World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic to launch later this year

As part of tonight's World of Warcraft livestreamed event, Blizzard has just revealed that World of Warcraft: Classic will be taking players to the Frozen North of Azeroth later this year, when Wrath of the Lich King Classic launches.

Set to become available to all-players who have an active WoW subscription, this expansion will serve as a "finely tuned rerelease of the smash-hit 2008 expansion" and will be see players heading to two zones in Northrend (the Borean Tundra and the Howling North), all as part of the journey to meet the Lich King Arthas Menethil at his icy throne in Icecrown.

It's mentioned as part of the Wrath of the Lich King Classic update that players will be able to create Death Knight characters, and even play around with the glyph crafting profession called Inscription. Also, achievements will finally be making their way to WoW Classic as part of this expansion.

Blizzard has added that to ensure players are ready for the challenge Northrend brings, there will be a level booster that brings one character to level 70, but as for the finer details of how this will work, we're told that will be made available at a later date.

"We're thrilled to revisit one of the most beloved eras in Warcraft history with Wrath of the Lich King Classic," said Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment. "The original release of this expansion brought many improvements to the game, along with a timeless villain and an epic story. We're taking care to preserve the authentic Classic experience for those looking to relive their glory days in Northrend—and deliver a worthy and accessible re-creation for those embarking on this vast adventure for the first time."

As for when exactly Wrath of the Lich King Classic will launch, we're simply told that more information will be announced closer to launch, but that it will be in 2022.