Every year Blizzard celebrates the anniversary of World of Warcraft with quests and rewards, but this year is the 20th anniversary of the MMO – and the 30th anniversary of the Warcraft series as a whole. The 20th anniversary coincides with the recent release of The war withinthe first expansion of the Worldsoul Saga. The war within has been well received by players and there is much to look forward to in the future – but before we embark on further adventures, players have the opportunity to celebrate WowThe big birthday is celebrated with a new patch for the game.
One challenge will be the return to Blackrock Depths, a 10-15 player raid with eight main bosses. This raid will be available in Quest for Raid, Normal, and Heroic difficulties. Blackrock Depths was a huge, sprawling dungeon from the early days of World of Warcraftand players can once again fight their way through this familiar place.
A remarkable event in World of Warcraft was the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj, a massive event where players came together to gather resources and break open a massive gate in the deserts of Silithus. The anniversary patch will revisit the Gates of Ahn’Qiraj, but with an added surprise. Traveling back in time to revisit the gates has spawned all sorts of time-bending nonsense throughout Silithus, and it’s up to players to clear away these echoes of the past.
Speaking of memorable trinkets from the past, Blizzard is releasing a new, revamped version of the Tier 2 sets. These armor sets are still very popular, although they are very outdated compared to the brand new sets for modern raids.
For those less interested in raids and battles, Blizzard is offering some new, lower-pressure activities: an ice rink, a pet corner, an in-game cosplay booth, a small theater staffed by Lorewalker Cho, and a mount contest. There will also be new rewards for players to unlock, like an icy phoenix inspired by the Ashes of Al’ar and a baby Dreadlord pet. There will also be new transmog options based on the sword, ring, shield and helmet are rewarded in real life to Blizzard employees at certain milestones.
The Anniversary Patch doesn’t have an exact release date yet, but it will be a full patch cycle, meaning it will run for more than two months. Players will have plenty of opportunity to jump in and earn these new rewards, as well as take a tour of the new content.
