January 20 Is Going to Be a Massive Day for World of Warcraft

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As a huge World of Warcraft fan, I’m so excited to share that Blizzard just announced the Midnight pre-expansion update will launch on January 20, 2026! We’ll finally get our hands on the new Devourer Demon Hunter class, totally revamped talent trees for all classes, and a bunch of cool new transmog options. Plus, the pre-patch and the Winds of Mysterious Fortune event are coming the very next week – it’s going to be awesome!

On March 2nd, the Midnight expansion will be released for World of Warcraft, adding a wealth of new adventures. Players can explore four new zones—including updated versions of Quel’Thalas and Zul’Aman—and tackle eight dungeons and three raids. The level cap will also increase to 90 as the second part of the Worldsoul Saga begins, tasking players with stopping Xal’atath from seizing the Sunwell and endangering Azeroth.

World of Warcraft: Midnight Pre-Patch Update Arrives January 20

Image via Blizzard

Players won’t have to wait long to experience many of the key features of Midnight. On January 20th, the World of Warcraft: Midnight pre-expansion update launches, bringing with it core features from the upcoming expansion. This update will significantly change how classes play, with a focus on simpler rotations, clearer class roles, and fewer unnecessary abilities. Plus, a new specialization, the Devourer Demon Hunter, will be added, and Void Elves will gain the ability to become Demon Hunters.

  • January 20
    • New Demon Hunter specialization: Devourer
    • New Race/Class combination: Void Elf Demon Hunters
    • Talent tree and class design overhauls
    • Stat and Item Level squish
    • User Interface Updates: Raid frames, display scaling controls, customization options, nameplates, Damage Meter, Boss Alerts, and more
    • Transmogrification 2.0 update
    • Player vs. Player Training Grounds
  • January 27
    • Pre-Expansion event
    • Winds of Mysterious Fortune event

Beyond the core classes, players will notice numbers for stats and item levels have been adjusted to be more manageable. This means damage and health totals won’t be as extremely high, but overall character power will feel the same. There might be some minor balancing issues at first, but the developers are working on it. The update also includes new user interface features like a Damage Meter and Boss Alerts, a redesigned transmogrification system, and the PvP Training Grounds, where players can practice against AI opponents.

Pre-Patch Event for World of Warcraft: Midnight Starts January 27

Image via Blizzard

Starting January 27th, two new in-game events will begin. The Pre-Expansion event lets you get a sneak peek at the story leading up to Midnight, featuring Grand Magister Rommath and Magister Umbric as they battle the Twilight’s Blade cult. You’ll also earn gear and cosmetic items. At the same time, the Winds of Mysterious Fortune event will increase experience and reputation gains and provide extra leveling gear, making it a great opportunity to level up and equip alternate characters for Midnight.

Image via Blizzard

The ‘Winds of Mysterious Fortune’ event was shown in a preview for update 11.2.7, but it was taken down. It seems the developers plan to include it in a larger update coming before the expansion release instead.

The January 20th release date for the World of Warcraft: Midnight pre-patch was expected. With Legion Remix ending on January 19th, and expansions typically getting a pre-patch event lasting a little over a month, this timing made sense.

Image via Blizzard

The great thing about this update is that you don’t need to own the Midnight expansion to experience it. While you’ll need to pre-order World of Warcraft: Midnight to level up past 80, explore the new areas, try out new dungeons, or use the Housing feature when the full expansion launches, everything in this pre-release update is available to all players, even those who don’t buy the expansion.

So, housing finally dropped in World of Warcraft with Patch 11.2.7! You need to own the Midnight expansion to actually buy a place, but the cool thing is everyone can still check out the Neighborhoods and start collecting furniture. I’m already farming stuff from crafting, reputations, and even running old raids just to decorate! Once Midnight is fully out, they’re promising even more housing options, like different looks for Blood and Night Elf homes, and these new things called Endeavors to earn even more cool stuff.

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2025-12-19 06:04