World of Warcraft Classic arrives Aug 27, beta tests go live

Blizzard claimed many teenage and adult lives when they released World of Warcraft back in 2004, now the company plans to allow you to re-live those captured years in World of Warcraft Classic on August 27th.

Blizzard will be allowing WoW players to jump back into what has been deemed as the 'vanilla experience' of WoW, and take on not only the classic bosses in raids but the massive amount of nostalgia that will be coursing through players' veins. Blizzard will be celebrating their 15th anniversary by allowing for 25-player raids that will pit players against some of the most iconic bosses in the franchise. Of course there will be rewards, for any player that manages to defeat all of the classic bosses will be rewarded with a new mount called Obsidian Worldbreaker.

World of Warcraft Classic will take players back to the game during the Drums of War update which was patch 1.12. Content wise, World of Warcraft Classic will feature periodically rolled out patches that will arrive in the same original order of 2004. "Re-experience WoW history unfolding as heroes gear up for Blackwing Lair; players battle for PvP Honor and Rank rewards; and entire realms band together to open the gates of Ahn'Qiraj.". Beginning today, players who sign up for the closed beta tests may get the chance to jump into the WoW Classic servers early, it should be noted that not all players who sign up get an invite.

World of Warcraft Classic features:

• RELIVE AN ERA LOST TO LEGEND - Return to Azeroth as it was during the Drums of War update (patch 1.12), which represents the original WoW at its most content-complete.
• PHASED CONTENT ROLLOUT - Following its launch, World of Warcraft Classic's content will be released over the course of multiple phases reflecting the game's original order. Re-experience WoW history unfolding as heroes gear up for Blackwing Lair; players battle for PvP Honor and Rank rewards; and entire realms band together to open the gates of Ahn'Qiraj.
• INCLUDED WITH EXISTING WOW SUBSCRIPTIONS - Anyone who subscribes to World of Warcraft can play WoW Classic at no additional cost. Explore the far corners of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms before and after the world-shattering events that changed Azeroth forever.
• CLOSED BETA TEST & STRESS TESTS - Starting May 15, select WoW players will be invited to participate in a small-scale, focused closed beta test, helping ensure WoW Classic nails its goal of authenticity. Players will also get a chance to help put our servers and technology through the paces in a series of stress tests from May through July-opt in now at www.wowclassic.com.
• CLASSIC GAMEPLAY WITH TODAY'S CONVENIENCES - Experience the authentic gameplay of 2006 built on the infrastructure of WoW today, with server technology providing a smooth and stable experience; support for modern PC hardware; and access to Blizzard Battle.net's social features.