No, you haven’t just wandered through a dodgy portal: Blizzard is pushing the World of Warcraft Classic progression servers on to Mists of Pandaria this year, and if you wanted to peep it early, the beta is your ticket.
“Return to the mystic lands of Pandaria – a world shrouded in fog and mystery,” Blizzard commands you. “This ancient realm, untouched by time and war, is returning in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Classic* with a renewed sense of wonder and adventure, inviting you to lose yourself again in its lush forests, cloud-ringed mountains, and timeless secrets. Home to the enigmatic Pandaren and the stalwart Monks – Pandaria has reemerged into a world on the brink of war, just as the forces of the Alliance and Horde draw closer to a conflict threatening to consume all.”
That little asterisk reminds players that the launch is set for “on or before” August 31st – and of course, you need a WoW sub to access it. Signups are conducted through the “beta opt-in” button on Battlenet. There’s no date for when the testing itself begins.
If you’ve forgotten everything about this expansion except the obvious Pandaren themselves, MOP’s Eliot did a revisit a few years ago – and you may be surprised to find out that the content and mechanics actually hold up pretty well.
