Blizzard Reveals World Of Warcraft Classic To Be Based On Patch 1.12
At last November's BlizzCon, Blizzard finally announced World of Warcraft Classic, a close-to-vanilla-as-possible version of its long-standing MMO that fans have wanted for years. There's been little news on the game since that reveal, leaving many players to wonder exactly what version of the game Classic would be based on, as that would indicate which features and content would be included. Blizzard has now answered that question, stating that Classic will be WoW's patch 1.12.
Patch 1.12, dubbed "Drums of War," was originally released on August 22nd, 2006, and was the final update to what can be considered "vanilla WoW." In other words, it was the last patch before the release of the game's first expansion, Burning Crusade. Blizzard shared their thoughts on how they came to decide on this version:
"As many of you have noted, the classic period was two years long and full of changes. Core features like Battlegrounds were introduced in patches after WoW's original launch, and class design similarly changed over time. After careful consideration, we decided on Patch 1.12: Drums of War as our foundation, because it represents the most complete version of the classic experience."
The developer also noted the work they were putting in to ensure Classic recreates that vanilla WoW experience, but also includes the modern tech updates they've introduced over the last 13 years. This includes back-end improvements like security and anti-cheat systems, as well as compatibility with modern hardware. "Clearly, we had a lot of work to do to make WoW Classic live up to the Blizzard standard of quality," they wrote.
Unfortunately there was little else shared, including details on a release date, or if there are plans to ever expand Classic to include content like raids that were introduced in later expansions. However, the specification of patch 1.12 gives players a good idea of what features and content they can expect to play in the future.
SOURCE Blizzard