Warcraft's Anniversary
- For the in-game World of Warcraft event, see WoW's Anniversary.
Warcraft's Anniversary is the anniversary of the Warcraft franchise that is celebrated around the 15th of November as that marks the release of the first game, Warcraft: Orcs & Humans. It coincides with WoW's Anniversary as that takes place around the 23rd of the same month.
History
1999—2004
The franchise's 5th anniversary took place in 1999 and the 10th anniversary took place in 2004 which was the release year for World of Warcraft.
2005—2008
The year 2005 was the first World of Warcraft anniversary but it did not feature any in-game event. It instead was celebrated on the community website with a Community Timeline[1] that featured game updates, subscribers' milestones, and remarkable fan-made content (such as the famous Leeroy Jenkins video). It is possible to visit an archived version of this website.
For 2006, Blizzard organized a sweepstake lottery for WoW's 2nd Anniversary.[2] It was available for two groups of players: Main and Legacy. Main players registered for the game and had a good standing as of 29 October 2006 while legacy were as of 29 November 2005. Prizes consisted of three Jinx Gift Certificates, Razer Copperhead Precision mouse, Razer Mantis Control / Speed Mat, a Barracuda HP-1 Headset, NVIDIA GeForce 7950 graphics card, an XPS Gaming Laptop, and a two-year subscription for World of Warcraft.
For 2007, Blizzard organized a sweepstake lottery once again for WoW's 3rd Anniversary.[3] Prizes included vary from a Jinx Gift Certificate, a set of 4 Action figures, an Apple 8 GB iPod Touch, and a two-year subscription for World of Warcraft.
2009—2013
The year 2009 was the franchise's 15th anniversary. For WoW's 5th Anniversary in 2009, Blizzard made an immense, digital photomosaic composed of thousands of fan pictures called the World of Warcraft 5 Year Anniversary: BattleCry. Announced at BlizzCon 2009, Onyxia and her lair were permanently scaled up for level 80 characters in 10-man and 25-man difficulties, along with new loot--including an Onxyia-themed mount, the 
[Onyxian Drake]. The updated raid was added to the game in patch 3.2.2.
WoW's 5th Anniversary
2014—2018
The year 2014 was the franchise's 20th anniversary and the 10th anniversary for World of Warcraft.
For WoW's 10th Anniversary, players were able to participate in new activities during the event to receive exclusive rewards. As part of the PvP experience, players were able to join in a new 40v40 battleground as the Tarren Mill vs Southshore, based on "the timeless struggle" between Tarren Mill and Southshore.[4] Players were also able to group via the Raid Finder for a new level 100 scaled up Molten Core raid, allowing players to experience the infamous classic raid at Warlords of Draenor's level cap with exclusive rewards that included the 
[Boldly, You Sought the Power of Ragnaros] achievement, the 
[Core Hound Chain], and a chance for 
[Hatespark the Tiny].
Additionally, veteran World of Warcraft players who started playing within 60 days of the game's launch and had a continuous subscription for all ten years received a miniature statue of the iconic Orc Statue[5] and the World of Warcraft: Looking for Group video was published to commemorate the anniversary.
The miniature Orc statue
2019—2023
The year 2019 was the franchise's 25th anniversary and the Shadowlands expansion was released on 23/24 November 2020 which was WoW's 16th Anniversary.
For WoW's 15th Anniversary, a video titled "A Toast to 15 Years" was released to celebrate the 15th anniversary and the launch of World of Warcraft: Classic. There was a pin of WoW's 15th anniversary logo available at SDCC 2019 and BlizzCon 2019 and a limited-edition Collector's Edition was made available along with the 
[Alabaster Stormtalon] and 
[Alabaster Thunderwing] mounts.
In 2022, the WoW Esports celebrated its 15th anniversary.
WoW's 15th Anniversary logo
WoW's 15th Anniversary Collector's Edition Pin
WoW's 15th Anniversary wallpaper
WoW's 15th Anniversary server blades sold at the BlizzCon 2019 charity auction.
WoW Esports 15th Anniversary logo in 2022
2024
2024 marks a new era for the franchise and World of Warcraft. The Collector's Edition for The War Within includes "20th Anniversary" in the title to commemorate the first 20 years of WoW and set new foundations for Azeroth's future with the Worldsoul Saga.[6]
Before the anniversary started for World of Warcraft and the franchise, Hearthstone kicked things off with its 10th anniversary along with a crossover event in World of Warcraft simply called Hearthstone's 10th Anniversary which took place between 11–22 March 2024. In June 2024, Frostmourne materialized in Diablo Immortal which created the "Shadow of the Frozen Throne Event" that players can participate in and earn rewards such as a transmog for Frostmourne that changes its weapon appearance to fit the class.[7] Overwatch 2 had a small event that started on 17 September 2024 that included rewards which consisted of the Lich King, Sylvanas, Magni as the Speaker, and Thrall with other vanity items related to Warcraft.
