World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade is the first expansion set for the MMORPG World of Warcraft. It was released on January 16, 2007, at midnight in Europe and North America. On the day of its release, it sold nearly 2.4 million copies, making it the fastest-selling PC game at that time. In the first month after its release, approximately 3.53 million copies were sold. This included 1.9 million in North America, nearly 1.6 million in Europe, and over 100,000 copies in Australia.
Gameplay
The Burning Crusade expansion added two new playable races to World of Warcraft: the Draenei for the Alliance and the Blood Elves for the Horde. Before this expansion, the shaman class was only available to the Horde (orc, troll, and tauren races), and the paladin class was only available to the Alliance (human and dwarf races). With the new races, players could now choose to be a Draenei shaman (Alliance) or a Blood Elf paladin (Horde). The level cap increased by 10, reaching level 70. A new world called Outland was added, including quests, dungeons, raids, zones, creatures, and cities.
After reaching level 70, players could ride flying mounts, but only in Outland, not in Eastern Kingdoms or Kalimdor.
In Player versus Player (PvP) mode, a new battleground called Eye of the Storm was added. It had two categories: one for players between levels 61–69 and another for level 70 players. Flying mounts could not be used in this battleground. Only players with the expansion could access Eye of the Storm.
A new PvP Arena System was introduced, allowing players to compete in 2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3, or 5 vs. 5 battles. Players without the expansion could join skirmish matches but not rated matches, which gave rewards based on a point system. Ladder matches required players to reach level 70. Three arena stages were added: The Ruins of Lordaeron in the Undercity, The Circle of Blood in Blade’s Edge Mountains, and the Ring of Trials in Nagrand.
Arena matches became a major part of World of Warcraft’s PvP content and grew into an electronic sport. An example was the World Series of Video Games in 2007, where teams competed in 3 vs. 3 matches for cash prizes. Blizzard also held its own tournament, the World of Warcraft Arena Tournament, with teams from around the world competing. The tournament ended with a 5 vs. 5 world final, first held at BlizzCon ’07.
New "outdoor" PvP objectives were added, with different goals in each zone. These objectives usually involved capturing key points to reward players of the same faction. Rewards often included temporary boosts to attack damage or faster experience gains. For example, in Terokkar Forest, players competed to capture towers by standing near them and defending against opponents. Other examples included Halaa in Nagrand and the Hellfire Fortifications in Hellfire Peninsula, where players fought to gain access to quests, vendors, or faction reputation rewards.
Two new races were added in this expansion: the Blood Elves for the Horde and the Draenei for the Alliance.
Blood Elves: A group of former Alliance members joined the Horde. They are led by Regent Lord Lor’themar Theron. Their capital city is Silvermoon City. Their racial mount is the bird-like hawkstrider, and their language is Thalassian. Blood Elves can be played as hunters, warlocks, priests, paladins, rogues, or mages.
Draenei: A group of uncorrupted eredar joined the Alliance. They are led by their prophet, Velen. Their capital city is the Exodar. Their racial mount is the elephant-like elekk, and their language is Draenei. Draenei can be played as warriors, paladins, priests, shamans, hunters, or mages.
Plot
The expansion's name refers to the return of the "Burning Legion," a large group of demons that is one of the main enemies in the Warcraft universe. This group was last defeated in the game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. In The Burning Crusade, players fight against the Burning Legion and its allies. The expansion includes new areas on Azeroth and the ruined world of Outland, which is controlled by the Burning Legion and other powerful beings.
The Doom Lord Kazzak opened the Dark Portal to Outland, allowing demons from the Burning Legion to flood Azeroth. Groups from the Horde and Alliance, joined by new allies such as blood elves and draenei, traveled through the portal to stop the invasion. On Outland’s dry and ruined Hellfire Peninsula, the Alliance found some of their heroes who had passed through the portal years earlier. The Horde also met the Mag’har, orcs who had not taken part in their race’s earlier invasion of Azeroth. As the expedition continued, the Horde and Alliance faced more enemies from the Burning Legion and Illidan Stormrage’s forces, who had claimed control of Outland.
Illidan Stormrage, who wanted to rule Outland, built a strong base for his forces in the Black Temple, a former draenei city. However, his power weakened after his key leaders, including Lady Vashj and Kael’thas Sunstrider, were defeated. This created a chance for Akama, an elder draenei who had changed and was called the Broken, to rebel against Illidan. With the help of Maiev Shadowsong, Illidan’s former jailor, Akama led heroes to attack Illidan’s stronghold and end his rule.
