The Burning Crusade opened WoW’s first journey beyond Azeroth
The first WoW expansion reached North America and Europe on January 16, 2007, taking the adventure through the Dark Portal into Outland.
The Burning Crusade launched in North America and Europe on January 16, 2007, followed by Australia and New Zealand on January 17. These were regional release dates rather than a single worldwide unlock.
Beyond the Dark Portal lay Outland, the broken remains of Draenor. The expansion carried forward conflicts rooted in Warcraft III while taking players beyond the familiar continents of Azeroth. It marked the first major expansion of the world that players had been exploring since the original game.
Blizzard reported almost 2.4 million copies sold during the first 24 hours of availability. Midnight shop openings became a memorable part of that original 2007 release.
WoWAzeroth archive. This is a retrospective account of the event above, not an article originally published on its launch date.