When Mists of Pandaria Classic launched on July 21, 2025, it kicked off what many players consider WoW’s smoothest Classic era yet. But the launch is only the beginning, the expansion is split into five phases, each rolling out new raids, zones, storylines, and PvP seasons.
Knowing the MoP Classic phases will help you is critical to gearing up and timing progression. Let’s break it down phase by phase, and naturally what awaits us.
MoP Classic Phase 1
Release: July 21, 2025
Level cap: 90
By now, most players already know Phase 1 inside and out, so we’ll go over it quickly. This was the real start of Mists of Pandaria Classic, opening the gates to Pandaria and dropping a ton of fresh content at once. Although some content is still ahead of us, let’s take a look at the release dates.
Raids (Tier 14):
- Mogu’shan Vaults: released July 31, 2025
- Heart of Fear: released August 21, 2025
- Terrace of Endless Spring: released September 4, 2025
World Bosses:
- Sha of Anger (Kun-Lai Summit)
- Galleon (Valley of the Four Winds)
Other Content:
- All Pandaria leveling zones.
- Six new dungeons (Temple of the Jade Serpent, Stormstout Brewery, Shado-Pan Monastery, etc.).
- Three revamped dungeons (Scarlet Monastery, Scarlet Halls, Scholomance).
- New battlegrounds: Temple of Kotmogu, Silvershard Mines, Deepwind Gorge.
- New arenas: Tol’viron, Tiger’s Peak.
- Eight factions (Golden Lotus, Shado-Pan, Tillers, Anglers, and more).
- PvP Season 12.
- Start of Wrathion’s Legendary Cloak questline.
Even summarized, it’s clear Phase 1 is stacked. Between leveling, dungeons, and the MoP Phase 1 raids, there is plenty to keep everyone busy from day one.
And if you’d rather skip the grind and jump straight into the good stuff, you can always buy a WoW MOP Classic Boost for any activity, whether it’s leveling, gearing, dungeons, or full raid clears.
MoP Classic Phase 2 - Landfall Campaign
Phase 2 doesn’t drop a new raid, but it does shake up daily progression and side content in a big way.
The story focus here is the Alliance and Horde clash on Pandaria’s shores, bringing in two new factions: Operation: Shieldwall for Alliance and Dominance Offensive for Horde. Both come with lengthy quest chains, reputation grinds, and some solid gear rewards.
The Brawler’s Guild makes its debut as well, a solo PvE challenge where you square off against increasingly absurd NPC bosses.
Another big system addition is the Item Upgrade system, letting you spend Valor to bump the ilvl of your existing gear instead of waiting for drops.
On top of that, Wrathion’s Legendary Cloak questline advances, plus three new scenarios are added: A Little Patience, Assault on Zan’vess, and Dagger in the Dark. Together, these story beats set up the bigger conflicts leading into Phase 3.
MoP Classic Phase 3 - Throne of Thunder
Phase 3 is where things ramp up again. Blizzard brings back Lei Shen, the Thunder King, in what many still call one of the greatest raids in WoW’s history: Throne of Thunder. This Tier 15 raid spans 12 bosses and mixes tight mechanics with atmospheric design that set a new bar for endgame encounters.
The content rollout goes beyond the raid:
- Isle of Thunder becomes the new daily hub and raid entrance, complete with evolving questlines as players push back the Thunder King’s forces.
- Isle of Giants shows up to the north, home to massive dinosaur elites and the infamous mount farms.
- Two terrifying world bosses join the mix: Nalak, the Storm Lord and Oondasta, both requiring big groups and rewarding big loot.
- New factions like the Kirin Tor Offensive, Sunreaver Onslaught, and Shado-Pan Assault keep the rep grind alive, offering gear and mounts.
For professions, Phase 3 adds new recipes and even some extra Hunter pets. PvPers get Season 13, while PvE players push further into Wrathion’s Legendary questline, this time unlocking the powerful Legendary Meta Gems.
MoP Classic Phase 4 - Escalation
Phase 4 doesn’t bring a raid, but it will add a lot of side content and world events to keep players busy between major raid tiers. The standout feature is Heroic Scenario difficulty, turning what were once short 3-man runs into tougher challenges that reward Valor, achievements, and stronger gear.
Blizzard is also adding four brand-new scenarios:
- Battle on the High Seas
- Blood in the Snow
- Dark Heart of Pandaria
- Secrets of Ragefire
Outside of scenarios, the Battlefield: Barrens event will take over the open world. This cross-faction storyline pits players against Garrosh’s Kor’kron loyalists and doubles as both a catch-up gear grind and a narrative lead-in to the Siege of Orgrimmar.
Finally, Wrathion’s Legendary Cloak questline moves forward, letting players upgrade to epic cloaks that eventually evolve into the legendary versions in Phase 5.
Escalation is smaller in scale, but it sets the stage for Pandaria’s finale with a mix of story progression and world events.
MoP Classic Phase 5 - Siege of Orgrimmar
Phase 5 is the final chapter of Mists of Pandaria Classic, and it’s packed with content that appeals to every type of player.
The highlight is the Siege of Orgrimmar raid (Tier 16). With 14 bosses spanning from Orgrimmar’s gates to Garrosh’s throne room, this raid delivers one of WoW’s most iconic finales. It’s also where the Legendary Cloak questline concludes, tying directly into the setup for Warlords of Draenor.
Outside the raid, Phase 5 introduces the Timeless Isle, a unique endgame zone built for exploration and repeatable rewards:
- Endless rare spawns and hidden treasures.
- Celestial world bosses (Chi-Ji, Niuzao, Xuen, Yu’lon) with tier loot.
- Ordos, a legendary fire-god boss, only accessible with the completed Legendary Cloak.
- Tons of catch-up gear and timeless tokens, perfect for alts.
Other key features include:
- Proving Grounds: solo challenges for DPS, healers, and tanks, with Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Endless difficulties.
- Celestial Tournament: a high-end pet battle gauntlet with unique rewards.
- PvP Seasons 14 & 15, bringing fresh gear and ranked progression.
Together, Phase 5 will close out Pandaria. It’s the finale that ties MoP Classic together and sets the stage for what comes next.
Final Thoughts
Looking at the full MoP Classic roadmap, it’s easy to see why so many players call this expansion WoW’s most balanced era. Each phase builds naturally into the next: Phase 1 delivers the rush of fresh zones and three raid tiers back-to-back, Phase 2 slows things down with story and casual systems, Phase 3 brings one of WoW’s best raids ever, and Phases 4 and 5 tie it all together with tension, Timeless Isle exploration, and the final showdown with Garrosh.
Now you can prepare for the true Phase 1 with a WoW MOP Classic Boost, order a boost for any activity and start the season at full strength.