World of Warcraft: Forever is Blizzard's permanent Classic+ — "not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic" — launching November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST and included with a WoW subscription. This page is the one overview: what is new, what is not, how you get in, and a link to every Forever guide we have.
What is WoW Forever — and why people call it Classic+
World of Warcraft: Forever is Blizzard's permanent Classic+. What's Next: "This is not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic. It is a promise to keep building this world with the community, guided by your feedback, and made to last." It sits as a new permanent home alongside modern and Classic WoW. The setting is after Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core — Year 1 Azeroth, its own time bubble, level cap 60 for the foreseeable future.
Google already treats "Classic Plus" and "Forever" as the same product. That is fair: Forever is the thing people meant by Classic+ — a lasting Classic-shaped world that keeps getting new zones, dungeons, and systems, not a season that ends. Icy Veins still mentions the old "Project Camelot" codename; Blizzard's written name is Forever. The comparison page stays short on this one: Forever vs Classic. The dated calendar lives on the roadmap and the release-date page.
Key dates (the short clock)
Four official clocks and two that are not. Full status column: roadmap.
| Date | What |
|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2026 | Beta starts. Q&A 10:30 a.m. PDT the same day. Beta guide |
| Oct 21, 2026 | Beta ends (shop). Icy Veins prints Oct 22 |
| Oct 27–Nov 3 | Name reservation, any pack. Names |
| Nov 4, 3:00 p.m. PST | Global launch, included with a sub |
| Dec 9, 2026 | First raid unlock — Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit |
| After launch, no day | Hardcore. Panels said winter (press) |
3-day Epic early access is an Icy Veins line that Blizzard's written materials do not carry. One Blizzard article printed the daylight-time zone by mistake; the launch time is 3:00 p.m. PST.
See every Forever service →See every Forever service in one place — 1–60 from $259, raids from $149, Hardcore $349 when that ruleset opens. Pre-orders are refundable before the session starts.
Access and editions: a sub is enough, packs are upgrades
You do not buy Forever as a box. Access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time, on PC and Mac. Packs add Skyborne, beta, name reservation, cosmetics, and invite codes.
| Edition | USD | Beta | Name reserve | Invite codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription / Game Time | — | no | no | 0 |
 Skyborne Heroic Pack | $29.99 | no | yes | 1 |
| Skyborne Epic Pack | $59.99 | yes | yes | 3 |
| Warcraft Forever Collection (through Jan 11, 2027) | $79.99 | yes | yes | 3 |
| Physical Collector's Edition | $150 | yes (via code) | yes | 3 |
Side-by-side value: editions compared. BlizzCon recap: BlizzCon 2026.
What's new in Forever (one paragraph per system)
One paragraph per system. Each line is what Blizzard has written as of September 16, 2026, plus the deep guide.
Zones. Mount Hyjal; Shen'dralas (Mulgore to Desolace); The Riverglades (mid-30s to mid-40s); Zephras Isle 1–12 for Skyborne; Wetlands and Desolace expanded; 1,000+ new quests. Three new ship routes. No flying. New zones and ship routes.
Dungeons. Nine new dungeons, no level scaling, CC matters. Hall of Thanes 13–18, Ruins of Lordaeron 15–20, Excavation Site: Wetlands 24–29, City of Dalaran 28–33, The Drowned City 35–40, Krol'dok Stronghold 40–45, Alcaz Prison 48–53, Blackmaw Hold 55–60, Shaper's Terrace 58–60. Dungeon guide.
Raids. Two new max-level raids in the written recap: Barrow Deeps (10) and Hyjal Summit (20). First unlock December 9, 2026. Onyxia (40) is shown on the on-stage roadmap as transcribed by Icy Veins, not in Blizzard's written recap. Raid guide.
Classes. Nine Classic classes. Six new race/class combos: Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, Undead Paladin, with more planned. Paladin is the only class with a published changelist (Seal of Fury taunt, Holy Strike at 6). Classes · class changes · Paladin · Shaman · tier list.
Racials. Every race has 2 active and 2 passive racials. Dwarf Stoneform and Undead Will of the Forsaken were rewritten in the Deep Dive. Racials.
Skyborne. Paid race (Heroic pack or higher). Picks Horde or Alliance at creation. Horde Skyborne is Shaman; Alliance Skyborne is Mage; both get Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid. Starts on Zephras Isle 1–12. Skyborne.
Legacy. Account-wide points from Legacy Challenges, spent per character in Professions / Adventure / Resourcefulness. 16-point spend cap at launch, up to 65 earnable; surplus feeds a reward track. Legacy system.
Camping. Cooking Fire becomes a camp that holds objects (3 / 5 / 10 as you upgrade). One object per player, shared 1-hour cooldown, first objects at skill 20, advanced objects from dungeon-boss Blueprints. Camping.
