Originally posted on WoW Insider

According to what I'm told is an official Blizzard ad on Wowhead's home page, we now have a release date for Wrath of the Lich King: November 13th, 2008. That should put an end to rumors that it won't be coming out this year, and it gives us just a touch under two months to get all our affairs in order and prepare to enter the frozen north. I can't find any official confirmation of this date, but Skosiris (Wowhead's lead developer) confirmed that this is a legitimate advertisement from Blizzard.

To celebrate being able to break this exclusive news, Wowhead is holding contests for the next week. From Monday through Friday, two LK beta keys are being raffled off each day, and the rest of the competition will be announced next weekend. Maybe you can win a beta key and help get the game a little more ready for shipping; a lot of testing and changes are still required. I'm quite surprised they're committing to a firm release date this far out, actually, but it's nice to be able to mark my calendar. And this should take some of the buzz away from Warhammer Online's release this week. Who's up for a midnight release pilgrimage?

To recap, the expansion will feature the following major features:

• The continent of Northrend
• The Death Knight class
• Inscription, a new profession (actually will be available in the 3.0.2 patch, which is now on the PTR)
• New raids and dungeons. All raids will be available in 10- and 25-player versions, and the first one will be a retooled Naxxramas.
• Wintergrasp, a non-instanced outdoor PvP zone with siege vehicles and destructible buildings (and a raid boss)
• Level cap raised to 80, with new spells and talents for all classes