Zul'Aman went live on the TBC Anniversary realms on October 22, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PDT, and a lot of arena players logged in expecting Arena Season 4 with it. It didn't come. Blizzard's "Now Live" patch post covers Zul'Aman, Badges of Justice, attunement removal and epic gems — and has no arena section at all, and Blizzard hasn't announced a Season 3 end. So Season 3 (Vengeful Gladiator) carries on. Here's what is confirmed, what the 2022 TBC Classic timeline suggests about the Season 3 → 4 handover, and how to handle your Arena Points and rating in the meantime.
TL;DR — Quick answer
- Is Arena Season 4 live on TBC Anniversary? No. The October 22 Zul'Aman patch notes contain no arena changes, and Blizzard hasn't announced a Season 3 end, so Season 3 (Vengeful Gladiator) — which began September 1, 2026 with regional weekly resets — carries on (Blizzard).
- When does Season 4 start? No date. Blizzard has not announced an end date for Season 3 or a start date for Season 4. In the 2022 TBC Classic run, Season 4 launched with the Sunwell Plateau patch, not with Zul'Aman (Warcraft Tavern).
- Sunwell (Phase 4) date: still unannounced. Blizzard's window is "Autumn 2026" only.
- Your Arena Points: at the end of Season 2, Blizzard converted every unspent Arena Point to 10 Honor. If Season 3 ends the same way, points can't be banked for Brutal gear, so don't sit near the cap waiting for Season 4.
- Gladiator push: the Season 3 title and the Vengeful Nether Drake are handed out when Season 3 ends, so the clock on your rating is the Sunwell announcement, not Zul'Aman.
Did Arena Season 4 start with Zul'Aman on TBC Anniversary?
No. This is the most common mix-up of the week, and it comes from old roadmaps. Several boosting-site roadmaps written in early 2026 said Season 4 would "kick off alongside" Zul'Aman. Blizzard's own patch note says otherwise by leaving it out.
The official "The Gods of Zul'Aman Now Live" post lists everything the October 22 patch changed (Blizzard):
- Zul'Aman: a 10-player, level 70 raid with six bosses, no attunement and a 3-day reset lockout
- the timed Amani War Bear run
- Black Temple and Battle for Mount Hyjal attunements removed
- Heroic dungeon keys dropped to Honored
- Badges of Justice from Kazzak, Doomwalker and every boss in Karazhan, Gruul, Magtheridon, SSC, Tempest Keep and Zul'Aman
- epic gems in Magtheridon's Black Sack of Gems and Jewelcrafter's Brilliant Glass
- Primal Nether and Nether Vortex no longer soulbound
There is no "Arena Season" heading in that post. Compare that with the Black Temple announcement in July. That one had a full "Prove Your Worth in Arena Season 3" section with an end week for Season 2, a start date for Season 3 and the Arena Point conversion rule (Blizzard). When Blizzard changes the arena season on Anniversary, it says so in the phase post. This time it didn't.
Confirmed: the Zul'Aman patch made no arena changes, and Blizzard has posted no Season 3 end date. That's why Season 3 is still the live season as of October 23, 2026 — an inference from what Blizzard has published, not a separate announcement. Not confirmed: any Season 3 end date or Season 4 start date.
When does Arena Season 3 end on TBC Anniversary?
Blizzard hasn't said. But we have two good precedents, and they point the same way: Season 3 ends shortly before Sunwell, and Season 4 starts in the same week as Sunwell.
Precedent 1: TBC Classic in 2022
The original TBC Classic run used the same order of content as Anniversary. Zul'Aman did not start a new season there either.
| Event (TBC Classic, 2022) | Date | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| Zul'Aman opens | March 24, 2022 | — |
| Blizzard announces Season 3 end | about 2 weeks before | — |
| Arena Season 3 ends | May 3, 2022 (maintenance) | 40 days after ZA |
| Arena Season 4 begins | after May 10 maintenance | 1-week off-season |
| Sunwell Plateau opens | May 12, 2022 | 49 days after ZA |
Blizzard's community manager Kaivax posted the end date on the forums: "Burning Crusade PvP Season 3 will end with maintenance May 3, 2022." He added that Season 4 "will begin later in May 2022" (Warcraft Tavern, quoting Blizzard). That gave players roughly two weeks' notice. The Sunwell date itself came only about one week before launch.
