All Announcements From Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct

Blizzard Entertainment hosted an exciting virtual event on Wednesday to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise, opting for an online format instead of an in-person convention this year. The presentation looked back at the series’ rich history, featuring a concert performed by a full orchestra, while also revealing a remaster of the original Warcraft RTS—the franchise’s debut title—and updates for World of Warcraft Classic. Additionally, the current version of World of Warcraft is set to receive significant updates, including a long-requested feature that players have awaited for decades.

This showcase was surprisingly full of announcements (it’s easy to forget just how extensive the Warcraft lineup is), so here’s a summary of the highlights you may have missed.

World of Warcraft: The War Within receives its first major update

World of Warcraft debuted its latest expansion, The War Within, back in August, and it’s now getting its first substantial content update. Titled Undermine(d), this update will transport players to the hidden goblin city of Undermine, where they will confront Xal’atath the Harbinger. Players can expect a new dungeon and two additional delves. In a fun twist, Blizzard will introduce a ground mount that enables players to speed through Undermine, along with races to showcase their driving abilities. This update is slated for release on November 23.

Housing is set to be introduced in World of Warcraft

Most modern MMOs incorporate some form of housing system, and now World of Warcraft is finally following suit after two decades. While Blizzard only shared a brief teaser without many details, a housing system is expected to be included in the upcoming Midnight expansion, which is planned for a formal reveal in the summer of 2025.

World of Warcraft Classic revisits Mists of Pandaria

Continuing its nostalgic journey, World of Warcraft Classic will be reintroducing the beloved Mists of Pandaria expansion. Originally released in 2012, this expansion took players to the Pandaria continent and introduced the pandaren—initially a humorous concept that evolved into a unique playable race. It remains the only faction-neutral race in the game and also marked the debut of the Monk class.

Blizzard is remastering the original Warcraft RTS games

Although Warcraft is widely recognized as the foundation for the popular MMORPG, it originated as a series of real-time strategy games in the 1990s. The first Warcraft Battle Chest from that era included the original title and its expansion, but the newly announced remaster will encompass all of the RTS games. Available for $40 (with pricing adjustments if you own any of the titles), this remaster features significant graphical enhancements, along with various quality-of-life improvements, plus the option to switch between classic and updated visuals.

Additionally, Warcraft 3: Reforged, the 2020 remaster that garnered mixed reviews, will receive a 2.0 update aimed at addressing its prior shortcomings.

Additional announcements

• World of Warcraft Classic: 20th Anniversary Edition will launch on November 21, allowing Classic Era players to start anew.
• Hardcore servers will also be available, allowing players to progress through content updates into Burning Crusade Classic.
• Players can transfer their hardcore characters to a non-hardcore mode.
• A new mini set, Heroes of Starcraft, will be released for Hearthstone.
• In 2025, three expansions will come to Hearthstone, beginning with Emerald Dream, followed by The Shrouded City and The Heroes of Time.
• Warcraft Rumble will be available on PC, with an open beta scheduled for December 10.
• This game will introduce a feature that lets players engage two families simultaneously.