Blizzard has opened Zul’Aman in World of Warcraft, sending level 70 players into the Amani stronghold in the Ghostlands, south of Quel’Thalas in the Eastern Kingdoms. The raid is live now, includes a three-day reset lockout, and does not require attunement to enter.
The launch comes with a broader set of Burning Crusade Classic changes that touch raids, Heroic dungeons, badge rewards, vendors, and profession materials. Blizzard tied the update to Zul’Aman, but the patch notes reach well beyond the troll stronghold and into several parts of Outland progression.
Zul’Aman opens in the Ghostlands
Zul’Aman has long been the seat of power for the Amani trolls, with Zul’jin behind its walls plotting revenge. Blizzard says the warlord wants to seal the power of the animal gods within the tribe’s strongest warriors, and players are being asked to stop that plan by fighting through the fortress and defeating its leaders.
The raid roster includes Nalorakk, Akil’zon, Jan’alai, Halazzi, Hex Lord Malacrass, and Zul’jin. Blizzard places the instance in Ghostlands, Eastern Kingdoms, and says groups should gather nine allies to challenge the stronghold and claim its treasures. That matches the raid’s classic structure as a tightly organized group effort rather than a sprawling raid tier.
The fight is built around a timer. According to Blizzard, Zul’jin and his lieutenants are holding hostages in the instance, and the Amani start preparing to execute them once the raid breaches the gates. Rescuing each hostage by defeating a lieutenant adds loot and extends the timer, giving the group more time to free the rest before time runs out.
The main reward Blizzard highlights is the Amani War Bear battle mount. To earn it, a raid must rescue all of the hostages before the timer expires. That makes the encounter as much about pace and coordination as raw damage, since each lieutenant defeated changes both the rewards and the amount of time left on the clock.
Blizzard frames Zul’Aman as a place where the Amani are growing stronger and waiting for players to push back their vengeance-driven advance. The update’s raid notes are short on extra systems details, but they do make the access rules clear: no attunement and a three-day reset cycle.
Heroic dungeons and raid access change across Outland
Outside Zul’Aman, Blizzard has lowered several access barriers that previously slowed progression through Burning Crusade Classic. The biggest changes focus on older raid and dungeon requirements that once forced players to spend more time on attunement chains and reputation grind before they could move deeper into endgame content.
- Doomlord Kazzak and Doomwalker now drop loot that is Bind on Equip instead of Bind on Pickup.
- The Battle for Mount Hyjal and The Black Temple no longer require attunement to enter.
- The reputation requirement to buy Heroic dungeon keys has been reduced to Honored.
- All Heroic dungeons are being adjusted to their final, reduced difficulty state.
Those changes make old content easier to enter and, in some cases, easier to repeat. Removing attunement from The Battle for Mount Hyjal and The Black Temple cuts out a separate access step, while the Honored reputation requirement lowers the barrier for players who want to unlock Heroic keys sooner. Blizzard also says all Heroic dungeons will now be tuned to their final reduced difficulty, which should affect how quickly groups can move through the daily dungeon loop.
The outdoor bosses also change in a more direct way. With Doomlord Kazzak and Doomwalker’s loot moving to Bind on Equip, their drops become more flexible for group use and trade. Blizzard does not add extra conditions to the change, so the update appears to apply immediately with the live patch.
Badges of Justice spread to more bosses
Blizzard is also widening the number of bosses that can drop Badges of Justice. The currency now drops from all bosses in Karazhan, Gruul’s Lair, Magtheridon’s Lair, Serpentshrine Cavern, and Tempest Keep. That gives players more chances to collect the currency across a larger slice of Outland raiding.
In Shattrath, G’eras is now selling stronger rewards in exchange for Badges of Justice, including Nether Vortex. Blizzard does not list the full updated stock, but the note makes clear that the badge vendor’s inventory has been upgraded alongside the wider loot changes.
The badge update connects the raid and dungeon adjustments to the wider economy. More bosses dropping the currency should increase the pace at which players can buy rewards, while the expanded vendor stock gives the currency more uses than before.
Crafting materials and vendor recipes get adjusted
The announcement also includes several economy and profession changes. Primal Nether and Nether Vortex will no longer be soulbound, which means players can move them around rather than keeping them locked to the character that obtained them. Blizzard does not list a cap or trading restriction in the announcement, only the removal of soulbinding.
Outland faction vendors will also offer Leatherworking recipes for Greater Drums, Knothide Quiver, and Knothide Ammo Pouch. That puts more profession recipes directly on vendors instead of leaving them tied to narrower acquisition paths.
Jewelcrafters get a separate update as well. Blizzard says Magtheridon’s Black Sack of Gems and Jewelcrafter’s Brilliant Glass can now contain epic gems. There is one important limit, though: existing Brilliant Glass items and previously looted, unopened Black Sack of Gems will not contain epic gems. The change applies going forward rather than retroactively.
Those notes round out a patch that does more than launch a raid. Zul’Aman is the headline, but the surrounding changes alter how players get into older raids, how quickly they can run Heroics, how Badges of Justice circulate, and how some key crafting mats and recipes move through Outland’s economy.
Blizzard closes the announcement by returning to the raid itself, urging players to enter Zul’Aman and stop Zul’jin’s vengeance before his plan takes hold.
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