The Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Pre-Patch marks the transition from Classic Era to TBC. During this window, you'll have access to TBC systems while the Dark Portal stays closed, giving you time to prepare new characters, farm gear, and get your professions sorted before Outland opens.
Pre-Patch Timeline and Key Dates
The TBC Classic Anniversary Pre-Patch goes live on January 13th, 2026. You'll have roughly three weeks before the Dark Portal opens, which is one week longer than the original 2007 pre-patch. That extra time makes a real difference for leveling new characters and grinding PvP gear.
Content Release Schedule
| Phase | Content | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Patch | Leveling updates, Draenei and Blood Elves, Jewelcrafting, talent changes | January 13th, 2026 |
| Phase 1 | Level cap increase, new dungeons, Heroic dungeons, Outland zones | February 5th, 2026 |
| Phase 1 Raids | Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon | February 19th, 2026 |
| Phase 2 | Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep, profession updates | To be determined |
| Phase 3 | Mount Hyjal, Black Temple | To be determined |
| Phase 3.5 | Zul'Aman catch-up raid | To be determined |
| Phase 4 | Magister's Terrace, Sunwell Plateau, Isle of Quel'Danas | To be determined |
The Anniversary realms should move through content faster than the original TBC or Classic release schedules did.
Pre-Patch System Changes
The pre-patch gives you all TBC systems while keeping the level cap at 60 and the Dark Portal closed. You're playing with TBC talent trees, stat ratings, and quality-of-life improvements, but you're still limited to Azeroth content.
Core System Changes
Stat Rating Conversion: Stats now use rating values instead of flat percentages. Your critical strike chance becomes critical strike rating, and as you level through TBC, that rating becomes less effective. You'll need more of a stat to hit the same thresholds at higher levels. This affects hit rating, crit rating, haste rating, and similar combat stats.
Expertise: This new stat reduces the chance enemies can dodge or parry your attacks. It replaces the old weapon skill stacking approach, so items like Edgemaster's Handguards now just provide expertise instead.
Spell Training Changes: All spells that used to require tome purchases (from Ahn'Qiraj drops or the auction house) can now be learned straight from class trainers. Mages can finally skip the Dire Maul quest for max rank Conjured Water.
Character Path Decision: TBC or Classic Era
If you're on a Classic Anniversary Server, your character automatically moves to TBC Classic when the expansion launches. If you'd rather stay in Classic Era, you need to use the Free Character Transfer to a Classic Era Server.
Transfer Window: November 25, 2025 to January 12, 2026 (now closed)
Since this window has passed, characters on Classic Anniversary Servers will progress to TBC Classic. Character cloning wasn't available, so if you missed the transfer deadline, your character is locked into TBC.
New Playable Races
Blood Elves (Horde)
Blood Elves bring Paladins to the Horde for the first time. Available classes include Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, and Warlock.
Racial Abilities:
- Arcane Affinity: Enchanting skill increased by 10
- Arcane Torrent: Silences all enemies within 8 yards for 2 seconds. You also gain 10 Mana or Energy for each Mana Tap charge on you
- Magic Resistance: All Resistances increased by 5
- Mana Tap: Drains 50 mana from the target and charges you with Arcane energy for 10 minutes. Stacks up to 3 times
Arcane Torrent makes Blood Elves especially strong in PvP. Every Blood Elf class gets access to an AoE silence, which is huge for Hunters and Priests who don't have a natural spell interrupt. Expect to see plenty of Blood Elves in competitive arena.
Blood Elves start in Eversong Woods, move through the Ghostlands, then join everyone else in Azeroth at level 20. Silvermoon City serves as their capital.
Draenei (Alliance)
Draenei bring Shamans to the Alliance. Available classes include Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Shaman, and Warrior.
Racial Abilities:
- Gemcutting: Jewelcrafting skill increased by 5
- Gift of the Naaru: Heals the target for 50 damage over 15 seconds
- Heroic Presence: Increases chance to hit by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards (Hunters, Paladins, Warriors only)
- Inspiring Presence: Increases chance to hit with spells by 1% for you and all party members within 30 yards (Mages, Priests, Shamans only)
- Shadow Resistance: Shadow Resistance increased by 10
PvE Meta Impact: Heroic Presence and Inspiring Presence are a big deal for Alliance raid setups. Each Draenei gets one of these racials based on their class. In an organized raid, you'll want one Draenei of the right type in each DPS group for that free hit buff.
