D&D: World of Warcraft releases on 17 November 2026, with Master Tier early access on D&D Beyond from 3 November. It is a gameplay expansion: rules for all 13 World of Warcraft classes, 16 playable species, seven dungeons rebuilt for the table, and 20-plus factions with renown rewards. Pre-orders are open now.
That is the announced part. Everything below comes from Wizards of the Coast's and Blizzard's own pages, and nothing from the rumour mill. Arthur wants the rules; James wants to know if he can play a Tauren. (He can.)
The second half is for the impatient: how to run Onyxia's Lair this weekend with a free SRD stat block and a pile of d8s.
The dates: 3 November and 17 November
Wizards announced the book at its D&D Vision keynote on 30 July 2026, as the centrepiece of the "Season of Champions" [1][2]. The dates, in Wizards' words: "D&D: World of Warcraft® releases November 17, with Master Tier early access starting November 3" [2].
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| Now | Pre-orders open (D&D Beyond, local game stores, Wizards' store) |
| 23 September 2026 | Dungeon Masters World of Warcraft campaign premiered on D&D's YouTube and Twitch [4] |
| 3 November 2026 | Master Tier early access on D&D Beyond [2] |
| 17 November 2026 | Wide release [2][3] |
| 2027 | French, Italian, German and Spanish editions [2] |
Three covers: the standard cover at every retailer, a Neon Ink alternate cover only at local game stores, and a Collector's Edition through the D&D Beyond Marketplace and Wizards' UK and EU stores [2].
Blizzard's own post adds the pre-order bonus WoW players care about: a Black Dragon Mount, a Gazer pet, a Mimic Chest toy and Mimic Chest decor, redeemed on a Battle.net account with an active World of Warcraft subscription [3].
The classes: 13 WoW classes, built on the Player's Handbook
The book does not throw out D&D's classes and start over. Wizards' description: "Using the Player's Handbook as a foundation, D&D: World of Warcraft® provides rules for playing all 13 World of Warcraft classes, with alterations, new options, and guidance on bringing each class and its specializations to life in D&D" [2]. Over 40 specializations sit across those 13 classes [2][3].
Six new subclasses [2]:
- Oath of the Ebon Blade Paladin
- Oath of the Holy Paladin
- Demon Hunter Ranger
- Shadow Domain Cleric
- Discipline Domain Cleric
- Path of the Elements Barbarian
Three updated subclasses: the Swashbuckler Rogue, the Path of the Spiritual Guardian Barbarian and the Warrior of Mystic Brews Monk [2].
Read that list and you can guess the mapping. The Death Knight lives in a Paladin oath. The Demon Hunter is a Ranger. The Shaman's elemental side has a Barbarian path. Wizards has not published the full class-by-class table, so treat those guesses as guesses until November.
Also inside: 60-plus new spells (Wizards names Rune Strike, Demon Spikes and Moonfire), 25-plus magic items including mounts and companion creatures, 50-plus new monsters and 30 dungeon boss stat blocks [1][2].
The species: 16, with 11 new
Five D&D species get new rules for their Azeroth versions: Dwarf, Elf, Goblin, Human and Orc. Eleven are new: Dracthyr, Draenei, Earthen, Forsaken, Haranir, Mechagnome, Pandaren, Tauren, Troll, Vulpera and Worgen [2][3].
If you have been searching "can you play a Tauren in D&D", "Pandaren D&D" or "Worgen 5e", the official answer from 17 November is yes.
The seven dungeons, and the raid in a box
The dungeons rebuilt for tabletop play: Azjol-Nerub, Blackfathom Deeps, Deadmines, Dire Maul, Onyxia's Lair, Scarlet Monastery and Shadowfang Keep [2].
Alongside the book comes the Icecrown Citadel adventure map pack, for levels 16 to 20: "five double-sided poster maps and a complete digital adventure that carries your party from the Lower Spire to the Frozen Throne" [2]. There is also a World of Warcraft Dungeon Master's Screen and a Murloc promo mini [2].
Watch it before you read it
Wizards' actual-play show Dungeon Masters started its World of Warcraft season on 23 September with a double episode. Jasmine Bhullar runs it. The party is a Horde guild called Afterlife, "on the verge of collapse and in constant need of rescue", trying to earn enough respect to be sent to Northrend against the Lich King [4].
The cast and their characters [4]:
- Neil Newbon: Greave, Forsaken Blood Death Knight
- Devora Wilde: Jandi, Troll Balance Druid
- Mayanna Berrin: Talonia, Blood Elf Discipline Priest
- Christian Navarro: Mistik, Goblin Assassin Rogue
- Theo Solomon: Rokkar, Orc Beast Master Hunter
A free play-along pack went up on D&D Beyond the same night [4]. It is the best preview of how the specializations play until the book is out.
Run Onyxia's Lair this weekend
You don't need to wait for the boss stat block. Blizzard describes Onyxia as "a dragon of the Black Dragonflight", younger sister of Nefarian, in a raid built as a "three-phase fight" [5]. The free System Reference Document already has a black dragon.
