It was in an interview published by Shacknews on Friday, May 6, 2022 that the news broke: the Beta of the World of Warcraft expansion Wrath of the Lich King Classic would be scheduled for this summer, after just over a year. from Burning Crusade Classic. The interview was granted by Holly Longdale and Kevin Vigue. We therefore come back to this point in order to identify when precisely this test phase could be planned, but also to estimate its duration and of course the final release of the extension so awaited by many players.
WotLK Classic: A beta scheduled for summer 2022
While we learned some interesting information about certain elements of the Classic version of Wrath of the Lich King, in particular the fact that it will not be necessary to have a level 55 character to create a Knight of the death , or that the first heroic class of the game will be available from the PrePatch, it is the very end that caught our attention. Very briefly, Holly Longdale announced there that the extension was of course planned for sometime in 2022, but also that the development team planned to deploy its Beta version " in the next two or three months ".
If we are to believe this statement, from the Lead Producer of the game, then the test version of the second Classic expansion would be deployed by September 2022 at the latest, or even by the beginning of September maximum. According to her, since more or less important modifications are planned for this version of the game, it would be important to deploy it so that the players give their feedback on these subjects before the official deployment of the game.
What is the release date for WotLK Classic?
First and foremost, this section of the article is purely speculative : none of what you believe here has been officially announced, we are simply relying on our observations, our experience and the data at our disposal.
Since Burning Crusade Classic was entitled to a Beta period of just over three months. Started on March 23, 2022, it ended on June 2 of the same year and the official deployment of the extension. It had also started when WoW Classic players had largely started Phase 6, more than three months after its deployment (December 3, 2022). The Burning Crusade Classic PrePatch took place from May 18 to June 2, 2021. A frantic pace of content deployment followed with a new phase every three months (more or less):
- PrePatch: May 18, 2021
- Stage 1: June 2, 2021
- Phase 2: September 15, 2021
- Phase 3: January 19, 2022
- Phase 4: March 24, 2022
- Phase 5: May 12, 2022
Theoretically, Phase 5, which has already been announced for May 12, should officially end in August 2022, thus implying the start of the PrePatch test phase in July and an official deployment of it in mid-August, or even early September. Starting from this premise, and on the sole condition that the same content deployment scheme as TBC is planned for WotLK, then we can probably easily envisage a deployment of the Beta in June 2022. This would be perfect, moreover, since a "small event" by the name of Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase takes place on June 12, with the ongoing acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, we can assume that such an announcement could give a good image to the company even if the agreement has not yet been concluded!
Thus, in our opinion, Wrath of the Lich King Classic (WotLK Classic for short) could be deployed no later than during the last week of August, or even the first two weeks of September. The PrePatch would thus once again last two to three weeks, the Beta would have lasted barely three months and... This would coincide with the deployment of the first version of Classic which had taken place on August 26, 2019 and which had been a great success. : players wouldn't blame Blizzard for forcing them to choose between their summer vacation and the Classic version of the game they've been waiting for the most for years!
Remember these dates (or periods):
- June 12, 2022: Supposed announcement of the opening of the WotLK Classic Beta
- July 2022: Assumed PrePatch PTR
- Mid-August 2022: Supposed deployment of the PrePatch
- Late August 2022: Supposed rollout of Wrath of the Lich King Classic
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