THE JAILER'S PLAN - Key info for this week (26 January 2026)
Tomorrow, The Jailer’s latest 4D chess move hits Azeroth hard: Midnight’s big pre-patch event kicks off on live servers, it's a great time to level alts, and Classic moves closer to Outland. Here’s your Monday briefing, just as The Jailer foretold.
“Twilight Ascension” Ignites – Midnight Pre-Patch Event
The Midnight pre-expansion event, Twilight Ascension, begins on January 27, sending Xal’atath’s forces into the Twilight Highlands with rotating world quests, rares, and a dedicated event currency.
You can earn catch-up gear for alts, player housing decor, and other rewards leading up to the Midnight expansion launch.
Winds of Mysterious Fortune & Pre-Patch Leveling Push
The Winds of Mysterious Fortune XP buff is active for the Midnight pre-patch window, returning as a global leveling boost to help players speed alts to the current cap before launch.
Blizzard confirmed this buff as part of the pre-patch announcement, and community guides are encouraging players to combine it with event content and Turbulent Timeways for rapid leveling.
Blue-post coverage of the buff:
January 2026 Trading Post – Scarlet Crusade Theme Wrap-Up
January’s Trading Post lineup is live through January 31, headlined by the Scarlet Crusade–themed Ensemble: Vengeful Regalia of the Crusader as the 1,000-point bonus reward.
The month’s inventory features red-and-gold “Light” gear, Golden Clockwork weapon transmogs, and other cosmetics purchasable with Trader’s Tender, with up to 1,000 Tender earnable via the Traveler’s Log plus the monthly cache.
Blizzard’s official January Trading Post article: https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24243211
Turbulent Timeways & Timewalking This Week
The long-running Turbulent Timeways event remains active into February, rotating Timewalking expansions each week and offering strong catch-up gear plus excellent XP.
January’s rotation includes Burning Crusade, Warlords of Draenor, Battle for Azeroth, and Wrath of the Lich King Timewalking weeks, with Wrath of the Lich King Timewalking specifically scheduled for January 28–February 4, 2026.
Hotfixes & System Polish
Blizzard’s January 22 hotfix round includes fixes to War Within systems such as Warband Mentors XP buffs and other gameplay issues, with additional live-tuning ongoing during the pre-patch window.
The hotfix notes also reference adjustments for Classic Burning Crusade issues, so both Retail and Classic get quality-of-life fixes bundled into this week’s maintenance.
Hotfixes: January 22, 2026 (Retail + Classic): https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/world-of-warcraft/24247515
Content update / patch notes index: https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/content-update-notes
Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Pre-Patch Marches On
For players on the WoW Classic Anniversary realms, the Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary Edition pre-patch went live January 13 and continues this week, letting you prepare for Outland’s February 5 launch.
The pre-patch window is the time to level new Blood Elf and Draenei characters, experiment with updated talents, and finalize plans before the Dark Portal opens.
Official-style coverage of TBC Anniversary pre-patch and launch dates: https://blizzardwatch.com/2026/01/12/can-expect-burning-crusade-classic-pre-patch-expansion-launch-wow-classic-anniversary-realm
Classic Hotfixes – Cleaning Up Azeroth’s Loose Ends
Blizzard’s January 16 and January 22 hotfix entries include multiple Classic-specific fixes, such as correcting dungeon caps (e.g., Blackrock Spire), quest issues, and class trainer bugs for Paladins and Shamans.
These changes aim to smooth progression during the TBC Anniversary pre-patch period and ensure older content remains playable as players prepare for the expansion launch.
Hotfixes with Classic callouts: https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/world-of-warcraft/24247515
General news feed with Classic hotfix context: https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news
What To Focus On This Week
Retail
Hit Twilight Ascension early for event currency, catch-up gear, and housing decor before Midnight launches.
Use Winds of Mysterious Fortune plus Turbulent Timeways/Timewalking to push key alts to cap.
Finish your January Trading Post Traveler’s Log and spend Tender before the monthly rotation flips.
Classic
Finalize your plans on Anniversary realms: level Blood Elves/Draenei, sort your characters ahead of the February 5 Burning Crusade launch, and keep an eye on hotfix notes for any new Classic adjustments.
Somewhere, The Jailer is definitely taking credit for all of this.
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