Gamers are preparing to take on brand new challenges with the next expansion for World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.
The next big expansion is set to bring significant changes to WoW, with new spells and abilities available to bring untold power to the player.
Game developers Blizzard announced the new expansion will get a global release at the same time, meaning the game will drop in just a few hours.
American audiences will be able to play the Battle for Azeroth expansion later on this evening while some parts of the world must wait until Tuesday.
What time is World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth released?
As mentioned, the World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth expansion will be released by Blizzard at the same time across the globe.
That means some countries will be able to play the game a day earlier than the rest of the world – although in reality, the expansion will be released at exactly the same time no matter where you are.
As the USA is the first, in terms of time-zone, they will be able to log in and play the new expansion today.
Here are the exact release times for World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth across the world.
Monday, August 13
Los Angeles: 3pm PDT
New York: 6pm EDT
Sao Paulo: 7pm BRT
London: 11pm BST
Paris: 12pm CEST
Tuesday, August 14
Moscow: 1am MSK
Taipai 6am CST
Seoul 7am KST
Sydney: 8am AEST
This makes a drastic change to usual release times, as Blizzard has typically released expansions in Europe first.
The release across all regions – across the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, Korea and Australia – begins at 11pm BST (6pm ET) tonight, August 13.
This has raised several concerns from fans who can already foresee major connection and connectivity issues, as the servers will likely struggle to cope with a simultaneous global release.
Previous expansion launches were plagued with server issues, including the Warlords of Draenor expansion, which suffered major issues for several days.
Gamers and Twitch streamers alike will be hoping the servers can cope with the thousands of players who are soon to log in to take part in the Battle for Azeroth.
Fans are looking forward to exploring new adventures in the latest expansion.
The official description for the Battle for Azeroth expansion said: “Azeroth paid a terrible price to end the apocalyptic march of the Legion’s crusade — but even as the world’s wounds are tended, it is the shattered trust between the Alliance and Horde that may prove the hardest to mend.
“In Battle for Azeroth, the fall of the Burning Legion sets off a series of disastrous incidents that reignites the conflict at the heart of the Warcraft saga.
“As a new age of warfare begins, Azeroth’s heroes must set out on a journey to recruit new allies, race to claim the world’s mightiest resources, and fight on several fronts to determine whether the Horde or Alliance will lead Azeroth into its uncertain future.”
Players will have to decide if they will swear allegiance to the Horde or the Alliance as they battle their way through the MMORPG, travelling to the distant lands of Kul Tiras and Zandalar in the hope of glory.