World of Warcraft: Forever adds four new zones and 1,000+ new quests across the 1–60 journey. Zephras Isle is the Skyborne start, levels 1–12. The Riverglades is a mid-30s to mid-40s zone the size of Stranglethorn with 150–200 quests and its own port, Powderfuse Port. Mount Hyjal picks up after Archimonde's defeat and Shen'dralas sits between Mulgore and Desolace — Blizzard has not given either a level range. Wetlands, Desolace and every starting zone were expanded, and three new ship routes cut the worst runs. There is no flying. Source: Blizzard's What's Next recap, September 12, 2026.
The new zones at a glance (as of September 16, 2026)
Forever's map is Classic Azeroth with four new zones, three expanded ones and three new boats. Blizzard's What's Next panel listed the new zones; the Found Photos panel filled in quest counts and travel; a 16 Sep Gamespot interview (via Wowhead) put the quest count in context — original WoW shipped with around 3,000 to 3,500 quests, and Forever adds 1,000 more, with each new zone carrying 50–200 quests and new content starting from level 5.
| Zone | Level range | Quests | Where / what | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zephras Isle | 1–12 | not announced | Skyborne starting zone; floating isle in Skywall | What's Next, 12 Sep |
| The Riverglades | mid-30s – mid-40s | 150–200 | Eastern Kingdoms, north of Redridge; Powderfuse Port | What's Next / Found Photos |
| Mount Hyjal | not announced | not announced | Kalimdor; aftermath of Archimonde; Darkwhisper Gorge | What's Next / Found Photos |
| Shen'dralas | not announced | not announced | Kalimdor; between Mulgore and Desolace, south of Desolace via the Valley of Bones | What's Next / Found Photos |
Two names to keep straight. The press fact sheet calls the mid-level zone Riverlands; the in-game and news name is The Riverglades. Spanish-language coverage calls it Clarofluvial — same zone, translated. More on that in the ship-routes section.
Zephras Isle: the Skyborne start, levels 1–12
Zephras Isle is the starting zone for the Skyborne, the new playable race. Blizzard's What's Next recap gives it levels 1–12; the Sun interview (via Wowhead, 15 Sep) says the isle lasts until about level 12, is a floating isle in Skywall, and the island is falling — that is the zone's story hook.
Skyborne are the only race that starts here, and Skyborne require a paid pack: the Skyborne Pack or an edition that includes it. Beta datamining (Wowhead, 16 Sep) flagged a new faction on the isle, the Windshapers, the Skyborne spiritual leaders — datamined, not announced.
Quest count for Zephras is not announced individually; it falls inside the 50–200-per-zone range Blizzard gave Gamespot. Which class a Skyborne can be depends on faction — Horde Skyborne get Shaman, Alliance Skyborne get Mage (Wowhead, 12 Sep); full combos in classes and races.
The Riverglades: mid-30s to mid-40s, 150–200 quests, Powderfuse Port
The Riverglades is the one new zone with a published level band, and it lands exactly where Classic leveling always thinned out. Blizzard: a mid-level zone, mid-30s to mid-40s, roughly Stranglethorn Vale in size, built from a previously inaccessible part of the Classic world bordering Burning Steppes, Redridge, Swamp of Sorrows and the Badlands. Wowhead places it north of Redridge.
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Level range | mid-30s – mid-40s | What's Next recap, 12 Sep |
| Quest count | more than 150 (What's Next) / nearly 200 (Found Photos) | Blizzard, two panels |
| Size | about Stranglethorn Vale | Found Photos recap, 13 Sep |
| Port | Powderfuse Port, reached by boat from the Steamwheedle Cartel in Tanaris | Found Photos recap, 13 Sep |
| Inhabitants and factions | gnolls, ogres, Powderfuse goblins, Twilight's Hammer, Brotherhood of the Horse | Found Photos recap, 13 Sep |
| Extras | a Black Market Auction House at the port | Wowhead Sun interview, 15 Sep |
Why the 35–45 band matters: in Classic that stretch was Stranglethorn, Arathi, Desolace and a lot of running between them, with both factions competing for the same camps. A second Stranglethorn-sized zone with up to 200 quests for both Horde and Alliance is the single largest change to the leveling curve, and it overlaps two new dungeons — The Drowned City 35–40 and Krol'dok Stronghold 40–45. We treat it as the default 35–45 route in the leveling guide.