Hunters work well for physical DPS groups, while Shamans fit naturally into caster groups. When you're putting together your gear sets, account for whether a Draenei will be in your group. That reduced hit cap means you might be wasting itemization on extra hit rating.
Draenei start on Azuremyst Isle and Bloodmyst Isle after the Exodar crashes. The Exodar becomes their capital city.
Race Availability Timing
Unlike the original TBC launch where these races only unlocked when the expansion went live, TBC Classic releases them during the pre-patch. This gives you time to level fresh characters to 60 so you can head to Outland with friends on day one.
Leveling Improvements
The pre-patch makes leveling significantly faster. Player estimates put it at around 35% faster overall.
Experience Changes
- Experience required per level drops by 15% from levels 20-60
- Quest experience increases from level 30 onward, with some estimates suggesting up to 40% more
- Dungeon quests give bonus experience to encourage group play
Quest and Content Changes
- Outdoor elite quests become non-elite, making them soloable. Those old group quests you skipped? You can knock them out alone now
- Dustwallow Marsh gets around 60 new quests and a new Goblin quest hub
- Dungeon level ranges get tightened up, so you can complete an entire dungeon at the appropriate level instead of coming back multiple times
Dungeon Loot Improvements
Uncommon drops from early dungeon bosses get upgraded to Rare quality with better stats. Armor of the Fang from Lord Pythas in Wailing Caverns, for example, becomes a stronger piece.
Quest Log Expansion
Your quest log expands from 20 to 25 quests in TBC. If you've already set up pre-questing during Classic, you can now add 5 more quests to your turn-in list.
Mount System Overhaul
Mount costs drop significantly, and you can get your first mount earlier.
Level and Cost Changes
Normal Mount (60% speed):
- Available at level 30 (down from level 40)
- Riding skill: 35 gold
- Mount cost: 10 gold
- Total: 45 gold (was 100 gold in Classic)
Epic Mount (100% speed):
- Available at level 60
- New Epic Riding Skill: 600 gold
- Mount cost: 100 gold
- Total: 700 gold (was 1,000 gold in Classic)
These prices assume Friendly reputation with the appropriate faction. Higher rep means lower costs.
Important Mount Notes
- If you already own an epic mount from Classic, you automatically get the Epic Riding skill for free
- The cost structure now front-loads riding skill costs, with mounts themselves being cheap
- Exclusive mounts like Swift Zulian Tiger or Swift Razzashi Raptor now require Epic Riding skill before you can use them
- Faction mounts from other races still require Exalted rep but cost much less gold
Talent Trees and Class Changes
The pre-patch introduces TBC talent trees, which are major upgrades over Classic versions for most classes.
General Talent Changes
- Many talents get improved or reworked
- Some spells that were locked behind specific specs become baseline for everyone
- New spells and abilities get added to various trees
Mage Example:
- Icy Veins added to the Frost tree
- Cold Snap moves to level 30
- Ice Block is no longer a talent but becomes trainable by all mage specs at level 30
- New teleport spells added (including Teleport: Theramore)
Dual Specialization
Dual Spec lets you maintain two talent builds and swap between them. You can keep a solo leveling spec and a dungeon or raid spec without paying for respecs constantly.
Preparing Your Talents
During pre-patch:
- Visit your class trainer to learn newly available spells, including lower-level ones that might have been added
- Try out different specs since many classes play very differently with TBC talents
- Pick your leveling spec based on solo play, dungeon leveling, or a mix of both
Weapon Skills
Learn all available weapon skills from weapon masters and level them to 300 during pre-patch. Outland throws upgrades at you constantly, and you don't want to equip a shiny new weapon only to discover your skill is at 1 and you can't hit anything.
Pair this with other activities. Level your weapon skills while waiting in battleground queues.
PvP System Overhaul
The TBC pre-patch completely reworks the honor system, creating one of the best preparation opportunities available.
Honor as Currency
Honor transforms from a ranking system to something you can spend. You earn it from PvP and battlegrounds, then use it to buy gear. The old rank grind is gone. You don't need specific ranks to purchase items anymore.
Rank 14 Gear Accessibility
All restrictions on PvP gear get lifted. Reputation requirements, rank requirements, all of it. Players who never hit Rank 14 can now buy Grand Marshal and High Warlord gear just by earning enough Honor Points and Marks of Honor.
