The next WoW Classic <\/em>expansion is on its way, with Cataclysm Classic <\/em>getting an official launch date confirmed by Blizzard Entertainment earlier today. <\/p>
WoW Cataclysm Classic <\/em>will go live on May 20, and the pre-patch for the expansion will be shipped onto Classic <\/em>realms on April 30. On that date, some of the expansion\u2019s new features will be playable, and the game will begin its transition over from the Wrath of the Lich King <\/em>era into Cataclysm<\/em>. Some of the features coming in the pre-patch include the new Archaeology profession, the Reforging system, and the game\u2019s two \u201cnewest\u201d races: Goblins and Worgen<\/a>.\u00a0It’s on this date that the world will also be completely remade following Deathwing’s destruction of many leveling zones. <\/p>
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The Cataclysm <\/em>pre-patch will also bring transmogrification with it right from the beginning. Transmog wasn\u2019t originally introduced to WoW<\/a> <\/em>until the final patch of Cataclysm <\/em>back in 2011, but for the re-release of the expansion, the feature will be available from the start. <\/p>
The follow-up patches in Cataclysm Classic <\/em>will be released at an incredibly fast pace, with the entire expansion\u2019s full slate of content being released in a span that will last just over six months. Back when Cataclysm <\/em>originally released in 2010, it took nearly a full year for all of the content patches, raids, and other new additions to be shipped onto live servers. For the re-release of the Classic <\/em>version of the expansion, though, Cataclysm <\/em>fans can expect<\/a> to breeze through all of the content in a pace that sees it wrapped up shortly after the start of 2025. <\/p>
According to Blizzard\u2019s announcement<\/a>, the first content update for the next Classic <\/em>expansion will go live just over one month after its launch, while the final patch of Cataclysm Classic<\/em>, the Hour of Twilight, will go live in January of next year. This content schedule means players will go from leveling in the initial zones of the expansion to defeating Deathwing in the Dragon Soul raid in just over half a year. This expedited content pace is unprecedented for not just WoW Classic<\/em>, but any WoW <\/em>expansion or re-release in the game\u2019s lengthy history.\u00a0<\/p>
