This Week in World of Warcraft (March 25, 2024) - Season 4 PTR Release on Tuesday

Key Takeaways

• The Dragonflight Season 4 PTR opened Tuesday, March 26, 2024, letting players test the Awakened raid rotation (Vault of the Incarnates, Aberrus, and Amirdrassil) and Antique Bronze Bullion ahead of the season's April 23 live launch.
• Wrath of the Lich King Classic brought back two pre-Cataclysm world events on March 26: Operation: Gnomeregan for the Alliance and Zalazane's Fall for the Horde, with increased dungeon drops alongside them.
• Three retail bonus events ran March 26 to April 2: the Warsong Scramble PvP Brawl, the Pet Battle Bonus Event, and the Dragonflight Dungeon Bonus Event.
• The Plunderstorm Creator Event went live March 30, sitting on top of the Plunderstorm mode that had already shipped with Patch 10.2.6 on March 19.
• The week led into Season of Discovery Phase 3 on April 4 (cap 41 to 50, the 20-player Sunken Temple raid, Nightmare Incursions, and new runes) and the Noblegarden holiday from April 1 to April 8.

Here is how the week of March 25, 2024 played out across retail and Classic.

Dragonflight Season 4 Hit the PTR

The marquee item was the Dragonflight Season 4 PTR, which opened on Tuesday, March 26. It was a test build rather than a live season: Season 4 itself would not go live until April 23, 2024. The PTR previewed the Awakened raids, a weekly rotation that recycled Vault of the Incarnates, Aberrus the Shadowed Crucible, and Amirdrassil, the Dream's Hope at fresh difficulty, plus an Awakened Mythic+ pool built from all eight Dragonflight dungeons. The new Antique Bronze Bullion currency let players target specific gear and appearances each week. Anyone planning to gear up fast when the season landed could browse our WoW raid boosts to clear the rotation without the wait.

Wrath Classic Revived Two World Events

Wrath of the Lich King Classic leaned on nostalgia that week. On March 26, the pre-Cataclysm world events went live: Operation: Gnomeregan sent Alliance players to fight alongside High Tinker Gelbin Mekkatorque to reclaim the surface of Gnomeregan from the leper gnomes, while Zalazane's Fall had Horde players join Vol'jin and the Darkspear to retake the Echo Isles. Both events ran with increased dungeon drops, giving returning Wrath players a reason to log in before Cataclysm Classic arrived later in the year.

Retail Bonus Events and the Plunderstorm Creator Event

Retail filled out the week with its usual rotation. The Warsong Scramble PvP Brawl, the Pet Battle Bonus Event with double pet experience, and the Dragonflight Dungeon Bonus Event (an extra item from each dungeon's final boss) all ran March 26 to April 2. The bigger draw was the Plunderstorm Creator Event on March 30, a streamer showcase for the pirate-themed battle-royale mode. Plunderstorm itself was not new that week: it had launched with Patch 10.2.6 on March 19, so the Creator Event was a spotlight on an already-live mode rather than a debut. Blizzard also slotted in a New Promotion on March 28 and a Blues News plus Trading Post update on March 29, with April's board leaning into a spring, pirate-flavored theme.

Looking Ahead to Season of Discovery Phase 3 and Noblegarden

The week closed by setting up the next one. Season of Discovery Phase 3 was dated for April 4 at 1:00 p.m. PDT, raising the level cap from 41 to 50 and adding the 20-player Sunken Temple raid, the Nightmare Incursions event, and a new batch of runes. On retail, the spring holiday Noblegarden was set to run April 1 to April 8, sending players egg-hunting through the starting-zone towns for cosmetics and the Spring Fling achievement.

With the week's calendar covered, here are the questions players asked most about it.

FAQ

When did the Dragonflight Season 4 PTR open?

The Dragonflight Season 4 PTR opened Tuesday, March 26, 2024. It let players test the Awakened raids and Mythic+ pool plus the Antique Bronze Bullion currency. Season 4 went live on retail later, on April 23, 2024, so the PTR was a preview rather than the launch.

What were Operation: Gnomeregan and Zalazane's Fall?

They were the classic pre-Cataclysm world events, revived in Wrath of the Lich King Classic on March 26, 2024. Operation: Gnomeregan was the Alliance event led by High Tinker Mekkatorque, and Zalazane's Fall was the Horde event led by Vol'jin. Both ran with increased dungeon drops.

Did Plunderstorm launch the week of March 25, 2024?

No. Plunderstorm launched with Patch 10.2.6 on March 19, 2024. The Plunderstorm Creator Event on March 30 was a streamer showcase for the already-live mode, not its debut. The mode mixed battle-royale combat with spell collection in a separate queue.

When did Season of Discovery Phase 3 go live?

Season of Discovery Phase 3 went live April 4, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. PDT. It raised the level cap from 41 to 50, added the 20-player Sunken Temple raid and the Nightmare Incursions event, and introduced new runes to engrave. The week of March 25 was its final lead-up.

What retail bonus events ran that week?

From March 26 to April 2, retail ran the Warsong Scramble PvP Brawl, the Pet Battle Bonus Event with double pet experience, and the Dragonflight Dungeon Bonus Event, which dropped an extra item from each Dragonflight dungeon's final boss. Noblegarden then opened April 1.

What patch was live in WoW during late March 2024?

The live retail patch was Dragonflight 10.2.6 "Plunderstorm," which arrived March 19, 2024. Dragonflight Season 4 was still on the PTR that week and would not go live until April 23, 2024. The War Within expansion was still in testing at the time.

Last reviewed 2026-06-22 against Patch 10.2.6 Plunderstorm. Maintained by WowCarry's WoW team.