WoW Forever Explained: What It Is, What Is New, Dates and How to Get In

World of Warcraft: Forever launches worldwide at the same moment, on PC and Mac. You do not buy it as a box. A WoW subscription or Game Time logs you in, and the optional packs only add extras. Everyone starts at level 1.

The beta is open to owners of the Epic Pack, the Collection or the Collector’s Edition. Beta progress does not carry over. Early Name Reservation runs from 27 October to 3 November with any pack, for up to 3 characters.

The 1st raids open 5 weeks after launch: Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia’s Lair. Blizzard’s roadmap then lists 2 more raids for spring 2027 and a revamped iconic raid for summer 2027. Hardcore arrives after launch. Blizzard has not given it a date yet.

Forever is the original Azeroth with new content built into it, and it is meant to last. Blizzard’s own words: “This is not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic.” Blizzard calls it a promise to keep building this world with the community for years. It sits as a 3rd permanent home next to modern WoW and Classic.

Forever opens in the story chapter after Warcraft III. The Forsaken hold Lordaeron, the night elves have lost immortality, and the classic raids players remember stay closed at launch. Those wings return later as revamped iconic raids. The level cap stays at 60 for the foreseeable future. New zones, dungeons and systems arrive over time, and Blizzard plans major updates for years.

Players called this idea Classic+ for years. Blizzard’s name for it is World of Warcraft: Forever. The design rules behind it are simple: the world should still feel like Classic, preparation and cooperation should matter, and the 1 to 60 journey is the heart of the game.

Everything on the card is built into the same Azeroth. The new zones fill gaps on the old map, the new dungeons cover level brackets that were thin in Classic, and the new systems reward leveling alts. The next 3 chapters go through each column.

Zones. The Riverglades is a new mid-level zone with more than 150 quests and a goblin port on the east coast of the Eastern Kingdoms. Hyjal is a level 60 zone that holds both new raids. Shen’dralas opens between Mulgore and Desolace. Zephras Isle is the Skyborne start for levels 1 to 12. Wetlands and Desolace gain new quests, and every starting zone gets new NPCs and quests. New zones guide.

Dungeons. On the way up: Hall of Thanes 13 to 18, Ruins of Lordaeron 15 to 20, Excavation Site 24 to 29 and City of Dalaran 28 to 33. In the middle: The Drowned City 35 to 40, Krol’dok Stronghold 40 to 45 and Alcaz Prison 48 to 53. At the top: Blackmaw Hold 55 to 60 and Shaper’s Terrace 58 to 60. Crowd control and threat matter, there is no level scaling, and every dungeon boss drops blue items. Dungeon guide.

Travel. Ships now run Stormwind to Auberdine, Menethil to Southshore and Auberdine, and Tanaris to Powderfuse Port in the Riverglades. Your mount comes with the riding skill. Blizzard has not published its gold cost yet. Mounts guide.

New combos. Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin, with more planned. Undead Paladins get their own story in Tirisfal and their own epic mount quest at 60. Classes · Undead Paladin · Dwarf Shaman.

Skyborne. A new playable race that picks Horde or Alliance at creation. Horde Skyborne can be Shamans, Alliance Skyborne can be Mages, and both can be Warriors, Hunters, Rogues and Druids. The race needs the Heroic Pack or higher. Skyborne guide.

Classes and racials. Every class is reworked, and every race gets 2 active and 2 passive racials. Hit and crit are each 1 stat for spells, melee and ranged. Talent trees keep their Classic shape and add a 16-point milestone. Blizzard has detailed the Paladin, Hunter, Druid, Priest and Warrior kits and promises the other classes over time. Dual Specialization becomes available at level 40. Class changes · Racials · Talent calculator.

Legacy. Legacy Points come from account-wide challenges and are spent per character in 3 trees: Professions, Adventure and Resourcefulness. At launch each character spends up to 16 points and the account can earn up to 65. The perk Well Rested raises your rested XP. Legacy guide.

Camping. Camping upgrades the Cooking Fire into a campsite with vendors, repairs and profession benches. Other players craft up to 3 objects at it for 1-hour buffs. Camping guide.

Realmless. You pick a ruleset instead of a realm: Normal, PvP or Roleplaying, with Hardcore after launch. Collections and Legacy Points are shared across rulesets except Hardcore, and you only group inside your ruleset. Realmless guide.

Looks and input. The old world gets a new lighting pass, and you choose between the Modern and Classic presets and between HD and SD character models. Transmog is opt-in. Blizzard also supports gamepads officially. Graphics guide. PvP adds the 15v15 battleground Darkspear Islands. PvP guide.

On the PvP ruleset, character creation is 1 faction only. Normal and Roleplaying allow both.

Forever needs nothing beyond a subscription or Game Time. The packs sell extras: the Skyborne race, an early name and a place in the beta.

Edition	Price	What it adds
Subscription or Game Time	Included	The whole game from 4 November
Skyborne Heroic Pack	$29.99	1 invite code, name reservation, a ground mount, cosmetics, and the Skyborne race with Zephras Isle
Skyborne Epic Pack	$59.99	Everything in Heroic, plus beta access, 3 invite codes, more cosmetics and 30 days of Game Time from launch
Warcraft Forever Collection	$79.99	Everything in Epic, plus Warcraft III: Reforged and its Forsaken Kingdom campaign. Sold until 11 January 2027
Collector’s Edition	$150	A code for the Collection, plus a 13-inch Dwarf and Bear statue, prints, pins, a mousepad and a journal

With an invite code, a friend without a subscription plays Forever from 4 to 11 November. The codes arrive by email starting 20 October. Every edition side by side: editions guide.

Forever opens on 4 November, and its raids follow on 9 December. Because grinding dungeons no longer pays, 60 comes from quests, about 150 hours of play in all. A solo player at 3 hours a night needs 7 weeks and reaches 60 around 24 December, 2 weeks into the raid schedule.

With 1 booster playing your character 12 hours a day, 60 takes 14 days. 2 boosters who take turns around the clock need about 7. Both leave weeks before 9 December for the 1st dungeon clears, blue gear and gold. The leveling speed guide has the full route and all 3 calendars.

We re-check the hours on the beta, and your pre-order price stays where it was when you placed it. A cancellation before the 1st session is refunded in full.