TBC Season 2 End & Season 3 Start: Dates, Arena Points & Rewards

Anniversary's Season 2 → Season 3 turnover, region by region — when it happens, what to do with your arena points before it does, and what's still unconfirmed.

Last verified Aug 4, 2026

This is a living page — title cutoffs and a few other details are still pending Blizzard. We'll update it the moment they post.

TL;DR

Season 2 ends — US: Mon, Aug 17, 10:00 p.m. PDT (1:00 a.m. EDT Aug 18) · EU: Tue, Aug 18, 22:00 CEST.

Phase 3 arrives — Aug 27, 3:00 p.m. PDT / 23:00 BST, both regions.

Season 3 starts — US: with the weekly reset on Tue, Sep 1 · EU: Wed, Sep 2.

Spend your arena points before Sep 1/2 — they convert to honor at 1:10, and Season 2 gear is discounted with no rating requirement in the meantime.

Timeline

Season 2 ends

Mon, Aug 17 — 10:00 p.m. PDT (1:00 a.m. EDT Aug 18)

Tue, Aug 18 — 22:00 CEST

Arena points remain spendable through the whole gap that follows — they don't convert yet. Season 2 gear becomes discounted at Area 52 vendors with no rating requirements.

Phase 3: Black Temple + Mount Hyjal

Aug 27 — 3:00 p.m. PDT

Aug 27 — 23:00 BST

Both regions get Phase 3 simultaneously. Epic gems become available from Hyjal mining and Black Temple drops — the arena-relevant benefit is socketing PvP gear.

Season 3 starts

Tue, Sep 1 — with the weekly reset

Wed, Sep 2

Vengeful gear vendors open, unspent arena points convert to honor at 1:10, and Season 2 rewards (titles, mounts) are distributed.

Your arena points: spend, don't convert

The catch-up window is the gap itself — Aug 17/18 through Sep 1/2. Your arena points stay spendable that entire time, and Season 2 gear is discounted at Area 52 vendors with no rating requirement to buy it. That makes this the best time to gear up mains or alts on points you'd otherwise lose value on.

Confirmed

Unspent arena points convert to honor at 1:10 the moment Season 3 starts (Sep 1/2) — not when Season 2 ends.

Confirmed

Season 2 gear is discounted at Area 52 vendors with no rating requirements during the gap. The exact discount percentage hasn't been published — don't trust a specific number floating around from a prior transition.

Unknown — pending Blizzard

No confirmed weekly or accumulation cap on honor has been announced for Anniversary.

Why spending beats converting

2,000 arena points convert to 20,000 honor at 1:10 when Season 3 starts. That's poor value next to spending those same 2,000 points directly on a discounted Season 2 piece right now, while the no-rating-requirement window is open. If you're sitting on points, buy gear before the conversion — for a main or an alt.

Titles & rewards

Confirmed

Anniversary has no arena teams and no battlegroups. Rating is personal per bracket (2v2/3v3/5v5), everyone starts at 1500, and a paid weekly rating-reset option exists. The original 2007 "team rating" reasoning you'll see in stale guides doesn't apply here.

Unknown — pending Blizzard

Title cutoffs (Gladiator/Duelist/Rival/Challenger) haven't been announced for Anniversary. The 0.5%/3%/10%/35% per-battlegroup brackets floating around on boosting sites are 2007 numbers and contradict each other for this ruleset — don't trust them. Blizzard's Classic pattern (see WotLK) is to publish exact cutoffs at or after season end. We'll post the real numbers here the moment they do.

Likely

Season 2 Gladiator mount is expected to be the Merciless Nether Drake, based on naming convention and consistent community usage — no Anniversary blue post confirms it directly.

Confirmed

Rewards (titles, mounts) are distributed when Season 3 starts (Sep 1/2), not during the gap.

Unknown — pending Blizzard

Whether personal rating resets to 1500 for Season 3.

Unknown — pending Blizzard

Whether rated queues and skirmishes stay open during the gap — Blizzard didn't answer this at the last transition either. Community expectation (queues have historically never closed) is likely, but it's an expectation, not a confirmation.

Season 3 gear preview

Confirmed

Vengeful (Season 3) gear vendors arrive Sep 1/2.

Likely

Rating gates on Anniversary sit at weapon 1700 / shoulders 2000, active since Season 1 — consistent player reports, not a blue post. That's not the 1850 gate from the 2019 TBC re-release, and not new-in-Season-3 the way it was in 2007. Whether Season 3 changes these gates is unknown.

Confirmed

Season 1 gear remains honor-purchasable at Hall of Legends / Champion's Hall.

See the Season 3 class & spec BiS guides →

Phase 3 quick note

Confirmed

Epic gems drop from Hyjal mining (skill 375) and Black Temple, cut via designs sold by Indormi in Mount Hyjal. For arena, the relevant part is socketing your PvP gear.

See what you can afford before it converts

Look up your character and open the Upgrades tab to see your live arena point, honor, and mark balances against what Season 2 gear still costs.

Look up your character →

FAQ

Can I still queue arenas during the gap between Season 2 and Season 3?

Almost certainly — Blizzard hasn't confirmed it for this transition, but rated queues have historically stayed open between seasons. Treat this as expectation, not fact, until it's confirmed.

When exactly do my arena points convert to honor?

The moment Season 3 starts — Sep 1 for US (with the weekly reset) and Sep 2 for EU. Not when Season 2 ends. The rate is 1:10 (points to honor).

Do I lose my arena rating going into Season 3?

Unknown. Blizzard hasn't said whether personal rating resets to 1500 for Season 3. We'll update this page the moment they announce it.

Is Season 2 gear cheaper right now?

Yes — Area 52 vendors are selling Season 2 gear at a discount with no rating requirements during the Aug 17/18–Sep 1/2 gap. The exact discount percentage hasn't been published.

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Sources

S2 ends Aug 17 (US blue post) · S2 ends Aug 18 (EU blue post) · Official Phase 3 article