WoW: What's coming with the TBC Classic pre-patch on May 19th? (Update)

August 17, 2021

WoW: TBC Classic - What's coming with the pre-patch on May 19th?

1. bisection of the Classic world2. The highlight new features of the pre-patch3. What else will change with the Pre-Patch?4. What is not yet coming with the Pre-Patch (NEW)?

With the maintenance on May 19, 2021, the pre-patch of WoW: Burning Crusade Classic will land on all currently available WoW Classic servers. But what does the update actually contain? What new features and adjustments can we look forward to? In this special we want to answer exactly these questions!

Update from May 17: The pre-patch of Burning Crusade Classic is scheduled for this week and we have expanded our overview of the patch's new features with the latest findings.

Splitting the Classic world in two

Before you can log in to the Classic servers after the implementation of the pre-patch, you have to make a decision: Do you actually want to experience the Burning Crusade content with your characters, or would you rather move to the new Era servers? Or do you want to do both with one or more characters and pay 35 Euros per character? We already explained how this choice works in the following article:

WoW: TBC Classic - How clone service / switch to era servers work.

Also available in the pre-patch will be the character boost to level 58, which you can purchase via the Dark Portal Pass (39.99 Euro) or the new Deluxe Edition (69.99 Euro) .

Update: By the way, it has already been decided how the German era servers will be linked on May 19 in order to offer Classic Era players a sufficiently large community. In the DE region the following realms will be linked:

Lakeshire and Everlook
Lucifron, Patchwerk and Transcendence
Dragon's Call, Heartstriker and Venoxis

Update: As of May 19, server transfers for characters should be available again, with an increased gold limit of 5,000 gold pieces.

The highlight new features from the pre-patch

Below we present the most important features of the pre-patch:

We will gain access to Blood Elves (Horde) and Draenei (Alliance), as well as their respective starting areas and capitals.
Through the new races, the Horde will gain access to Paladins, while the Alliance will be allowed to lead Shamans into battle for the first time.
We will be allowed to bring the Jeweler profession to 300.
The talent trees of all classes will be reworked and new talents will be added.
The honor system will be reworked, and the toughening value will be introduced. It will also be possible to play skirmish games in the first arenas. You will also be able to purchase Honor System gear and weapons (including Rank 13 and 14 items) for Honor and Battleground Tokens. You no longer need a specific rank.
The experience required to level up between levels 20 and 60 will be lowered. Quests will give more experience between levels 30 and 60, as will dungeon quests between 1 and 60. Elite quests between 1 and 60 will be simplified. In addition, dungeon loot will be improved across the board, and you will now find many more quests in the Marshes of Dustwallow.

WoW: TBC Classic - Already with the pre-patch we are allowed to level up Blood Elves and Draenei to level 60. Source: Blizzard

What else is changing with the pre-patch?

The Burning Crusade Classic will use patch 2.4.3 as its foundation in many areas, and that will affect the pre-patch as well.

The cap on debuffs that can act on enemies at one time will be raised from 16 to 40.
Many consumable items will be split into combat and guardian elixirs. You can only use one combat elixir and one guardian elixir at a time. In fact, if you throw in a vial, elixirs will not be usable at all, as a vial will be counted as a guardian and combat elixir.
Items no longer provide a percentage increase in critical strike chance, hit chance, or dodge chance. Instead, the so-called "Combat Rating System" will be introduced for all stats.

Read more: WoW: TBC Classic - buff cap, stats, AoE damage - what's changing.

Weapon skill will be removed as a value. Instead, Weapon Lore will be a new value. With Weapon Lore you reduce your opponent's chance to dodge or parry your blows.
Hunter and Warlock pets will scale with their master's stats.
Heal over time effects are now stackable.
Items that previously only granted plus healing now also grant a small amount of plus spell damage.
Control effects will last a maximum of 12 seconds in PvP. The "Diminishing Effect" of control effects will have a cooldown of 15 to 20 seconds.
There is a new damage cap for many area attacks. Blizzard, Frost Nova, Volley, Hurricane, and Rain of Fire are affected.
Skill ranks that were previously only available through books can be purchased from the class teacher.
All priests gain access to Fear spell protection.
Spell speed reduces the global cooldown of spells to up to one second.
Low rank spells cast by high level characters will benefit less from plus healing and plus spell damage.
HoTs, DoTs, and channeled spells now benefit more from plus healing and plus spell damage.
Gathering stones can be used to summon players to the front of the instance.
Quests from Silithus give more reputation with the Coven of Cenarius.
On the PTR, the dungeon cap of 30 IDs per day is no longer present.
Most elite enemies in the open world are now non-elite.
You can send gold and items to other characters instantly.
There is one more bank slot. The most expensive bank slots cost 25 gold each.
Limited Invulnerability Potion and Vial of Petrification will be noticeably weakened.
Update: You can already farm TBC Classic-era itemsat Deathwind Mountain Pass.
Update: You can now define targets with /focus as focus targets.

WoW: With the pre-patch you will pay less gold for fast riding plus mount. Source: buffed

Update: You can learn slow riding at level 30 for 10 gold (without reputation discount). Fast riding now requires an extra skill, which you will automatically receive if you already have a fast mount. Without such a mount, the riding instructor will cost 600 gold (without reputation discount), the fast mounts cost 100 gold each (without reputation discount).
Update: The quest log has been increased from 20 to 25 quests.
Update: You can now "track" targeted NPCs and co. via your mini-map.
Update: The range of nameplate bars will be increased to 40 meters.

What is not yet included in the pre-patch (NEW)?

With the pre-patch, we obviously don't have access to all the challenges and new features that come with Outland yet:

We are not yet allowed to enter Outland through the Dark Portal and tackle the new quests, dungeons and co. there.
The maximum level will remain at level 60 until the official launch of TBC Classic.
The maximum skill for professions will remain 300 until the official launch of TBC Classic.
Guild banks will not come into play until a later TBC Classic phase.
Rated Arena matches will not be available until the start of the first PvP season.
On the PTR, the new user interface for group searching was not yet available.
The NPC for the Eye of the Storm is already in the capitals, but we can't sign up for the new battleground yet.

Also of interest: TBC Classic - Be sure to try out these skills in the pre-patch

How's it looking: Are you looking forward to the two week pre-patch period? What new features are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments!