World of Warcraft sets Zul’Aman launch for October 22 with Amani War Bear race

Blizzard Entertainment has set Zul’Aman’s World of Warcraft launch for October 22 at 3:00 p.m. PDT / 23:00 BST, bringing the Amani stronghold into the Eastern Kingdoms for level 70 players.

The developer’s announcement frames Zul’Aman as a raid in the Ghostlands, just south of Quel’Thalas, where adventurers will face Zul’jin and his lieutenants inside the long-standing troll stronghold. Blizzard says the raid asks players to gather nine allies and storm the instance for its treasures, with the same six-boss lineup that defined the original encounter: Nalorakk, Akil’zon, Jan’alai, Halazzi, Hex Lord Malacrass, and Zul’jin.

Alongside the launch date, Blizzard outlined a set of wider game changes tied to the release. Several of them loosen access to older Burning Crusade raids and dungeons, while others change how some Outland materials and vendor rewards work. Taken together, the update looks designed to make the path into later Tier 4 and Tier 5 content less restrictive, while also making Zul’Aman’s timed reward structure the centerpiece of the announcement.

Zul’Aman opens in the Ghostlands

Blizzard says Zul’Aman is set in the Ghostlands, in the Eastern Kingdoms, and centers on Zul’jin’s effort to seal the power of the animal gods within the tribe’s strongest warriors. The announcement describes him as a warlord driven by vengeance, furious at the Horde for allowing the blood elves to join its ranks and working with the witch doctor Malacrass on that scheme.

In practical terms, the raid comes with a level 70 requirement and a 3-day reset lockout. Blizzard also notes that no attunement is required to enter the instance. That combination makes Zul’Aman more immediately accessible than some earlier raid content, even as it keeps the usual raid cadence intact with a shorter lockout than the weekly reset players may associate with larger instances.

The raid structure itself follows the familiar boss order from the original Zul’Aman: Nalorakk, Akil’zon, Jan’alai, Halazzi, Hex Lord Malacrass, and Zul’jin. Blizzard’s announcement does not add any new bosses or alternate versions, and instead focuses on the raid’s role as a compact, high-pressure challenge with a built-in race against the clock.

The Amani War Bear reward returns as a timed rescue

The most prominent reward in Blizzard’s announcement is the rare Amani War Bear battle mount. According to the developer, Zul’jin and his lieutenants are holding hostages inside the stronghold, and the raid begins with the Amani preparing to execute them as soon as the gates are breached. If players rescue all of the hostages before time runs out, the raid earns the mount.

Blizzard says each lieutenant defeated and each hostage rescued will grant additional loot and extend the timer, giving the group more time to save the remaining captives. That creates a pressure-heavy structure where the raid is not only pushing through bosses, but also managing the clock carefully enough to keep the mount run alive.

The announcement does not spell out every timer value, but it does make the progression clear: the more lieutenants a raid defeats, the more breathing room it gets. For groups chasing the mount, that means Zul’Aman is built around momentum. The raid’s reward path is tied directly to speed, efficiency, and survival rather than simple boss clearing alone.

Burning Crusade access and loot get loosened

Blizzard paired Zul’Aman’s release with several other changes across Burning Crusade-era 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.
• The reputation requirement to buy Heroic dungeon keys has been reduced to Honored.
• All Heroic dungeons will be adjusted to their final, reduced difficulty state.
• All bosses in Karazhan, Gruul’s Lair, and Magtheridon’s Lair can now drop Badges of Justice.
• All bosses in Serpentshrine Cavern and Tempest Keep can now drop Badges of Justice.
• G’eras in Shattrath now offers more powerful items for Badges of Justice, including Nether Vortex.
• Magtheridon’s Black Sack of Gems and Jewelcrafter’s Brilliant Glass can now contain epic gems, though Blizzard says existing Brilliant Glass and unopened Black Sack of Gems already looted will not contain them.
• Outland faction vendors will offer Leatherworking recipes for Greater Drums, Knothide Quiver, and Knothide Ammo Pouch.
• Primal Nether and Nether Vortex will no longer be soulbound.

Those changes make the surrounding progression web more flexible. Removing attunements from The Battle for Mount Hyjal and The Black Temple lowers a major gate to later raids, while the reduced Heroic key reputation requirement and the finalized Heroic difficulty level smooth out dungeon access. The additional Badge of Justice drops also broaden the number of bosses that contribute to the currency, and G’eras’s expanded stock gives those badges a clearer outlet in Shattrath.

Some of the adjustments are also aimed at crafting and trade. The new vendor recipes for Greater Drums, Knothide Quiver, and Knothide Ammo Pouch make Outland professions and item supply a little easier to manage, while making Primal Nether and Nether Vortex no longer soulbound opens them up for trade. Blizzard’s note about epic gems appearing in Magtheridon’s Black Sack of Gems and Jewelcrafter’s Brilliant Glass adds another targeted loot improvement, with the caveat that older, unopened items will not retroactively gain the new contents.

Blizzard closes its announcement by returning to Zul’Aman’s threat, saying the Amani army grows stronger by the day and urging players to enter the stronghold and stop Zul’jin’s plans. With the raid date now fixed and the surrounding progression changes spelled out, October 22 becomes the point when that push into the Ghostlands begins.