Blizzard confirmed that the upcoming Eclipse update for World of Warcraft: Midnight will allow Night Elf, Undead, and Troll players to become Paladins after years of player requests. The upcoming move will mark the first time in the 22-year history of World of Warcraft that new class and race combos will be added in the middle of an expansion rather than at the start of one.
During the first day of BlizzCon 2026, the World of Warcraft development team shared the first look at what players can expect during Midnight‘s final major content patch. Dubbed Midnight: Eclipse, the Patch 12.2 content update will see Xal’atath attempt to devour the Worldsoul of Azeroth deep within a Titan facility. Midnight: Eclipse will include a new raid, a new dungeon, and other additions to the game once it arrives this winter. The events of the Midnight: Eclipse story arc will set the stage for The Last Titan expansion, which is set to launch in 2027 at an undisclosed date.
World of Warcraft Will Grant Paladins Access to Three More Races
As part of the Midnight: Eclipse content update, Blizzard stated that the Light will bring more champions into the fold to take on Xal’atath and the Devouring Host. Once Patch 12.2 goes live in the winter, the Night Elf, Troll, and Undead races will join the ranks of World of Warcraft‘s Paladins alongside pre-existing race options. Although Night Elf Paladins were first mentioned during the Legion expansion, Troll and Undead Paladins came about due to player demand over the years. However, Undead Paladins will be available in World of Warcraft ahead of the Midnight: Eclipse content update.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
Blizzard also revealed World of Warcraft: Forever, also known as World of Warcraft Classic Plus, would include some new race and class combos that were not available when the game first launched in November 2004. A cinematic trailer for World of Warcraft: Forever confirmed the presence of Undead Paladins, as one such Forsaken character was seen fighting a Dwarf Hunter in a dark cave. World of Warcraft: Forever will be fully released on Wednesday, November 4, to all WoW subscribers at no additional cost.
Additionally, fans interested in learning about how some Forsaken Paladins came to wield the power of the Light can also play the Warcraft 3: Reforged expansion Forsaken Kingdom. The new expansion to Warcraft 3: Reforged was shadowdropped during BlizzCon, as players will experience moments that took place in the fallen Kingdom of Lordaeron between Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne and the original launch of World of Warcraft. Blizzard also unveiled a new Warcraft Forever Collection on the Battle.net Shop for $79.99. This digital bundle includes access to the closed beta of World of Warcraft: Forever, along with Warcraft 3: Reforged, Forsaken Kingdom, and other cosmetic goods for players to peruse.
While World of Warcraft‘s 12.2 update is still in development, players can test out WoW‘s upcoming Patch 12.1.5 update on the public test realm (PTR) right now. Given that Paladins also have exclusive access to race-specific Charger mounts that glow with divine power, it is highly likely that Night Elf, Troll, and Undead Paladins will receive similar treatment.
- Released
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November 23, 2004
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence (online interactions not rated)
- Engine
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Unreal Engine
