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- The World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classic release date is set for May 20, 2024.
- The pre-patch is live now, letting you get started in Cataclysm before the official launch.
The World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classic release date is fast approaching, with pre-patch events happening in the MMO right now. Blizzard is re-introducing the divisive patch, Cataclysm, to World of Warcraft: Classic. WoW Classic is a way to experience the game in its early days, beginning with Vanilla, into the Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and now the Cataclysm expansion. This patch changes the world of Azeroth, dramatically scarring and destroying parts of it, and brings about playable Worgen and Goblin new races. With the WoW Cataclysm Classic release close at hand, here’s what we can expect.
World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classic release date
The World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classic release date is set for Monday, May 20 2024. Blizzard has confirmed this launch date on its official website, also detailing the pre-patch launch that has been available since April 30. As of right now, you can log into World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classic and create new Worgen and Goblin characters, as well as experience the new talent trees and skills for each class.
World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classic additions
The biggest change brought about by Cataclysm is within Azeroth, the world you explore in WoW. Azeroth contains the Eastern Kingdom and Kalimdor continents, which have stayed relatively the same from Vanilla WoW into Wrath of the Lich King. In Cataclysm, Azeroth will drastically change. Areas you knew before will be destroyed and different as an evil dragon called Deathwing flies across the land and burns everything in sight. Iconic areas like the Barrens will be split in half and many zones are on fire thanks to Deathwing.
The full expansion will include new zones, nine new dungeons, three new raids, and changes to classes and professions. Another huge change is you can use your flying mounts around Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, where they were previously only available in the Outlands and Northrend in Wrath of the Lich King. Here is a list of changes and new features coming in Cataclysm Classic when it launches on May 20.
- New player races: Goblin and Worgen
- Class updates: New Class combinations for other Races.
- New Talents, Trees, spells and more.
- New profession: Archaeology added.
- New PvP battlegrounds.
- The Transmog Collection added.
- Updated Character and Gear Stats.
- 7 New Zones: Mount Hyjal, Vash’jir, Twilight Highlands, Uldum, Deepholm, Kezan, and Gilneas.
- 9 New Dungeons: Blackrock Caverns, Throne of the Tides, Vortex Pinnacle, The Stonecore, The Lost City. of Tol’vir, The Halls of Origination, Grim Batol, Deadmines, Shadowfang Keep.
- 3 New Raid Dungeons: Throne of the Four Winds, Blackwing Descent, and Bastion of Twilight.
- Boss-Based Raid Lock system: Allowing you to do either the 10 or 25-player raids of each boss in the same week. Lockouts are based on individual bosses.
- Dungeon Journal added
- Flying mounts in Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor
- Darkmoon Island
With the changed landscape and the shattering of Azeroth, Alliance and Horde characters will have a whole new experience, especially with levelling zones, markedly different from anything else in Vanilla WoW, the Burning Crusade, or Wrath of the Lich King Classic. This will include new quests for you to experience on your adventures while making some older quests from previous expansions obsolete.
World of Warcraft Cataclysm Classic roadmap
Starting with the Cataclysm Classic pre-expansion patch, Blizzard has shared a rough roadmap of what we can expect after Cataclysm launches on May 20. There will be a total of three major content updates in the months after the full release, called: the Rise of the Zandalari, Rage of the Firelands, and Hour of Twilight.  receive a total of 3 major content updates in the following months. Zandalari drops in July 2024, with Rage of the Firelands following in October, and the Hour of Twilight (patch 4.3) scheduled to arrive in January 2025.
After Hour of Twilight launches, there is currently no word on what is next for WoW Classic. Canonically, the next expansion after Cataclysm is the Mists of Pandaria, which introduced the playable Pandaren race.
