WoW TBC Anniversary Pre-Patch Preparation Guide

The TBC Anniversary Pre-Patch Preparation is the moment when the entire Classic cycle shifts into Burning Crusade. The update speeds up leveling, unlocks new races, adds Jewelcrafting, upgrades class talents, and reshapes the economy weeks before players enter Outland. So the WoW TBC Anniversary pre patch gives you a major advantage over players who start preparing later.

TBC Anniversary Pre Patch Changes

The TBC Anniversary Pre Patch injects most early-Burning Crusade systems directly into WoW Classic Anniversary, reshaping leveling, class power, professions, PvP, and the economy weeks before Outland opens. These are the changes that actually affect gameplay and planning, the ones that matter for speed-levelers, raiders, and gold-makers.

New Playable Races: Draenei & Blood Elf

Both factions gain access to strong new racials that influence raid setups, dungeon comps, and leveling routes.

Draenei Advantages

• +5 Jewelcrafting
• Gift of the Naaru (free healing cooldown)
• Heroic / Inspiring Presence: +1% hit (melee/ranged or spell hit depending on class)
• +10 Shadow Resistance

This +1% hit aura is so strong that optimized raid groups usually include at least one Draenei per DPS group.

Blood Elf Advantages

• Arcane Torrent (AoE silence), extremely strong in PvP
• +10 Enchanting skill
• Mana Tap stacking self-buff
• +5 to all resistances

Blood Elves become a major force in TBC PvP because every single class gains access to an instant AoE silence.

New Profession: Jewelcrafting Unlocks (1–300)

Jewelcrafting becomes available immediately during the WoW TBC Anniversary pre patch and can be leveled to 300 before Outland arrives.

Useful materials you can prepare now

• Citrine, Aquamarine
• Mithril Bars / Bronze Bars / Iron Bars
• Elemental Earth, Fire, Water
• Early green-quality gems for basic cuts

Sockets become a core part of TBC itemization. Nearly every raid item, dungeon item, and crafted item uses gems, making Jewelcrafting one of the strongest professions for both personal power and early gold farming.

Leveling Speed & XP

The WoW Classic Anniversary TBC pre patch cuts a huge part of the old 1–60 grind.

Key XP changes:

• 15% less XP required from levels 20–60
• Higher XP rewards from quests (30+)
• Dungeon quests give extra XP
• Elite outdoor quests re-tuned so solo players can complete them
• Dustwallow Marsh redesigned with ~60 new quests and a new goblin hub

Even brand-new players can reach 60 much faster. For alts or fresh Draenei/Blood Elves, the XP curve feels smooth instead of punishing.

Mount & Riding Skill Adjustments

One of the most impactful pre-patch buffs for leveling:

New Riding Milestones:

• Normal mount at level 30 (instead of 40)

• Total normal mount cost: ~45g (down from 100g)
• Total epic mount cost: ~700g (down from 1000g)

This reduces travel time massively and shortens the 30–40 bracket — previously the slowest zone range in Classic.

PvP & Arena System Updates

The pre patch introduces the full TBC PvP framework, creating a short but unique PvP meta at level 60.

What becomes available:

• Arena Skirmishes (2v2, 3v3, 5v5)

• TBC talent trees active at level 60
• Burst-heavy gameplay: Naxx gear vs low HP pools
• Perfect environment for practicing your future Season 1 comps

For PvP players, this is the moment to test builds, fix keybinds, and experiment with Blood Elf Arcane Torrent and new class mechanics.

TBC Anniversary Pre Patch Priorities

The pre patch gives you a small window to prepare before everyone rushes into Outland. Focus on the things that give the biggest boost on day one. Keep it simple, prepare in four quick steps.

Power Prep - Items that make leveling faster

Grab everything that keeps you moving:

• healing/mana potions
• elixirs for damage or stats
• sharpening stones / wizard oils
• bandages

These tools save a lot of time in the first 1–2 days of leveling.

