TBC Classic Anniversary Overview

The TBC Anniversary edition pre-patch will be going live on the week of January 13, 2026, with the launch of the full expansion coming a few weeks later, on February 5th, and the first TBC raids releasing on February 19th.

• Shaman class for Alliance players with the introduction of the Draenei race.
• Paladin class for Horde players with the introduction of the Blood Elf race.
• New profession: Jewelcrafting.
• Faster leveling through reductions to the experience needed to level from 1 to 60.
• Removal of the old PvP weekly rank system: all gear can now be bought for Honor and battleground marks.

Once TBC releases we will be able to level to 70 and go through multiple phases of content with new zones, dungeons, raids, reputations and PvP seasons. You can watch the original cinematic trailer for the Burning Crusade below for a quick idea of what is to come:

Below we present a schedule with what is currently known about the phases and their launch dates:

Mount costs will change, you will now be able to buy the first riding skill for 60% speed mounts at Level 30, which was previously unlocked at 40, and most of the gold cost is shifted into the riding skill cost while the mounts themselves are much cheaper than they used to be.

Overall, a new 60% speed mount will cost you 45 gold for the skill plus mount while the coveted 100% speed mount will now cost 700 gold total instead of 1000, which is a significant cost save.

It will be faster to level because the experience required between Level 20 and 60 is reduced by 15% once the pre-patch hits, while experience gained from Level 30 and higher quests is increased, with dungeon quests receiving a larger boost.

Outdoor elite quests will also be made much easier by reducing the power of their elite enemies or removing their elite status outright, allowing solo players to complete them for even more experience. A new neutral outdoor questing hub on the south of Dustwallow Marsh was also added to provide quest support for Level 40 players.

Finally, dungeon item rewards were improved across the board and the level of enemies within them were brought within a much closer range, enabling players to complete them without running into green or orange / red level mobs due to the rapid enemy level progression found in many vanilla dungeons.

For players looking to skip leveling entirely, Level 58 boosts are available in the WoW Shop through the Outland Epic Pack, priced at $79.99, and include a mount, weapon skills and level adequate green gear as well as some bags to get you started.

If you're aiming to enter The Burning Crusade with the best possible gear, we've provided best-in-slot lists for you to use while we wait for the level cap to jump to Level 70.