When is the World of Warcraft: The War Within expansion beta test?

The next World of Warcraft expansion The War Within is arriving later this year. As always there will be a closed beta test, with guaranteed access for those who purchase the Epic Edition. For everyone else there is a signup page available on the official site where one can opt-in with the hope of being selected. Even if you’re not granted access, the beta period is when a lot of information on new expansions becomes available to the players, so when can we expect that to happen? Based on the 2024 roadmap and the typical beta testing cycle, we’re predicting the closed beta to start the week of June 11.

The main indicator of when the beta is starting is its place on the roadmap between patch 10.2.7 and the expansion pre-patch 11.0.1. With the former on track to arrive in May and the latter predicted for July, it makes sense that the beta will start in June. Those aren’t the only markers for a date prediction, however, as Cataclysm Classic will be arriving May 20. The following week is a holiday in the United States, pushing the potential start of the beta into June — unless of course the start of testing is too important to allow delay. June 4 is a possibility but with the public alpha not started as of early April it seems more likely that the following week is a better candidate allowing more time for alpha testing.

The beta testing for The War Within does not look to be atypical compared to prior expansions, with the changes coming in the pre-patch — such as the Hero Talents — likely to be a core focus of alpha and fine-tuning in the early beta. Regular updates are to be expected over time, and those who don’t get in initially may find themselves invited during a later wave. As always we urge caution in avoiding beta key scams; confirm your access in the Battle.net browser or by logging into your account directly and never via a link.