Forever 1–60 leveling →1–60 Leveling Boost from $259, pre-order for delivery from 4 November 2026. Shorter brackets cost less on the same slider. Self-play or piloted; the Pro plays on your ruleset and faction.
Mount Hyjal and Shen'dralas: what is known, what is not
Both Kalimdor zones are confirmed and neither has a published level range.
Mount Hyjal is set in the aftermath of Archimonde's defeat, with Darkwhisper Gorge named as a sub-area. Hyjal is also where both launch raids sit: The Barrow Deeps (10-player) and Hyjal Summit (20-player), first unlock 9 December 2026. Beta datamining (Wowhead, 16 Sep) flags a Guardians of Hyjal faction and tier sets tagged Hyjal — datamined, not announced. Given the raids, a max-level or near-max band is the reasonable expectation; that is inference, and Blizzard has not said it.
Shen'dralas is a new area between Mulgore and Desolace, entered south of Desolace via the Valley of Bones, tied to the Shen'dralar, Eldre'Thalas, Dire Maul and the centaur tribes. Datamining flags the Shen'dralar as a returning faction. Its level range is not announced; its neighbours suggest mid-level, and again that is our inference.
Both zones are covered in Blizzard's own World Building and Found Photographs panels, embedded below. Raid detail: raids guide.
Expanded zones: Wetlands, Desolace and every starting zone
Beyond the four new zones, Blizzard's Found Photos and Deep Dive panels list three kinds of expansion to existing zones:
- Wetlands — new quests, plus a new dungeon, Excavation Site: Wetlands (24–29), above Whelgar's dig. The Gamespot interview adds that Azshara also gets many new quests.
- Desolace — centaur faction quests with faction rewards, and the road south into Shen'dralas.
- All starting zones — new NPCs, quests and profession hooks; new content from level 5.
Quest rewards were also updated in places Classic players will recognise: Mor'ladim now drops the Ladimore Heirloom Ring, and Nesingwary's line ends in the Master Hunter's Spellsword. Bandarion Keep in Tirisfal's Whispering Wood is the Forsaken Paladin story hub.
The profession hooks in starting zones connect to the 600+ new recipes and the skill-20 camping objects — the first object is learnable before you leave the zone you started in.
Three new ship routes, no flying, and the Wetlands death run
Blizzard's Found Photos recap names three new ship routes. Each fixes a specific Classic pain.
| Route | Connects | What it fixes |
|---|---|---|
| Stormwind Harbor ↔ Auberdine | Eastern Kingdoms ↔ Kalimdor, early | An Alliance link between continents at low level — no Menethil detour to reach Darkshore |
| Menethil ↔ Southshore ↔ Auberdine | Wetlands, Hillsbrad and Darkshore in one three-way route | Blizzard calls it a more flexible leveling path; it is the route that relieves the Wetlands run |
| Steamwheedle Cartel (Tanaris) → Powderfuse Port | Kalimdor south → The Riverglades | Brings Horde and Alliance into the new mid-level zone from Kalimdor |
The Wetlands death run. Every Classic Night Elf remembers it: to reach Ironforge you sailed to Menethil and ran the Wetlands road at level 10–12 past crocolisks and raptors far above you. Icy Veins headlined a way to skip it in Forever; the published mechanism is the Menethil–Southshore–Auberdine boat, which lets a low-level character sail rather than run. We have the headline and Blizzard's route list, not a step-by-step — that is where the claim stops.
No flying. Blizzard's What's Next recap is explicit: no flying mounts. Ground travel changed instead — the mount cost moves into riding training, Burning-Crusade style, so you receive a mount when you learn the riding skill. The gold cost and the level are not announced; even the pre-purchase Cerulean Prideclaw needs riding bought in-game. Mount detail: mounts guide. New flight paths are also not announced.
