- Author: Luxrah
- Date: December 12, 2024
- Updated: January 10, 2025
- Expansion: WoW Classic
There are six phases in World of Warcraft Classic, each one bringing a new batch of endgame content from the vanilla version of the game. These phases align closely with the game’s original content patches, with a few changes for the modern era. We’ll cover everything that’s included in each of the phases below, including raids, battlegrounds, and events.
First, it should be noted that WoW Classic is built on a newer version of the base game that reflects the class tuning and spell changes from the very end of the vanilla era. So although the content will cycle through in the same order it did originally, class mechanics in the early phases may not be the same as they were when that content first released.
Season of Discovery has followed a similar content path, but with some significant variations. We have a separate Phase Overview for that version of the game.
Phase 1
The original launch version of World of Warcraft included most of the game’s leveling content as well as its first two endgame raids, Molten Core and Onyxia’s Lair. Phase 1 of WoW Classic also incorporates the game’s first content patch, Patch 1:2: Mysteries of Maraudon, which included the Maraudon dungeon and the Gurubashi Arena PvP hub.
Phase 1 Dates
- World of Warcraft:
- Launch – November 23, 2004
- Patch 1.2 – December 18, 2004
- WoW Classic:
- Launch – August 26, 2019
- WoW Classic Anniversary Edition:
- Launch – November 21, 2004
- Phase 1 Raids – December 12, 2004
Phase 1 Content
Leveling
All leveling content is available in Phase 1 of WoW Classic, including all of the game’s dungeons except for the three wings of Dire Maul.
Professions
All professions can be leveled to 300 in Phase 1, although some endgame recipes will not become available until the relevant content is added to the game.
Molten Core
The first raid of World of Warcraft, Molten Core, is a 40-player instance that offers some epic rewards, including the first Tier set for every class, as well as the game’s first legendary weapon, Sulfuras, Hand of Ragnaros. Players will also be able to begin working on Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker, although they won’t be able to complete it until Phase 3.
Onyxia’s Lair
The Onyxia’s Lair raid opens alongside Molten Core, with a single 40-player boss that drops some epic loot.
Phase 2
Phase 2 of WoW Classic, “Ruins of Dire Maul,” combines content from Patch 1.3: Ruins of the Dire Maul, Patch 1.4: The Call to War, and Patch 1.5: Battlegrounds. In the 2019 version of WoW Classic, the Dire Maul dungeons were added a little bit before Phase 2 began, and the battlegrounds and keyring were added a bit later on. The roadmap for Anniversary Edition has all of this content packaged together with Phase 2.
Phase 2 Dates
- World of Warcraft:
- Patch 1.3 – March 7, 2005
- Patch 1.4 – April 19, 2005
- Patch 1.5 – June 7, 2005
- WoW Classic:
- Dire Maul – October 15, 2019
- Phase 2 – November 12, 2019
- Battlegrounds & Keyring – December 10, 2019
- WoW Classic Anniversary Edition:
- Phase 2 – January 9, 2025
- Battlegrounds – January 16, 2025
Phase 2 Content
Dire Maul Dungeons
The three wings of Dire Maul – Dire Maul East, Dire Maul West, and Dire Maul North – are the last dungeons to open in vanilla WoW. Their opening makes available some items and buffs that were previously inaccessible, such as:
- The epic sword Quel’Serrar
- New enchantments for the Head and Leg slots
- The epic mounts for Paladins and Warlocks
- Rank 7 Conjure Water for Mages
- The Dire Maul Tribute buffs: Mol’dar’s Moxie, Fengus’ Ferocity, and Slip’kik’s Savvy
Honor System & PvP Ranking
This phase brings rewards for engaging in world PvP through the Honor system, which allows players to earn Honorable Kills (and Dishonorable Kills) to gain PvP ranks. Ranks come with titles, which are the only character titles that are available in WoW Classic. They also allow for the purchase of powerful PvP gear.
Battlegrounds
The first two battlegrounds of vanilla WoW are added to the game in this phase: Warsong Gulch and Alterac Valley. Both come with their own reputation systems for earning some new PvP gear rewards.
World Bosses
The first two World Bosses of vanilla WoW are available in this phase: Lord Kazzak in Blasted Lands and Azuregos in Azshara. Each drops some powerful epic loot for groups that are able to tag and kill them when they spawn.
Phase 3
Phase 3 of WoW Classic is titled “Assault on Blackwing Lair,” and it brings all of the content from Patch 1.6: Assault on Blackwing Lair. This is a fairly straightforward patch that adds the Blackwing Lair raid to the game as well as the Darkmoon Faire monthly event. The Darkmoon Faire has been sped up in Season of Discovery and Cataclysm Classic to occur twice a month, so that may be the case in Anniversary Edition as well.
Phase 3 Dates
- World of Warcraft:
- Patch 1.6 – July 12, 2005
- WoW Classic:
- Phase 3 – February 12, 2020
- WoW Classic Anniversary Edition:
- Phase 3 – Spring 2025
Phase 3 Content
Darkmoon Faire
The Darkmoon Faire is a recurring event that alternates between Elwynn Forest and Mulgore, appearing for about a week at a time and bringing with it a variety of unique activities and rewards. Most significantly, the Faire offers the opportunity to acquire Darkmoon Cards, epic trinkets that can be obtained by collecting a complete deck of cards to turn in.
Blackwing Lair Raid
Blackwing Lair picks up where Molten Core left off inside Blackrock Mountain, allowing players to complete Thunderfury, Blessed Blade of the Windseeker at least. It also offers a new tier of epic loot, including a new Tier 2 armor set for every class.