The full Rank 14 set (armor and weapons) costs roughly 70,000 honor points.
Double Honor Event
Blizzard announced double honor gains throughout the entire pre-patch. This makes gearing incredibly fast.
Alterac Valley Example: A complete AV win with all objectives during pre-patch gives 532 honor (before honorable kills). With double honor, that's over 1,000 honor per win. Some matches finish in under 15 minutes.
Battleground Weekend Bonus
BG weekends add a flat 100% honor increase for objectives. Stack that with pre-patch double honor, and you're potentially looking at quadruple honor gains during the right weekend.
The AV weekend should fall on January 30th based on the current Classic BG schedule. During that weekend, you could fully gear a character in around 9 hours.
Alterac Valley Changes
- Horde starting cave is positioned further back
- A resource system prevents matches from dragging past 30 minutes
- Focus shifts to objectives: you get honor for killing captains, capping towers, and downing the final boss
- Towers become the priority instead of farming lieutenants and captains
Saving for Level 70
Beyond gearing at 60, you can pre-farm for level 70:
Honor Cap: 75,000 honor points
Mark Storage: Up to 100 of each battleground mark
Level 70 PvP vendors sell epic boots, bracers, necklaces, and belts that certain classes (especially tanks) will want immediately. Some pieces are even pre-raid BiS for PvE. Certain mage bracers, for example, are best-in-slot for Phase 1 PvE.
Mark Requirements for Level 70 Gear:
- Two-handed weapons: 20 marks
- Ranged weapons: 20 marks
- One-handed weapons: 10 marks
- Armor pieces: 10-15 marks each
Farming around 40 of each mark sets you up well for level 70 purchases.
Honor Point Carryover
Honor earned during the TBC pre-patch carries into TBC. Based on previous expansion transitions, honor only resets when moving between major version numbers (like 1.x to 2.x). Since the TBC pre-patch runs on patch 2.x, your honor should transfer.
If you want Rank 14 gear (about 70,000 honor) and also want to cap for level 70 (75,000), you'll need to double your expected honor farming time.
Resilience: New PvP Stat
Resilience reduces your chance to be crit and cuts damage from crits you do take. This creates a real split between PvP and PvE gearing. You actually need PvP gear to compete in PvP now, which is good news for players who don't raid but want to stay competitive.
Arena Skirmishes
The TBC pre-patch introduces arenas through unranked matches called skirmishes.
Available Formats: 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5
Queue Locations: Goblin NPCs in Stormwind, Ironforge, Orgrimmar, Undercity, and Gadgetzan
Ranked arena seasons don't start until a few weeks into Phase 1. Skirmishes let level 60 players PvP with Naxxramas gear using TBC talent trees, which creates a unique meta that only exists during pre-patch.
This plays nothing like vanilla BGs or endgame TBC arena. Naxxramas gear is absurdly powerful relative to vanilla health pools, so burst classes can delete opponents in just a few globals. It's the opposite of the attrition-based fights you'll see at TBC endgame.
Use skirmishes to practice with your arena partners. Hitting 1700 rating in TBC gets you access to epic weapons at level 70.
Jewelcrafting: New Profession
Jewelcrafting arrives with the pre-patch and becomes one of TBC's most important professions thanks to the gem socket system.
Pre-Patch Jewelcrafting
You can level Jewelcrafting to 300 during pre-patch, matching the other Vanilla profession caps. Get a head start before the expansion raises the cap.
Prospecting: This ability extracts gems from ore. Results vary wildly. You might spend 100 gold on ore and pull gems worth 1,000 gold, or you might get junk. Being able to cut gems early when TBC launches opens up solid gold-making opportunities.
Jewelcrafting becomes one of the best gold-making professions in TBC.
Profession Leveling Preparation
Pre-patch is a good time to level or switch professions.
Notable Changes:
- Recipe requirements shift from Classic to TBC. Flask of the Titans drops from 30 Gromsblood, 10 Stonescale Oil, and one Black Lotus down to just 7 Gromsblood, 3 Stonescale Oil, and one Black Lotus
- Cooldown-based crafts like Mooncloth and Arcanite Bar lose their cooldowns
- Mining can now be leveled by smelting ore into bars. Since bar prices usually match ore prices, this is often free or close to it. That saves you the 10+ hours of farming you'd otherwise need
Profession Material Preparation
Stock up on Classic materials to level past 300 when TBC launches. Some professions can reach 320-335 using Classic mats, which saves you serious gold since early Outland materials command premium prices.
