Patch 1.18.0
| Patch 1.18.0 | |||||
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| {{#if:Scars of the Past|“Scars of the Past”}} | |||||
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| Release date | August 15, 2025 | ||||
| Initial version | 7000 | ||||
| Interface .toc | — {{#if:1.18.0|{{#ifexist:Patch 1.18.0/API changes|(changes)}}}} | ||||
{{#if:* New zones, quests and instances
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{{#if:* New zones, quests and instances
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| {{#if:* Patch Notes|Official links}} | |||||
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{{#if:* Patch Notes| }} | |||||
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{{#if:1.18.0|{{#ifexist:Patch 1.18.0 (undocumented changes)| }}}} | |||||
| Patch chronology | |||||
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| Patches • Patches category | |||||
Patch 1.18.0: Scars of the Past was released on August 15, 2025.
Trailer
{{#ev:youtube|ATXSJhdmfwE}}
Patch notes
NEW ZONES
- Grim Reaches. Hanging on the eastern cliffs of the Eastern Kingdoms, Grim Reaches has witnessed many conflicts between the Wildhammer Dwarves of Dun Kithas and the Dragonmaw Orcs. Though this strife stretches over decades, many things have changed as the years went by. The dwarves of the reaches have forgotten of their wildhammer lineage, dwarven ruins of ages past litter the cliffs serving as camps for the Dragonmaw that yet remain in these lands and hints of corruption has started to show itself, coalescing in the southern end of these lands in a dark swamp named The Grim Hollows.
- Northwind. Nestled in a vale north of Stormwind, Northwind is the cradle of nobility within the human kingdom. Commerce and trade runs high between its citizens and nobles, delivering quality goods to all regions of the Eastern Kingdom. Nowadays however, the verdant hills are riddled with vile fiends sowing chaos and destruction. Lord Amberwood, Ruler of Northwind, and his fellow nobles struggle to maintain order in their lands with the little military power they have left. Even so, the recent incursions are not the only darkness brewing in the vale...
- Balor. Forgotten and mythical alike, this island off to the western shores of Elwynn and Westfall is an accursed place among the people of Stormwind. Burdened by a harrowed past, it was once a blooming trade port for the kingdom, before falling into the hands of the Old Horde during the First War. Held within the tight grip of Gul'dan's Shadow Council althroughout the Second War, its shores now only beckon death as its cliffs and breaking waves call out to the restless souls beneath its surface.
NEW DUNGEON — STORMWROUGHT RUINS
An impregnable fortress, once Duke Balor's home and seat of power, Stormwrought Castle lies derelict atop the wave crashed cliffs of Balor. Seized during the First War, all its inhabitants were slaughtered viciously, and those less fortunate taken captive to be used in heinous rituals. Years later, this abandoned ruin has now been claimed again, by the orcish Stormreaver Clan and their sinister overlords of the Shadow Council. The no longer pristine halls of the castle harbor a menagerie of horror and depravity, with lingering ghosts, hulking demons and murmuring cultists skulking along the pitchblack halls of this horrid place.
NEW DUNGEON — DRAGONMAW RETREAT
Fragments of an older yet unknown dwarven civilization, these caverns were used as part of the mining networks of Grim Batol. Since its second abandonment, the Dragonmaw have carved this forgotten network into a base of operations. Now in possession of a shard of the Demon Soul, they'll stop at nothing to take back the Wetlands and the Grim Reaches with the help of their army of entranced red dragons.
CLASSIC DUNGEONS UPDATES
In this patch, we've continued expanding classic WoW dungeons by adding new areas and boss encounters. Our goal is to offer fresh challenges while preserving the core dungeon experience. Here's what's new:
- Razorfen Kraul — The Brambled Grotto
The caverns of Razorfen Kraul, wrapped in thorns, go deeper than presumed. - Razorfen Downs — Temple of Agamaggan
The Death's Head Cult, allied with the Scourge, forms an unholy alliance that must be stopped! - Blackfathom Deeps — Temple of Elune
Forgotten prayers echo through the temple, honoring Elune long after their voices faded. - Zul'Farrak — Farraki Tombs
Reports suggest that the Sandfury are unearthing one of their ancient underground tombs after the collapse of their passages. What secrets might be hidden within? - Zul'Farrak — Farraki Arena
Challenge your strength by facing the champions of the Farraki Arena.
CLASSIC ZONES UPDATES
- Slickwick Oil Rig. Located in south-western Tanaris, Slickwick Oil Rig is the home of new goblin operations. Fueled by their lust of greed, the DLU is looking to strike it big ONCE AGAIN.
