Blizzard Entertainment released World of Warcraft Classic in August 2019, giving fans of the long-running MMORPG the opportunity to relive its original iteration. That was a success for the developer, as WoW Classic hit one million concurrent Twitch viewers on its first day of release, so it makes sense that its first expansion is also coming back via World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic this year. While there is no clear release date as of this writing, some lucky fans can now access the expansion's closed beta.

Burning Crusade Classic was announced during Blizzconline 2021's opening ceremony last month. The event also revealed a number of other titles including Diablo 2: Resurrected and the Blizzard Arcade Collection, as well as provided updates on the development of games like Overwatch 2. However, veteran fans of Blizzard were no doubt excited to find out more about when they could return to the content first released in 2007.

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A new post on the World of Warcraft website today confirmed a closed beta test for Burning Crusade Classic has begun, and a trailer was released on Twitter to celebrate. This beta is invitation only, according to community manager Kaivax in the Blizzard Forums, with players needing to opt-in via the Battle.net app in order to potentially be selected.

Each World of Warcraft expansion changed the game in a number of ways, with The Burning Crusade adding content like new playable races, raising the level cap to 70, and introducing flying mounts. Whether or not Wrath of the Lich King Classic will follow suit is currently unknown, but it seems likely given the success of these classic servers thus far.

However, those who would prefer to stay modern still have a lot to do in World of Warcraft's current expansion, Shadowlands. For instance, those who are taking part in the MMO can jump onto the World of Warcraft Charity Pet Program between March 31 and April 26, 2021. All players can potentially receive two new pets, Bananas the Monkey and Daisy the Sloth, if certain donation milestones for Doctors Without Borders are reached.

Regardless of whether players choose to stick with Shadowlands or try out Burning Crusade Classic, having both available is a great way for Blizzard to appease its fanbase. As the Burning Crusade beta and eventual release begin, no doubt more stories will emerge like the recent 40-player World of Warcraft raid beaten by two people.

World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Classic releases in 2021. Its closed beta is currently active.

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Sources: World of Warcraft, Blizzard Forums