When do raids release in World of Warcraft Classic Wrath of the Lich King?

Blizzard this week unveiled its roadmap for the World of Warcraft Classic Wrath of the Lich King launch. And along with a pre-patch beginning at the end of August, there are a few other key dates for players to keep track of. 

We’ve known for a little while that the expansion itself will open up on Sept. 26, but the game’s developers also recently gave players an idea of when they’ll be able to step into the first few raids that the expansion has to offer.

During the beginning of WoLK, players will be able to access three raids—Naxxramas, Eye of Eternity, and Obsidian Sanctum. But these instances won’t be available for the first week of the expansion.

A common practice in WoW’s retail client, delaying the release of raids gives players a little bit of time to level up and get some gear to prepare characters for raids before hopping into boss fights.

When do Naxxramas, Eye of Eternity, and Obsidian Sanctum release?

Players will be able to get into WoLK’s first three raids beginning Oct. 6 at 5pm CT. This will be a global release, as has been the case for most of WoW Classic high-end content. This gives players about 10 days from the release of the expansion to get leveled and ready.

The global launch of the expansion will be at the same time on Sept. 26, and for the PvPers out there, Arena season five will begin shortly before raids come out on Oct. 4 and 5. Unlike the expansion and its raids, Arena season five will start following each region’s weekly reset. So when the season begins will depend on where you play. North American players can expect to have the season open on that Tuesday, and European realms will be able to join in the following day.