World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will now launch on November 23 at 3 pm PST (November 24 at 12 am CET for you European folk). Announced via Twitter, Blizzard said the expansion is now in a much better state after it was decided to push back its original October 26 release in order to address widespread bugs and to tinker with the endgame progression.
"We've used the time to further polish the expansion and shore up the endgame, including overhauling the combat and rewards in The Maw, and reworking the Covenant systems to make your choice more immediately impactful and have clearer long-term goals," the image attached to the tweet reads.
With a launch date set, Blizzard is also able to confirm some other important dates: The pre-expansion launch event will begin on November 10, and will see Azeroth invaded by a horde of undead. I played around with the event on the beta a few months ago and really enjoyed how disruptive it was to the usual routine because players can transform into infected zombies and spread the plague to other players. At the same time, the event will also feature optional bosses and ways to earn loot to help you get caught up and prepared for Shadowlands' release.
On December 8, a few weeks after launch, the Castle Nathria raid will open, challenging players with a 10-boss gauntlet in exchange for the best loot in Shadowlands (and bragging rights for whichever guild can down it the fastest).
I've been playing a considerable amount of Shadowlands and having a great time with it so far—even if a few of its endgame systems are a little frustrating. The Shadowlands pre-patch is out now and features some big changes to how leveling works, so if you're planning on playing Shadowlands at release it's probably worth it to jump in now and start working on a character. Here's our handy beginner's guide to get you started.
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