Professions. 600+ new recipes. Crafted food is an XP bonus plus stats (Icy Veins: +5% kill XP — press). Professions · gold and economy.
Realmless. You pick a ruleset, not a realm list: Normal, PvP, Roleplaying at launch; Hardcore after launch. No cross-ruleset grouping. No cross-faction grouping. Language preference matching. Realmless.
Graphics. Global illumination, volumetric fog, flowing water, terrain shadows; Modern/Classic presets; HD/SD models; gamepad support. Graphics update.
Talents stay Classic-shaped with a new 16-point gold and 51 points at 60 (Kris Zierhut via Icy Veins). Talent calculator · dual spec (not announced). Mounts come with riding training, cost not announced: mounts.
What's not in Forever
Four nos Blizzard has said, and two things it has not said at all.
| Thing | Status | Who said it |
|---|---|---|
| WoW Token | No plans | Clay Stone, Destin interview (Sep 14) |
| Paid boosts | No plans; everyone starts at level 1 | Same interview |
| Flying mounts | None | What's Next, Sep 12 |
| Level scaling | None | What's Next / Deep Dive |
| Dungeon finder | Not announced | Absent from every Blizzard Forever post as of Sep 16 |
| Dual spec | Not announced | Absent from nine news posts and both talent calculators. Dual spec tracker |
Hardcore is not a "no" — it is after launch, no day. Arena, honor, and Rank 14 at launch: Blizzard has not said. If you want a Rank 14 grind we only take the pre-order if the honor system returns.
Pre-order 1–60 leveling →1–60 Leveling Boost is $259, pre-order, refundable before the session starts. A Pro pilots 1–60 after November 4; you play the new systems from 60.
Forever vs Classic vs Retail (short table)
This is not a second comparison page. Three columns, then go to the full Forever vs Classic guide if you want the argument.
| Forever | Classic Era / Anniversary | Retail (modern) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Blizzard calls it | Permanent home, not a mode or a season | A frozen Classic version | The current expansion track |
| Launch / access | Nov 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m. PST; included with a sub | Already live; own realms | Already live; own sub |
| New PvE | 9 new dungeons; 2 written raids + Dec 9 unlock | Vanilla / Anniversary raid ladder | Current-expansion dungeons and raids |
| Progression systems | Legacy, camping, realmless rulesets | None of those | Renown, warbands, modern systems |
| Flying / scaling | Neither | No flying; no modern scaling | Both exist |
| Token / paid boosts | No plans (Destin) | No Token on Era | Token and boosts exist |
Every WoW Forever guide, grouped
Every Forever guide on this site, grouped. New pages in this wave are marked.
| Topic | Guides |
|---|---|
| Dates and access | Release date · Roadmap · Beta · Editions · Name reservation · BlizzCon 2026 |
| What it is | This page · Forever vs Classic · Graphics |
| World | New zones · Dungeons · Raids · Camping · Skyborne · Realmless · Mounts |
| Characters | Classes · Class changes · Paladin · Dwarf Shaman · Undead Paladin · Shaman (new) · Racials · Talent calculator · Dual spec · Tier list (new) |
| Progression | Leveling · Power leveling (new) · Professions · Gold economy (new) · Legacy |
| Rulesets | Hardcore · PvP |
First-timer questions (short)
If you are arriving from "what is Classic plus WoW," these are the first five. The FAQ block under the article is the same answers in search-query form.
- Do I need a pack? No. A sub logs you in on November 4. Buy Heroic or higher only if you want Skyborne, name reserve, or (Epic+) beta.
- Can I play it and Retail at once? One Battle.net login. Forever is a dedicated client. Blizzard has not said you cannot also run modern WoW.
- How do I level? Quest-first, first-clear the new dungeons, no dungeon finder announced. Leveling · power leveling.
- Which class? Paladin is the only published changelist. Shaman numbers are Icy Veins' BlizzCon-build readout. Provisional tier list · Dwarf Shaman · Undead Paladin.
- Where is the money? No Token. Gold making and the auction house: gold economy. PvP: PvP guide.
From the source
Official“This is not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic. It is a promise to keep building this world with the community, guided by your feedback, and made to last.”
Official“You'll feel that philosophy throughout the world: no flying mounts, no level scaling, and a continued focus on challenge, preparation, communication, and cooperation.”
Official“When World of Warcraft: Forever launches globally on November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST, access will be included with your World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time.”
Report“World of Warcraft: Forever is releasing on November 4, 2026. However, you can get a 3-day early access via purchasing the Forever Epic Edition.”
FAQ
Ask Emily →Dual spec, dungeon finder, Hardcore day, early access — if Blizzard has not said it, we will say so. Ask the chat.