Gold Prep

Gold matters a lot in early Outland.

Do this:

• keep your high-gold quests for pre patch rewards
• farm cheap mats now (leather, ore, herbs, cloth)
• stock JC mats: citrine, aquamarine, mithril, elemental earth/water

Prices jump hard once players start leveling professions.

Progress Prep – Professions and bag space

Before pre patch hits:

• push your professions close to 300
• clear bag/bank space
• prepare mats for quick leveling
• finish any reps you still need

Being ready here means you skip long queues and crowded zones.

Character Setup – Gold and alts

Make your account ready for the rush:

• save 800–1000 gold for riding costs
• place your alts near cities or crafting hubs
• sort your inventory and mailboxes

This removes all delays when new systems activate.

Preparing Your Characters Before TBC Pre Patch

These actions shape your first days in Outland, your gold situation, your profession speed, and how strong your new builds feel.

Early preparation helps in three ways:

• Your leveling speed improves (thanks to better zone flow and cheaper mounts).
• Your professions become cheaper to finish (because mats are still at Classic prices).
• Your gold value increases (because rewards and the market inflate after the patch).

If you handle these before the patch arrives, your character moves into Outland with no delays, no missing tools, and no economic pressure.

Saving Gold & Materials

During the pre patch, the market changes instantly: people level new races, pick new professions, and consume an enormous amount of low-level resources. What was “common” in Classic becomes “high demand” in the new economy.

Materials like shards, essences, classic herbs, old leather, or cloth become more valuable because they’re used for:

• finishing Classic professions before moving into Outland
• preparing for Jewelcrafting
• crafting transition gear

Several consumables, such as healing/mana potions, speed potions, oils, stones, also rise in price for the simple reason that more players are leveling and more players are doing dungeons.

If you prepare your stock early, you avoid inflated prices and start TBC with stronger economic momentum.

Preparing Professions for Faster Progression

Professions hit their first major power spike in TBC. Engineering keeps its PvP dominance, Leatherworking becomes almost mandatory in raid groups, and Tailoring or Blacksmithing open early access to some of the strongest craftable gear.

If your professions are already near 300 before the pre patch, you won’t get stuck behind inflated material prices or overcrowded farming zones. Jewelcrafting materials also become easier to gather now than after the rush.

The point isn’t to max every profession now, it’s to make sure that when the pre patch arrives, you’re not losing time or gold trying to catch up while everyone else is already moving forward.

Preparing for Flying-Related Costs

Flying brings one of the biggest jumps in player freedom. Faster gathering, quicker dungeon access, shorter travel, all of this speeds up your progress dramatically.

If you enter Outland with enough gold for basic flying, you remove one of the biggest early bottlenecks. Epic flying is optional at first but becomes a long-term upgrade that pays for itself through faster resource farming.

Preparing Alts Now

If you want the strongest start in TBC Anniversary, it makes sense to prepare your alt roster now and save your new main for the pre patch.

Before pre patch, leveling is slower, but alts are perfect for:

• building profession coverage
• farming materials
• storing gold and consumables
• preparing craft cooldowns

Once the WoW TBC Anniversary pre patch arrives, leveling is much faster thanks to reduced XP, cheaper mounts, and stronger talents. This is the ideal moment to create your real main, especially a Draenei or Blood Elf.

So the plan is simple: Use now to prepare your alts. Use pre patch to level the character you truly want to take into Outland.

Final Thoughts

The TBC Anniversary pre patch is a short window, but it has an outsized impact on your entire journey through Outland. Faster leveling, cheaper mounts, stronger talents, and a refreshed economy all work in your favor if you’re ready on day one.

If you prefer to skip the slow setup and get straight into the real TBC Anniversary gameplay, our TBC Fresh Preorders can take care of the time-consuming steps so you can focus on the parts that matter: Outland, dungeons, professions, and building your character the way you want.