The public test realms are live! Players can now try out all the changes and additions coming in World of Warcraft's latest content patch: Shadow of the Necropolis. The highlights of this patch include Naxxramas, a new world event, mage and shaman talent improvements, and a host of other exciting features. Read the Shadow of the Necropolis test realm patch notes to learn more.

Players who had an active account as of 12:01 AM PDT Tuesday, May 16 can participate in the test realms by creating a character, using a pre-made level 60 character, or copying their characters from existing realms to the test realms. To copy a character, visit our Public Test Realm Page. Pre-made character copies are available anytime during the testing period while personal character transfers to the test realm are available from 3:00 AM to 3:00 PM PST Monday through Friday. The test realm game client, which can be downloaded at the same page, is available for both PC and Mac.

Please be aware that the test realms are designed to allow us to test major content patches before they go public. Therefore, some changes may be introduced to the public test realms during the testing phase, before a patch goes live, and some changes may be introduced to the patch after the test realms have closed. To read more about the test realms, please review the Test Realm FAQ. We truly appreciate our players taking the time to help us test the latest changes to the game; thank you all!