World of Warcraft celebrated its 20th Anniversary on November 21, 2024, with fresh servers for players to relive the original WoW Classic journey. This includes new Hardcore servers for those seeking the thrill of permanent character death.
In this article, you will find a simple and clear overview of each WoW Classic Anniversary phase and what you can expect from this game in general.
WoW Classic 20th Anniversary Phases Schedule
Phase 1: Molten Core and Onyxia (December 12, 2024)
- Raids: Molten Core, Onyxia
- Maraudon dungeon available
Phase 2: Dire Maul and PvP System (January 9, 2025)
- Dungeon: Dire Maul
- World bosses: Azuregos and Kazzak
- PvP Honor system begins
- Warsong Gulch and Alterac Valley battlegrounds open on January 16
Phase 3: Blackwing Lair and Arathi Basin (March 20, 2025)
- Raid: Blackwing Lair
- Battleground: Arathi Basin
- Event: Darkmoon Faire monthly rotation
Phase 4: Zul’Gurub and Nightmare Dragons (May 1, 2025)
- Raid: Zul’Gurub (20-player)
- World bosses: Dragons of Nightmare
- Event: Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza
- Dungeon armor set Tier 0.5 introduced
Phase 5: Gates of Ahn’Qiraj (Early Autumn 2025)
- Event: Ahn’Qiraj War Effort
- Raids: Ruins and Temple of Ahn’Qiraj
- Major loot updates
Phase 6: Naxxramas and Scourge Invasion (Late Autumn 2025)
- Raid: Naxxramas
- Scourge invasion event across Azeroth
- World PvP events in Silithus and Eastern Plaguelands
This roadmap ensures that WoW Classic players experience each memorable part of Azeroth’s history again with new servers, fresh competition, and classic gameplay fun.
WoW Classic Anniversary Servers: All You Need To Know
WoW Classic Anniversary introduced new servers starting from scratch. Players began at Patch 1.12.
There are three server types available:
- Normal PvE
- PvP
- Hardcore (permanent death)
Below is a full list of available Fresh servers by region and type:
- North America (NA)
- Dreamscythe – Normal (PvE): No open-world PvP. Safe for players who want to focus on quests, dungeons, and raids.
- Nightslayer – PvP: Open-world PvP is always active. Great for players who enjoy faction battles while leveling.
- Doomhowl – Hardcore: No PvP. Permanent death is enabled—once you die, that character is gone for good.
- Europe (EU)
- Thunderstrike – Normal (PvE): A relaxed server with no PvP outside of duels and battlegrounds.
- Spineshatter – PvP: Faction combat is always on. Ideal for competitive players who enjoy danger in contested zones.
- Soulseeker – Hardcore: No PvP. Hardcore rules apply—death is final and there’s no resurrection.
- Oceania / Australia (AU)
- Maladath – PvP: This is the only Oceanic server at launch. World PvP is enabled.
Blizzard may open more servers based on demand but initially started with one server for each type.
Quality of Life Updates
WoW Classic Fresh maintains the original Vanilla experience but includes some useful updates from day one:
- Better graphics
- Instant mail between your characters
- No limit on buffs/debuffs
- Dual specialization is available immediately
- Enhanced reporting and guild management tools
- Chronoboon Displacer with up to 10 charges
- Improved PvP Honor Ranking system (from Phase 2)
- Gold Dragon Kill Points (GDKP) are banned on North American (US) and European (EU) servers.
Character Transfer Rules
- Transfers between Normal and PvP realms aren’t allowed.
- Hardcore characters (alive or dead) can transfer to non-Hardcore servers.
Group Finder and Services Channel
A manual group finder tool helps players easily form groups. A special “Services” chat channel is available for player-run services like portals and buffs.
PvP Server Population Control
PvP server populations are balanced by Blizzard. Character creation may temporarily stop on one faction if the numbers become too unbalanced.
WoW Classic Hardcore Servers Explained
WoW Classic Hardcore servers feature permanent character death and follow regular phase progression. Hardcore servers will not move into Burning Crusade Classic but allow character transfers to regular servers.
After completing all phases, normal PvE and PvP servers move into Burning Crusade Classic. Hardcore servers stay within Classic WoW content.
Conclusion
WoW Classic 20th Anniversary Fresh servers offer players an exciting way to relive the game’s most memorable moments. With new challenges (like Hardcore mode), balanced PvP servers, and quality-of-life improvements, both new and returning players will find them amazing to explore. Keep in mind that you don’t have to buy any WoW DLCs to play Vanilla: all you need to have is an active game subscription.
Follow this roadmap closely to experience every World of Warcraft Classic phase and make sure you don’t miss any key events. Prepare your character, gather your guild, and dive into Azeroth again—good luck on your journey!
