As of November 3, 2026, Blizzard has not announced a release date for TBC Anniversary Phase 4, Fury of the Sunwell. The realms are on Phase 3.5, The Gods of Zul'Aman, live since October 22. If a guide told you Phase 4 launched on October 22, it is using a different numbering, not reporting a different patch. Here is the mix-up explained, the real timing math, and what to do while you wait.
Quick answer: when does TBC Anniversary Phase 4 come out?
TL;DR
- Date: none yet. Blizzard's roadmap places Phase 4 in Autumn 2026, and no calendar date had been published on Blizzard's news hub when we checked on November 3.
- Live now: Phase 3.5, with Zul'Aman, level cap 70, and Arena Season 3 still running.
- Why guides disagree: Warcraft Tavern's phase list and Wowhead's Phase Four guide call Zul'Aman "Phase 4", because TBC Classic in 2021-22 had five phases. On Blizzard's Anniversary roadmap, Zul'Aman is 3.5 and Sunwell is 4.
- Confirmed for Phase 4: Sunwell Plateau, Isle of Quel'Danas and Arena Season 4.
- Our estimate, not a date: if the gap matches recent history, mid-December. Treat that as math only.
- First signal to watch: an Arena Season 3 end notice, which should arrive before or alongside a Phase 4 date.
Why do some guides say Phase 4 was October 22?
Both numbers come from real sources. They count different things.
The 2021-22 TBC Classic run split the expansion into five phases, with Zul'Aman as Phase 4 and Sunwell as Phase 5. Warcraft Tavern's phase page keeps that order and lists Zul'Aman as Phase 4 with an October 22, 2026 date, and Wowhead's Phase Four guide says Phase 4 was due on October 22. Blizzard's own Anniversary roadmap graphic, shown on the same Warcraft Tavern page, uses the labels Phase 3.5, The Gods of Zul'Aman and Phase 4, Fury of the Sunwell.
| Content | Blizzard Anniversary roadmap | 2021-22 numbering | Status on November 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Temple, Mount Hyjal | Phase 3 | Phase 3 | Live since August 27 |
| Zul'Aman | Phase 3.5 | Phase 4 | Live since October 22 |
| Sunwell Plateau, Isle of Quel'Danas | Phase 4 | Phase 5 | Not live, no date |
So when you see "Phase 4 BiS" or "Phase 4 gear" on a guide site, check which raid it means. Most of those pages mean Zul'Aman and its Badge of Justice items, not Sunwell. This page uses Blizzard's Anniversary numbering.
When will Fury of the Sunwell realistically release?
Nobody outside Blizzard knows. What we can do is lay out the record, so you can judge any date you see.
| Patch | Live date | Days since last patch | Date announced | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Feb 5, 2026 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Phase 2 | May 14, 2026 | 98 | Apr 15 | 29 days |
| Phase 3 | Aug 27, 2026 | 105 | Jul 23 | 35 days |
| Phase 3.5 | Oct 22, 2026 | 56 | Oct 8 | 14 days |
| Phase 4 | Not dated | ? | Not announced | ? |
Live and announcement dates are from the Warcraft Wiki timeline, which cites a Blizzard post for each entry.
Three patterns stand out:
- All 4 phases launched on a Thursday. A Phase 4 date on any other weekday would be a break from the pattern.
- All 4 landed in their roadmap season so far. Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn windows have each held. Autumn is a window rather than a promise, but it has been reliable.
- Notice can be short. Black Temple got 35 days, but Zul'Aman got only 14. In 2022, Sunwell was announced on May 5 for a May 12 raid opening, just 7 days ahead.
The closest comparison is that 2022 run. Zul'Aman arrived on March 24, 2022 and the Sunwell raid opened on May 12, a gap of 49 days. Add 49 to 56 days to October 22 and you land on the Thursdays of December 10 to December 17. That still falls before the Northern autumn ends around December 21, so it fits the window.
Be clear on what that is: our arithmetic, not a leak or a Blizzard date. Blizzard has no minimum notice period, though a launch inside the next two weeks would be shorter notice than any Anniversary phase has had so far. It could also move the window, and it owes nobody a Thursday.
What is confirmed for Phase 4, and what is only expected?
Keep these two lists apart, because plenty of pages merge them.
Confirmed on Blizzard's Anniversary roadmap:
- Sunwell Plateau raid
- Isle of Quel'Danas
- Arena Season 4
Expected from the 2022 TBC Classic run, not yet confirmed for Anniversary:
| Feature | What happened in 2022 |
|---|---|
| Magisters' Terrace | Shipped with the phase as a 5-player dungeon |
| Shattered Sun Offensive | New reputation with daily quests on the Isle |
| Sunwell bosses | All 6 available at once, not opened gate by gate as in 2008 |
| Season 4 gear | Brutal Gladiator, with a 2,000 rating gate on shoulders |
Sunwell Plateau has 6 bosses: Kalecgos, Brutallus, Felmyst, the Eredar Twins, M'uru and Kil'jaeden. Whether Anniversary opens all six on day one, and how hard they will be tuned, are open questions. Anyone stating either as fact is guessing.
What changed in the Zul'Aman patch that used to be Phase 4 prep?
