Blizz Formally Broadcasts WoW Midnight Pricing and a Q2 2026 Launch Goal because it Ramps Up at Gamescom

We knew the WoW Midnight announcement was coming.  The pricing plan leaked out on “accident” almost two weeks again, which was both a typical mistake or some useful pump priming to get us prepared.

World of Warcraft Midnight

The approaching announcement was all of the extra apparent with their dedication to Gamescom as their stand-in for BlizzCon this yr.

The WoW Midnight panel schedule

Gamescom begins in earnest at the moment, however the baseline announcement dropped as a midnight reveal… as a result of, all Midnight bulletins are that, proper… with the official pricing and a common “ship no later than” date.

The press launch for WoW Midnight highlights the next:

• RETURN TO FABLED LANDS AND EXPLORE NEW ONES –Battle your method to a brand new stage cap of 90 as you reexplore the class of a totally rebuilt Eversong Woods and the brand new hub in Silvermoon Metropolis; see the expanded forests by no means earlier than traveled in Zul’Aman; delve again into the depths of the world in Harandar; and tackle the Void’s forces amid the gorgeous chaos of the Voidstorm.
• EXPLORE AZEROTH’S DEEP ROOTS AS A HARANIR – The Haranir be a part of the struggle towards Xal’atath as gamers unlock this new allied race in the principle story marketing campaign. Haranir gamers will be capable of select from the next courses: Warrior, Rogue, Priest, Druid, Hunter, Warlock, Monk and Shaman.
• BECOME ONE WITH THE VOID – A protracted-awaited third Demon Hunter specialization arrives. Devourer Demon Hunters interweave ranged capabilities with the signature fast mobility and agility of the category as they forsake the Fel power that fuels the opposite specializations and as an alternative embrace the facility of the Void. Moreover, the category expands with Void Elves becoming a member of the ranks of the Illidari as a Demon Hunter.
• HUNT OR BE HUNTED IN PURSUIT OF GREAT REWARDS – Prey is a brand new opt-in searching system that allows you to pursue highly effective targets (or be pursued) throughout Azeroth and past. It’s constructed to fit proper into the way you already play—whether or not you’re questing, gathering, or simply exploring. This will probably be accessible in Regular, Arduous and Nightmare difficulties with higher rewards for better dangers.
• REFRESHED ONBOARDING FOR NEW AND RETURNING PLAYERS – New gamers will play via an up to date leveling circulate with adjustments made to Exile’s Attain and Dragonflight™ because the introductory expertise to be taught and revel in WoW’s wealthy story and gameplay methods. Returning gamers can play via a brand new, shorter non-compulsory expertise within the Arathi Highlands to refamiliarize themselves earlier than leaping again into the motion.
• LONG-REQUESTED HOUSING (FINALLY) COMES TO WOW – After greater than twenty years of journey, world-ending threats, other-worldly invasions and even a marketing campaign within the realm of loss of life, the Champions of Azeroth will lastly have a spot on Azeroth to actually name residence. Homeowners of the Midnight growth could have two houses (one every for Horde and Alliance) together with an assortment of beginning décor objects to take their first steps in a brand new Participant Housing system constructed for boundless expression. Gamers can discover the deep social methods and earn extra décor objects by merely doing what they love…taking part in the sport!

“Lengthy-requested” made me stifle a chuckle.  The sport will probably be 21 years outdated earlier than housing reveals up.  Lengthy requested certainly!

The pricing ended up as beforehand leaked, with three ranges of pre-order accessible.

• WoW Midnight Base Version – $49.99
  • World of Warcraft: The Struggle Inside
  • Stage 80 Character Increase with enhanced gear, fame progress, and extra
  • 500 Dealer’s Tender
  • Housing Early Entry

Once more, $50 for an MMO growth appears a bit expensive.

• WoW Midnight Heroic Version – $69.99
• Base Version goodies plus:
  • 500 extra Dealer’s Tender (1,000 in complete)
  • Lightstrider Raiment Transmog Set
  • Lightwing Dragonhawk Skyriding Mount

The $70 possibility for… I don’t know who, actually.

