The Black Temple Opens August 27 in Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary
Blizzard set a date: Phase 3 of Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary lands August 27 with the Black Temple, Mount Hyjal, Epic Gems and Arena Season 3.
The vague waiting is over: Blizzard confirmed that Phase 3 of The Burning Crusade Classic: Anniversary Edition arrives on August 27, 2026, bringing with it the most anticipated raid of the Outland arc, the Black Temple, where you finally face Illidan Stormrage. This is exactly the kind of concrete news the WoW Classic base has been asking for: not a rumor or a fuzzy window, but a date and time to circle on the calendar.
When it opens
Phase 3 goes live on August 27 at 3:00 p.m. PDT / 11:00 p.m. BST, in a global launch. One detail that matters for the competitive crowd: Arena Season 3 starts a few days later, on September 1, with weekly realm restarts and new rewards. In other words, the PvE content opens first, and the seasonal PvP switch flips afterward.
Two legendary raids at once
The main course is the Black Temple, in Shadowmoon Valley: nine encounters that end with Illidan Stormrage, the Betrayer, preceded by High Warlord Naj'entus, Supremus, Shade of Akama, Teron Gorefiend, Gurtogg Bloodboil, the Reliquary of Souls, Mother Shahraz and the Illidari Council. Its tied reputation is the Ashtongue Deathsworn. As in original TBC, you need to complete the attunement process to get in, so it's worth not leaving it for the last minute.
Alongside the Temple comes the phase's second raid: The Battle for Mount Hyjal, in the Caverns of Time (Tanaris), which culminates with Archimonde after Rage Winterchill, Anetheron, Kaz'rogal and Azgalor. Access requires finishing the The Vials of Eternity questline, and the faction to grind here is the Scale of the Sands. Two level-70 raids opening on the same day is a solid chunk of fresh content for a single phase.
Epic Gems, Netherwing and Season 3
The phase also reshuffles gearing. Epic Gems arrive, obtained by mining (375 skill) inside Mount Hyjal or as rare Black Temple drops; the jewelcrafting designs are sold by Indormi inside Hyjal. In parallel, the Netherwing daily quest hub opens in Shadowmoon Valley: reaching exalted unlocks the six variants of the Netherwing Drake mount from Drake Dealer Hurlunk, and collecting Netherwing Eggs across the map speeds up reputation gains.
On the PvP front, Arena Season 3 brings new gear from the Shattrath and Nagrand vendors, and Season 2 points convert to Honor Points at a 1:10 ratio. If you've been stockpiling, it's worth reviewing what to spend before the switch.
What it means for the community
The Black Temple was always one of the peaks of The Burning Crusade, and seeing it drop within the Anniversary edition gives the WoW Classic community a big, clear goal for the coming weeks: build the attunement, wrap up your pre-raid gear and coordinate your group for the 27th. With two raids, Epic Gems, a coveted mount and an arena season in the same package, Phase 3 is one of the most loaded of the cycle. You can read the full official announcement in Blizzard's post.
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