- Rugford's Mountain Rest. Nestled in the southeastern mountains of Dun Morogh, Durmir Rugford established his famous and beloved inn many years ago. Formerly offering respite and rest for the mountaineers of Ironforge, it is now overrun by the sinister Dark Iron Dwarves, sowing chaos among the dwarven kingdom.
- Earthen Ring. This ancient naturalistic Tauren order grew massively in size after being joined by the orcish shamans following the Third War's conclusion. While most of its member are now on pilgrimage to quell the elemental unrest, their sacred ritual site south of Sun Rock Retreat fell victim to the elements themselves...
- Ursan Heights. Nestled high among the branches of Teldrassil, the Ursan Heights were once a peaceful refuge - home to a secluded tribe of furbolgs who lived in harmony with the great tree. Hidden from most travelers, the Heights remained untouched by war and change… until now.
NEW ARENA — SUNSTRIDER COURT
In the shining city of Alah’thalas, a new arena has been built - a grand coliseum shaped not only by stone and magic, but also by rising tensions and growing ambitions. Called Sunstrider Court, the name itself is an insult to the fallen prince Kael’thas, a reminder of betrayal that still lingers in the blood of Quel’Thalas.
At first, the arena was meant to be a training ground for skilled fighters. But that changed when Astalor Sunsworn, convinced the Regency Council to open it to the public. Now, with the council’s hesitant approval, Sunstrider Court welcomes mercenaries, champions, and wanderers from all corners of Azeroth, each hoping to prove their strength, earn gold, or fight for something greater.
Here, the Sunsworn Offensive and the Silver Covenant clash in what they call “friendly competition.” But every duel tells a deeper story - and in this arena, every victory matters.
RATED ARENA TEAMS
Gather your allies, sharpen your blades, and prepare your spells because Rated Arena is calling. Whether you're a seasoned gladiator or just stepping into the competitive scene, now is the perfect time to form your team and carve your name into Azeroth’s PvP legacy. Join forces with friends and rise through the ranks together as you face off against the fiercest opponents. This isn't just a fight; it's your chance to show the world what you're made of. Assemble your team, queue up, and let the arena decide your fate.
Rated Arena will come with new exclusive rewards.
PVP LEVELING
Azeroth's most bloodthirsty adventurers can now gain experience by participating in Battlegrounds! Do be careful to disable experience gain manually if you are twinking or uninterested in the bonus experience!
PVP BALANCE TWEAKS
As described here, 1.18.0 and 1.18.1 will see some major PvP changes. Alongside the changes listed in the post above there will be a few other tweaks that we will share with you at a later date.
MOLTEN CORE EXTENSION & UPDATES
We're turning up the heat in Molten Core! All bosses have seen various changes and adjustments to their mechanics, ranging from minor tweaks to full-on new mechanics. These changes aim to make the raid more interesting and slightly more challenging, making bosses feel more rewarding to fight while keeping it simple — as expected from the entry-level raid.
In addition to this, we're expanding Molten Core with two new locations: Incindis' Lair and Old Shadowforge.
- Incindis' Lair serves as the hatching grounds of its namesake incendosaur.
- Old Shadowforge brings more questions than it answers. The first hearth of the Dark Iron Dwarves inside the Blackrock Mountain at its farthest depths, now bereft of life and filled with echoes of a forgotten past.
New locations bring new bosses and new loot to earn, adding 3 new bosses and 15+ new items for those brave enough to best the new dangers of the hallowed core.
- Gehennas has retired and returned to the Firelands to live a peaceful life on a ranch with his grandchildren. Removed from Molten Core. Tier gear previously dropped by Gehennas is now dropped by Incindis and his rune now requires Incindis to be killed instead to become dousable. Hands of the Enemy no longer requires Hand of Gehennas to be completed.
- Updated Molten Core's loading screen with the Mysteries of Azeroth logo to signify it has been extended with new bosses, revamped encounters and loot drops.
- The Magmalash Scorpid now roams the depth of Molten Core.
NEW TRANSPORT ROUTES
- Flight, Alliance: Ambershire, Northwind ⇄ Stormwind, Elwynn Forest
- Flight, Alliance: SI:7 Outpost, Balor ⇄ Sentinel Hill, Westfall
- Flight, Horde: Stormbreaker Point, Balor ⇄ Grom'gol Base Camp, Stranglethorn Vale
- Flight, Alliance: Dun Kithas, Grim Reaches ⇄ Thelsamar, Loch Modan
- Flight, Horde: Shatterblade Post, Grim Reaches ⇄ Hammerfall, Arathi Highlands
- Flight, Horde: Slickwick Oil Rig, Tanaris ⇄ Gadgetzan, Tanaris
CLASS BALANCE UPDATE
You can find the full list of changes here.