• WoW Midnight Epic Version – $89.99
• Heroic Version goodies plus:
  • 1000 extra Dealer’s Tender (2,000 in complete)
  • Voidstrider Raiment Transmog Set
  • Voidwing Dragonhawk Skyriding Mount
  • Voidlight Surger Skyriding Mount
  • Hopeflutter Pet
  • Doomfeathers Pet
  • Beta Entry to Midnight Enlargement
  • 3 Days Early Entry to Midnight Enlargement
  • WoW Midnight Housing Bundle
  • 30 Days of Recreation Time

And the $90 plan for many who need to have all of it… and for anyone who needs an opportunity at a world first.

The shop web page features a sequence of caveats and reminders about your pre-purchase.

• World of Warcraft Midnight will probably be accessible on or earlier than June 30, 2026.

I count on this implies a Q2, seemingly mid-Might launch.  If Blizz was going to do it in Q1 they might have put March 31, 2026.

• Buy of World of Warcraft Midnight doesn’t embrace entry to future expansions.

I imply, “duh,” however any individual little doubt bought upset about this at one time.

• If you have already got World of Warcraft The Struggle Inside in your account, the growth won’t be re-granted.

They’re tying TWW into the growth buy, however if you happen to already purchased it, this hyperlink will get you nothing.

Notes about early entry that hyperlinks out to a assist web page with particulars which point out:

• Midnight Beta Entry
  • World of Warcraft: Midnight – Epic Version consists of Midnight Beta entry
    • Homeowners of the Epic Version will obtain an e-mail notification when Midnight Beta is out there to entry.
  • A Beta is an early model of a sport that’s nonetheless in growth, and Beta progress doesn’t carry over to the stay sport.  All the pieces you expertise in a Beta can enhance or change by the point the sport is launched. This consists of content material, graphics, sound, and the way nicely the sport performs in your laptop. The Midnight Beta is just not consultant of the ultimate Midnight product.

Beta is beta, principally, and doesn’t depend in direction of your stay progress.

• Housing Early Entry
  • Housing Early Entry anticipated to be accessible throughout The Struggle Inside 11.2.7 content material replace.
  • All editions of World of Warcraft: Midnight embrace early entry to the brand new Housing characteristic. Homeowners of any Midnight version will obtain an e-mail notification when Housing early entry begins.
  • Housing is a characteristic in energetic growth. With Housing Early Entry, you’ll get a particular preview of the brand new characteristic – discover, customise, and enhance with a restricted choice earlier than a full suite of choices arrives with the launch of the growth.

Housing isn’t completed but and received’t have all of the options till WoW Midnight launches, so that you’re within the beta basically.

• Midnight 3-Days Early Entry
  • World of Warcraft: Midnight – Epic Version consists of 3-Days Early Entry to the Midnight growth.
    • Homeowners of the Epic Version will obtain an e-mail notification when Midnight early entry begins.
    • Midnight 3-Days Early Entry Content material – Whereas gamers can progress to the brand new most stage, content material accessible throughout Midnight Early Entry is restricted. Most max-level content material is just not accessible till the total sport launch. Early Entry permits additional time to begin leveling, discover delves and dungeons in Quel’Thelas, and revel in the brand new story marketing campaign.
    •  Precise play time topic to attainable outages and relevant time zone variations.

Certain, you received’t get a raid world first, however the race to be first to stage cap will clearly be completed earlier than early entry ends.

Different objects from the shop web page:

• Housing characteristic solely accessible via buy of, or entitlement to World of Warcraft Midnight. Decor objects will probably be granted throughout the 11.2.7 content material replace and accessible to make use of beginning with Housing Early Entry.

• In-game objects and Stage 80 Character Increase not accessible in World of Warcraft Traditional video games. Enhanced Stage 80 Character Increase is just usable on the WoW sport account on which it was bought or redeemed as a present.

• Upgrading to the Heroic or Epic Version won’t re-grant the Character Increase or any in-game objects beforehand unlocked in your WoW account.

• Dealer’s Tender is granted solely as soon as per Battle.web account and area upon first buy of every version, at a most of 2000 Tender from Epic.

• Buying the Epic Version on a number of WoW accounts in the identical area below a single Battle.web account will re-grant Housing Decor objects. Epic Version house owners may also be capable of buy extra copies of the included Decor objects in sport with gold at a later date.

Principally, you can not use the version improve path to sport the system with a view to get extra issues… until it’s housing decor.  For that buying the $90 model once more will re-grant housing decor objects.

So we bought all of that and the cinematic trailer earlier than Gamescom even began.

So there it’s.  Now will it excite the considerably jaded viewers for a return to the twenty-one yr outdated sport?

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