Profession Level Requirements
Alchemy and tailoring alts need to be at least level 50 to learn TBC profession skills. For tailoring specifically, hitting level 60 lets you become a specialist and craft two cloth items instead of one.
Enchanting Changes
You can no longer disenchant items using a low-level bank alt. Enchanters now need appropriate skill levels to disenchant certain item tiers. This makes enchanters and enchanting materials more valuable.
Consumable System Changes
Consumables work differently in TBC:
Elixir Stacking: You can't stack multiple elixirs of the same type anymore. Elixirs now fall into Battle Elixirs or Guardian Elixirs. You can have one of each active, or use one Flask (which counts as both).
Drums: Drums stay in TBC and affect your whole party, but using them triggers a debuff. Organized raid groups will want one Leatherworker in each party specifically for drums.
Guild Bank
The Guild Bank feature arrives with TBC and should be available during pre-patch. This lets guilds share resources and storage. You can also create a guild for your bank alts if you want a personal storage system.
Edit Mode: UI Customization
Edit Mode comes from retail WoW and arrives with the pre-patch. You can customize your UI without add-ons, adjusting position and scale for UI elements through the default interface.
Tabard of the Protector
The Opening of the Dark Portal event runs during pre-patch and ends when TBC launches. It rewards an exclusive item: Tabard of the Protector.
Tabard Details:
- Has an on-use effect similar to Holy Nova
- Makes your character flex
- Only a 5-minute cooldown
- One of the only tabards in the game with a use effect
How to Get It:
- Go to the Dark Portal in Blasted Lands
- Pick up the quest "Into the Breach"
- Kill six Invading Felguards
- Return to the quest giver
On PvP servers, expect some competition near the Dark Portal.
This tabard is only available during pre-patch. Once TBC launches, it's gone.
Paid Character Boost
Blizzard offers a Character Boost as part of the Outland Epic Pack for $79.99.
Boost Contents
- One character boosted to level 58
- Apprentice Riding Skill and a race-specific mount
- Weapon skills at 58
- Level 58 Uncommon gear set
- Access to certain flight paths
- Up to 4 Runecloth Bags (Hunters and Warlocks get 3 Runecloth bags plus a quiver/ammo bag or soul shard bag)
- Starting gold
Restrictions
Character boosts only work for Burning Crusade realms. Classic Era realms don't have access.
Gearing a Boosted Character
Boosted characters start undergeared, but the pre-patch offers solid catch-up options. Zul'Gurub runs (with your guild or soft-reserve pugs) are the fastest route. ZG drops entry-level gear for all roles, and most of it gets disenchanted in Phase 6 raids anyway. A new character can gear up in just a few runs.
Combine ZG with PvP honor grinding for Rank 14 gear to maximize your preparation.
Pre-Questing Strategy
Pre-questing means completing quests up to the turn-in stage before TBC launches, then submitting them all when the expansion goes live for instant experience.
Quest Log Considerations
With the expanded 25-quest log in TBC, you can hold 5 more quests than Classic's 20-quest limit. If you pre-quested during Classic, consider adding more during pre-patch.
Quest Selection Strategy
Focus on:
- High-level quests (55-60) for maximum experience
- Dungeon quests from Scholomance, Stratholme, and similar endgame dungeons
- Quests with turn-in locations close together
Optimization Approaches: Some players go for total experience, aiming for level 62 worth of turn-ins. Others go for speed, picking quests that turn in within 5-10 minutes in clustered locations. The speed approach might only get you to 60.5, but you enter Outland much faster.
Geographic Clustering Example
Pick quests that turn in within two areas:
- Start in Silithus, turn in quests there
- Hearthstone to Eastern Plaguelands
- Turn in Stratholme quests
- Fly to Western Plaguelands
- Turn in remaining quests
- Head through the Dark Portal
Total time: about 5 minutes for all turn-ins.
