For eons, the developers of World of Warcraft have allowed players to dive head first into the upcoming content via a Public Test Realm, but it seems that the upcoming Dragonflight update will not be following suit with the PTR.
Pre-release access for updates in World of Warcraft were like peanut butter and jelly; they just went together and stayed together. It appears that this time around the devs have decided not to allow any access to players prior to the next update's release, as the 10.2.6 patch will not have a PTR for “a portion of the content.” In a statement made by executive producer of World of Warcraft Holly Longdale, they stated,
“For the 10.2.6 patch for Dragonflight, we created what we think is a unique event inspired by past musings from the community. We can say that it is open to anyone with a WoW subscription if they want to participate (Classic or Dragonflight players). That's all we’re going say. Sorry, not sorry? Our goal is to continue to keep it secret— and keep it safe. The speculation is great! We watched the reaction to the surprises in Season of Discovery and thought we’d try a similar, but different, approach for Dragonflight. That means there will be no PTR (Public Test Realm) for a portion of the next content update as we have traditionally done.”
They also went on to say:
“The WoW team prides itself on ensuring a solid, quality launch. We are sensitive and reactive to problems and issues that can and might arise, so I hope you can forgive us if we experience some hiccups with this experiment and work alongside us as we try this out in March. ALL WILL BE REVEALED THEN!”
The Dragonflight patch 10.2.6 is headed our way in March, and since there won't be a playtest, everyone will be jumping in blindly to explore the new content. While this is a very risky move, as Longdale put it, it could be a good thing this time around for everyone to enjoy the fresh new experience together as one.