ITEMIZATION
Click here to view the full itemization changelog for Patch 1.18.0!
GENERAL CHANGES
World
- The Red Dragonkin of Grim Batol have pulled their forces closer to the gates, revealing a path to the Grim Reaches.
- Karazhan Crypt's gate and Arch Hydromancer Lapidis' Magically Sealed Door now function like normal doors — displaying "Locked" status and the required key on hover. The former can now be opened with Lockpicking.
- Fixed performance issues during fights with Keeper Gnarlmoon and Sanv Tas'Dal.
- Brill now has a Forsaken mailbox instead of the generic Horde mailbox.
- Thunder Bluff now properly uses Tauren mailboxes instead of generic Horde mailboxes.
- Brill now features an Forsaken mailbox instead of the generic Horde mailbox.
- Fixed footprints on multiple creatures.
- Music and sound will now properly play in Scarlet Monastery Armory.
- Fixed issues with Durotar Zeppelin Tower.
- Added rested bonus to the taverns in Steepcliff Port and Nordanaar.
- Fixed area in Feralas where players would drown on land.
- Fixed pathing in a cave in Feralas.
- Fixed multiple areas where 3D models could disappear under specific circumstances.
- Elemental Earth can now be found in all Thorium Veins
- Small Thorium Vein: 2%
- Ooze Covered Small Thorium Vein: 2%
- Rich Thorium Vein: 5%
- Ooze Covered Rich Thorium Vein: 5%
- Hakkari Thorium Vein: 5%
- Rented mounts in starting zones have been reworked. They now grant 40% movement speed for 5 minutes at the cost of 1 silver.
Dungeons & Raids
- Increased the HP of all dungeon bosses to lengthen boss encounters and raise difficulty.
- Increased the HP and damage of some creatures on Azeroth by 10–15% to bring them more in line with current gameplay balance. This includes some dungeon monsters.
- Adjusted health and damage values for all bosses and creatures in Molten Core, Karazhan (10-player), Onyxia's Lair, and Blackwing Lair. Further raid tuning is planned.
- Upper Blackrock Spire
- Updated Rend Blackhand fight scripts in UBRS to be more challenging.
- Crescent Grove
- Warden Liferoot and Warden Treeshade are now accompanied by two Twisted Ancients that assist them in combat.
- High Priestess A'lathea now casts her Starfire more frequently, which deals increased damage, and her Moonfire now hits all players instead of only her main target.
- Keeper Ranathos now calls Deranged Ancients to his side as he loses health.
- Fenektis the Deceiver now starts using his Blade Flurry ability much earlier in the fight.
- Master Raxxieth now stuns all players when he reaches half health.
Quests
- Ravasaur Training: Taming a raptor is an essential part of troll culture. Horde players can now undertake a new challenge with Jama'nali at the entrance of Un'Goro Crater to subdue and claim a Venomous Ravasaur as a mount.
- All quests for the Wintersaber Training now reward twice as much reputation for completing them.
- Began reworking early zone introductions in Elwynn Forest and Durotar by removing some older quests that were either added early in the server's lifespan or contributed to quest bloat:
- Removed some of the Durotar’s Boar Meat quests.
- Removed the Elwynn Forest and Durotar Gryphon and Wyvern, as this design is not used in other zones.
- Added new early-level quests to Elwynn Forest, particularly around the Tower of Azora.
- Unlock the Teleport Rune: Nordanaar through a quest, available after you've activated the Hyjal Runestone teleport.
- New Dungeon Weekly Quests are added with enticing rewards for new and veteran players.
- Nizzle, The Kezan Importer has brought Juicy Kezan Fruitcake to the shores of Booty Bay.
Group Finder (LFT)
- Added a Browse tab for creating and signing up for custom groups.
- Added visual timers to Dungeon Ready and Role Check popups.
User Interface
- Added an interface option to show the active leveling challenges of your currently targeted player in the tooltip.
- Added a second mana bar for Druids, displaying current and max mana while in non-mana forms.
- Character class labels on the character selection screen are now color-coded based on the character’s class.
- You can now view all 32 buffs and 16 debuffs without the need for addons.
- The game will now display floating green text on friendly targets if floating text is enabled in settings.
- Updated a loading screen tip to reflect that Challenges are now selected at character creation.
- Increased macro character limit from 255 to 510.