New Pre-Quest Options
The pre-patch adds new quests you can include in your route. One solid option in Winterspring requires completing the Winterfall Firewater flask quest chain first:
- Finish the prerequisite chain
- Kill the High Chief, who drops a Crudely Written Log
- The log starts a quest
- Turn in for 9,300 experience and your choice of two trinkets
Trinket Rewards:
- Melee: 50 attack power
- Spell: 29 spell power
These trinkets are great for boosted characters or alts without trinket options.
Gearing Priority and Strategy
Quick Gearing Path
For fast gearing, prioritize:
- PvP Honor gear (Rank 14 weapons at minimum, full set if time allows)
- Zul'Gurub drops for remaining slots
- Blackwing Lair, Ahn'Qiraj, and Naxxramas for best-in-slot pieces
Some level 60 epics stay relevant through level 70, so raid gear investments can pay off.
Honor Gear Efficiency
Honor gear costs less than it did in original TBC Classic, though Blizzard keeps adjusting prices. The double honor event makes this the most time-efficient gearing method for fresh or boosted characters.
Gold Preparation
Gold matters in TBC, primarily for Epic Flying.
Flying Mount Costs
| Mount Type | Speed | Riding Skill Cost | Mount Cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Flying | 60% | 800 gold | 100 gold | 900 gold |
| Epic Flying | 280% | 5,000 gold | 200 gold | 5,200 gold |
Plan on saving around 6,000 gold for Epic Flying alone, plus extra for profession leveling, consumables, and gear.
Gold-Making Methods
- Finish leftover Classic quests (they award gold at 60)
- Farm dungeons
- Sell items on the Auction House
- Gather materials and sell them
- Craft items for sale
Additional Preparations
Caverns of Time Vendor
Caverns of Time in Tanaris becomes accessible during pre-patch. A vendor inside sells TBC-quality food, water, and ammunition. This might change based on Blizzard's decisions, but these items are currently available for purchase.
Bank Slot Changes
Bank slots cost less in the pre-patch. If you need more storage, now is a good time to buy remaining slots and clean up your inventory before Outland.
Alliance-Specific Preparation
Alliance players planning to quest in Hellfire Peninsula should visit Blasted Lands during pre-patch to buy a specific quest item. This saves you from arriving in Hellfire only to realize you need to fly back to Blasted Lands.
Pre-Purchasing Items
If you're leveling a Blood Elf Paladin, Draenei Shaman, or boosted character, consider buying ahead of time:
- Leveling gear for your class
- Consumables (potions, elixirs, flasks, scrolls)
- Max-level gear that's still cheap
Prices will likely rise as players boost characters and level new races, increasing demand.
Priority Checklist
Immediate Priorities
- Pick your TBC main and alts: Know which characters you'll play
- Level new race characters: Blood Elf or Draenei if you're interested
- Visit class trainers: Learn all new spells, including lower-level additions
- Respec talents: Try out TBC talent trees
Gearing Priorities
- Farm PvP honor: Get Rank 14 weapons at minimum, full set if possible
- Cap honor points: 75,000 for level 70 gear
- Farm battleground marks: 40+ of each type
- Run ZG: Gear remaining slots on alts and boosted characters
Profession Priorities
- Level professions to 300: Be ready for TBC skill-ups
- Level Jewelcrafting: Get ahead on the new profession
- Stock Classic materials: For leveling past 300 with cheaper mats
- Level profession alts to 50-60: Meet TBC profession requirements
Other Preparations
- Finish pre-questing: Fill your 25-quest log with high-level quests
- Farm gold: Aim for 6,000+ gold for Epic Flying
- Level weapon skills to 300: Avoid hit problems with new weapons
- Get Tabard of the Protector: Limited-time exclusive
- Update add-ons: Make sure everything works with TBC client
- Clean inventory: Sell unneeded items, buy bank slots
- Find a guild: Guilds are actively recruiting during pre-patch
Fishing and Cooking
Level fishing and cooking. Both become valuable in TBC for consumables and gold-making.
Summary
The three-week TBC Classic Anniversary Pre-Patch gives you solid preparation time. Competitive players should focus on maximizing honor gains and pre-questing efficiency. Casual players can explore new races, experiment with talent trees, and pick up gear through PvP at their own pace.
The double honor event makes this period uniquely valuable for acquiring gear that stays relevant well into TBC leveling and early endgame. Combined with leveling improvements and reduced costs across the board, the pre-patch creates an accessible entry point for new players while giving veterans meaningful things to do.