Phase 3 in WoW Classic anniversary realms goes live on March 20

The next phase of content for WoW Classic anniversary realms, Phase 3, will go live in game at 3PM pacific time on Thursday March 20, 2025. Phase 3 is actually being split in to two separate releases, with the second half scheduled to drop on Thursday April 3, 2025, also at 3PM pacific time. Based on the previous releases for anniversary realms, this means we can expect some downtime on Tuesday March 18 ahead of the phase rollout.

Let’s take a look at what you can expect to go live with the Phase 3 update!

What is coming to anniversary realms in Phase 3?

March 20, 2025:

• Blackwing Lair raid
• Tier 2 sets
• Reputation rewards
• Level 50 class quests
• Darkmoon Faire

April 3, 2025:

• Arathi Basin battlegrounds
• PVP Honor Rank raised to rank 14
• Weekly battleground holiday event

Blackwing Lair is the headline PVE activity in Phase 3 but before players can take on this level 60 raid and the 8 bosses within, they’ll need to complete a short attunement questline that takes them through the Upper Blackrock Spire dungeon. Blackwing Lair rewards the highly sought after Tier 2 set pieces but if in order to complete their sets, players will also need to run Onyxia’s Lair for head pieces and Molten Core for leg pieces. The Darkmoon Faire will also appear in Elwynn Forest and Mulgore on March 20, with associated breadcrumb quests in Stormwind and Orgrimmar.

Vendors for the Argent Dawn, Thorium Brotherhood, Timbermaw Hold, Silverwing Sentinels, and the Warsong Outriders will open up their inventories as a reward for progressing through their reputation tracks, allowing you to purchase certain gear, crafting recipes, and consumables. Alliance players will only be able to progress with Silvering Sentinels and the Warsong Outriders will only reward Horde players.

Each class has an associated level 50 questline that rewards them with a unique rare-quality reward upon completion. These quests start in different zones based on your class but they all end at the Sunken Temple dungeon.

Later, on April 3, the PVP Honor Rank will raise to 14 and the Arathi Basin battleground will open up for players above level 20. Players will also get a recurring battleground holiday event every weekend, running from Thursday at midnight (Friday) and lasting through Tuesday, presumably ending at reset. Each weekend will feature a different map and completing objectives in battlegrounds during this event will yield increased levels of Honor and Faction rewards. The first event is scheduled for April 4 in Arathi Basin.

We’ll keep you updated on everything else coming to Classic anniversary realms once we learn about them!