Project Epoch release date, and everything you need to know

WoW Classic+ servers aren’t anything new, but Project Epoch is certainly one of the more interesting ones. It’s been in development for a while, but finally has a release date coming later in July 2025. It offers players familiarity, in that it’s in the original trilogy of WoW releases: Vanilla, The Burning Crusade, and Wrath of the Lich King, but it also boasts new content, and several builds being freshened up.

Other than the WoW Season of Discovery updates, the closest we’ve been to a WoW Classic+ that was official were rumors from 2023. However, that’s where private servers like Project Epoch come into play; here’s what you need to know about this upcoming Classic+ experience.

Everything you need to know about Project Epoch: release date, new race/class combos, and more

Project Epoch’s release date is July 26, 2025, officially making the private server playable. Its goal is to bring at least an expansion’s worth of content to the Classic experience: new areas, dungeons, stories, and of course challenges. It’s built on the Wrath of the Lich King client, so it’s going to no doubt be familiar to World of Warcraft players of a certain vintage.

Players can expect new dungeons, like the Glittermurk Mines, found in Stranglethorn Vale (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

One thing they’ve boasted is that there are over 1,600 custom quests, and more than 2,000 new creature types, including rares in Project Epoch. It sounds like there’s so much to see and do in this world, including new race/class combos. One in particular I’ve been waiting for Blizzard to see reason on for years:

New Race/Class combos

Dwarf Shaman
Gnome Priest
Human Hunter
Dwarf Mage
Undead Paladin
Troll Warlock
Tauren Priest
Undead Hunter

That’s right, Undead Paladin is playable in Project Epoch! If that weren’t enough, professions were overhauled, as were the classes themselves. The goal was to make sure one spec didn’t overshadow everything, and uses an expanded version of the Burning Crusade expanded talent trees. When you hit the level cap of 60, you’ll have 61 talent points to use.

If you’re into the classic raids like Molten Core, those will still be there. Forty-man raids are being re-tuned down to 25-man encounters, and the 20-player raids down into 10-player content. In addition, players can expect some brand new dungeons and raids alike, with plenty of content to challenge even the most veteran player.

Another feature that really caught my eye was the Epoch Time System, which gives Azeroth a day/night cycle. Special quests, creatures, and encounters can only happen at night, for example. This is certainly a feature I’m keen to explore more, when the server doors open later this month.

The talent trees have been updated, but this isn't the end; if more changes are necessary, it sounds like they're dedicated to making it happen (Image via Project Epoch)

Have you ever picked a race solely because of their Racial Passives? If you play WoW, the answer is almost certainly yes. That’s why Project Epoch introduced the Racial Knowledge system. At Level 60, players can swap their racial abilities for those of another race. You cannot mix and match, but it does let you play the race you want, with the abilities you’d prefer.

However, this is done through questing, via a series of lore-friendly journeys. It sounds like it will be a fascinating way to explore more of the world as well as gain an understanding of the race whose abilities you will want to appropriate in Project Epoch. In addition, all of the racial abilities have been reworked.

There’s so much more to this version of World of Warcraft, like challenge modes, renown, reputations, and of course, a full PVP system. It’s also very easy to get started on, with the website having what you need to get into the game.

Check out our other MMO guides and features

About the author

Jason is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda holding an amazing 11 years of experience under his belt. Having put out 4000-plus articles and amassing over 12 million reads for Sportskeeda, he is among the company’s most experienced writers. Jason holds a Bachelor's degree in English from UNC Pembroke and was inspired to become a gaming journalist very early on in life after reading Nintendo Power.

Jason is a jack of all trades when it comes to gaming journalism. He’s a key writer in Sportskeeda's MMO department, but he also likes to help out in other categories, like streamers, RPG, card games, and whatever else is needed. A solo gamer at heart, Jason's favorite titles include Earthbound and Dragon Warrior.

Jason places high value on accuracy and relevance in his write-ups. He achieves this with thorough research to sift facts from rumors. One of the biggest highlights of his career is his interview with Canadian pro wrestler Kenny Omega about his inclusion in the Like a Dragon game series. He is also good friends with journalist Kazumo Hashimoto, who he admires for the kind of stories he works on and his deep ethics.

A true cinephile, one of Jason’s primary hobbies involves enjoying cinematic experiences. He also loves reading, be it fiction or manga, when not working. Additionally, he streams on Twitch and posts his gaming insights on YouTube.

Know More

Edited by Jason Parker