Quick answer: what is TBC Anniversary Phase 3 and when does it launch?
Phase 3 of Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary — "Black Temple" — goes live globally on August 27, 2026 at 3:00 pm PDT / 23:00 BST. This is now CONFIRMED by Blizzard (announced July 23, 2026), not a community guess. The phase adds two Tier 6 raids — Black Temple (9 bosses, ending on Illidan Stormrage) and The Battle for Mount Hyjal (5 bosses, ending on Archimonde) — plus the Netherwing daily faction (your path to epic Netherdrake flying), Epic Gems, and Arena Season 3. Level cap stays 70 — this is a new raid tier, not a new expansion. Below: everything in the drop, what's not in it (read: Zul'Aman), and how much gold you'll actually need to hit the ground running.
Every fresh-realm cycle ends the same way: the server spends weeks asking "when's the next phase?" — and then Blizzard drops a date and the whole economy pivots to prep overnight. That moment just happened. On July 23, 2026, Blizzard confirmed the Phase 3 launch: August 27. If you're on the Anniversary progression realms, you now have a hard countdown. Here's exactly what's coming, what's confirmed versus still expected, and where your gold should go before the Betrayer's gates open.
When exactly does Phase 3 Black Temple go live?
Blizzard's official announcement gives a global launch of August 27, 2026 at 3:00 pm PDT (23:00 BST). That's a single global unlock, not a staggered regional rollout. (Blizzard news: Black Temple Arrives August 27)
Two dates around it matter for planning:
- Arena Season 2 ends August 18 (with weekly realm restarts) — nine days before the raids open.
- Arena Season 3 begins September 1 (again on the weekly reset), so there's a short PvP gap between seasons.
For months the community was working off the vague "Summer 2026" roadmap window and guessing at an August 20 launch based on the ~12-week phase cadence. Those guesses are now retired — August 27 is the real, official date. If you read our earlier Phase 3 release-date breakdown before the announcement, this is the confirmation it was waiting on.
What's actually in TBC Anniversary Phase 3?
Phase 3 is the Tier 6 chapter — the pre-Sunwell peak of The Burning Crusade. Here's the full confirmed content list from Blizzard's announcement:
| Content | What it is | Endboss / payoff |
|---|---|---|
| Black Temple | 9-boss raid, Shadowmoon Valley | Illidan Stormrage (Warglaives of Azzinoth) |
| Battle for Mount Hyjal | 5-boss wave raid, Caverns of Time | Archimonde |
| The Netherwing | New daily-quest faction, Shadowmoon Valley | Netherdrake epic flying mounts |
| Epic Gems | Higher-tier gem cuts for your gear | Mining in Hyjal / drops in BT |
| Arena Season 3 | New PvP season + gear | Season 3 Gladiator rewards |
The headline is Black Temple — the raid people resubscribed for. Its nine encounters run from High Warlord Naj'entus and Supremus through Shade of Akama, Teron Gorefiend, Gurtogg Bloodboil, the Reliquary of Souls, Mother Shahraz, and the Illidari Council before the finale against Illidan Stormrage, who drops the legendary Warglaives of Azzinoth — among the most iconic weapons in the game's history. Battle for Mount Hyjal is the other new raid: a five-wave defense (Rage Winterchill, Anetheron, Kaz'rogal, Azgalor, and finally Archimonde) entered through the Caverns of Time, replaying the climactic Warcraft III battle.
Both raids gate behind attunements, and this is the part that decides who raids on week one. Black Temple's attunement chain starts with The Tablets of Baa'ri (picked up from Arcanist Thelis for Scryers or Anchorite Ceyla for Aldor, depending on your allegiance), and Mount Hyjal opens through The Vials of Eternity questline from Soridormi in the Caverns of Time. On a fresh progression realm, the players who walk in attuned, geared, and gold-loaded on day one land the raid spots, guild invites, and early Warglaive rolls. Everyone else spends the first two weeks catching up.
What is NOT in the August 27 launch (Zul'Aman)?
This is where a lot of players get misled, so read carefully. Zul'Aman is not part of the August 27 drop. Blizzard's Phase 3 announcement lists Black Temple, Mount Hyjal, Netherwing, Epic Gems, and Arena Season 3 — Zul'Aman is not among them.
On the original TBC timeline, Zul'Aman (the 10-player troll raid with the famous Amani War Bear timed-run mount) arrived in patch 2.4, mid-way through the Tier 6 era — not at its start. The Anniversary community widely expects the same here: a later-in-Phase-3 addition, several weeks after August 27, rather than a launch-day raid. As one r/classicwow player estimated the cadence, Zul'Aman likely lands roughly 7–8 weeks into the phase, with Sunwell (Phase 4) following after that. Treat those as community estimates, not confirmed dates — Blizzard has not published a Zul'Aman date. If a boosting site is selling you a "Zul'Aman bear run" for launch week, they're selling a raid that isn't open yet.
How do Netherwing dailies and epic flying work in Phase 3?
