The next interesting change came at ECTS 2001, when the interface became almost what it is today. The biggest changes of this version are, that lumber became a resource and heroes got an inventory, though in a video from April 2001, you could already see an item on the ground.

After ECTS 2001 Blizzard experimented with different resources and had version of the game with gold, lumber, mana stones and upkeep or a race depending resource that represented the population, like the needed food in newer versions.

In the middle of January 2002, Blizzard shipped out 5000 beta versions of Warcraft III to randomly selected testers in order to help improve it before being released in stores, the beta release had all the game’s units and races, however was only playable over Battle.net. Single player games and LAN play were not playable on the beta version of the game..

In addition to the regular game, there also exists a limited Collector's Edition Warcraft III bundle. The collector's edition box contained a Warcraft III cinematic DVD, including behind-the-scenes features and the cinematics of all prior Warcraft games; a Collector's Edition Soundtrack; a Collector's Edition instruction manual; The Art of Warcraft book; and lithographic prints.

Blizzard Entertainment also released the Warcraft Battle Chest, which contains Reign of Chaos bundled with The Frozen Throne in one box, along with guides from BradyGames.

Another version, the Exclusive Gift Set, came bundled with the cinematic DVD, official BradyGames strategy guide, and Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition.

Warcraft III is also available in the Best Sellers Series along side StarCraft, StarCraft: Brood War, Diablo, Diablo 2, and World of Warcraft. Also, a selection of games from other companies other than Blizzard have been included in the Best Sellers Series.

Reception of Warcraft III was extremely positive; the game averages a 93.09% at GameRankings.com, and "Universal Acclaim" at MetaCritic, based on dozens of reviews. While GamePro noted that "WarCraft III doesn’t revolutionize the RTS genre", they still praised Blizzard for delivering a title with "a well-executed story, drum-tight game-play and a long shelf life as a multi-player title." GameSpot noted that as with StarCraft, the ability to experience the action from all sides "is of great appeal." The reviewer also noted that Warcraft III made the early stages of the game more interesting and less formulaic; in most RTS games, he noted, "the initial build-up period in such games is merely a race to get to the best units first." Most reviewers noted that Blizzard had finally fleshed out the storyline of the first two Warcraft titles, finally giving each side its own motivations and differences beyond cosmetics. IGN noted that "There's not a ton that's new to RTS buffs out there, but it's done well enough that you either won't notice or won't care."

However, criticism included the inability of the player to change the fate of Arthas' "turn to the dark side." Instead, Gamecritics.com noted, the player "has to sit by as Arthas slides into insanity." Other reviewers noted that the character models were of mediocre quality, especially when viewed up close during in-game cinematics.