Return to Outlands on June 1st

On June 1st The Burning Crusade Classic launches around the world bringing back World of Warcraft’s first expansion. Bringing players back to Outland formally known as Draenor the Orc homeworld. With this expansion, it also introduces the Playable Races of Blood Elves and Dranei. This also brought class balance to the Factions as now Horde can have Paladins and Alliance can have Shamans.

Now before the launch of The Burning Crusade Classic get ready for the Pre-expansion patch on May 18th. With that patch players will get 2 weeks of early access to Blood Elves and Draenei as well as the new talent structure. Players will also be making the big choice of keeping their Classic character on Classic or moving them on up to Outlands. While there is also an additional fee if you would like to “Clone” your character.

Character Cloning

What this means, is Blizzard is charging $35 for a service so that you can play on both Classic and The Burning Crusade. Now is this service worth it for everyone? No, if you have anything under level 40 I wouldn’t use the service. Now if you have a character at level 55 for example, it would be worth it. Now I am real big on leveling characters from the ground up, so to me the copy service isn’t as bad since it is a character you have a connection to.

Dark Portal Pass

Now the other optional service of a level 58 Boost for Non-Expansion characters will also be coming to the shop as the Dark Portal Pass. While I do not agree with a boost in any of the Classic versions of the game even if it is a one time boost this will be there. the Pass itself will cost $39.99. The boosted character will receive:

• Apprentice Riding skill
• Race-specific mount
• Weapon skills up to level 58
• Access to certain flight paths
• A set of level 58 magic (green) quality gear
• Up to four Runecloth Bags (14 slots each)
• A little bit of gold to start their journey

While this may not seem like a lot, it kind of ruins the experience and many who use the boost will never touch said characters again. This is due to not having a connection with said character.

Classic Deluxe Edition

Blizzard also officially announced the Classic Deluxe edition for $69.99 which will include the Dark Portal Pass and Game Time. It also includes some items the were previously only available with the TCG Codes. The mount and the collectibles are the only reason I am considering myself in getting the deluxe edition and have no intention of using the boost. Listed below is the items included:

• The Reawakened Phase-Hunter mount, a creature that draws on the otherworldly energies that transformed Draenor into Outland, for use only in Burning Crusade Classic and designed to match the look of the original expansion
• The Viridian Phase-Hunter mount, a variant for use in modern World of Warcraft (including Shadowlands) and reflecting the game’s current visual style
• A Dark Portal Hearthstone for use in Burning Crusade Classic, providing a unique visual effect inspired by the gateway between worlds
• The Path of Illidan toy for Burning Crusade Classic, which causes your character’s footsteps to leave flickering fel fire in their wake for a short time
• The Dark Portal Pass, which boosts one character to level 58 (same restrictions as standalone Dark Portal Pass apply; upgrading from the Dark Portal Pass to the Deluxe Edition does not grant a second boost.)
• 30 days of World of Warcraft game time, providing access to WoW Classic, Burning Crusade Classic, and the modern game

While there have been a bit an uproar of the pricing for the “optional services” for a game you get access to for the WoW Subscription. (Access to all the Games Shadowlands, WoW Classic, and WoW TBC) It seems to be quite a bit of people want the services for free or no cost. While $35 seems high for the cloning process, Blizzard did send out a survey asking what people would be willing to pay. While I do not have access to the outcome I can only assume prices where set based on what a majority of players where willing to pay. This goes for the Deluxe Edition, either way I will be looking forward to Pre-Patch and the launch of The Burning Crusade Classic!