WoW Forever
World of Warcraft: Forever is Blizzard’s new MMORPG set in a reimagined original Azeroth, alongside modern WoW and Classic WoW. You begin a fresh character, explore new and expanded zones, and adventure toward a level cap of 60. This hub helps new and returning players choose how to start, understand the new systems and find Crit Pick’s guides, comparisons and news.
When can you play WoW Forever?
Blizzard’s global launch is scheduled for 4 November 2026 at 23:00 UTC. That is 3 p.m. PST in North America, 11 p.m. GMT in the UK, and midnight on 5 November in Berlin and Central Europe. These are the same launch, not separate regional releases.
Use your WoW subscription
Forever is included with an active WoW subscription or Game Time. Optional digital upgrades unlock extras; the Skyborne race requires the Heroic Pack or a higher upgrade.
Choose the Forever client
Install through Battle.net and select World of Warcraft: Forever from the available game versions. Windows and Mac are supported. Gamepad support is available in a beta state.
Agree on ruleset and faction
Choose both before creating characters. Parties, guilds, dungeons and raids require the same ruleset and faction. Classic and Enhanced are settings presets, separate from that choice.
The early name-reservation window was 27 October–3 November and has ended. This hub does not report live server availability.
Find the question you came with
Start with the comparison if you are choosing a version. The progression and lore explainers go deeper into what changes; the class article separates player intentions from measurements.
Which WoW Forever class suits you?
Choose your faction and race, then match your gameplay and fantasy preferences. See compatible alternatives and the races that can play them.
Find your class →
2026-10-27 · Explained
Who is WoW Forever for? Blizzard explains its plans before launch
Blizzard’s audience plans, the slower journey and what to expect before you commit.
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2026-10-20 · Explained
WoW Forever: what a temporary economy hold means
What a temporary trading restriction means while Blizzard investigates suspected real-money trading.
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2026-10-15 · Comparison
WoW Forever vs Classic: what changes, and which fits you?
Compare the versions, rulesets and access options before choosing where to play.
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2026-09-28 · Explained
WoW Forever class popularity: what players say they'll roll, and what nobody can measure yet
Player intentions are not a launch census. Read the evidence behind the class discussion.
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2026-09-24 · Explained
WoW Forever lore: what Blizzard changed, and what it left alone
Where this Azeroth branches away from familiar events, and which history it keeps.
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2026-09-17 · Explained
WoW Forever horizontal progression: what Blizzard actually said
What staying at level 60 means—and why that does not promise equal gear forever.
Read article →Which WoW Forever edition do you need?
An active World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time includes access to Forever. The optional editions add the Skyborne race, cosmetics or a Warcraft strategy-game bundle. Choose based on what you want to play; you do not need a higher edition just to enter Azeroth.
| Edition | Main additions |
|---|---|
| Skyborne Heroic Pack | The Skyborne race and Zephras Isle starting experience, cosmetics and the Cerulean Prideclaw ground mount. The mount still needs riding training in-game. |
| Skyborne Epic Pack | The Heroic Pack benefits, further cosmetics and 30 days of WoW Game Time, added from 4 November. |
| Warcraft Forever Collection | The Epic Pack benefits plus Warcraft III: Reforged and its new Forsaken Kingdom campaign. Blizzard lists this as a limited-time bundle. |
Gameplay after the included 30-day period requires a subscription or additional Game Time, sold separately. Housing decor in these packs belongs to modern World of Warcraft; it does not establish a housing feature in Forever. Beta access and Early Name Reservation were pre-launch benefits, and their windows have ended.
Rulesets, character names and settings
| Ruleset | What you choose |
|---|---|
| Normal | Open-world adventuring with PvP at your discretion. |
| PvP | The risk of attacks from the opposing faction through much of the open world. |
| Roleplay | A roleplaying community with naming and behaviour conventions. |
| Roleplay-PvP | Roleplaying conventions alongside the open-world PvP risk. |
Hardcore is planned for after launch; Blizzard has not given a date in the checked launch overview. Forever uses rulesets in place of a traditional realm-selection screen. If your friends want different rulesets, settle that before anyone starts levelling.
Character names: Forever uses a main name and a secondary name. The complete combination must be unique within your region. You can hide the secondary name on your nameplate, but it still appears in chat. The old reservation window does not mean a desired name is guaranteed now.
Classic preset
A starting presentation closer to the original game: SD models, a classic interface and less automatic quest guidance.
Enhanced preset
A starting presentation with HD models, a centralised interface and more guidance. Individual settings can be changed afterwards; the preset does not lock your character’s progression.
Skyborne exception: Blizzard says SD Skyborne characters and SD Druid forms are in development for early 2027. Do not choose the race expecting those models to be available at launch.
New class combinations, familiar class identities
Blizzard’s class updates add new abilities and talents while preserving familiar class identities. Skyborne also bring their own racial abilities and race-specific Druid forms. These changes give returning players a reason to read their spellbook and talents before relying on an old setup.
There are nine classes: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock and Warrior. Your class determines how you fight and which group roles you can take; your race determines which classes are available to you. Check that combination before committing to a character you want to play with friends.
New choices include Dwarf Shaman and Forsaken Paladin, alongside Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, Human Hunter and Gnome Priest. Skyborne can join either faction, with Shaman available to Horde-aligned Skyborne and Mage to Alliance-aligned Skyborne. Those faction-specific options do not mean Skyborne have only one class each.