Phase 4
Phase 4 brings the “Rise of the Blood God,” which includes content from Patch 1.7: Rise of the Blood God and will also likely include Patch 1.8: Dragons of Nightmare. In the 2019 version of WoW Classic, both sets of content arrived together, with the Arathi Basin battleground appearing slightly ahead of the rest.
Phase 4 Dates
- World of Warcraft:
- Patch 1.7 – September 13, 2005
- Patch 1.8 – October 10, 2005
- WoW Classic:
- Arathi Basin – March 10, 2020
- Phase 4 – March 15, 2020
- WoW Classic Anniversary Edition:
- Phase 4 – Summer 2025
Phase 4 Content
Arathi Basin Battleground
The third of the three battlegrounds from vanilla WoW is added in this phase along with its own reputation and rewards.
World Bosses
This phase brings four new World Bosses to Azeroth: the Dragons of Nightmare, massive green dragons who guard the four portals to the Emerald Dream. These bosses are Emeriss, Lethon, Taerar, and Ysondre. Like the other two World Bosses, they drop some powerful loot for any group able to tag and slay them.
Zul’Gurub Raid
Zul’Gurub is the game’s first 20-player raid, and is intended mostly as a catch-up raid to allow characters to gear up quickly for the next batch of endgame content. It also adds some new best-in-slot shoulder enchantments and various other valuable items, including two of the rarest mounts in the game, the Swift Razzashi Raptor and Swift Zulian Tiger.
Stranglethorn Vale Fishing Extravaganza
The Stranglethorn Vale Fishing Extravaganza is a weekly Fishing tournament with some highly coveted rewards, including the best fishing pole in the game.
Phase 5
Phase 5 of WoW Classic brings us to the “Gates of Ahn’Qiraj,” where we can experience content from Patch 1.9: The Gates of Ahn’Qiraj. Most content from Patch 1.10: The Storms of Azeroth is included at launch for WoW Classic. This phase brings the iconic Opening of the Gates event to the game and all of the rewards that go with it.
Phase 5 Dates
- World of Warcraft:
- Patch 1.9 – January 3, 2006
- Patch 1.10 – March 28, 2006
- WoW Classic:
- Phase 5 – July 28, 2020
- WoW Classic Anniversary Edition:
- Phase 5 – Summer/Autumn 2025
Phase 5 Content
Ahn’Qiraj War Effort & Gate Opening Event
Before players can enter the new raids in this phase, the gates must be opened through a massive realm-wide effort that amounts to one of the most memorable events in WoW’s history. The Ahn’Qiraj War Effort involves gathering quite a lot of materials and completing the lengthy Scepter of the Shifting Sands questline. The guilds who manage to lead this effort are rewarded with some of the rarest treasures in World of Warcraft, and the entire realm gets to experience a one-time “Ten Hour War” event in Silithus as the gates open for everyone, allowing access to the phase’s two new raids.
Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj Raid
The Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj is a 20-player raid that offers a number of new skill books for each class as well as some useful catch-up gear, similar to Zul’Gurub.
Temple of Ahn’Qiraj Raid
The Temple of Ahn’Qiraj is a 40-player raid where players can earn Tier 2.5 armor sets and plenty of other powerful gear.
Phase 6
Phase 6 of WoW Classic, “Shadows of the Necropolis,” combines Patch 1.11: Shadow of the Necropolis and Patch 1.12: Drums of War from the original game. This phase marks the last major content release of the original game, with a Scourge Invasion event to mark the opening of Naxxramas, the final raid of WoW Classic.
Phase 6 Dates
- World of Warcraft:
- Patch 1.11 – June 19, 2006
- Patch 1.12 – August 22, 2006
- WoW Classic:
- Phase 6 – December 1, 2020
- WoW Classic Anniversary Edition:
- Phase 6 – Autumn 2025
Phase 6 Content
World PvP
This phase adds some new world PvP objectives to the Eastern Plaguelands and Silithus zones.
Scourge Invasion
The opening of the Naxxramas raid is marked by an invasion of Scourge forces across Azeroth, including some special limited-time bosses inside dungeons.
Naxxramas Raid
Naxxramas is the final raid of WoW Classic. This 40-player instance in Eastern Plaguelands houses scores of undead and offers valuable loot such as Tier 3 armor sets and the legendary staff Atiesh.
The Burning Crusade Pre-Patch
When the final phase of WoW Classic has had some time to stew, the game prepares for the first expansion of WoW Classic with Patch 2.0.1: Before the Storm. While this phase does not add any of the new level 61+ content from the expansion, it does include the expansion’s two new races as well as a host of changes to classes and systems for the base game.
The Burning Crusade Pre-Patch Dates
- World of Warcraft:
- Patch 2.0.1 – December 5, 2006
- WoW Classic:
- Burning Crusade Pre-Patch – May 20, 2021
- WoW Classic Anniversary Edition:
- Burning Crusade Pre-Patch – Winter 2025
The Burning Crusade Pre-Patch Content
Draenei and Blood Elf Races
A new race is added to each faction with the TBC Pre-Patch: Draenei for Alliance and Blood Elf for Horde. These races also bring class parity to the factions, as Alliance gain Shamans for the first time through the Draenei, and Horde gain access to Paladins through the Blood Elves.
Jewelcrafting Profession
There’s a new profession in The Burning Crusade, Jewelcrafting, which becomes available with the Pre-Patch.
Class Changes
All classes receive a host of changes in The Burning Crusade, including some new talents and abilities.
Systems and Mechanics Changes
There are 5 new stats added to the game in the Pre-Patch: Expertise, Haste, Spell Haste, Armor Penetration, and Resilience. The Pre-Patch also brings many changes to buffs and consumables and limits the number of both that can stack.
PvP Changes
The Honor system sees an overhaul in the Pre-Patch, and players are able to queue for arena skirmishes for the first time to prepare for the new arena system in The Burning Crusade.
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About the Author
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