- Fixed an issue where some UI textures would turn white under certain conditions.
- Donation Store: Added search, dress-up frame with 3D models, color cycling for recolored models, increased entries per page in the Fashion category, added reward claim button, and fixed gender-restricted skins not being greyed out properly.
- Updated Gamemaster Mail background and icon for visual polish.
- Cleaned up minimaps for improved clarity and consistency.
- Interface options have been visually updated to match the style of video and sound settings.
- Added new item interaction features with UI frames:
- Right-clicking an item in your bags while the Auction House “Browse” tab is active will paste the item’s name into the search box.
- Right-clicking an item while the Trade frame is active will move the item into the trade window (if space is available).
- Right-clicking an item while the Send Mail tab is open will attach the item to your outgoing mail.
- Right-clicking an attached item in mail will remove it and return it to your bags.
- Holding Shift and right-clicking in any of these cases will use the item normally.
- Updated login screen landscape artwork.
Transmogrification UI
- Fixed Transmogrification blank page bug.
- Added search functionality.
- Item previews are now sorted by type, quality, and name.
- The Sets tab was replaced by Outfits.
AddOns & API
Some of the API changes are still under consideration and might not be present here — we don't want to implement anything that might break community mods. That said, we're actively exploring safe ways to bring them in.
- Added a new global variable: TURTLE_WOW_VERSION. Add-on authors can use this to detect if the client is a stock Vanilla 1.12 or Turtle WoW client.
- UnitMana("player") now returns current form power and caster form mana.
- UnitExists() now also returns the unit’s GUID.
- UnitBuff() and UnitDebuff() now return aura spell IDs.
Models & Texturing
- Fixed wrong shading on Paladin Tier 3.5 helmet.
- Hunter Tier 3.5 chest will now display proper textures on male models.
- Various bear mounts now have proper textures.
- Updated visuals for Shadowhorn Stag and Black Unicorn.
- Added mount special animation to Boar Mounts.
- Fixed an issue where Ragnaros would not play his emerge animation after Submerge ends.
- Players under the effect of Windfury Totem will once again spawn a small cyclone animation when triggering an extra attack.
- Players affected by Flametongue Totem will no longer perform a casting animation when using special melee abilities such as Mortal Strike or Crusader Strike.
- Fixed The Greatest Wizzard Hat issue with Goblin Females.
- Fixed Tabard of Defender issue with some male characters.
- Fixed Deathguard's Gloves visual.
- Improved visual quality of certain items in the Tower of Karazhan.
- Updated visuals for the Victorious Alliance Steed mount.
- Updated visuals for the Warrior ability Intervene.
- Fixed visual issues with the Scythe of Elune while in Druid Moonkin Form.
- Druid Moonkin Form can now use the Mighty Foot!
- Added [/danceSpecial] emote support for Druid Moonkin Form.
- Druid Moonkin Form now has a chance to attempt flying while jumping.
- Updated the Doomguard model with new animations for its spells and abilities.
- Updated the icons for Teleport: Alah'Thalas and Portal: Alah'Thalas to have unique visuals.
- Fixed an issue where Black Drakes in Burning Steppes would glitch while flying.
Player Models, Animations & Emotes
- Added a /DanceSpecial for High Elf males.
- Made minor animation fixes for High Elf Male characters.
- Added a random chance for two new animations to play when using 1H and 2H Special abilities on High Elf characters.
- Updated the Eye Glow visual for High Elves.
- Fixed Troll tusks disappearing when equipping certain helmets.
- Adjusted Goblin mustaches to fit better with certain helmets.
S* everal shop skins received visual updates.
Achievements & Titles
- New Challenge: Path of the Brewmaster! Can you stumble your way to 60 without spilling your mug? From bar to the Barrens, your journey begins. You gain no experience unless you're completely smashed. Reaching maximum level will grant you the title of Brewmaster.
- Included all new zones and areas for the Cartographer title. Players who already earned it will not lose the title, but new characters must now explore all recently added zones in Kalimdor and Eastern Kingdoms. Exploring instanced zones is no longer required.
- New Level One Lunatic title: Azeroth's Most Unlucky Tourist — explore all of the great outdoors at level 1 while undergoing the challenge.
- Collecting every spider companion pet now grants the achievement title: The Itsy Bitsy Hero.
Everlook Broadcasting Co. Radio
A brand-new parody song from The Priesty Boys, plus Episode 2 of Hardcore Victims Unit is coming with the update. We're also kicking off a German DJ, and on the lookout for a Spanish DJ to join the party!