After losing in Outland, Kael’thas Sunstrider returned to the blood elf city of Silvermoon. Instead of helping his people, he betrayed them and planned to use the Sunwell, a source of the blood elves’ magic, to summon the demon lord Kil’jaeden into Azeroth. A team of blood elves, draenei, and heroes from the Horde and Alliance, with help from a dragon named Kalecgos and the Sunwell’s human form, Anveena, stopped Kael’thas and Kil’jaeden. Anveena gave her life to save others. Later, the draenei prophet Velen used energy from the naaru M’uru to restart and purify the Sunwell.
Development
Before the Storm Patch 2.0.1 was released on December 5, 2006, in the United States on Client Version 6180, the release was delayed based on time zones. Players waited outside more than 5,000 physical game stores worldwide as midnight approached in their local time. The game was released in North America, Europe, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia on January 16, 2007. It was released in Australasia one day later, on January 17, 2007. The game was later released in South Korea on February 1, 2007, and in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on April 30, 2007.
The game was released in mainland China later in 2007. The delay was due to the need for translation and visual changes required by the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry required that the Forsaken have exposed bones covered with flesh and that player death result in a tombstone instead of a corpse.
On June 28, 2011, Blizzard added the Burning Crusade expansion to all players who purchased the base game. On July 17, 2018, with the pre-patch to Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard included all expansions except the latest one for all subscribers.
On February 19, 2021, Blizzard announced the Burning Crusade expansion for the Classic version of the game.
Blizzard made several mistakes during the distribution of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade in Europe. One mistake was failing to register the Collector's Edition for in-game rewards. As a result, players who bought the Collector's Edition had to send many proof-of-purchase documents by mail to Blizzard to claim their in-game rewards. To help these players, Blizzard gave them an exclusive in-game pet not available in other regions.
Only 1,600 copies were sent to Romania, even though the country had over 10,000 World of Warcraft subscribers at that time.
Soundtrack
The Collector's Edition of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade included an audio CD with the game's soundtrack. The CD had 21 tracks of music recorded by an orchestra. The music was composed by Russell Brower, Derek Duke, Matt Uelmen, and Neal Acree. Additional music was contributed by Brian David Farr and David Arkenstone. Later, the soundtrack was available for purchase online, such as on Apple's iTunes Store.
Reception
The Burning Crusade received widespread approval from critics when it was released.
The new starter areas for the game had mixed reactions from reviewers. Some believed they offered a fresh perspective for returning players or a clear introduction for new players. The quests and content in these areas were seen as more carefully planned than those in older parts of the game. Players were unlikely to feel forced to repeat tasks to advance, and the story was revealed gradually. Critics noted that Blizzard had improved from the original game, with varied content that was not too overwhelming for new players. However, others felt the new starter areas did not blend well with the rest of the game world, making them seem like they were added quickly without much thought. Some were also disappointed that the new areas had a clear end point, after which players had to return to older content to continue. This change felt less smooth compared to the way older starting areas connected. Reviewers also noted that the experience in the new areas was short, as players could complete them in a few days without new challenges. Additionally, the changes did not fix issues like the long travel times between quest locations.
Like the original game, the scenery in The Burning Crusade was highly praised. The expansion’s introduction video was described as very impressive. Many reviewers considered the new Outland areas among the best in the game, with their size similar to other games in the same genre. The new starter areas were also appreciated for their detailed design. Features such as buildings, landscapes, and creatures were highlighted, though some critics noted that elements from the original game were reused in the new areas. Each zone had its own unique look, from hot, dry plateaus to green forests, and small details like mechanical settlements or old temples were well-received. Players were encouraged to spend time simply enjoying the views. However, some felt the game showed its age, as older techniques for making the graphics look good were used to hide simpler underlying designs. This approach was seen as a continuation of the original game’s focus on strong art and color to make up for a less advanced technology.
The orchestral music was praised for creating a constantly changing background. The new score worked well with the original music while adding some new, interesting elements. The soundtracks for the two new starter areas were especially well-received. Reviewers generally liked the voice acting in the game.
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade was the top-selling PC game in North America and Europe in 2007. It is also the third fastest-selling PC game ever, after Wrath of The Lich King and Cataclysm. It sold nearly 2.4 million copies in its first 24 hours and about 3.5 million in its first month. It received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), which means it sold at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.
At the 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences gave The Burning Crusade the award for "Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year" and nominated it for "Computer Game of the Year."