Blizzard Entertainment has revealed the complete roadmaps for World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft: Classic.
Back in November, Blizzard unveiled its plans for the future of its popular MMORPG, announcing that the next major expansion - The War Within - will kick off the new multi-part Worldsong Saga, a trilogy of expansions with the first arriving next year.
Although a solid release date has yet to be confirmed, the studio has now shared a roadmap detailing plans leading up to the expansion's vague launch window - which appears to be somewhere between summer and fall.
"In modern World of Warcraft, you’re going to see three more content updates for Dragonflight arriving before World of Warcraft: The War Within releases next year," said executive producer Holly Longdale in the blog post.
"In these updates, we’ll be wrapping up the story for this expansion and laying the foundation for our next one. Dragonflight Season Four will revisit Dragonflight's dungeons and raids, along with outdoor content, featuring updated rewards, and a few new twists. Then, in the spring/summer, we’ll ask for your feedback when the War Within expansion alpha and beta tests drop."
For the next major patch coming in January, World of Warcraft players can expect the Seeds of Renewal content update which will feature the Dragon Isles epilogues for Dragonflight, follower dungeons, and more; an update that will also coincide with the 10th anniversary of Hearthstone.
A lot is going on between spring and fall, but we know that The War Within will then enter pre-alpha between winter and spring, ahead of Dragonflight Season Four and its new PvP and Mythic+ season, and will be followed by the Dark Heart update in spring.
The War Within's beta test will arrive sometime before summer, and Blizzard confirmed that the pre-patch that proceeds will arrive shortly before the expansion officially launches alongside a new campaign between summer and fall.
As for WoW: Classic, a release date has not yet been revealed for the next Cataclysm Classic expansion, but the roadmap shows that Blizzard will be holding a beta test between late winter and early spring, with the official launch estimated to arrive in early summer.
The lack of solid release dates may be disappointing considering how many content updates players can expect for both WoW and WoW: Classic next year, but Blizzard did officially confirm that signups for the Cataclysm Classic beta test are now open for all players.
You can head over to the official website now and "opt-in" for a chance to play Cataclysm Classic early.
For more, check out our list of the best MMORPGs you can get lost in right now, along with our picks for the best PC games.
