Now that Blizzard has confirmed that Wrath of the Lich King Classic is coming this year, it’s time to get excited again about one of World of Warcraft’s most beloved expansions. The original WotLK was released in late 2008, essentially bringing Arthas Menethil as the Lich King for the first time since Warcraft 3.
Like Burning Crusade Classic before it, WotLK Classic will not be exactly same as 14 years ago. The changes aren’t big though, and I’ll talk about everything below. Here’s what we know about World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic.
When can you expect to play Wrath of the Lich King Classic
Blizzard has yet to confirm a specific release date, although it should arrive sometime in 2022. The beta is slated for July or August.
With the new Dragonflight expansion likely hitting WoW retail in early 2023, we’ll likely see Wrath of the Lich King Classic arrive several months before that. So we may be looking at a September to November release.
How much will it cost?
Wrath of the Lich King Classic will be part of the monthly subscription to World of Warcraft ($15/£10/€13) and includes access to WoW Classic/TBC Classic/WoW Shadowlands.
It’s unclear if you’ll need to pay to clone your character (if you also want to continue playing the other classic versions), but I’ll update this guide as soon as there are more. Otherwise, you will only need to pay more if you decide to use a level up or transfer your existing character to another server.
What to Expect from Wrath of the Lich King Classic
The second World of Warcraft expansion is one of the most popular. Arthas Menethil’s journey began in Warcraft 3, and this expansion takes us to Northrend to essentially conclude his story and face him as the Lich King in Icecrown Citadel. This is also the expansion that introduced the popular Ulduar attack as well as the Death Knight class.
Here’s a summary of what the expansion includes:
- Level cap increased to 80
- Death Knight Class (starts at level 55)
- Northrend Continent opens with 11 new zones
- Several new attacks, including Ulduar and Icecrown Citadel
- Dual talent specialization
- achievements
- Added enrollment profession
So what will be different?
Blizzard has stated that several quality of life changes will be added to Wrath of the Lich King Classic that were not originally in the original.
Level 70 boosts will be available for purchase so you can jump into Azeroth and start your journey to Northrend from launch, rather than having to go through the previous 70 levels before getting the new stuff. Level ups were also offered for Burning Crusade Classic.
One of the most surprising changes is the Dungeon Finder tool removal, which was originally added in the original WotLK expansion. Many of the complaints about modern WoW are that it has lost its sense of community, and this is largely attributed to the introduction of automated group finders, where there is little need to communicate with each other to get into group content.
The barbershop will see many improvements over the original and may even include many of the options available in modern WoW. And thanks to player feedback during the TBC Classic, Arena personal rating will replace arena teams in WotLK.
Classic Phases of the Lich King’s Wrath
We don’t know what the planned timeline for WotLK’s phases is, but we do know what content you can expect for each of them. Here is the list (via Wow):
- Phase 1: Naxxramas, The Eye of Eternity, The Obsidian Sanctuary
- Level 2: Ulduar
- Phase 3: Crusader’s Trial, Lair of Onyxia
- Phase 4: Icecrown Citadel
- Phase 5: The Ruby Sanctuary
You’ll also be able to make a Death Knight during the WotLK pre-patch, which will give you a chance to try out the “new” hero class before coming to Northrend for the first time.