World of Warcraft Midnight pre-patch follows tradition with a colony of bugs, filling the sky with dragons and turning hills into squishy gray lumps: "I just expect them to try and do better for once"

1. Games
2. MMO Games
3. World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft Midnight pre-patch follows tradition with a colony of bugs, filling the sky with dragons and turning hills into squishy gray lumps: "I just expect them to try and do better for once" News By Ashley Bardhan published 26 January 2026

Here we go again

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Blizzard) Share Share by:

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google

World of Warcraft developer Blizzard has just released its pre-patch for the gigantic Midnight expansion, and it is predictably infested with a variety of bugs ranging from big, small, or… gray.

Many World of Warcraft players accept the MMORPG's often messy pre-patches as a loved one's quirk – nobody's perfect, after all, and Blizzard has at least been actively monitoring the Midnight pre-patch's known issues. But there really are a lot of them this time.

Popular WoW guide site Icy Veins, for example, has spotted the fact that the typically idyllic green hills of the Nagrand region have somehow been turned to 3D-printed gray slime; soaring dragons have suddenly started to swarm the Eastern Kingdoms' northern skies, and players have also been describing a seemingly infinite list of broken quests, useless UI, and that the transmog customization feature is nonoperational.

You may like

• World of Warcraft devs were going to fix the MMO's floating houses, but "immediately agreed this was way too cool"
• World of Warcraft Midnight "brought me to the verge of tears," says MMO's production director, and it's not only "our best expansion ever," but maybe one of the most important ones in 10 years
• World of Warcraft director says the MMO's addon changes have been a long time coming, but better late than never

It's inspiring trust issues. In one Reddit thread, a player bemoans the fact that "the state of the pre-patch is not a good look for midnight," while their compatriots quip things like, "first time?" But others don't find yet another round of pre-patch madness so amusing.

"'FIRST TIME? DUR DUR DUR ARE YOU NEW HERE? DUR DUR DUR,'" says one tortured thread reply. "Been playing since 2004 here, I just expect them to try and do better for once."

The full Midnight expansion, which will introduce highly coveted player housing, launches in full on March 2.

World of Warcraft Midnight "brought me to the verge of tears," says MMO's production director, and it's not only "our best expansion ever," but maybe one of the most important ones in 10 years.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Blizzard Entertainment CATEGORIES PC Gaming Platforms Ashley BardhanSenior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

Show More Comments

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more World of Warcraft devs were going to fix the MMO's floating houses, but "immediately agreed this was way too cool"    World of Warcraft Midnight "brought me to the verge of tears," says MMO's production director, and it's not only "our best expansion ever," but maybe one of the most important ones in 10 years    World of Warcraft director says the MMO's addon changes have been a long time coming, but better late than never    After 21 years of feeling at home in World of Warcraft, Midnight finally gives me a real place to call home    World of Warcraft lead assures worried MMO raiders that Blizzard removing add-ons is "to set ourselves up for being able to build content that will better serve all of our players"    World of Warcraft lead thinks the MMO will still be "kicking" in 10 years, but despite having ideas for "the very long run," Blizzard is currently focusing "on the next 5 years"    Latest in World of Warcraft World of Warcraft director says the MMO's addon changes have been a long time coming, but better late than never    World of Warcraft opens the doors of IRL estate agent pop-up to celebrate Player Housing    World of Warcraft Midnight "brought me to the verge of tears," says MMO's production director, and it's not only "our best expansion ever," but maybe one of the most important ones in 10 years    World of Warcraft lead thinks the MMO will still be "kicking" in 10 years, but despite having ideas for "the very long run," Blizzard is currently focusing "on the next 5 years"    After 21 years of feeling at home in World of Warcraft, Midnight finally gives me a real place to call home    World of Warcraft's $90 dinosaur mount is back again for a limited time ahead of Midnight's launch, and WoW Tokens have already sold out: "Costs more than the expansion. Company is trash."    Latest in News The Penguin breakout star Cristina Milioti says Sofia Falcone is "definitively not" in The Batman 2    Hours after launch, Highguard has "Mostly Negative" reviews and a peak of 97,000 players on Steam    Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 uses Unreal Engine 4 because "we're already familiar" with it, director explains    As GTA 6 looms near Fable's fall release date, Xbox Game Studios head isn't super worried about Rockstar    "I wish Highguard had been received better," CEO admits, after cancelling a planned Apex Legends-style shadow drop    Prince of Persia remake cancellation is "the most devastating moment" of voice actor's career after 3 years of work    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Code Vein 2 review: "This vampire take on Elden Ring almost works, but the dungeons themselves lack bite"
2. 2Looking for a good 2-player board game? This superhero adventure is worth suiting up for
3. 3Trails Beyond the Horizon review: "This JRPG's thrilling real-time and turn-based hybrid combat is finely balanced"
4. 4Scythe review: "This alt-history board game is still a gold standard for modern strategy"
5. 5Skate Story review: "A beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals set in a grungy underworld"

1. 1Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
2. 228 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
3. 3Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
4. 4Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
5. 5Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"

1. 1Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
2. 2Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
3. 3A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a surprisingly heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
4. 4Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
5. 5Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”