‘World of Warcraft Classic – Burning Crusade’ expansion and ‘Shadowlands’ patch 9.1 with new raid, 'mega-dungeon' leak before BlizzConline 2021

Blizzard Entertainment’s first virtual BlizzCon is happening on Friday, but some of its biggest announcements for the “World of Warcraft” franchise have already leaked. Players of the “Classic” title are getting a new server as part of the looming launch of the “Burning Crusade” expansion. As for the vanilla game, “Shadowlands” will be updated with a new zone and other gameplay features.

Blizzard to add new servers ahead of ‘World of Warcraft Classic – Burning’ expansion’s launch

Details about the upcoming “World of Warcraft” announcements emerged online even before the BlizzConline kicks off on Friday. Fans may still want to take these leaks with a grain of salt, but Wowhead has already reported on these rumored updates complete with screenshots of the upcoming assets and character models.

Blizzard is recreating the first “World of Warcraft” expansion “Burning Crusade,” which means players will once again experience going through the Dark Portal. Per the leaked information, the expansion is planned to be released in 2021 for free. The developer is also adding new servers for the “World of Warcraft Classic” for players who do not want to play the expansion.

Those who choose to go through the Dark Portal will get to revisit familiar locations such as the Hellfire Peninsula, Zangarmarsh swamps, and the Black Temple. Players joining the “World of Warcraft Classic – Burning Crusade” will be able to play with new races, the Horde Blood Elf and Alliance Draenei.

‘World of Warcraft’ patch 9.1 to bring new zone and raid in ‘Shadowlands’

The leaks suggest “World of Warcraft” patch 9.1 will be officially called “Shadowlands: Chains of Domination.” It follows the story of the expansion that ended with the defeat of Sire Denathrius. The Maw still poses a huge threat in the afterlife, and the first content update will focus on the Jailer’s domain.

This time all four covenants can unite and launch an attack on the Jailer. The “World of Warcraft: Shadowlands” update will deliver a new zone called Korthia, the City of Secrets. Players can also expect a new raid in Torghast where 10 boss enemies are placed. Blizzard is introducing Tazavesh, the Veiled Market described as “an eight-boss Mythic mega-dungeon set in a bazaar of the mysterious Brokers” where players will perform heists to gather “powerful artifacts from Azeroth.”

The BlizzConline main program begins Friday, at 8:05 a.m. EST / 5:05 a.m. PST. These leaks are likely to be confirmed through the “World of Warcraft: What’s Next” stream that can be watched through the main Blizzard and the franchise’s channels.