Newer to retail… Coming from classic. I wasn’t able to receive it free as a gift during the promo because I didn’t qualify(you were required to buy an expansion at some point in the past to get it free).
How did they roll previous expansions into the base game in the past?
I have a feeling that they will use the prepatch event as bait to purchase Shadowlands. That way if people really want to play the prepatch event they will need to purchase Shadowlands to get to 60 first. 
this is what I have read around the internet.
Is there really a chance we will actually get it on 10/25? I’ve waited to buy DF… I just have a really bad feeling this isn’t how it’s going to work.
Does anyone recall previous expansions?
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This is likely what will happen. They will prob keep Shadowlands full price too.
Push as many complete edition sales as they can. Until Nov 28.
Has it been confirmed you can only play the prepatch event at level 60?
The most consistent pattern I’ve picked out is that they seem to be waiting longer each expansion. Which unfortunately means that they may very well wait until Dragonflight is out. Get a bit more money out people who want the pre-order pet and to level up for Dragongflight.
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I’m really curious about this too. But using prepatch event as bait to buy Shadowlands until Nov 28 100% sounds like Blizzard.
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First of all, welcome! Second of all, that seems kind of devious to restrict the pre-patch event to SL levels if SL isn’t free yet. Especially for people who have pre-ordered DF (and thus should get access to all DF related content like the DF prepatch). Third of all, was BFA free in SL prepatch? I don’t remember.
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Thank you.
I would really like to know when legion became free as well.
I don’t understand the silence on this… Well, I guess I do, they still want people buying Shadowlands…
I think prepatch event will likely be for level 60s only.
Normally, the previous expansion gets rolled into price of sub once the new one is out. So once Dragonflight launches on Nov 28th people will get Vanilla thru Shadowlands plus Classic titles with their subscription.
EDIT: Apparently it is during prepatch, not launch, per Thallia. So you guys should be set next week then.
Very smart lil Blizzard is indeed.
This will bring in many Shadowlands orders just to participate in the DF prepatch event.
During prepatch. But we have no word on this one.
Warlords was free earlier than prepatch. Legion and BfA were both free when prepatch went live.
Prepatch.
Yep!
Incorrect.
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If anyone hears anything please let me know! Fingers crossed for the 25th!
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Ff14 does this too with the expansions. I actually had to but Shadowbringers and then buy endwalker. It is what it is. You would think they would combine dragonflight with shadowlands when you preorder
Prepatch event is in Azeroth. Barrens, un’goro, badlands, tirisfal glades. You can do it with any character.
fake news, i bought Endwalker and got all the previous expnasions.
WoW not having Shadowlands on discount is scummy period.
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Not fake news. If you bought endwalker you couldn’t play Shadowbringers until endwalker launch. And you still had to purchase the base game itself
anyone remember back in the day where if you wanted to play wow you had to purchase every expansion? I think they stopped this around mop or so but man did i sink a bunch into stuff like vanilla, bc, and wotlk and here people are moaning about maybe having to pay for sl for a prepatch event they dont have to participate in at all.
Yep, worked at Best Buy back then. You had to buy the base game, TBC ,and WOTLK separate. They sold a “Battle Chest” retail version I think. Of course back then it was just a product key in a box
I still have the BC and Wrath boxes in my closet. 
Yea there was like 8 expansion i think
I really didnt know there where people that went just for classic, i thot everyone from retail went to classic lol… i guess it makes sense, since you dont have to buy the game just sub
Why would you think that? I would think more people would change their minds rather than pay that kind of money to a company that was clearly trying to squeeze them for the price of a full expansion for a few weeks’ time.
I did not prepurchase shadowlands. I was able to take part in at least 1 event during the prepatch.
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They offered Shadowlands free a couple of months ago, to players who hadn’t logged on in a while. I came back for that offer.