Blizzard plans to connect more World of Warcraft realms

With World of Warcraft's 5.4 patch this past September, developer Blizzard Entertainment began linking servers through a feature called Connected Realms, and the studio laid out future plans today for connecting additional realms.

Blizzard will make its next batch of connections Monday, Dec. 23, during a scheduled maintenance period that is expected to last about five hours starting at 9 a.m. ET. Here's the list of realms to be linked:

• Anetheron and Magtherdion/Ysondre
• Crushridge and Anub'arak/Chromaggus/Garithos/Nathrezim/Smolderthorn
• Darrowmere and Windrunner
• Demonsoul and Coilfang, Dark Iron, and Dalvengyr
• Draka and Suramar
• Velen and Eonar

Another group of realms will be connected during a maintenance window beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 3:

• Akama and Dragonmaw
• Executus and Kalecgos
• Galakrond and Blackhand
• Shandris and Bronzebeard
• The Forgotten Coast and Balnazzar, Gorgonash and Warsong
• Undermine and Anvilmar

Blizzard also included another list of realms in its blog post, saying that they'll be connected at some undetermined point in the future:

• Bladefist and Kul Tiras
• Nazgrel and Vek'nilash/Nesingwary
• Nazjatar and Mannoroth/Blood Furnace
• Norgannon and Kargath
• Stormscale and Firetree/Rivendare/Drak'Tharon/Malorne/Spirestone
• Uldaman and Ravencrest

World of Warcraft players can read more about Connected Realms here.