Precedent 2: Anniversary's own Season 2 → Season 3 handover
On Anniversary, Blizzard announced the Season 2 ending inside the Phase 3 post on July 23 — about three and a half weeks ahead:
- Season 2 ended the week of August 16, "at 10:00 pm local time the night before each region's weekly reset"
- Black Temple and Hyjal opened August 27
- Season 3 started September 1 "with regional weekly content resets" (so the actual day depends on your region's reset)
(Blizzard)
So on Anniversary the season ended about 10 days before the new raid tier and restarted 5 days after it. That left a roughly two-week off-season with no rated arena.
What that means for Season 4 on Anniversary
Put the two together and the most likely shape is this. Treat it as a projection, not a date:
- Blizzard announces Phase 4 (Fury of the Sunwell), probably with an "Arena Season 3 ends" line in the same post.
- Season 3 ends one to two weeks before Sunwell opens.
- Season 4 (Brutal Gladiator) starts with a weekly reset in the same week as Sunwell, or just after.
If Anniversary copied the 2022 gap of 49 days from Zul'Aman to Sunwell, Sunwell would land around December 10, 2026. That is only arithmetic. Blizzard's official window is still just "Autumn 2026", and nobody outside Blizzard has a real date. Watch for the Phase 4 post — the Season 3 end date will most likely be in it.
What happens to your Arena Points when Season 3 ends?
This is the part that actually costs players gear. Don't bank Arena Points for Season 4.
At the end of Season 2, Blizzard stated: "any remaining unspent Arena Points are converted to Honor Points (1 Arena Point = 10 Honor Points)" (Blizzard). That is the Anniversary rule as it was applied last season. Blizzard hasn't published Season 3's end terms yet, so treat a repeat as likely, not certain.
That breaks an old TBC habit. In the original 2007–08 game, players saved points across the season change to buy new gear on day one. On Anniversary, points you hold at the end of a season turn into Honor instead. With the Arena Point cap at 5,000, a full stack becomes 50,000 Honor. That's useful, but it's not a Brutal Gladiator weapon.
A simple decision rule:
- Buy the upgrades you'll actually use. A Vengeful piece you wear for the rest of Season 3 and Sunwell's first weeks is worth the points. Hoarding toward a Season 4 vendor probably isn't.
- Don't sit at the cap. Points over the 5,000 cap are wasted every week, and a full stack at season end would most likely become Honor.
- Rating-gated items need the rating now. Vengeful weapons and shoulders are gated behind personal and team rating; shoulders need 2,000. For weapons, Blizzard's Kaivax said in February that Anniversary had "adjusted PvP weapons to only require 1700 rating to buy, instead of 1850 rating" (Blizzard forums). Check the vendor tooltip for the current Season 3 number.
- Watch for the official transition terms. Blizzard published the Season 2 rules about three and a half weeks before that season ended. The Season 3 rules should show up the same way.
- Expect cheaper Vengeful gear later. At the Season 2 → 3 handover, Merciless gear moved to the Area 52 vendors at a discount with no rating requirement, and Season 1 gear moved to the Honor vendors (Blizzard). If you only need PvP gear for PvE or world PvP, waiting for Season 4 is a real option.
What will Arena Season 4 add on TBC Anniversary?
Nothing about Season 4 has been announced for Anniversary. Here's what Season 4 was in 2022 TBC Classic, which is the closest guide we have. Treat every line as expected, not confirmed:
- Brutal Gladiator arena set, the last and strongest TBC arena tier
- Guardian's honor off-set pieces
- Rating requirements from the original game. In 2022 these were: Brutal shoulders 2,000 personal rating, Brutal weapons 1,850, Guardian's boots 1,700, Guardian's rings 1,650 (Warcraft Tavern)
- Vengeful gear without rating requirements — Blizzard said so in 2022, so PvE players could still use it
- Brutal Nether Drake plus the title for Gladiators at the end of Season 4
The ladder also tends to change. Looking back at Season 4, Warcraft Tavern wrote that more resilience made Warlocks very tanky, and Sunwell armor-penetration gear pushed Arms Warriors and Subtlety Rogues into very high burst. Expect the comp meta to move again once Sunwell gear enters arenas.
Is it still worth pushing rating in Season 3?
Yes, if you're anywhere near a cutoff. Three reasons.
1. The season is still open, and it could run for weeks. Season 3 started September 1. That's about 7 weeks so far. If the 2022 pattern holds, there are several more weeks before Blizzard even announces the end.
2. The end-of-season rewards are Season 3's, not Season 4's. The top end of the ladder (roughly the top 0.5%) earns the Gladiator title and the Vengeful Nether Drake, a 310% armored drake that needs Artisan Riding. Lower titles go to the next brackets down. Those rewards are calculated when Season 3 closes, so a late push still counts.
