TWiW: Rise of the Zandalari, Season of Discovery Phase 4, and More

This Week in WoW—Catch up on the latest World of Warcraft news from the last week!

Cataclysm Classic: Rise of the Zandalari Goes Live 31 July!

Just when you thought you’d take the advice to “Stay away from da voodoo” a new temptation arises, beckoning you to take the risk, enter Zul’Gurub and Zul’Aman, thwart the machinations of the Zandalari and their brethren, and collect the rewards for your efforts. 

A Threat Fought in Secret

Using a great deal of discretion, Vol’jin has dispatched Darkspear delegates to the capital cities of Stormwind and Orgrimmar calling for all able-bodied adventurers to investigate recent threats that have risen in the jungles of Stranglethorn. Rewards for addressing the issues in Stranglethorn include an adorable panther pet of your own to care for. 

Players should seek out Vol'jin's representatives in Orgrimmar or Stormwind Harbor to begin their adventure.

Return to Zul'Gurub

This ancient city has once again become the staging grounds for an empowered Gurubashi people to strike against those who they perceive to be invading their ancestral lands. Now backed by the Zandalari, the Gurubashi present all-new challenges for players in this level-85 5-player Heroic dungeon.

While players may see some familiar faces in this dungeon, the encounters and fight mechanics have been considerably updated. For allying yourself with the Darkspears, High Priest Venoxis, Broodlord Mandokir, High Priestess Kilnara, Zanzil, and Jin'do the Godbreaker would like to make one thing clear -- your intrusion will cost you. Take their heads and you’ll be presented with a treasure map. You’ll want to seek out its precious booty, including an account-bound ring with a gem so big it’s visible when worn!

Also, for those with a high enough Archaeology skill, an additional boss can be unlocked in Zul’Gurub. Gri'lek, Renataki, Hazza'rah, and Wushoolay will be randomly selected to put an end to those who dig too deep for greater riches. Should your group survive the challenge, you'll unearth a selection of rewards available from any of the four bosses, as well as loot unique to each boss.

The Amani Regrouped

With the aid of the Zandalari, the remaining Amani have reassembled under new, sturdy leadership in Daakara. Zul'Aman has been converted into a challenging level-85 5-player Heroic dungeon. For those who fought Zul'jin back during The Burning Crusade, much of the dungeon will feel similar, but the mechanics have been updated to suit a 5-player group. Akil'zon, Nalorakk, Jan'alai, Halazzi, Hex Lord Malacrass, and Daakara look to bring their tribe out of hiding and into the spotlight as a force to be reckoned with. Challengers beware.

Both Zul'Aman and Zul'Gurub will require players to have a minimum average item level of 346 before they can enter. These two Heroic dungeons will exist in a separate Heroic difficulty tier in the Dungeon Finder, above the current Cataclysm Heroic dungeons. In return, they will offer players item level 353 epic-quality loot. Players can expect to find items for nearly every gear slot available in these two dungeons, though much focus has been placed on offering players itemization for hard-to-fill slots or specializations, such as bracers, helms, shoulders, guns, and wands.

Rare Mounts and More

As with the original iterations of Zul'Gurub and Zul'Aman, players will have a chance to obtain updated rare mounts. The Swift Zulian Panther and Armored Razzashi Raptor are obtained in Zul'Gurub, while the Amani Battle Bear can be earned by killing the first four bosses of Zul'Aman in a limited amount of time.

Play with the Blues Friday, 19 July

Please join us for a Play with the Blues event today, Friday, 19 July, at 21:00 BST.

We’ll have the Cataclysm Classic PTR (Public Test Realm) open for testing the Rise of the Zandalari content, with a focus on the new Troll dungeons. Queue up for the Zul’Aman or Zul’Gurub dungeons on Classic PTR Realm 1, and you just might be partnered with members of the WoW Team.

Vol'jin needs your help to stop this play for power. Will you rise to the challenge? Step back in time and watch the original Rise of the Zandalari official trailer.

Season of Discovery Phase 4: World Bosses Now Live!

Experience Lord Kazzak and Azuregos as brand-new instanced versions of these encounters. These encounters can be experienced with up to 40 players but will be tuned as 20-player content, making them both pick-up-group-friendly with 40 players, but also giving players the option to maximize their rewards by attempting them with 20-players.

Onyxia's Lair and Molten Core Go Live on 25 July

Prepare to take on Ragnaros and Onyxia in their lairs on 25 July at 21:00 BST globally.

Experience Molten core as a 20-player dungeon with 10 classic bosses (+1,) revamped loot, redesigned Tier 1 sets, and more. Players will also be able to turn up the heat with a new variable difficulty mechanic allowing players to earn more rewards from undertaking a higher difficulty. Don’t forget your fire resist gear! You are going to need it. We’ll be adding one more surprise to this classic raid dungeon for intrepid adventurers to discover.

Onyxia will also be adjusted to accommodate 40 or fewer players along with some additional loot adjustments.

New Raid Lockout interval

Raid lockouts for Season of Discovery Phase 4 raids will occur regularly once a week for Molten Core and two times a week on static reset days for Onyxia’s Lair, Lord Kazzak, and Azuregos. Players in North America will have their resets for these bosses on Tuesdays and Saturdays, in Europe, on Wednesdays and Sundays, and in Asia on Thursdays and Mondays.

Gather your allies and go forth to battle!

Guild Services Retiring

We will be retiring Guild Services currently available in the in-game shop as of 22 July 2024, at 18:00 BST.

Services that will be retired include Guild Realm Transfers and Guild Faction Transfers. After 22 July 2024, these services will no longer be available. The Guild Name Change service will continue to be available.

Follow along on the official World of Warcraft news site for all the latest developments as we journey through the week together.