A lot of old Sunwell prep advice is now out of date, because the October 22 patch already delivered it. The Gods of Zul'Aman notes include this line:
"The Battle for Mount Hyjal and The Black Temple will no longer require attunement to enter." — Blizzard, The Gods of Zul'Aman Now Live
The same patch made these changes:
- Heroic key reputation dropped to Honored, and all Heroics moved to their final, reduced difficulty.
- Bosses in Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, Magtheridon's Lair, Serpentshrine Cavern, Tempest Keep and Zul'Aman now drop Badges of Justice, as do Kazzak and Doomwalker.
- G'eras gained stronger badge wares, including Nether Vortex.
- Primal Nether and Nether Vortex are no longer soulbound.
If you skipped a phase, you are closer to Sunwell-ready than an August guide would suggest. Our full October 22 patch breakdown goes through each change.
How should you prepare for Sunwell right now?
With no date, spend your time on things that pay off whether Phase 4 lands in November or slips later.
1. Lock in your raid group first
This is the prep most guides skip. Forever launches on November 4, and the r/classicwowtbc threads from the past few days are full of players weighing the move, and some report guilds going over or disbanding. One poster reading ironforge.pro numbers said Dreamscythe, the US PvE realm, has passed Nightslayer, the US PvP realm, in raiding population since the Forever beta. That is a community reading rather than an official figure, and it does not make the realms dead. We covered what Forever really does to your realm here. But a 25-player raid needs 25 people, so confirm who is staying before you plan around Sunwell.
2. Finish Black Temple and Hyjal while pugs still form
With attunements gone, a fresh 70 can walk into both raids. Tier 6 tokens from these raids stay the top tier gear until Sunwell opens.
3. Use Zul'Aman as your catch-up raid
Zul'Aman is a 10-player raid on a 3-day lockout, so it is much easier to fill now. Our Zul'Aman page covers the timer and the one Amani War Bear per raid per lockout. There is no rush on the bear from Sunwell itself: in original TBC it stayed obtainable until the Wrath pre-patch.
4. Spend Badges of Justice, but keep a reserve
Our G'eras ranking shows what is worth buying today. Keep a modest stack back, since Wowhead's phase tags place a few more badge items, such as Battlemaster's Alacrity, in the Sunwell phase. Blizzard has not confirmed Anniversary's stock.
5. Spend Arena Points before Season 3 ends
Blizzard's last season change converted unspent points to Honor at 1 Arena Point to 10 Honor, with no carryover. Season 4 is on the Phase 4 roadmap, so assume the same rule until told otherwise and do not sit on points. Our Season 4 page tracks the timing.
Behind on your main or bringing an alt back for Sunwell? These close the gap fastest while there is still no date.
- TBC Anniversary Power Leveling to 70: any level to 70, piloted, so a fresh alt can start gearing.
- Zul'Aman Carry: catch-up gear from the 10-player raid.
- Black Temple Carry: Tier 6 and Illidan while groups still run.
- All WoW TBC Anniversary services: the full list in one place.
What signals will come before a Sunwell date?
Blizzard has given little warning lately, so watch these in order:
- An Arena Season 3 end notice. Season 4 sits in Phase 4, so Season 3 has to close first. Season 2's end was announced roughly 3.5 weeks ahead. In 2022, the Season 3 end notice came about 15 days before it closed.
- A standalone Blizzard news post. Black Temple and Zul'Aman both got one, titled with the date. Check news.blizzard.com or worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com first.
- Ignore everything else. A date that only appears on a shop page or a video title is not a date.
What comes after Sunwell?
Phase 4 is the last phase on Blizzard's Anniversary roadmap. Blizzard has not said whether these realms move to Wrath of the Lich King. Forever is a separate game branch, not the next step for your character. Our Wrath breakdown covers what has actually been said.
FAQ
Is Phase 4 out on TBC Anniversary? Not on Blizzard's numbering. As of November 3, 2026 the realms are on Phase 3.5, The Gods of Zul'Aman. Fury of the Sunwell, which Blizzard labels Phase 4, is not live. Guides that use the older five-phase numbering call Zul'Aman "Phase 4", which is why you may have seen October 22 listed.
When is the TBC Anniversary Phase 4 release date? Blizzard has not announced one. Its roadmap says Autumn 2026. Based on past gaps, mid-December is a reasonable estimate, but that is our math and not a confirmed date.
Is Sunwell Plateau live on TBC Anniversary? No. Sunwell Plateau and the Isle of Quel'Danas are both listed under Phase 4 and neither is live.
Does Sunwell Plateau need an attunement? It had none in the 2022 run, and Blizzard has not announced one for Anniversary. Black Temple and Mount Hyjal attunements were also removed on October 22.
Did Arena Season 4 start with Zul'Aman? No. Arena Season 3 is still live. Blizzard's roadmap lists Season 4 under Phase 4, and no start date has been announced.
Is it too late to prepare for Sunwell? No. Attunements are gone, Heroic keys need only Honored and raid bosses now drop Badges of Justice, so catching up is easier than at any earlier point in TBC. The real risk is finding a stable 25-player group after Forever launches.
The bottom line
There is no Phase 4 date yet, and any page giving one for Sunwell is guessing. Zul'Aman is live, Sunwell is next, and the numbering is the only reason guides seem to disagree. Secure your raid group this week, use Zul'Aman and the removed attunements to catch up, spend your Arena Points, and watch for a Season 3 end notice.
