Warmane raid lockout evidence

Generated from docs/reference/warmane-lockout-rules.md. Edit that file in the repository: changes made in the wiki are overwritten.

This evidence review supports raid-start readiness and issue #40. It records what could be verified on 29 September 2026. It is not a complete executable rule set. No in-game observation was available during this review.

Evidence standard

• Confirmed: A Warmane staff statement or a reproducible observation, scoped to its date and named realm. Historical confirmation does not prove the current configuration is unchanged.
• Reported: A dated player observation on Warmane's own forum, without current realm confirmation.
• Unknown: No evidence meeting the confirmed standard. Do not infer availability from this entry.

The client saved-instance list is the authority for a character's observed save and remaining time. A calendar rule may help explain an expected reset, but it cannot replace a fresh, complete scan. The current domain evaluator compares exact difficulty values and does not apply realm reset or shared-difficulty rules. Do not use this page to claim that the application already enforces the matrix below.

Realm reset schedule

Realm	Raid reset time	Evidence	Readiness rule status
Icecrown	Wednesday 04:00 server time, reported in 2017 and 2019.	2017 report, 2019 report	Unknown now. Server time to UTC conversion and instance exceptions remain unverified.
Lordaeron	Wednesday 04:00 server time, reported in 2017.	2017 report	Unknown now. The report does not establish a current UTC instant or per-instance cadence.
Onyxia	No validated schedule.	No qualifying source or observation found.	Unknown. Its progression and raid cadence require realm-specific evidence.
Blackrock	No validated raid schedule or supported player raid set.	No qualifying source or observation found.	Unsupported for automatic raid readiness until raid availability is confirmed.

Warmane staff acknowledged a raid-ID reset incident in 2023. This shows why a scheduled reset cannot overrule a character's actual saved-instance evidence. The reports above do not establish daylight-saving behavior or whether all instances reset together.

Difficulty and instance matrix

Instance and size	Normal and Heroic lockout	Evidence	Status
Icecrown Citadel, 10 players	Shared ID.	Warmane staff discussed the shared lockout and difficulty switching in 2016; a 2025 staff reply refers to the continuing single weekly lockout. A realm report names the 10-player pairing.	Historically confirmed shared difficulty; current behavior needs a named-realm observation.
Icecrown Citadel, 25 players	Shared ID.	Same sources as above.	Historically confirmed shared difficulty; current behavior needs a named-realm observation.
Icecrown Citadel, 10 versus 25 players	Separate IDs, as reported.	2016 realm report.	Reported, not confirmed per realm.
Ruby Sanctum, each size	Normal and Heroic share an ID, as reported.	Warmane player report.	Reported, not confirmed per realm.
Trial of the Crusader, each size	Normal and Heroic have separate IDs, as reported.	Warmane player report.	Reported, not confirmed per realm.
Other modeled raids	Size and difficulty sharing has no complete current matrix.	Player discussion describes older raid examples.	Unknown per instance and realm.

An Icecrown Citadel save cannot be declared free solely because the target's Normal/Heroic enum value differs. Warmane staff discussed changing difficulty inside one Icecrown Citadel run in 2016. It does not establish that a character with one saved ID can join an unrelated group's partially cleared ID.

Extensions and encounter progress

Question	Finding	Status
Can a character extend a saved raid ID?	A Warmane player describes extension, but no current staff rule or observed before/after save was found.	Unknown per realm and instance.
Does an extension survive the displayed reset?	No qualifying observation was found.	Unknown; an extended save must never be treated as expired from a calendar alone.
Can a character join another ID with different bosses killed?	No current realm-specific compatibility rule was found.	Unknown; encounter progress must not imply free access.
Does Normal/Heroic switching create a second boss kill?	Icecrown Citadel shares one ID, but the exact encounter-progress payload still needs an observation.	Unknown for automated per-boss eligibility.

Observation needed to promote a rule

Record one observation per realm, instance, size, and difficulty combination that the product will support:

1. Capture the realm name, server clock, client build, UTC observation time, and the character's saved-instance list.
2. Record the instance ID, displayed difficulty, remaining reset duration, extension state, and killed encounters.
3. Repeat immediately before and after the claimed reset; convert both observations to UTC.
4. For shared difficulty, compare the ID before and after switching Normal and Heroic inside the same size.
5. For encounter compatibility, attempt entry with a second group whose ID has different progress and record the result.
6. Repeat a reset crossing a daylight-saving change before publishing a fixed server-time-to-UTC rule.

Keep the raw screenshots or addon snapshots with their timestamps and character details redacted. Until a combination has that evidence, return Needs fresh sync for an unknown rule rather than Available. This does not change the existing rule that a confirmed active lock blocks signup and roster selection.