Phase 3 opens the Netherwing faction on Netherwing Ledge, a floating crystalline outpost high above southeastern Shadowmoon Valley. You'll need a flying mount to reach it (or, as Blizzard dryly notes, "a willingness to take a very strategic fall").
Once there, daily quests build Netherwing reputation, and collecting Netherwing Eggs accelerates the grind. At Exalted, Drake Dealer Hurlunk sells the six Netherdrake epic flying mounts — Azure, Cobalt, Onyx, Purple, Veridian, and Violet — provided you've trained Artisan Riding (the 300% epic flight skill) and finished the Blood Oath of the Netherwing.
That "Artisan Riding" requirement is the gold trap. Epic flying training alone runs about 5,000 gold at base — and if you haven't already banked it, the Netherdrake dream stays grounded. This is why Phase 3 is, functionally, a gold check: the mounts, the epic gem cuts, and the raid consumables all cost real gold, and the players who prepped are the ones flying Netherdrakes in week one. (Our epic flying gold plan breaks down the exact 5,000g math.)
What do Epic Gems change for your gear?
Phase 3 introduces Epic Gems — the top gem tier — which meaningfully bump your character's stats over the rare gems everyone's been running. Two sources:
- Mining them inside Battle for Mount Hyjal (requires Mining skill 375), and
- Rare drops from bosses inside the Black Temple.
To actually socket them, you buy Jewelcrafting Designs from Indormi, Keeper of Ancient Gem Lore, inside the Mount Hyjal instance. Practical takeaway: if you're a Miner or a Jewelcrafter, Phase 3 is a gold-printing window — epic gems and their cuts sell for a premium in the opening weeks while demand spikes and supply is thin. If you're a buyer, budget for re-gemming your whole set.
How does the Arena Season 2 → Season 3 transition work?
For PvP players, the season swap has real mechanical consequences:
- Season 2 ends August 18. Any unspent Arena Points convert to Honor Points at a 1:10 rate (1 Arena Point = 10 Honor Points) — so spend your Arena Points before the cutoff or watch them turn into (much less valuable) Honor.
- Season 3 begins September 1, with new rewards and the latest Arena gear sold by vendors in Shattrath and Nagrand.
- Older gear gets cheaper: Season 2 Arena gear moves to Area 52 vendors at a discount with no rating requirement, and Season 1 gear becomes available from Honor vendors in Orgrimmar (Hall of Legends) and Stormwind (Champion's Hall).
If you're a fresh 70 or a returning alt, that "no rating requirement" discount on Season 2 gear is the fastest way to a respectable PvP set right as Season 3 opens.
How much should you prep before August 27?
Phase 3 is one of the most gold-hungry phases in TBC. The big sinks stacking up on launch:
- Epic flying / Artisan Riding — ~5,000g if you skipped it, and it's mandatory for Netherwing dailies.
- Epic gems + JC cuts — re-gemming a full set at premium launch prices.
- Raid consumables — flasks, food, and pots for Black Temple and Hyjal progression add up fast across a raid week.
- Repairs — early progression wipes are brutal on your repair bill.
The players who cruise through opening week aren't the ones grinding gold after the raids open — they're the ones who banked it during the Phase 2 lull. If your gold's short and the clock's ticking, topping up your balance is the single fastest way to walk in ready. See our before-Black-Temple gold guide for the fastest farms, and if you'd rather skip the grind entirely:
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Buying gold on a fresh realm carries its own risk calculus — if you're weighing it, read what actually gets you banned first.
FAQ
When does TBC Anniversary Phase 3 release? Phase 3 ("Black Temple") launches globally on August 27, 2026 at 3:00 pm PDT / 23:00 BST, per Blizzard's official announcement. It's a single global unlock, not a staggered regional rollout.
What raids are in Phase 3? Two Tier 6 raids: Black Temple (9 bosses, ending on Illidan Stormrage, who drops the Warglaives of Azzinoth) and The Battle for Mount Hyjal (5 bosses, ending on Archimonde). Both require attunement questlines before you can enter.
Is Zul'Aman in the August 27 launch? No. Blizzard's Phase 3 announcement does not include Zul'Aman. Based on the original TBC timeline (ZA arrived in patch 2.4, mid-Tier-6) and community estimates, it's expected later in Phase 3 — not on launch day. No official ZA date has been given, so treat all timing as unconfirmed.
Does Phase 3 raise the level cap? No. The level cap stays 70. Phase 3 is a new raid tier and content patch, not a new expansion. Wrath of the Lich King (level 80) is a separate, later step and is not part of this phase.
How do I get epic flying (Netherdrake) in Phase 3? Grind Netherwing reputation via daily quests on Netherwing Ledge in Shadowmoon Valley. At Exalted, you can buy a Netherdrake from Drake Dealer Hurlunk — but you must first train Artisan Riding (~5,000g) and complete the Blood Oath of the Netherwing quest. You also need a flying mount just to reach the Ledge.
What happens to my Arena Points when Season 2 ends? When Season 2 ends on August 18, any unspent Arena Points convert to Honor Points at 1 Arena Point = 10 Honor Points. Spend them before the cutoff. Season 3 starts September 1.
