Gab Hernandez 
Blizzard has announced Cataclysm Classic’s release date for WoW, giving players a warning of when the infamous and iconic expansion will arrive in the game.
World of Warcraft remains a reliable pillar for Blizzard. With a wave of layoffs hitting the company and a major project being canceled, the company had a rough start in 2024. However, the silver lining came via World of Warcraft’s subscriber numbers with Blizzard stating that the game had over seven million subscribers as of March 2024.
A significant chunk of those seven million come from players of the Classic releases. WoW’s return to vanilla classic spiked the number of active subscribers to 8 million, higher than even Legion’s launch numbers. Now, Blizzard hopes to recapture some of that hype with a return to Cataclysm.
Release date for WoW Classic Cataclysm revealed
Cataclysm Classic officially launches in WoW on May 20, and it will be preceded by a pre-expansion patch entitled The Shattering of Azeroth on April 30, 2024.
Cataclysm follows Wrath of the Lich King, one of the most beloved expansions for World of Warcraft during its heyday. In contrast, Cataclysm was one of the most controversial expansions in World of Warcraft upon its release.
The Shattering of Azeroth irreversibly destroyed memorable chunks of the world and locked out certain quests forever. For many, Cataclysm did feel like the literal shattering of the thing they loved because it was also around that time Blizzard overhauled the game’s systems.
The story focused heavily on the Horde side, which left many Alliance players out of the loop. For fans focused on gameplay, Cataclysm only had five new levels instead of 10 and a series of endgame patches that were regarded as disappointing.
When does Cataclysm Classic end in WoW?
Cataclysm Classic will conclude in January 2025 with Hour of Twilight.
Interestingly, this means Cataclysm Classic will last less than a year, a few months shorter than the original’s release schedule. Blizzard may be rushing to get to the expansion after Cataclysm, Mists of Pandaria.
Although Blizzard has not confirmed a release date for Mists of Pandaria, it will likely come shortly after the conclusion of Cataclysm Classic. Blizzard probably hopes this speedy release schedule convinces more fans to return to the nostalgia of the old World of Warcraft.
