World of Warcraft Dragonflight players prepare for server queues ahead of launch

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight characters look out onto the Dragon Isles — (Image credit: Blizzard)

World of Warcraft Dragonflight isn't even out yet, and players are already living in fear of the MMO's eventual server queues.

If you weren't already aware, the latest expansion for World of Warcraft releases later today on November 28 (check out our WoW Dragonflight release time guide for more). With hours yet to go, WoW players are fearing for the state of the MMO's servers come the launch of the Dragonflight expansion.

I just realized I'm booked solid tomorrow for like the first five hours that Dragonflight will be playable so have fun with those server issues everyoneNovember 28, 2022

Dragonflight launch tomorrow. Good luck everybody. May your class be buffed, may your server be stable, and may your levelling be smooth.November 28, 2022

Today we all need to take a moment of silence for the @Blizzard_Ent servers, as #Dragonflight goes live today.November 28, 2022

The selection of tweets above are just a tiny of sample of WoW players voicing similar concerns across social media. When Dragonflight does launch, players are understandably concerned about the wait times they'll be forced to endure due to Blizzard's servers being absolutely bombarded.

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The fear is well founded. Going back to late last year in 2021, Final Fantasy 14 players faced huge server stability issues upon Endwalker's launch. Many players were forced to wait upwards of five hours to get into the MMO, that is if they even did manage to connect at all. So bad were the queue times, that Square Enix even pulled Final Fantasy 14 from sale temporarily.

There's some comfort for WoW players though, as the maintenance for Dragonflight has come and gone. The maintenance period took place last week on November 25, which means in theory, Blizzard is all set and ready to go for Dragonflight's grand opening today.

Blizzard recently told us that Dragonflight's dragons were originally made of stone, among several other fun tidbits about the upcoming expansion. Oh, and WoW players are already producing Shrek memes after a player mounted a donkey as a Dracthyr, just in case you wanted to know where the WoW community is currently at.

Check out our guide to the best MMORPGs if WoW's server queues really do get that bad later today.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.