TL;DR
- Anniversary is a Vanilla-to-Wrath corridor, while Plus would widen Vanilla at 60 today.
- Private dual-realm tests split funnels instead of killing the slower ladder option.
- BlizzCon September 12-13 gates and logins will show if both lanes can coexist in Anaheim.
The August 5 Warcraft Brew asked the right pre-BlizzCon question. Does Classic Plus eat Anniversary?
Context is TBC Anniversary Phase 3 live August 27. Black Temple, Hyjal, Netherwing, and Arena Season 3 lead it.
Wrath Anniversary is widely expected on stage with Camelot. Two Classics plus one new thing would share one audience.
Private servers already ran this test. TranscendWoW paired fast custom WotLK with blizzlike ladder.
Fast did not kill slow there. Players sampled speed, then returned for friends and ladder pacing.
Official Classic can afford that split even more. Two lanes can share one account base.
Corridor versus widening
Anniversary is a corridor by design. Vanilla to TBC to Wrath to Cata, same order and cadence.
That corridor is unique officially and stable privately. TBC holds 7 rows steady, while WotLK holds 36 with 32 playable.
Classic Plus would be a different shape. It keeps Vanilla at 60 and layers zones, dungeons, tuning, and systems.
Private Classic+ tried that shape already. Epoch Reborn tests, Duskhaven waits, Centurion runs tiny.
Project Legacy grows near 1,000 accounts. No row agrees on how Vanilla should widen yet.
Side by side, pitches differ. Anniversary sells the next expansion as remembered, while Plus sells new Vanilla never played.
Same room, same night, different player urge. Corridor comfort versus wider curiosity drive separate logins.
What private data says
Turtle shutdown in May ran the accident test. Vanilla+ audience did not flood WotLK or TBC rows.
The gap filled with attention, not characters. The 1.60 thread from October to 69609 drew eyes with no server.
Official dual launch would repeat that with real realms. Some pick Plus, some pick Wrath Anniversary instead.
The question shifts from killer to mix. How many want two lanes, and are they new or returning?
TBC Anniversary versus private shows split tracks. Moonwell held 70 to 100 through official Phase 3 launch.
Faebright and Rising Gods held too. Shared raids do not mean shared players or realm lists.
What to watch at BlizzCon
Two signals decide if kill is the wrong verb. Gates first, then login sharing shape the outcome.
1. Shared gate. Seasonal Plus plus annual Wrath needs staggered phases and lockouts. Permanent Plus at 60 splits by cap instead.
Watch the level number first. Cap tells permanent versus seasonal faster than any zone art.
2. Shared login. One Battle.net account may link lists, mounts, toys, or transmog. Depth of sharing shows store versus department thinking.
No official text links Camelot to Anniversary today. Only the calendar links them: days to September 12 stage.
The tracker will count what ships and what stays playable. Official and private are not the same game.
If Plus ships with Wrath, Anniversary will wait. Corridors do that well, and Black Temple will still stand.