Progression
Before downloading some 17 GB and putting a hundred hours into a character there is only one question that matters: will this still be here in three months, and are you going to delete my character? This page answers it in writing, with the whole plan through to the end.
Three firm promises
Your character is never deleted
There are no wipes and no progress resets. Opening a phase does not reset characters, items, reputations or gold: a phase adds content, it never takes yours away.
No phase opens by surprise
The date of every phase is published here at least 14 days in advance. If it moves, we say that it moved and why. And while there is no date, the phase shows with no date: you will never read an expired date here.
A phase every 2 to 3 months
That is the target, and it is a target, not a promise. A phase does not open until its content works: this is an emulator and bosses break. We would rather be late than open a raid that cannot be finished.
Where we are
Phase 1 · The floating necropolis
7 August 2026
Open since
The realm opens with the raid content from the start of the patch: Naxxramas and the two dragon fights that come with it. This is where the game is today.
- Naxxramas, in 10 and 25 player
- The Obsidian Sanctum
- The Eye of Eternity
- Every heroic dungeon at max level
- Arena: season 5
Phase 2 · The secret of Ulduar
No date announced
Expected date
There is no date yet, which is why you do not see one. When there is, it goes up here at least 14 days in advance: we would rather show no date than one that expires.
The city of the titans. It is the phase that needs the most testing in the whole plan: Ulduar has per-boss hard modes and that is exactly where an emulator breaks first, so it is the one we will rush the least.
- Ulduar, in 10 and 25 player
- Per-boss hard modes
- The Argent Tournament and its daily quests
- Arena: season 6
This calendar is short on purpose
The full plan
The five phases, and what each one opens. It has been written top to bottom since day one; it is not being made up along the way.
Phase 1 · The floating necropolis
The realm opens with the raid content from the start of the patch: Naxxramas and the two dragon fights that come with it. This is where the game is today.
- Naxxramas, in 10 and 25 player
- The Obsidian Sanctum
- The Eye of Eternity
- Every heroic dungeon at max level
- Arena: season 5
Phase 2 · The secret of Ulduar
The city of the titans. It is the phase that needs the most testing in the whole plan: Ulduar has per-boss hard modes and that is exactly where an emulator breaks first, so it is the one we will rush the least.
- Ulduar, in 10 and 25 player
- Per-boss hard modes
- The Argent Tournament and its daily quests
- Arena: season 6
Phase 3 · Trial of the Crusader
The Argent Tournament coliseum, with its four difficulties, and Onyxia back at max level. It is a short phase on purpose: it bridges the gap before the citadel.
- Trial of the Crusader, in 10 and 25, normal and heroic
- Onyxia’s Lair at max level
- Arena: season 7
Phase 4 · Icecrown Citadel
The citadel and the Lich King: the end of the patch’s story and the phase most people are waiting for. It opens wing by wing, as designed, not all at once.
- Icecrown Citadel, in 10 and 25, normal and heroic
- Wing-by-wing opening, with its own announced schedule
- Arena: season 8
Phase 5 · The Ruby Sanctum
The last raid of the patch. When this phase opens the raid content is complete and the plan reaches its end. There is no hidden phase 6: it does not exist in this game.
- The Ruby Sanctum, in 10 and 25, normal and heroic
- The progression plan closes
After the last phase
When the Ruby Sanctum opens, the raid content of the patch is complete. There is no phase 6 to announce later on: it does not exist in this game.
Running out of content does not switch the realm off. Characters stay where they are, the realm stays online, and whatever comes next will be decided and announced here before it happens, under the same rules as the rest of the plan.
The realm may close one day. That is written in the rules and it is not hidden. But if that moment comes, it gets announced here in advance instead of simply disappearing.
Read the realm rules →Phase archive
Only what has already happened. Every phase that opens is added here with its date, and that line is never rewritten or removed.
| Phase | Content | Opened on |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | The floating necropolis | 7 August 2026 |
These dates are static: they live in the site repository, they are written by hand when each phase opens, and they stay true even while the realm is offline. They are not a reading from the game.