Promotions
Later in the year, things start to ramp up with new promotions and events to celebrate the 20th anniversary of World of Warcraft and the 30th anniversary of the franchise. Several promotions took place as a celebration for World of Warcraft alone:
- World of Warcraft: 20 Years of Music
- SteelSeries x World of Warcraft 20th Anniversary Celebration
- MSI x World of Warcraft Collaboration
[Parrlok] was available via the Discord Quests from 23 August 2024 and 8 September 2024.
[Gummi], 
[Classic Crimson Tabard], 
[Classic Brick Tabard], and the 
[Classic Lively Tabard] is available through the promotion with Trolli.- The
[Classic Sunny Tabard] and a Warcraft Rumble starter pack are available through Kroger's rewards program at 1,500 points each. - The Ice Murloc Funko Pop! Figure includes a code for the in-game pet
[Brrrgl], available exclusively through the Blizzard Gear Store. - Mountain Dew Gaming promotion[8] with the following rewards:
[Thrillbot 9000], 
[Chillbot 9000], 
[Bot Wrangler's Violet Apron] (Tabard), 
[Bot Wrangler's Crimson Apron] (Tabard), 
[Bot Wrangler's Belt] (Waist), 
[Hateforged Blazecycle], [Lil' Ragnaros]. This promotion starts on 4 November 2024 and lasts to 31 January 2025.[9] Mountain Dew also launches two limited time flavors Citrus Cherry (returning flavor from the Choose Your Side promotion) and a new Citrus Blackberry flavor.
- In addition to the promotion with Mountain Dew, a reward through Discord Quests was made available for streaming WoW to a friend for 15 minutes from December 2 to December 9 to claim the
[Crown of the Violet Rose].
- In addition to the promotion with Mountain Dew, a reward through Discord Quests was made available for streaming WoW to a friend for 15 minutes from December 2 to December 9 to claim the
- Shake Shack X World of Warcraft Celebration for one week through 14-21 November. Selling exclusive limited-edition menu in select locations in London. The menu includes a Horde Burger, Alliance Fries, and a Xal'atath Shake. Additionally, the first 150 fans to order this special menu will receive a limited-edition Shake Shack x World of Warcraft 20th anniversary tankard.[10]
- For Diablo IV, Warcraft-themed transmog sets of iconic characters with their weapons were made available in the shop via the Warcraft Legends bundles. The first bundle was made available on 9 August 2024,[11] and the second bundle was made available on 11 October 2024.[12]
- For Diablo Immortal, a larger crossover event called the "Eternal War" lasting from November 13 to December 11 introduced a slew of Warcraft-themed cosmetics, a battle against the Lich King on the Frozen Throne, and the Arathi Basin battleground.[13]
- The New York Times celebrates 20 Years of Orcs, Guilds and Memes[14]
- Razer launched a campaign as part of the celebration for World of Warcraft. Starting on 4 December and while supplies last, purchasing a selected Razer peripheral will include the
[Iron Skyreaver], a 
[Coral-Stalker Waveray], and the 
[Razeshi B.].[15] - GeForce LAN 50 Event took place between January 4-6, 2025 where players with a NVIDIA card were able to play World of Warcraft for 50 minutes to earn the
[Armored Bloodwing] mount through a mission in the NVIDIA app, GeForce Experience, or GeForce Now app.[16][17] - MSTR x Warcraft Watch Collaboration. Warcraft-themed watches are available for purchase in each of the themes: Xal'atath Void Watch, Lich King Helm of Domination Watch, Fury of Deathwing Watch, Glory of the Alliance Watch, and the Honor of the Horde Watch. There is also a Faction bundle (includes both Alliance and Horde watches) and the Ultimate Collection Bundle which includes all five watches.[18]
In-game event
WoW's 20th Anniversary event was announced on 4 September 2024, and with it is a plethora a new activities and rewards. It took place from 22 October 2024 to 6 January 2025.[19]
[WoW's 20th Anniversary] feat of strength achievement
[Coldflame Tempest] mount, [20th Anniversary Balloon Chest] toy and two adorable baby doomlord pets—
[Lil'Kaz] and 
[Lil'Doomy]- New currency—
[Bronze Celebration Token] can be used to purchase many new vanity rewards, including past anniversary rewards from the 15th, 10th, 5th, and 4th. - Blackrock Depths raid
- Tier 2 transmog HD appearance sets
- Timewalking through Classic dungeons
- Service Awards cosmetics
- Expanded event at the Caverns of Time
- Codex of Chromie (a raid-like scenario)
- Discover new secrets and solve them with Guest Relations, a sequel to the Secrets of Azeroth. The Celebration Crates and the
[Incognitro, the Indecipherable Felcycle] part of Guest Relations are not strictly tied to the Anniversary event and will still be available past the event much like the questline and rewards from the Secrets of Azeroth event. - New world bosses: Sha of Anger and Archavon the Stone Watcher
[Arsenal: Crests of the Kingdom], Warcraft III racial crests as the back/cloak appearance obtainable as November's Traveler's Log reward
The Warcraft 30th Anniversary Mount Bundle (features mounts themed after the Warcraft III factions) and the 
[Trader's Gilded Brutosaur] were revealed and released on 24 October 2024.[20]
Direct
The Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct took place on the 13 November 2024 and announced upcoming updates to Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, and the Warcraft RTS games.
