World of Warcraft: Dragonflight pre-patch release time - here's when maintenance starts and ends

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Don't get caught out by the World of Warcraft downtime

World of Warcraft Dragonflight
(Image credit: Blizzard)

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight's pre-patch will be launching tomorrow after a lengthy eight-hour maintenance period.

Blizzard confirmed on its website that extensive downtime is expected for World of Warcraft, confirming that the live game will be unavailable from tomorrow, October 25, from 7AM PT to 3PM PT. That's eight hours of downtime where no one will be able to log into the game.

This is to implement the first of two pre-patches ahead of the release of the Dragonflight expansion at the end of the month. The headlining change for this first release is undoubtedly a talent system revamp. In a blog post, the development team said that "the new talent system empowers players to make creative and meaningful talent choices without compromising their effectiveness - and most importantly, it gives them meaningful options at every level."

The game will also be getting a facelift with a HUD UI update. This will revamp the iconic interface to a more modern take which will feature more customization options than ever before. 

There as several other features coming too like new accessibility features, rated Solo Shuffle, and new class and race combinations. 

This is only the first of two pre-patches too. The second is due November 15 and will bring with it the new race, the Dracthyr, as well as the new zone, The Forbidden Reach, allowing players to play through a new starting area. 

Pre-patches, especially ahead of a new expansion, are always an exciting time for World of Warcraft players. However, make sure you're not planning to do any large-scale raids during downtime. 

Want more? Check out the best MMORPG games to play right now.

Patrick Dane
Freelance writer

Patrick Dane is the former Guides Editor at TechRadar. He is now a freelance games journalist writing for sites and publications such as GamesRadar, Metro, IGN, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, and the International Business Times, among others. He was also once the Managing Editor for Bleeding Cool.