Classic TBC release date

[ClassicPeon]

We didn't get usual "fly through" videos of new zones and this is main argument for "9.1 will be super late" people. But it makes 0 sense if art team is not done already with them. 9.0 zones were finished last summer, after that Blizzard was just reiterating new systems all over again, what the hell art team was doing during that time, fixing bugs in world quests?

Imo lack of this videos was rather they choice for presentation. Just look how 8.1 reveal looked like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0WKnDcvSzE. And PTR for this patch started next week after reveal.

Blizzard already said 9.1 PTR will be shortly after 9.0.5, so late March/early April. Even 8.2 PTR (and this patch had to rewrite BfA progression system I remind) was just 2 months on PTR. 9.1 will be just more of the same. It's really obvious 9.1 is planned for Q2, TBC+9.1.5 for Q3 and probably 9.2 for Q4.

Why there would be even a reason to release TBC asap, not to plan it around retail releases? For returning players/tourists it doesn't matter, for current playerbase they released 16 boss raid just 2.5 moths ago.

The major difference being?

Blizzcon. 8.1 wasnt revealed at blizzcon.

We got a blizzcon with absolutely 0 news in it besides a few cosmetics. Thats unheard off. Thats why its not going to be ready soon

[Exkrementor]

In the lull of 9.1 is my guess. 9.1 I'm guessing is probably early May at this point. So probably Late June/Early July.

9.0.5 isnt even out yet and blizzard asked for players feedback on 9.1. So 9.1 might be off for a long time.

Leaks suggested tbc beta in march and release in may and I think the beta will start any day now but there is no way the beta only lasts 1 month. Dont forget that there will be a prepatch for probably 3-5 weeks and I dont think the prepatch and beta will coincide.

So my money is on july for the tbc release.

[keelr]

I think somewhere in may we will see the prepatch and imo it can maybe last for 1.5months so those who level slower can catch up too

[Akka]

You can tell half the people that are posting here genuinely don't do their research. Everybody saying Blizzard wont release TBC with 9.1 are just deluded - remember when they released Naxxramas around the same time as Shadowlands? Remember when they released BWL just after the Nyalotha raid came out?

Remember the many, many, many damn interviews from the developers staying Classic content release has nothing to do with Live wow content release?

I'm tired of people just spouting nonsense. The entire classic project almost entirely consists of programmers - this is a programming project, the main difficulty being converting the old data to be used in the modern cloud infrastructure. No game design needed, no art asset design. Beta will last no more than 2 months, and that will be to test the game plays as it should.

I'm almost positive we'll see Classic TBC beta by the end of March, with a release date for either late May or early June.

Yeah, I agree on all that.

A lot of players have got bored with Classic - just look at how dead the realms have become since Naxx came

I wish.
My realm is packed and it's been actually worse since Blizzcon.
Leveling is filled with alt, the main problem is actually finding spots with quest mob that haven't or aren't been cleared. I'm dreading TBC release, with both factions spilling in the same rather small region at the same time while the idiots at Blizzard are stubbornly refusing to open new realms and think that layers will be enough to manage populations that were already far too big for the Old World. The Peninsula will be completely unplayable for weeks.

- - - Updated - - -

Leaks suggested tbc beta in march and release in may and I think the beta will start any day now but there is no way the beta only lasts 1 month.

Why not ? They already did the vast majority of the work during Classic. Remember it's not new development, it's just ensuring the port is reliable.
Of course they can totally get stuck in some technical problem, but there would be no surprise if everything sail smoothly either.

[FlaxClap]

12/3 is the last day for me to ask for my summer vacation. Please Blizzard! I need a date!

[Exkrementor]

Why not ? They already did the vast majority of the work during Classic. Remember it's not new development, it's just ensuring the port is reliable.
Of course they can totally get stuck in some technical problem, but there would be no surprise if everything sail smoothly either.

Yeah but this time Blizzard and the community are open to changes and changes have to be tested.

[Akka]

Yeah but this time Blizzard and the community are open to changes and changes have to be tested.

The changes are in the content, not the mechanisms, so it should be a pretty trivial change.

[Echocho]

When alpha goes up we'll have a better picture. If past alphas and betas for both retail and classic are any indication it should be 4-5 months after that. Of course it could take a little bit longer this time due to covid.

