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World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Classic is set to release June 1, but players can already get a taste of the Burning Crusade with today’s pre-patch content, which includes two new playable races, item rebalancing, major class changes, and more. Think of it like an appetizer before the main course.
It’s also the day players must make a big decision across each of their individual characters: to progress that character to the Burning Crusade and all the shiny “new” content that includes, or to keep their character in what Blizzard is now calling the “Classic Era”, i.e. the version of WoW Classic players have been playing up until now. When logging in for the first time post pre-patch, players will be prompted to make a decision on whether to keep their character on their existing server, which will automatically be converted to the Burning Crusade, or to transfer their character free of charge to a WoW Classic-only server. Players can’t login with their character until a decision on which version of the game to play is made.
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Now Playing: World of Warcraft Classic: Burning Crusade Reveal Trailer | BlizzCon 2021
There is, of course, a way to keep characters in both versions of the game, albeit for a price. Blizzard is offering a character cloning service (previously $35, now reduced to $15 after player outcry) so players can have two copies of the same character.
The Burning Crusade Classic pre-patch period is much shorter than many players were anticipating. Blizzard announced during its BlizzConline event earlier this year players would have the opportunity to level new characters, specifically new Blood Elf and Draenei characters, prior to the expansion’s official launch.
Most players assumed this would be a four-week long pre-patch, as is often the case with most pre-patch’s across WoW’s numerous expansions over the years. But the Burning Crusade Classic pre-patch will only last two weeks, irking more than a few players who feel like they won’t be able to find the 100+ hours it takes to level a character in the two week time limit. Players can still continue leveling once the expansion arrives on June 1, but they will be starting significantly behind players who are already level 60 and ready to go.
It is worth noting that the original Burning Crusade pre-patch way back in 2006 lasted six weeks, but did not include the ability to level up Blood Elf and Draenei characters. That didn’t come until the expansion’s official launch in January of 2007.
For players of WoW’s latest expansion, Shadowlands, the first major content patch for the game, Chains of Domination, is currently being tested on the game’s Public Test Realm, with no official release date as of yet.