About the Spanish source card below. @Proenix00's 14 Sep post is a Spanish summary of the Found Photos travel section. The names translate directly: Puerto de Ventormenta is Stormwind Harbor, Costasur is Southshore, Cártel Bonvapor is the Steamwheedle Cartel, Vega de Tuercespina is Stranglethorn Vale, and Clarofluvial is The Riverglades. The post gives the zone alrededor de 200 misiones — around 200 quests — matching Blizzard's Found Photos figure.
Where to go, level by level: new zones plus the nine dungeon brackets
This table stitches the new and expanded zones to Blizzard's official dungeon brackets (blue post, 15 Sep — Krol'dok's range corrected to 40–45). Rows marked PRO route are our suggestion; everything else is a published fact.
| Levels | Zone (new or expanded) | New dungeon | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–12 | Zephras Isle (Skyborne) · expanded starting zones with content from level 5 | — | Learn your skill-20 camping object before leaving |
| 13–20 | Classic 10–20 zones | Hall of Thanes 13–18 · Ruins of Lordaeron 15–20 | Stormwind↔Auberdine boat opens Darkshore to Alliance early |
| 20–29 | Wetlands (expanded) | Excavation Site: Wetlands 24–29 | Menethil–Southshore–Auberdine boat; the death run is optional now |
| 28–34 | Classic 25–35 zones | City of Dalaran 28–33 | PRO route: Dalaran's dungeon quests carry the gap before Riverglades |
| 35–45 | The Riverglades · Desolace (expanded, centaur factions) | The Drowned City 35–40 · Krol'dok Stronghold 40–45 | Riverglades via Tanaris boat or overland from Redridge |
| 45–53 | Classic 45–55 zones · Shen'dralas (level not announced) | Alcaz Prison 48–53 | PRO route: Shen'dralas placement is inference until Blizzard prints a band |
| 55–60 | Classic endgame zones · Mount Hyjal (level not announced) | Blackmaw Hold 55–60 · Shaper's Terrace 58–60 | Hyjal hosts both launch raids, first unlock 9 Dec 2026 |
Two published rules change how you use the table. No level scaling — a 13–18 dungeon stays 13–18. And the dungeon XP rebalance (Zierhut and Nuthals via Wowhead, 15 Sep): mob-kill XP in dungeons is reduced, dungeon-quest XP is increased significantly, and the first run is lucrative while repeats are less potent. Run each new dungeon once for its quests, then go back to the zone. Full dungeon detail: dungeons guide.
If you would rather skip a bracket than grind it, 1–60 Leveling is from $259 (shorter brackets cost less on the same slider) and Dungeon Runs in any of the nine start at $9 — self-play or piloted, delivery from 4 November 2026, Pro on your ruleset and faction.
What is not announced
Blizzard has not published:
- Mount Hyjal level range and quest count.
- Shen'dralas level range and quest count.
- Zephras Isle quest count — only the 1–12 band and the 50–200-per-zone range.
- New flight paths.
- Riding training cost and level — only that the mount comes with the skill.
- Ship schedules and whether the new routes are faction-restricted.
- Whether existing Classic dungeons were revamped.
The beta runs 17 September – 21 October 2026 at a level-20 cap rising to 30, so Zephras Isle and the expanded starting zones and Wetlands will be seen first; Riverglades, Hyjal and Shen'dralas wait for launch on 4 November 2026, 3:00 p.m. PST. Hub: /wow-forever; dates: release date; weekend recap: BlizzCon 2026.
From the source
On X“El Cártel Bonvapor en Tanaris lleva a los jugadores más allá de los límites conocidos hacia Clarofluvial, una zona de nivel medio de un tamaño similar al de la Vega de Tuercespina, construida a partir de una zona inaccesible del mundo de Classic”
Report“Three New Ship Routes Debuting in Forever”
Report“New Zones Coming with Forever: Mount Hyjal, Riverglades and More”
FAQ
Forever dungeon runs →Dungeon Runs in any of the nine new dungeons from $9 — Hall of Thanes 13–18 through Shaper's Terrace 58–60. Dungeon-quest XP is up and first runs pay best, so one clean run per bracket is the play.