This year, Blizzard celebrated the 18th anniversary of World of Warcraft a bit early. With the release of Dragonflight at the end of the month, the anniversary celebrations were pushed back a few days.
World of Warcraft was released on November 23, 2004, with the goal of replicating the popularity of the successful strategy game Warcraft 3. For nearly two decades, the game set the tone for the MMORPG genre, with eight races, nine classes, and two factions to choose from. The game has gone through eight expansions worth of content and changes since then, with Dragonflight being the ninth. Though World of Warcraft has had its ups and downs over the years, including a slew of controversies surrounding Blizzard in recent years, the game is still going strong as Dragonflight ushers in the game’s Third Era, ushering in a new wave of storytelling and gameplay.
Things are already changing in the game now that the pre-expansion patch is available. The World of Warcraft anniversary was pushed ahead from its regular late November date this year. It began on November 6 and will end on November 27, the day before the launch of Dragonflight. During the event’s duration, players can travel across Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms to battle Classic era bosses such as Azuregos, the Dragons of Nightmare, and Doom Lord Kazzak for a chance at lucrative loot and Timewalking Badges. These badges can be redeemed for fun, cosmetic items such as costumes, temporary transformation items, and more at Timewalking vendors around the world and in the Caverns of Time.