- The remasters for the first two games, Warcraft I: Remastered and Warcraft II: Remastered, along with patch 2.0 for Warcraft III: Reforged were announced and released, in addition to the return of the Battle Chest which includes all the remasters and the original games for Warcraft I and II.
- Hearthstone announced the 2025 expansion roadmap and a Hearthstone x StarCraft mini-set, seeing characters from the StarCraft universe appear as cards in Hearthstone such as Kerrigan.
- Warcraft Rumble will be releasing on PC as a beta on December 10 along with the first set of split faction leaders where they are part of two factions such as Sylvanas Windrunner being both Undead and Horde.
- Classic Era saw the introduction of 20th Anniversary Edition which brings new realms to the classic setting and one new realm for Hardcore, with the normal realms progressing to Burning Crusade Classic later in 2025. Phase 7 for Season of Discovery will feature Scarlet Crusade content and instanced content for a crypt in Deadwind Pass.
- Classic will see the Hour of Twilight patch early in 2025 for Cataclysm Classic and the Mists of Pandaria Classic was announced.
- Retail: Patch 11.1.0: Undermine(d) was announced and Player housing was teased to come with Midnight.
Hearthstone 10th Anniversary logo
Warcraft Rumble 1st Anniversary logo
World of Warcraft 20th Anniversary logo with the SteelSeries promotion
WoW's 20th Anniversary key art
Warcraft's 30th Anniversary key art
Videos
- World of Warcraft: 8 Year Anniversary
- Commemorate 15 Years of World of Warcraft With New Alabaster Mounts!
- For Azeroth - 25 Years of Warcraft
References
- ^ World of Warcraft: Our "First" One-Year Anniversary (archived)
- ^ World of Warcraft 2nd Year Anniversary Sweepstakes (archived)
- ^ World of Warcraft 3rd Year Anniversary Sweepstakes (archived)
- ^ World of Warcraft on Twitter (2014-08-06). “We're celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary this year! Here's a sneak peek at the festivities” (with picture)
- ^ Perculia 2015-01-16. 10th Anniversary Gift - Orc Statue Photographs, Eligibility Criteria. Wowhead.
- ^ Pre-Purchase the World of Warcraft®: The War Within™ 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition. Blizzard Entertainment (2024-04-17).
- ^ Overcome Frigid Terror in Diablo Immortal x World of Warcraft. Blizzard Entertainment (2024-06-28).
- ^ Anshlun 2024-10-24. Mountain Dew Promotion for WoW and Diablo Confirmed - Rewards Not Yet Known. Wowhead.
- ^ Marcos Waltenberg 2024-10-25. Mountain Dew, Doritos, and Rockstar Energy Drink Are Giving Away Epic Gaming Rewards. Xbox.
- ^ Lumy 2024-10-30. Shake Shack x World of Warcraft Collaboration. MMO-Champion.
- ^ Jezartroz 2024-08-09. Iconic WoW Lore Figure Transmog Now in Diablo 4 - Varian Wrynn, Xavius, Xal'atath, Sylvanas, & Kael'thas. Wowhead.
- ^ Jezartroz 2024-10-11. Garrosh, Malfurion, The Lich King, Illidan, Jaina, and Bwonsamdi - World of Warcraft Character Cosmetics Debut in Diablo 4. Wowhead.
- ^ Azeroth Unleashes Eternal War in Sanctuary. Blizzard Entertainment (2024-11-05).
- ^ Archimtiros 2024-11-18. The New York Times Celebrates 20 Years of Orcs, Guilds and Memes in World of Warcraft. Wowhead.
- ^ World of Warcraft 20th Anniversary Gaming Gear. Razer (2024-12-04).
- ^ Anshlun 2024-12-14. GeForce LAN 50 Event - Event Missions for In-Game Rewards for The War Within and Diablo IV. Wowhead.
- ^ Anshlun 2025-01-05. Former In-Game Shop Mount Available for Free - NVIDIA LAN 50 Event. Wowhead.
- ^ Jaydaa 2024-12-20. MSTR x Warcraft 20th Anniversary Watch Collaboration - Xal'atath, Lich King, Deathwing & More. Wowhead.
- ^ Celebrate World of Warcraft® During the 20th Anniversary!. Blizzard Entertainment (2024-09-04).
- ^ Now Available on the Shop: The Trader's Gilded Brutosaur Mount. Blizzard Entertainment (2024-10-24).