated Raids: Sanctum of Domination
    • This week, bosses in Sanctum of Domination are empowered with increased difficulty and a special affix. Loot drops are upgraded to a higher item level.
  • Pet Battle Bonus Event
    • While this event is active, your pets will earn experience at triple the usual rate! Get out there and battle!
  • PvP Brawl: Deepwind Dunk
    • Can you even dunk? If you want to win this brawl, you will need to work on your skills because Dunkball has come to Pandaria.
  • Timewalking Dungeon Event: Wrath of the Lich King
    • While this event is active, players level 50 or higher may access a special Timewalking Dungeon Finder queue, which scales players and their items down to revisit past dungeons from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
Beginning the week of October 17:
  • Fated Raids: Sepulcher of the First Ones
    • This week, bosses in Sepulcher of the First Ones are empowered with increased difficulty and a special affix. Loot drops are upgraded to a higher item level.
  • PvP Brawl: Shado-Pan Showdown
    • Step into Tiger’s Peak Arena and race for control of a center control point to activate one of two bosses. The first to kill the other team’s boss wins!
  • Timewalking Dungeon Event: Cataclysm
    • While this event is active, players level 50 or higher may access a special Timewalking Dungeon Finder queue, which scales players and their items down to revisit past dungeons from the Cataclysm expansion.
  • Hallow’s End
    • Hallow’s End celebrates the break of the Forsaken from the Scourge. Fun and mischief reign as the Innkeepers of Azeroth give treats, and tricks, to those who ask.

Check your in-game calendar for a list of the current and upcoming in-game event start times!

We can't wait to share more about exciting World of Warcraft experiences—keep checking WorldofWarcraft.com for the latest news and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

World of Warcraft News and Development Updates - WoW (2024)

FAQs

Is WoW still getting updates? ›

The three expansions will form an overarching story and will be released closer together than previous expansions. Both the retail version and WoW Classic will receive frequent updates and new content throughout the year.

What will be the next WoW expansion? ›

At Blizzcon 2023 the next three World of Warcraft expansions were announced as the Worldsoul Saga. The next three World of Warcraft Expansions include; The War Within, Midnight and The Last Titan.

Will World of Warcraft ever get a new engine? ›

World of Warcraft is getting remade in Unreal Engine 5, not by Blizzard, but by a group of creators who operate the fan-run server known as Turtle WoW.

How long was WoW in development? ›

Development. World of Warcraft was first announced by Blizzard at the ECTS trade show in September 2001. Released in 2004, development of the game took roughly 4–5 years, including extensive testing. The 3D graphics in World of Warcraft use elements of the proprietary graphics engine originally used in Warcraft III.

Why is WoW shutdown? ›

Millions of Chinese gamers have lost access to World of Warcraft after a furious dispute between U.S. title owner Activision Blizzard and NetEase, its longtime local partner in the world's biggest gaming market.

Is WoW being bought out? ›

Astound Broadband Completes $661 Million Acquisition of WOW! to include Illinois, Indiana, and Maryland Service Areas.

Is WoW any good in 2024? ›

Despite World of Warcraft entering its 20th year, it has exciting content updates planned for 2024 and is worth playing, including the conclusion of Dragonflight and the start of a new saga called The War Within.

What is the new expansion for WoW 2024? ›

The War Within Expansion Launch

The War Within expansion is scheduled for release on August 26th with Early Access starting on August 22nd. More information regarding this expansion can be found here. Below players can see the official Blizzard roadmap for The War Within Launch.

What are the next 3 expansions for Blizzard? ›

In an interview with Forbes, Game Director Ion Hazzikostas said the next three expansions–The War Within, Midnight and The Last Titan–will be about the same size as Dragonflight, Shadowlands and Battle for Azeroth were before them. They'll include four zones, eight dungeons and a similar number of raid tiers.

Are they going to make a Warcraft 2? ›

Unusually, the movie featured the perspectives of both human and orc characters, an approach that helped it stand out from other fantasy projects like The Lord of the Rings. However, despite this novel perspective, no sequel to Warcraft ever happened – with the film's performance explaining its aborted future.

How much will the new WoW expansion cost? ›

The War Within counts as the tenth expansion for Blizzard's MMO, and it will be offered in three editions: Base, Heroic, and Epic. The Base Edition costs $49.99, the Heroic Edition costs $69.99, and the Epic Edition costs $89.99.

Will there be a new race in WoW? ›

A new playable race arrives in The War Within—the Earthen. Unlock playable Earthen characters after completing their quests and the overall level-up campaign.

Does WoW have a future? ›

Yes, there is a 2024 roadmap for World of Warcraft. It was published in December 2023 on the game's official website. Executive producer Holly Longdale outlined plans ahead for both WoW and World of Warcraft Classic that stretched up until the end of Autumn 2024.

Is World of Warcraft ending? ›

After these three expansions, the current World of Warcraft storyline will conclude, but the game will not simply vanish. Blizzard is preparing for the next twenty years of World of Warcraft content.

What year was WoW at its peak? ›

Reception. Wrath of the Lich King was critically acclaimed, scoring a 91 out of 100 on Metacritic. Since its release, this expansion has often been recognized as World of Warcraft's best expansion by critics and fans. The game reached its peak in October 2010 with over 12 million subscribers.

Why is WoW not updating? ›

The WoW update doesn't initialize when there is a problem with the Battle.net desktop client. Besides that, issues with your internet connection, intrusions from your ISP, and conflicts with your antivirus, Windows Defender, or apps running in parallel with Battle.net may also cause the problem.

How long will WoW maintenance last? ›

When Does World of Warcraft Maintenance Occur? World of Warcraft (for both Classic and Retail servers) has regular maintenance every Tuesday within these typical timeframes: US Region: Tuesdays from 07:00 to 08:00 PST. EU Region: Wednesdays from 03:00 to 04:00 CEST.

Will WoW Classic get new content? ›

World of Warcraft: Classic is rearing to go full-steam ahead for 2024, and Blizzard has laid out a detailed roadmap of what to expect. Wrath of the Lich King Classic might be on its way out, but this brings the dawn of its successor, Cataclysm.

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