World of Warcraft Classic May Get a New Zone

Highlights

• World of Warcraft Classic may be getting a new zone called the Searing Basin, but its purpose is currently unknown.
• The Searing Basin is listed as a Dungeon instance in the game files, but it is not accessible in-game yet.
• It is unclear if the Searing Basin relates to Hardcore or if it will be a feature in WoW Classic Season of Discovery or the Era servers.

World of Warcraft Classic may be getting a new location called the Searing Basin. This new area’s purpose is currently unknown, and it is unclear which version it may be for, but it seems the retro World of Warcraft servers may be getting a Classic-only zone soon.

The Public Test Realm is the place where World of Warcraft playtests content coming to the game. Not everything on the PTR makes it to live, but most of it carries over in some way, shape, or form.

Recently, World of Warcraft fan and content creator MrGM discovered a new secret on the Classic Hardcore PTR. He found Gurgthock, a Goblin NPC, with a new dialogue referring to a place called the Searing Basin. The option to enter this mysterious location doesn’t work yet, but according to the files, the Searing Basin is classified as a Dungeon instance of some sort. Additionally, though it was found on the Hardcore PTR, it could technically be a new feature coming to WoW Classic Season of Discovery or the Era servers as well.

The Searing Basin – A New WoW Classic Zone?

Not to be confused with the Arathi Basin PvP Battleground or the Searing Gorge zone, the Searing Basin’s true purpose is currently unknown. Judging from Gurgthock’s dialogue, it could be some sort of dueling arena for Classic Hardcore characters of every WoW class to battle, or perhaps a free-for-all PvP zone. Players won’t know exactly what the Searing Basin is until when and if World of Warcraft officially adds it.

Gurgthock himself is not a new NPC. The Goblin first appeared in The Burning Crusade, and then again in almost every other expansion, each time promoting a tournament-like series of side quests featuring fun boss battles. He even appeared in the Ohn’ahran Plains during WoW: Dragonflight. Now, it seems like Gurgthock may be making his debut in Classic WoW even earlier than ever before.

Though Season of Discovery has been drawing attention in World of Warcraft Classic, Hardcore is still going strong. The one-life servers are introducing a Self-Found mode, where players are unable to trade with other characters or buy things off of the auction house. In retail World of Warcraft, the mysterious Patch 10.2.6, which featured a black flag with a skull and crossbones on the 2024 roadmap, has players stumped. While many suspect this World of Warcraft patch will involve pirates in some way, others believe Hardcore may be coming to modern WoW in some fashion. Fans can expect to find out for sure when Blizzard introduces the patch in the coming weeks.