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General
What does the title of the World of Warcraft expansion refer to?
"The Burning Crusade" refers to the Burning Legion's ongoing efforts to destroy life throughout the universe. To date, the Burning Legion's exploits have been documented in Warcraft III and in our War of the Ancients novel trilogy. As part of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, players will be able to travel through the Dark Portal to confront the Legion on otherworldly battlefields.
When will the expansion be released? Will it be a simultaneous global launch? How much will it cost?
We will follow a careful, phased approach with the expansion. The target release date will be January 2007 in Europe, Korea, and North America (and those regions that play on North American realms), and we will work to ensure that the launches in mainland China and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau take place as quickly as possible after that. This phased approach will help ensure a smooth and successful launch in all regions. Further details regarding launch timing and pricing will be revealed in the months ahead.
What are some of the other features of the expansion?
In addition to the new races, zones, and dungeons, we have a number of other new features planned for the Burning Crusade expansion. Check out the features page for more details.
What is the ESRB rating for the expansion?
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade has not yet been rated by the ESRB. However, we expect that it will receive the same rating that the original World of Warcraft received - "Teen."
When will The Burning Crusade beta test begin?
Closed beta testing has now begun on The Burning Crusade. Our development team continues to work diligently on new content and balancing gameplay for the expansion based on feedback from our testers.
Will there be an open beta?
We have no plans for an open beta, such as what many players experienced prior to the launch of World of Warcraft. However, we are currently hosting a closed beta which includes a large number of players.
Will we have to pay any more than the current monthly fee for the expansion?
No. While you will need to purchase the expansion in order to upgrade, you will continue to have the same subscription options available to you.
How many copies of the expansion will be needed for players with multiple accounts?
You will need one copy of the expansion for every World of Warcraft account that you wish to upgrade.
Do you need to own the expansion to play with friends who have it?
There will be many aspects of the expansion that are available to all players. However, in order to experience certain content, such as Outland, or be able to play as one of the new races, players will have to purchase the expansion.
What content will be restricted to those without the expansion?
There will be a number of features in The Burning Crusade that will only be available to expansion owners. To name a few: the two new races, the ten new levels of experience (level 60-70), all of the new zones, and the new profession Jewelcrafting.
Will you offer a downloadable option for The Burning Crusade or must you continue to purchase it in stores?
A: It's very possible that we will allow for a downloadable Burning Crusade at some point in the future, but at this time nothing is definite.
Will there be a Collector's Edition of The Burning Crusade?
A: Yes, there will be a Collector's Edition package available. For more details on what's included, see our official Collector's Edition page.
Will there eventually be a "combo pack" offered where both the original game and expansion (with the appropriate CD Keys) be offered?
We have no plans to do so at this time, however, it's very possible at some point in the future.
Will the realms be upgraded in time to handle the new surge of players brought about by the expansion?
Yes, as a matter of fact retrofit hardware upgrades designed to improve stability and performance for all World of Warcraft realms will be completed by the time the expansion set ships.
Technology
What are the system requirements?
PC System Requirements
- OS: Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4); Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
- Processor: Intel Pentium3 800MHz or AMD Athlon 800MHz
- Memory:
- 512 MB RAM,
- 1GB RAM is recommended
- Video:
- Minimum: 32MB 3D graphics processor with Hardware Transform and Lighting, such as an NVIDIA GeForce 2 class card or above.
- Recommended: 64MB VRAM 3D graphics processor with Vertex and Pixel Shader capability, such as an NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 class card or above.
- Sound: DirectX compatible sound card
Mac System Requirements
- OS: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or newer required
- Processor:
- 933MHz G4/G5 processor,
- 1.8GHz G5/Intel or better recommended
- RAM:
- 512MB RAM,
- 1GB DDR RAM is recommended
- Video:
- NVIDIA or ATI graphics processor with 32MB VRAM,
- 64MB VRAM recommended
All Platforms
- Controls: A keyboard and mouse are required. Input devices other than a mouse and keyboard are not supported
- Connectivity:You must have an active broadband internet connection to play.
- Mouse: Multi-button mouse with scroll wheel recommended.
Note: System Requirements are subject to change.
Support
Will we continue to receive free downloadable update patches? Will these patches continue to include new content such as dungeons and events?
Yes, we plan to support World of Warcraft in the same manner as before, which means providing frequent content updates for areas of the game we feel are most in need.
Can we expect the same pace of content releases after the release of The Burning Crusade?
Yes. We'll continue to produce fun and exciting content as quickly as possible.
Do you plan to include content in The Burning Crusade for players who aren't yet level 60?
Yes, there will be two new races, each with starting zones from levels 1-20. In addition, the new profession Jewelcrafting will be available to all expansion players regardless of level.
Races
What new races will be introduced in the expansion?
The expansion will introduce two new races to World of Warcraft: the Draenei race for the Alliance and the Blood Elf race for the Horde.
What are the Blood Elves?
No longer trusted by the Alliance, these former High Elves have joined the Horde to hunt down the demons that destroyed their homeland of Quel'Thalas.
What are the Draenei?
Descended from the Eredar, the same ancient race as Archimonde, leader of the Burning Legion's recently thwarted invasion of Azeroth, the Draenei resisted the demonic forces that corrupted their brethren and fled their ancient homeworld, devoting themselves to ending the Legion's apocalyptic crusade.
Why did you decide to add the Draenei as the new Alliance race?
The Draenei visited many worlds in their travels and explored much of the known cosmos on their quest to find safe harbor. During this exodus they befriended the enigmatic Naaru -- a race of beings with a deep affinity for the Holy Light of Creation that empowers the paladins of Azeroth. The Naaru blessed the Draenei with this power in an effort to help them in their struggle. This makes them a natural ally of the Alliance races who embrace this holy power.
