Update 2: With a roughly 15 minute delay due to emergency maintenance, WoW Classic servers are back up for Season of Discovery.
[#WoWClassic] Maintenance has completed & games are live. Thank you for your patience, everyone. See you in game!November 30, 2023
Update: WoW Classic servers were taken offline shortly before the planned launch of Season of Discovery for what Blizzard is calling "emergency maintenance." There's no word yet on when the servers will be restored, but the maintenance has already delayed the launch of the update.
Original story: The WoW Classic Season of Discovery release time is nearly here, offering a fresh twist on some of the MMO’s oldest content.
Announced just recently at BlizzCon 2023, Season of Discovery allows players to scour Azeroth to “discover new secrets” through class-altering abilities – tanking warlocks, mage healers, you name it. Season of Discovery is launching with an initial level cap of 25, at which point you’ll experience a new level-25 endgame. “Discover a 10-player Blackfathom Deeps raid with new and reimagined bosses, mechanics, and rewards,” Blizzard says.
That’s just scratching the surface, too. You’ve also got other gear to discover and PvP events to battle in, all to make ol’ Azeroth appear brand new. The level cap will gradually increase, bringing even more endgame content.
That’s getting ahead of ourselves, though, as we still have WoW Classic Phase 1 to get through. If you’re keen to jump in, the Season of Discovery unlock times are below.
WoW Classic Season of Discovery release time
November 30
- 1pm PST
- 4pm EST
- 6pm BRT
- 9pm GMT
- 10pm CET
December 1
- 12am EEST
- 6am KST
- 8am AEDT
Season of Discovery is interesting in and of itself. The build-up to Blizzcon saw the World of Warcraft community spitball what something like WoW Classic+ could look like, and Blizzard very much took notice.
"So, the phrase 'Classic Plus' comes up all the time, and nobody can agree on what exactly that means," World of Warcraft executive producer Holly Longdale told us in an interview.
"At its core, I think what players are asking for is: 'We love Classic, but do something neat with it.' Right? And so Season of Discovery is sort of like a toe in the water.
"Like okay, well how about this? You know, the idea for the season came from how we tested classes, which was by level ranges, and how players made their own endgames within those level ranges. We thought that was super fun, and decided to build something around that. But another part of Classic is its essence – at least for now, anything can change of course – is that it's built foundationally on what came before."
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