Dated milestones
| Milestone | Official timing | Planning limit |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | September 17–October 21 | Access, stages and server availability are separate checks |
| Full release | November 4, 2026 at 3 p.m. PST / 23:00 UTC | See the release page for your local time |
| New raids | December 9, 2026 | Barrow Deeps (10), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia’s Lair (40, reported) unlock together |
| Hardcore ruleset | After launch (reported: winter) | No exact date announced |
| Spring 2027 | Reported | Two raids, two dungeons, a new zone, a legendary questline and a PvP refresh |
| Summer 2027 | Reported | A revamped classic raid and another new raid |
The What’s Next recap names Hyjal Summit and the Barrow Deeps as the new raids: the Barrow Deeps is a ten-player challenge and Hyjal Summit a twenty-player raid. Several outlets report that Onyxia’s Lair returns as a 40-player raid on the same day. The 2027 entries above come from reporting on the BlizzCon panels, not from a dated official schedule.
Content awaiting dates
Blizzard describes more raids and dungeons, PvP updates, world activities, further level-1-to-60 quests, a revamped iconic raid and later major updates. The first release also presents new and reimagined regions, including Mount Hyjal, Shen’dralas, Riverglades and Zephras Isle.
These activities do not yet have specific dates in the linked roadmap. Check for an opening announcement before planning a session around them.
Hardcore and rulesets
The Deep Dive lists Normal, PvP and Roleplaying rulesets and says Hardcore comes after launch. It also describes Hardcore as a distinct progression ecosystem. The linked announcements do not give a precise Hardcore opening date.
Hardcore will not be available on day one. For ordinary group play, agree on faction and ruleset with friends — see servers and rulesets.
How this differs from patch notes
A roadmap describes intended future content. A patch log records a particular published update. The patch notes digest covers changes reported in the latest log reviewed here, while the beta schedule explains testing stages.
Check the current opening announcement before assuming a planned activity is playable.
What to use for your next decision
Use the release-date page for regional planning, the dungeon directory for announced destinations and the class changes guide for present build decisions. This page keeps the broader sequence in one place. It does not promise an exhaustive season-by-season schedule that Blizzard has not published.