World of Warcraft's supposedly massive Legion expansion is fast approaching, and in order to drum up a storm of excitement Blizzard has announced that they will be releasing a pre-expansion patch to give everyone a glimpse at all of the changes.

The first, and biggest update will introduce a greatly improved transmogrification system (the ability to alter how your gear looks without influencing its stats) and a whole slew of class changes, some of which are so drastic you might not even recognize your former specialization. My favorite example of these class changes is the transformation of Survival Hunters from somewhat boring ranged damage dealers to a more melee-orientated combatant that prefers to fight alongside their pet.

In the weeks following this pre-expansion patch you can expect to see even more content leading up to Legion's August 30 launch. The exact date these features will arrive on hasn't been confirmed, but what I can tell you is that they will include an early access to the long-awaited Demon Hunter class, a whole slew of Burning Legion invasions to repel and a climactic battle on the Broken Shore.

You can read slightly more about these new additions over at the Blizzard blog, though specific details will be revealed when the pre-expansion patch finally lands on July 20.

And just in case you missed it, here's the cinematic trailer for Legion: