The World of Warcraft Classic 20th Anniversary celebration has unfolded in multiple phases since its launch on November 21, 2024, offering players a nostalgic yet refreshed journey through Azeroth’s earliest content with modern quality-of-life improvements and brand-new challenges.As of mid-May 2025, Blizzard has rolled out four of the six planned phases, each introducing a mix of raids, battlegrounds, world events, and reward systems that pay homage to the original Classic era while catering to both hardcore veterans and returning casuals alike.This article examines the recent Phase 3 and Phase 4 updates, hotfix adjustments, community-driven events such as battleground bonus weekends and fishing extravaganzas, and a preview of what’s still to WoW Classic 20th Anniversary Gold come in Phases 5 and 6.

Phase 3: Battlegrounds and Blackwing Lair
Blackwing Lair Raid Opening
On March 20, 2025, Phase 3 slammed open the doors to Blackwing Lair, the iconic dragon’s lair atop Blackrock Mountain, challenging twenty level-60 players to face Nefarian and his twisted experiments.Adventurers who conquered the fiery depths of the raid earned Tier 1 class sets and a trove of epic loot steeped in lore, marking this release as a turning point for guild outreach and raid coordination.

PvP Expansion and Arathi Basin
Just two weeks later, on April 3, Blizzard lifted the PvP Honor Rank 11 cap, permitting ambitious battlers to climb all the way to Rank 14 for the first time since Classic’s original release.Simultaneously, the Arathi Basin battleground opened its gates for 15-versus-15 resource battles, reinvigorating the classic PvP scene with fresh ranking rewards and setting the stage for intense faction warfare.

Battleground Bonus Weekends
In keeping with the tradition of surprise holiday events, Phase 3 also brought Battleground Bonus Weekends, during which honor gains and conquest rewards were significantly increased across Warsong Gulch, Arathi Basin, and Alterac Valley.These weekends became pivotal community gatherings, providing both returnees and new players a swift path to PvP rankings and enticing participation in the weekend tournaments organized by guilds and community sites.

Phase 4: Zul’Gurub and Beyond
Zul’Gurub Raid Launch
Phase 4 went live on April 17, 2025, unleashing the jungles of Stranglethorn Vale and the troll city of Zul’Gurub upon the anniversary realms.In this 20-player raid, explorers confront Hakkar the Soulflayer amid vine-choked temples, battling blood trolls and earning class-specific rewards that harken back to the Siege of Orgrimmar’s echoes in Classic form.

Dragons of Nightmare and Silithid Swarm
Alongside Zul’Gurub’s challenges, ancient emerald dragons emerged from their slumber, bringing the aptly named Dragons of Nightmare encounter to life in regions like Moonglade and Duskwood.The creeping Silithid also began swarming across Silithus and other desert zones, triggering world-event style encounters that required large groups to fend off incursions and claim rare Siblated tokens.

Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza
The Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza returned with renewed vigor, granting fishing aficionados the opportunity to compete for rare loot like the coveted winner’s rod, exclusive pets, and vanity titles.Held weekly outside Booty Bay, this community-driven contest is renowned for its social atmosphere, complete with wagering pools and live commentary from in-game announcers.

Tier 0.5 Dungeon Armor Sets
A much-anticipated addition in Phase 4 was the Tier 0.5 class armor sets, also known as Dungeon Set 2.Players who completed their original Tier 0 (Dungeon Set 1) quests could now embark on a fresh quest chain, visiting NPCs like Deliana in Ironforge and Mokvar in Orgrimmar, to collect upgraded gear that blurred the lines between original Classic aesthetics and slightly enhanced stats.

Recent Hotfixes and Quality-of-Life Tweaks
Enhanced Herbalism Rewards
On May 2, Blizzard deployed a hotfix to improve herb gathering in the anniversary realms, ensuring that Black Lotus now has a chance to spawn when collecting high-level herbs such as Gromsblood, Golden Sansam, and Icecap with a skill of 300 or above.This change has been warmly received, as Black Lotus remained a rare commodity in the Classic economy, driving both herb prices and demand for endgame consumables.

Fixes for Gallagio Loyalty Rewards
The same hotfix patch addressed an issue that caused some players to fall permanently behind on the Gallagio Loyalty Rewards Club progression, restoring fairness to those who had participated consistently in anniversary promotions.By correcting this oversight, Blizzard ensured long-term participants were not disadvantaged in their accumulation of cosmetic mounts and vanity pets.

Community Engagement and Feedback
Player Reactions to Phase Cadence
The accelerated phase cadence—from a 10-week rhythm to just six weeks between Phases 3 and 4—sparked debate among classic veterans and casual players alike.While some praised the faster rollout for catering to content-hungry groups, others cautioned that it risked leaving solo or low-commitment players behind on progression.

Battleground Scheduling
Reddit discussions and community polls have speculated on the scheduling of future Battleground Bonus Weekends, with the consensus favoring a continuous rotation of Arathi Basin, Alterac Valley, and Warsong Gulch without the “skip weeks” that Classic players remember from 2019.Blizzard’s blue posts hint that “every weekend will be a BG weekend,” though exact calendars remain subject to change based on server population and feedback.

Looking Ahead: Phases 5 and 6
Ahn’Qiraj War Effort (Phase 5)
Scheduled for August 7, 2025, Phase 5 will reinvigorate the epic Ahn’Qiraj war effort, culminating in the opening of the Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj and the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj raids.This phase will challenge players to amass Tribute to fuel the gates, transforming large-scale coordination into tangible siege weapons against the Qiraji hordes.

Scourge Invasion and Naxxramas (Phase 6)
Finally, Phase 6 on October 16, 2025, will introduce the haunting Scourge Invasion events, followed by the Naxxramas raid in Eastern Plaguelands.These endgame spectacles will demand the highest levels of raid synergy and resource investment, offering the most prestigious loot available in the anniversary realms.

Conclusion
The WoW Classic 20th Anniversary celebration has successfully blended nostalgia with fresh incentives, guiding players through the original Classic timeline with modern enhancements and a robust roadmap of phases. Recent updates—particularly Phase 3’s battleground expansions and Phase 4’s jungle-themed raids—have sustained player engagement, while hotfixes continue to refine the experience. As Phases 5 and 6 loom on Buy WoW Classic 20th Anniversary Gold the horizon, the community eagerly anticipates monumental events like the Ahn’Qiraj war effort and Naxxramas siege, cementing the 20th Anniversary realms as a landmark chapter in Classic’s enduring legacy.