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

You'll get a little bit of time to level before they open up.
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

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. 

Recommended Videos

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.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article WoW SoD: When does Sunken Temple reset in Season of Discovery
Enemies in Sunken Temple in WoW Classic
Read Article WoW SoD: Nightmare Incursions PvE event, explained in Season of Discovery
Image of a Dragon in WoW SoD.
Read Article WoW SoD: How to get to Sunken Temple in Season of Discovery
Image of a Troll Priest in Sunken Temple.
Related Content
Read Article WoW SoD: When does Sunken Temple reset in Season of Discovery
Enemies in Sunken Temple in WoW Classic
Read Article WoW SoD: Nightmare Incursions PvE event, explained in Season of Discovery
Image of a Dragon in WoW SoD.
Read Article WoW SoD: How to get to Sunken Temple in Season of Discovery
Image of a Troll Priest in Sunken Temple.
Author
Max Miceli
Senior Staff Writer. Max graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a journalism and political science degree in 2015. He previously worked for The Esports Observer covering the streaming industry before joining Dot where he now helps with Overwatch 2 coverage.