Midnight’s World-First Race Kicks Off With Three Raids and Tight Addon Rules
Mythic difficulties opened for two raids on North American servers today while the third raid will unlock next week, creating an unusual multi-week world-first contest.
World of Warcraft’s Race to World First for the Midnight expansion began today as Mythic difficulty unlocked with the weekly reset on North American servers. This season’s competition is unusual: guilds can choose between three raids, but only two are available in the opening Mythic week.
The Voidspire and the Dreamrift both hit their top difficulties today. The third raid, March on Quel’Danas, will open in the following week on March 31, 2026, according to our season schedule breakdown. That staggered rollout means the race might hinge on those final encounters, specifically the end bosses Belo’ren and Midnight Falls, which could determine the world-first winner.
One of the biggest wildcards this season is Blizzard’s tighter limits on addons and WeakAuras. Those restrictions change how guilds can present information and coordinate during fights, and that could push the contest in either direction. Teams who quickly adapt to the new constraints may shave hours off progression, while others could face slower, more cautious clears. Several commentators expect Blizzard to bias early Mythic tuning toward higher difficulty on at least Midnight Falls to avoid a repeat of past rapid finishes.
On the competitive side, Liquid enters this cycle as the dominant force after sweeping raid progression in The War Within. Echo and Method appear poised to contest that top spot, with Echo aiming to close the gap and Method looking to climb higher in the standings. The Chinese guilds face a different reset cadence, their race begins on Thursday, which can shift the dynamic during the closing stages if the last boss proves particularly difficult.
Fans can watch the main guild shows as they broadcast progression around the clock. Official streams for the big rosters include the Liquid RWF stream, the Echo RWF stream, and the Method RWF stream. For live scores, updates, and community posts, Raider.IO’s global coverage page is the central hub for minute-by-minute results and clips.
This format, three raids, nine core bosses across weeks, and stricter addon rules, changes the calculus for guilds and viewers. Whether the race becomes a sprint or a drawn-out slugfest will depend on how guilds adapt and how Blizzard set the initial Mythic tuning.
Share your thoughts in the comments and tell us which guild you think will take the crown. Follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram for continuous coverage.