In addition, the Draenei hold no affinity for certain Horde races. They outright hate the Orcs, who nearly drove the Draenei to extinction in Outland. And more recently, the Blood Elves stole technology from the Draenei and also sabotaged their dimensional ship, which crash landed on Azeroth.
Where did the Draenei come from?
The Draenei's flight from the Legion eventually led them to a remote, peaceful world, which they named Draenor. In time, the Draenei met and befriended the native Orc clans that lived on this tranquil planet. For many years they lived peacefully with their shamanistic neighbors, until Kil'jaeden discovered their hiding place and corrupted the Orcs, pitting them against the Draenei. The Orcs nearly eradicated the entire Draenei race during the ensuing war. Recently, the surviving Draenei fled Outland, and a small group of these refugees landed on Azeroth.
Gameplay
Will the level cap be raised?
Yes, the level cap will be raised to 70 from the current maximum level of 60. In addition to the level increase, every class will gain access to additional talents and abilities or spells as they level up from level 60 to level 70.
Will there be any soloable quests for Levels 60 - 70?
Yes, there will be many solo, group, and raid quests for players leveling from 60 to 70.
Will there be new emotes in the expansion?
We do plan to implement new emotes at some point in the future.
Will there be any more player customization options or ability to change existing features?
At this time we do not have plans for additional character customization options, however it is always possible for the future.
Will the character limit be increased from ten per realm?
We feel that ten characters per realm is still a very reasonable and flexible number and at this time have no plans to increase this limit.
Will there be realms where only players who have purchased the expansion can play?
No. All of our realms will be host for both expansion and non-expansion players.
Do you plan to make improvements to the current "Looking For Group" interface?
Yes, the "Looking For Group" interface will be completely reworked in the Burning Crusade. Check out our preview page for more details on how the interface will work.
Raids & Dungeons
Will there be new dungeons and battlegrounds included in the expansion?
We do have plans to add dungeons and battlegrounds with the expansion, though the exact number has not yet been determined. One upcoming dungeon that we're excited about is Karazhan, also known as Medivh's tower, which is located in Deadwind Pass. Because Medivh has played such a central role in Warcraft lore, we think that a lot of longtime players will be especially interested in seeing what Karazhan contains. As an example of a battleground that will be included in the expansion, we plan on making some of the battles from the past accessible through the Caverns of Time. We'll provide more details as we get closer to implementing this content.
Are there plans for any new instance dungeons in Azeroth?
In addition to the many instanced dungeons included in Outland, the expansion will launch with two dungeons, Karazhan and Caverns of Time, that are located in Azeroth.
Can you tell us more about dungeon difficulty and how it works?
New dungeons introduced with Burning Crusade will have two difficulty options; normal and Heroic difficulty. In order to unlock the Heroic level of a dungeon, players will need to be level 70 and achieve other objectives. More details on these prerequisites will be revealed at a later date. While the challenge at Heroic difficulty will be much greater, the rewards will also scale up accordingly.
Will 25-player-capped raid dungeons also have the Heroic difficulty option?
No. The Heroic difficulty option will only be available in the new non-raid dungeons introduced with the Burning Crusade.
Are older raid encounters such as Molten Core and Blackwing Lair going to be switched to use a token loot system similar to Naxxramas?
We have no plans to adjust the loot system of our previous raid dungeons.
Will the current 40-player-capped raid dungeons remain capped at forty players even once the expansion releases and players can level to 70?
At this time, we have no plans to change the player caps of our existing raid dungeons.
Will there be any more 40-player-capped raid dungeons?
At this time we have no plans to create additional raid dungeons that accommodate more than 25 players.
Are there any plans to introduce new outdoor raid encounters, such as Lord Kazzak and Azuregos?
We definitely have plans to implement additional outdoor raid encounters. We'll announce more details on this content as we get closer to introducing it.
Are there plans to allow for pet scaling in the end-game raids and dungeons?
Yes, we do plan to implement a scaling system for hunter and warlock pets so that they remain viable as players progress into more dangerous areas of the game.
Will we see changes to the reset times of the current end-game instances?
It's possible, but there are no plans to do so at this time.
Will it be possible to kill Illidan in the Burning Crusade?
Illidan doesn't think so. As a matter of fact, he's probably thinking about destroying your character for simply entertaining the thought.
The World
Will there be new lands to explore in the expansion?
Outland will be opened with the expansion. Players last visited Outland in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, alongside Illidan as he conquered the pit lord Magtheridon's domain. Players will also gain access to Quel'Thalas, the region to the northeast of the Plaguelands, where the Blood Elves reside, and the Azuremyst Isles, a grouping of islands off the northwestern coast of Kalimdor, where the remaining Draenei crash landed after fleeing Draenor. Other areas that players will be able to explore in the expansion set will be revealed in the months ahead.
Do you have to travel through the Dark Portal every time you want to visit Outland?
No. Players can bind their hearthstones to any of the inns in Outland. Additionally, all player abilities that allow for travel, such as the the Warlock's Summoning Ritual, will also work in Outland.
Will there be faster travel methods available to players who wish to travel between Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms?
There are no plans to introduce faster travel between the continents at this time.
Do the Draenei and Blood Elves have their own starting area in Azeroth?
Yes. Each of these races will start in brand-new starting zones, both of which are in Azeroth.
Will the release of The Burning Crusade bring about additional content for Azeroth?
Absolutely--two new dungeons will be available, along with the new starting zones for both the Draenei and Blood Elves.
Will there be a world event to introduce the opening of the Dark Portal?
Nice try! You'll have to wait and see!