3. Rating unlocks Vengeful weapons and shoulders now. If the Season 2 pattern repeats, those pieces lose their rating gate after the season ends — but you'd lose the weeks of using them.
When it's not worth it: if you're a raider who only wants resilience for world PvP or the odd battleground, the Season 2 → 3 handover suggests Vengeful gear will get cheaper and lose its rating gate once Season 4 opens. Waiting costs you nothing there.
Two community points worth knowing. Anniversary's ladder already saw a wintrading disqualification wave around the Season 3 start, which we covered in the Season 3 ban-wave breakdown. And players arguing about the realm's future keep pointing at Forever: World of Warcraft: Forever launches November 4, 2026 as a separate game branch, so some arena teams may drift off. That can shift where the rating cutoffs land, but it's no guarantee they get easier — fewer teams can also mean fewer reward slots.
How does Zul'Aman change PvP gearing right now?
Not much for arena, but more than you'd think for everything around it:
- Badges of Justice are everywhere now. Every boss in Karazhan, Gruul, Magtheridon, SSC, Tempest Keep and Zul'Aman drops them. G'eras' new stock is expected to include Battlemaster's trinkets (75 badges) and resilience cloaks, which slot straight into an arena set — Blizzard's patch note only says "more powerful wares", so check the vendor. See our G'eras buy order.
- Zul'Aman's 3-day lockout means fresh 70s can gear up fast for PvE. That shortens the gap between "just dinged" and "ready for 2v2". The Zul'Aman loot ranking covers the drops worth chasing.
- Zero-rating gearing still works. Merciless (Season 2) gear sits on the Area 52 vendors at a discount with no rating requirement, and Season 1 gear is on the Honor vendors. That's the zero-rating route our fresh-70 arena gear guide walks through.
What should you do this week?
- Spend points on upgrades you'll use and stay under the cap. At the last season end, unspent points became Honor at 1:10.
- Buy any rating-gated Vengeful piece you qualify for while the rating is still on your character.
- Decide whether you're chasing a title. If you are, the window is now. Season 3 rewards are tied to Season 3's final standings.
- Watch Blizzard's news feed for the Phase 4 post. That's where the Season 3 end date is most likely to appear. Our Phase 4 Fury of the Sunwell tracker will be updated when it does.
- Don't plan around a WotLK switch. Blizzard hasn't announced a Wrath Anniversary. See what Blizzard has actually said.
Short on time to climb before Season 3 closes? timesaver.gg runs TBC Anniversary arena and raid services with experienced players:
- TBC Anniversary Arena Rating Boost — 2v2 / 3v3 rating before the Season 3 cutoff
- Vengeful Gladiator Gear — Season 3 arena pieces while they're still current
- Zul'Aman Carry — full clear on the new 3-day lockout
- Amani War Bear Timed Run — the timed hostage run for the Amani War Bear mount
FAQ
Is Arena Season 4 out on TBC Anniversary? No. As of October 23, 2026, Season 3 (Vengeful Gladiator) is still live. The October 22 Zul'Aman patch did not change the arena season, and Blizzard's patch post has no arena section.
When does Arena Season 4 start on TBC Anniversary? Blizzard hasn't announced a date. In 2022 TBC Classic, Season 4 began the week Sunwell Plateau opened, after a one-week off-season. Expect the same structure on Anniversary, with the date announced alongside Phase 4.
When does Arena Season 3 end on TBC Anniversary? No official date yet. On Anniversary, Blizzard announced the Season 2 end about three and a half weeks ahead, inside the next phase's announcement. In 2022, Season 3 ended nine days before Sunwell opened.
Do Arena Points carry over to Season 4? Probably not. At the end of Season 2, Blizzard converted every unspent Arena Point into 10 Honor Points. Blizzard hasn't published the Season 3 end terms yet, so the safe play is to spend points on upgrades you'll use rather than banking them for Brutal gear.
Will Vengeful gear lose its rating requirement? That's what happened last time. When Season 2 ended, Merciless gear moved to the Area 52 vendors at a discount with no rating requirement. In 2022, Blizzard also confirmed Season 3 gear had no rating requirement during Season 4. Neither is confirmed for Anniversary Season 3 yet.
Did Zul'Aman add any arena rewards? No direct arena rewards. But Badges of Justice now drop from far more bosses, and G'eras' expanded stock is expected to include Battlemaster's trinkets and resilience cloaks that many arena players use.