If you are looking for the most popular class, our class-popularity article explains what player polls can tell you. Intentions collected before launch are not live population figures or proof of the strongest class.
Still choosing your main? Take our WoW Forever class quiz to match your faction, race, gameplay and character fantasy.
More reasons to stop along the road
Forever’s new systems give you choices during the journey to level 60. A campsite makes professions useful to nearby players; Legacy rewards activities across your account. You can take an old route through Azeroth and still find something different to do.
Make camp with other players
The Camping system builds on Cooking’s Basic Campfire. Nearby players can add up to three profession-crafted Camp Features, one per player. Sit or craft there for at least a minute to gain their benefits. A corresponding class buff and camp buff do not stack, so more icons do not always mean more power.
Choose a Skyborne character
Skyborne are the new playable race, starting on Zephras Isle from levels 1–12. Choose Horde or Alliance at character creation. Horde-aligned Skyborne can become Shamans; Alliance-aligned Skyborne can become Mages. Access needs the Heroic Pack or higher, and the SD-model caveat above still applies.
Build your Legacy
Complete challenges through levelling, professions, exploration, PvP, dungeons and raids to earn account-wide Legacy Points. Each character spends those points independently on perks. The announced launch spending cap is 16 per character, and you can reach it on one character; alts are an option rather than a requirement.
New and expanded zones in original Azeroth
Forever sits alongside modern WoW and Classic as a permanent home. Its level 1–60 journey takes place after Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core. Mount Hyjal, Shen’dralas, the Riverglades and Zephras Isle give returning players new destinations in the familiar continents. Blizzard describes more than 1,000 new quests across the levelling journey.
Where the new zones take you
Mount Hyjal opens after Archimonde’s defeat, while Shen’dralas lies between Mulgore and Desolace. The Riverglades gives mid-level characters a frontier to explore; Zephras Isle is the Skyborne starting zone. These additions put new stories into the original continents rather than sending everyone straight to endgame.
No flying mounts or level scaling
Blizzard’s stated design keeps travel on the ground and leaves enemy levels tied to the world. A high-level area can still be dangerous when you first find it. Prepare, read the quests and group with other players when a road leads somewhere your character cannot handle alone.
New dungeons and raids
WoW Forever includes nine new five-player dungeons at launch, spanning levels 13–60. Blizzard schedules Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia’s Lair for 9 December 2026. The raid opening is separate from the November game launch. Barrow Deeps is a 10-player raid; Hyjal Summit is a 20-player raid; Onyxia’s Lair takes 40 players. Onyxia requires the Drakefire Amulet from its faction-specific attunement questline.
The level cap and horizontal progression
Level 60 is the cap. Blizzard plans to expand this version of Azeroth with new stories and activities. Reaching the cap does not mean every piece of equipment has the same power. The Legacy system tracks account-wide challenges, perks and rewards across the game. Our horizontal progression explainer separates the level-cap promise from assumptions about gear power.
PvP and choosing your next challenge
Battle for the Darkspear Islands
WoW Forever adds the Darkspear Islands, a 15v15 battleground off Dustwallow Marsh. The Darkspear Raiders and Theramore Expeditionary Force fight for strategic footholds and a central flag. This organised battleground is a separate activity from the open-world risk you choose through your ruleset.
Choose a class you want to learn
Class balance can change with patches and hotfixes. Before changing your plans around a ranking, check which game version and patch it covers, which role it measures, and whether its evidence comes from actual play or predictions. Our class-popularity explainer covers player intentions; it is not a performance tier list.
The launch details worth checking
Checked 4 November 2026 · Launch plan
One global opening, two calendar dates
The launch overview gives 23:00 UTC on 4 November. Central Europe reaches 5 November at that moment. The same overview keeps the first raids on 9 December and Hardcore for a later release.
Checked 4 November 2026 · Getting started
Controller support carries a beta label
Blizzard’s starter guide explicitly describes gamepad support as beta. Its Classic and Enhanced presets provide starting settings that you can adjust later.
7 October 2026 · Visual development
SD Skyborne models are a later addition
Blizzard’s visual update places SD Skyborne player characters and SD Druid forms in early 2027. That remains a development plan rather than a launch feature.
Sources and update scope
This hub is a guide to our coverage and Blizzard’s announced plans, not a review based on playtime. Launch timing and availability can change; check the official service notices if you cannot connect.
- Blizzard: global launch overview — timing, rulesets, world, dungeons and raid opening; checked 4 November 2026.
- Blizzard: new-player starter guide — access, client, presets, grouping and controller beta; checked 4 November 2026.
- Blizzard: Skyborne visual update — the planned SD models; checked 4 November 2026.
- Blizzard: early name reservation — historical 27 October–3 November window.
- Blizzard: Legacy system — progression overview.
- Blizzard: upgrade editions — access, pack benefits and modern-WoW housing distinction; checked 4 November 2026.
- Blizzard: classes and race combinations — class options; checked 4 November 2026.
- Blizzard: What’s Next recap — world design, travel and levelling; checked 4 November 2026.
- Blizzard: raid overview — raid sizes and Onyxia attunement; checked 4 November 2026.