Battleplan Vol . 4 Since our previous Battle Plan , World of Warcraft has gained a considerable amount of new in - game content , as well as improved and expanded service features - - all of which have been focused on enhancing the game experience for our passionate , ever - growing community . One example of the new content we ’ ve added is Naxxramas , a multi - winged 40 - player raid dungeon that pits players against the forces of the lich Kel ’ Thuzad . We ’ ve also revamped Light ’ s Hope Chapel to make it a fully functional and exciting quest hub . In addition , many new items have been implemented , including new PvE and PvP armor sets , along with a powerful new Legendary caster item . In terms of service enhancements , many players have taken advantage of the Paid Character Transfer service , which enables players to move characters between realms . Also , we ’ ve decreased battleground queue times by implementing the new cross - realm battleground feature . By allowing players across several realms to play in the same battleground , wait times have significantly improved for most battleground matches . We ’ ve worked hard to deliver these new content and service features while simultaneously developing our first expansion pack , The Burning Crusade . In preparation for the expansion , we will be releasing one of our biggest content updates ever for World of Warcraft , called “ Before the Storm . ” Before the Storm . Already in testing on the public test realms ( PTRs ) , “ Before the Storm ” will implement a number of significant content updates , including a revamped PvP Honor System , the new Arena System , the new Looking for Group interface , brand - new talents for all classes , and an abundance of other changes and additions . Be sure to check out the PTR patch notes for more information . The new PvP Honor System will completely replace the current honor and ranking systems . This new Honor System will introduce honor points , a sort of PvP currency , which can be accumulated and spent on rewards . The honor points will be awarded through any PvP combat , similar to the current Honor System , but are not diminished over time . You will be able to participate in PvP at your own pace , accumulate honor points , and spend them on honor rewards whenever you like . Before the Storm will also introduce a new PvP option : the Arena System . The Arena System will allow for group - based gladiatorial - style combat in which teams compete on a ladder - based ranking system . Teams will consist of two , three , or five players , and will be created similarly to a guild , with each player signing a team charter . As they rise through the ranks , teams will receive arena points , which can be spent on high - end rewards . The Arena System will let players really test their PvP prowess and obtain rewards that will rival some of the best gear coming out of the high - level dungeons . Speaking of PvP , we ’ re also hard at work on our team - balancing feature for the battlegrounds . This feature won ’ t be ready for this next content patch , but will be added in a patch sometime after the expansion launches . Team balancing will help ensure that the teams facing each other in each of the game ’ s battlegrounds will be as evenly matched as possible . The Burning Crusade . The content in “ Before the Storm ” serves as a prelude to The Burning Crusade . We ’ re rapidly approaching the final stages of development on the expansion , thanks in large part to the feedback we ’ ve received from the thousands of players participating in our ongoing closed - beta test . We still have much work ahead as we continue focused testing and polishing up until the retail release in January . In the meantime , we are continuing to work on play balance , as well as testing server load and other important issues . I did want to share details on some of the exciting dungeon - related content coming in The Burning Crusade . Hellfire Citadel . As a part of the first encounters in the new Outland portion of the expansion pack , players will get a chance to adventure in Hellfire Citadel . This new four - winged dungeon is strategically placed in the very heart of the Hellfire Peninsula , between the Horde and Alliance home bases . Once a Horde stronghold during the First and Second Wars , this bastion of power was thought long abandoned until recently . Now Fel Orcs inhabit the citadel , cultivating and augmenting their dark arts . The first three wings are : Ramparts for levels 60 - 62 , Blood Furnace for levels 61 - 63 , and the Shattered Halls for level 70 . In the last wing , players will be able to experience a small raid encounter similar to Onyxia , in which they ’ ll face the Pit Lord Magtheridon ( of Warcraft III : The Frozen Throne infamy ) within his lair . Heroic Dungeon - Difficulty Feature . Another exciting aspect of the expansion is the new Heroic dungeon - difficulty feature , which will let you experience many of the expansion dungeons in two different modes . One mode will be the normal version , and the second mode , Heroic , will boost the difficulty of the dungeon . The additional risks that players take on at the higher difficulty setting will also come with the opportunity to gain greater rewards . The challenges that await players inside of a dungeon set to Heroic difficulty will go beyond just increased hit points and attack power for the creatures inside . Enemies will also have extra abilities , making each encounter more tactically challenging . The rewards of course will scale up accordingly with the boost in difficulty . In order to unlock the Heroic level of a dungeon , players will need to be level 70 and achieve other objectives as well . More details on these prerequisites will be revealed at a later date . While I ’ m on the topic of dungeons , I wanted to mention here that the Black Temple - - the dungeon intended to offer the most challenging encounters in the game - - is still deep in development and will be opened up for public testing after the expansion is released . It ’ s important to us to spend as much time as possible balancing and polishing the content in this dungeon before releasing it to players ; it ’ s definitely not something we want to rush out the door just for the sake of meeting a deadline . We look forward to sharing more information and offering some glimpses of the Black Temple content in the weeks ahead … and then opening it up to Burning Crusade players on the test realms once they ’ ve had a chance to level to 70 and gear up in the other dungeons . Moving Forward . We have many other new things in store with The Burning Crusade , such as : new monsters to battle , new lands and dungeons to explore , new quests to undertake , a new profession to learn , and much more . We ’ ve unveiled a lot of these details over the past few months , but nothing quite compares to the feeling of actually playing through all the new content . We ’ re looking forward to gathering additional feedback in the final phases of testing , and then sharing the results with you with the release of The Burning Crusade expansion next month .