The Adult Black Dragon in SRD 5.2.1 is a Huge Chromatic Dragon: AC 19, 195 Hit Points, fly speed 80 feet, Challenge Rating 14, or 13,000 XP when fought in its lair [6]. In its lair it gets a fourth use of Legendary Resistance and a fourth Legendary Action each round [6]. That is your Onyxia.
Her kit, straight from the SRD [6]:
- Rend, three times a turn: +11 to hit, reach 10 feet, 2d6 + 6 Slashing plus 1d8 Acid.
- Acid Breath, recharge 5–6: a 60-foot line, 5 feet wide, DC 18 Dexterity save, 54 (12d8) Acid damage, half on a success.
- Spellcasting: Acid Arrow at will, Fear at will, Vitriolic Sphere once a day.
- Legendary Actions: Cloud of Insects, Frightful Presence and Pounce.
The odds, worked
We ran the numbers with a script (every d20 face equally likely; a critical hit doubles the damage dice) [7].
Acid Breath, 12d8, averages 54. What one character in the line takes, on average:
| Dex save bonus | Chance to save vs DC 18 | Expected damage |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | 20% | 48.6 |
| +3 | 30% | 45.9 |
| +5 | 40% | 43.2 |
| +7 | 50% | 40.5 |
| +9 | 60% | 37.8 |
Three Rend attacks against one target:
| Target AC | Chance to hit | Expected damage per turn |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 80% | 43.7 |
| 18 | 70% | 38.5 |
| 20 | 60% | 33.2 |
The breath starts charged and comes back on a 5 or 6 at the start of each of her turns. Over a four-round fight she breathes 2.0 times on average; over five rounds, 2.33 [7].
Make it three phases
Blizzard calls the fight three phases [5]. The SRD gives you the tools to fake it:
- Ground. She fights with Rend and Pounce. Legendary Resistance soaks the first big saves.
- Air. At half Hit Points (97) she takes off. Fly speed 80 feet puts her out of melee reach. She breathes, casts Acid Arrow, and uses Cloud of Insects on whoever is concentrating.
- Ground again. When she lands, she stays down and fights to the end. Frightful Presence each round.
Roll it all on our 3D dice roller: 12d8 for the breath, 2d6+6 and 1d8 for each Rend.
What people will search, answered
- When does D&D World of Warcraft come out? 17 November 2026. Early access 3 November for D&D Beyond Master Tier [2].
- What species are in D&D World of Warcraft? 16: Dwarf, Elf, Goblin, Human, Orc, plus Dracthyr, Draenei, Earthen, Forsaken, Haranir, Mechagnome, Pandaren, Tauren, Troll, Vulpera, Worgen [2].
- Is it 5e? It uses "the Player's Handbook as a foundation" [2].
- Which dungeons? Azjol-Nerub, Blackfathom Deeps, Deadmines, Dire Maul, Onyxia's Lair, Scarlet Monastery, Shadowfang Keep. Icecrown Citadel comes as a separate map pack [2].
- What do you get in WoW for pre-ordering? Black Dragon Mount, Gazer pet, Mimic Chest toy and decor [3].
What a dragon fight does to the people at the table is its own post: The Dragon's Roar.
Table Talk
James: Tauren. Day one. I'm not even reading the rest.
Arthur: You should. Nobody has seen the Tauren rules yet. We know the name and nothing else.
James: Big cow, big heart. What else do I need?
Arthur: The Death Knight is a Paladin oath. That's a real design choice and I want to see the page before I call it good or bad.
James: Fine. Meanwhile we can fight Onyxia on Saturday with the free black dragon.
Arthur: My tip: at DC 18, a +3 Dex save still takes 46 on average. Spread out. The line is only 5 feet wide.
James: My tip: whoever says "many whelps" at the table buys the pizza.
References
- Wizards of the Coast. (2026, 30 July). D&D Vision Keynote Recap: World of Warcraft, Dark Sun, Star Wars, Icons, and More. D&D Beyond. https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2215-d-d-vision-keynote-recap-world-of-warcaft-dark-sun
- Wizards of the Coast. (2026, 30 July). Everything You Need to Know About D&D: World of Warcraft. D&D Beyond. https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2205-everything-you-need-to-know-about-d-d-world-of
- Blizzard Entertainment. (2026, 31 July). Craft New Adventures with D&D: World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft news. https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24293053
- Wizards of the Coast. (2026, 23 September). Roll for Azeroth in the D&D: World of Warcraft Dungeon Masters Campaign. D&D Beyond. https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2248-roll-for-azeroth-in-the-d-d-world-of-warcraft
- Blizzard Entertainment. (2024, 12 December). 20th Anniversary Realms: Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair Now Live. World of Warcraft news. https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24165121
- Wizards of the Coast. System Reference Document 5.2.1. 2025. CC-BY-4.0. Section: "Monsters" (Adult Black Dragon). https://media.dndbeyond.com/compendium-images/srd/5.2/SRD_CC_v5.2.1.pdf
- DnD Dice Roller. (2026). Adult Black Dragon odds script: exact d20 probabilities, 200,000-fight simulation for breath recharge.