So August at the earliest if they launch alpha this month.

[RainBoi]

I wish.
My realm is packed and it's been actually worse since Blizzcon.
Leveling is filled with alt, the main problem is actually finding spots with quest mob that haven't or aren't been cleared.

What? Which realm are you playing on? Everyone here are being boosted. Nobody can be bothered to actually level. Same as it has been for half a year - a year by now.

[Rageadon]

Would love to get tbc in the summer when i have to take vacation

[crusadernero]

Either its close because a very delayed 9.1, or its coming late summer.

If 9.1 is very delayed, they can smooth it all over by releasing a old version of the game and distract everyone.

If 9.1 aint that far away, they can save BC for the inevitable downtime between 9.1 and 9.2.

Personally I think 9.1 is far off, same with BC. We shouldnt expect anything before july.

[kranur]

How do you know that it's finished? How do you know that it's polished? Classic required at least four months of alpha and beta and that was also a "finished and polished product" whatever the hell that means when moving to a completely different codebase. It would be naive to not expect at least the same amount of beta testing that we had for Classic. Nobody want them to create a broken and buggy mess.

If only they already said that the "hard" part which was converting everything to the new structure was done and that expansions will be much easier to pull off. Oh wait, they did say that.

[Askyl]

What? Which realm are you playing on? Everyone here are being boosted. Nobody can be bothered to actually level. Same as it has been for half a year - a year by now.

Pro tip: Try lvling, you'll see that the chat might be spammed with boosters but a large chunk of players likes to lvl like normal. I play on a few different servers, lvling for fun, and it's the same on all of them. Both servers with high pop and servers with low pop. Plenty of people lvling up, and easy to find dungeon groups for any dungeon.

What you say is like "I CAN ONLY SEE ADS ABOUT TESLA, SO NO OTHER CAR GET SOLD EVER". You know that's not the case and it's easy to get any other car you'd like.

[Echocho]

If only they already said that the "hard" part which was converting everything to the new structure was done and that expansions will be much easier to pull off. Oh wait, they did say that.

Alpha+Beta will still be 4-5 months. It's Blizzard standard and everything needs to be tested, not just classic stuff but the entirety of TBC too. Chances are that this testing period will be longer than the Classic one since there's more stuff to test.

[kranur]

Alpha+Beta will still be 4-5 months. It's Blizzard standard and everything needs to be tested, not just classic stuff but the entirety of TBC too. Chances are that this testing period will be longer than the Classic one since there's more stuff to test.

Dude .. what alpha?? This isn't completely new content. There won't be an alpha, they already said at blizzcon that beta will come soon.

[Chickat]

Ideally 2 months before 9.1, but I don't see that happening. Guessing 9.1 in late June. So perhaps sometime in August? Seems a bit late, but I don't think they will want to lunch both next to each other.

Sometime between May and August. Ideally for me would be May, but is that too soon? If its May, beta has to start this month.

[Kralljin]

Alpha+Beta will still be 4-5 months. It's Blizzard standard and everything needs to be tested, not just classic stuff but the entirety of TBC too. Chances are that this testing period will be longer than the Classic one since there's more stuff to test.

They didn't even test the enterity of Classic.

Beta was capped at level 40, DM & BWL did not have a PTR, either.

[Chickat]

They didn't even test the enterity of Classic.

Beta was capped at level 40, DM & BWL did not have a PTR, either.

Yeah guessing about 2 months of beta for hype and marketing then release. So if beta releases in March, then we could easily have prepatch by May.

[shise]

My bet is that you don't need to beta test a 14 years old game for 6-8 months (longer than actual new expansions) so anything beyond may/june is unrealistic and pretty much unacceptable.

We don´t know when the beta might come out tho, and least 2/3 months will be needed for sure. They are making quite a few changes this time around so a lot can go wrong.

I´d say August or fall the earliest.

[Prag]

Yeah guessing about 2 months of beta for hype and marketing then release. So if beta releases in March, then we could easily have prepatch by May.

This is the key that a lot of people miss about betas. There’s a reason popular streamers get keys. It’s a massive marketing tool, and it’ll be more than 4 weeks of beta for that reason alone.