World of Warcraft: Forever Beginner's Guide

What World of Warcraft: Forever is, how it differs from modern WoW and WoW Classic, what it costs and how to get started when it launches on November 4, 2026.

World of Warcraft: Forever is Blizzard's new, permanent version of World of Warcraft: the original level-60 Azeroth, rebuilt with more than 1,000 new quests, new zones, dungeons, raids and a new playable race. It was announced at BlizzCon in September 2026 and launches worldwide on November 4, 2026.

What makes Forever different

The original world, reimaginedForever is set in the original Azeroth – after Warcraft III's Forsaken Kingdom campaign and before Molten Core – with new zones, quests and dungeons.

Not a Classic re-runBlizzard calls it a permanent home alongside modern WoW and Classic – "not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic".

Level 60 capProgress happens at level 60 through new raids, dungeons and the account-wide Legacy system rather than new levels.

Unlike modern WoWNo expansions to catch up on and none of the later continents – just Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms and the new areas added for Forever.

Launch times

The servers open at the same moment everywhere – 3:00 p.m. PST on November 4 (23:00 UTC):

Region	Local launch time
Americas	November 4, 3:00 p.m. PST
Brazil	November 4, 8:00 p.m. BRT
United Kingdom	November 4, 11:00 p.m. GMT
Central Europe	November 5, 00:00 CET
Taiwan	November 5, 7:00 a.m.
Korea	November 5, 8:00 a.m.
Australia / New Zealand	November 5, 10:00 a.m. AEDT

Nothing from the beta (September 17 – October 21) carries over. Early name reservation ran from October 27 to November 3 for owners of an upgrade pack, with up to three characters across all rulesets.

How to get started

1. Have an active subscriptionForever is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time – no separate purchase needed.

2. Pick a rulesetNormal, PvP, Roleplay or Roleplay-PvP. Hardcore follows after launch.

3. Pick a class and raceNine classes, six new race/class combinations and the new Skyborne race (needs an upgrade pack).

4. Choose Classic or EnhancedExperience presets let you keep things close to the original or turn on quality-of-life options. Models can be HD or SD per character.

New systems worth knowing

Gamepad supportForever has official gamepad support from launch.

Opt-in transmogTransmogrification is available, but you choose whether to use it.

CampingSet up a campfire with up to three profession-crafted camp features that buff nearby players who sit or craft for a minute.

Legacy systemAccount-wide progression with challenges, perks and rewards that carry across your characters.

Do I need an upgrade pack?

No. Everything except the Skyborne race and its Zephras Isle starting zone is included with your subscription. The optional packs add the Skyborne, cosmetics and other extras:

Skyborne Heroic PackSkyborne race and the Zephras Isle starting zone, early name reservation, a mount, a cosmetic outfit and other extras, plus one Invite-A-Friend code.

Skyborne Epic PackEverything in the Heroic Pack plus 30 days of Game Time, extra cosmetics and pets – three Invite-A-Friend codes in total.

Warcraft Forever CollectionEverything in the Epic Pack plus Warcraft III: Reforged with the Forsaken Kingdom campaign. Limited time – on sale until January 11, 2027.

Every pack includes Invite-A-Friend launch codes: an invited friend can play Forever for free during launch week, November 4–11, without a subscription.

What to do at level 60

The first three raids – Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair – open on December 9. See the full raid and content schedule and the rulesets and realms before you pick where to play.

Reference page written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games change with every patch – the patch this page was last checked for is shown at the top.