Blizzard has set the next stretch of Mists of Pandaria Classic dungeon content: Celestial Dungeons Season 3 begins with regional weekly resets on Tuesday, June 16, followed by the new Diamond Challenge Mode difficulty on Tuesday, June 23. These dates and features come from Blizzard’s forum post, which also outlines the buffs and rewards coming with the season. You can read the full announcement on the official forums, with a concise recap from Wowhead’s coverage.
Note: Blizzard specifies these updates arrive “with weekly resets in each region.” Check your local reset time to know exactly when Season 3 and Diamond unlock for you.
Dates and the big reward
• Celestial Dungeons Season 3: Tuesday, June 16 (regional reset)
• Challenge Modes – Diamond difficulty: Tuesday, June 23 (regional reset)
Clearing Diamond times in Season 3 awards the Celestial Ox transformation mount, per Blizzard’s post.
What’s changing in Celestial Dungeons Season 3
Season 3 adds new pressure on enemies and a powerful boon for players:
- Glory to the True Horde: Creatures in Celestial Dungeons have increased damage and health.
- Kor’kron Banners: Banners appear throughout dungeons and empower nearby enemies.
- Garrosh’s influence: At times, a boss gains an extra ability inspired by a Siege of Orgrimmar lieutenant. Blizzard calls out General Nazgrim, Wavebinder Kardis, and Siegecrafter Blackfuse specifically.
On the player side, when all four Celestials are present at once, a special moment triggers the Celestial Witness buff. Blizzard describes it as a sizable increase to your damage and healing with reduced damage taken, lasting for a good window. Line up cooldowns when this hits.
Practical prep for your UI and group
- Update your addons before reset. If you track dungeon timers or interrupts, make sure those are current.
- Plan pulls around Kor’kron Banner zones. Treat empowered packs like mini-danger areas and save stuns/defensives accordingly.
- Expect boss ability shifts from Garrosh’s influence. Keep an interrupt order ready and be ready to reposition.
- Call out the Celestial Witness window. Stack personal and group cooldowns to capitalize on the buff’s burst.
That’s the confirmed package for launch: new enemy buffs, the Celestial Witness boon, the Diamond difficulty start date, and the Celestial Ox reward. If Blizzard adjusts details in the forum post, we’ll follow up with any notable changes.