WoW Forever release: date, time, what's new and the roadmap

When does WoW Forever come out?

World of Warcraft: Forever launches globally on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST, according to Blizzard. That is 6 p.m. in New York and Montreal, 11 p.m. in London, and midnight on November 5 in Paris, Brussels and Geneva. Early name reservation runs from October 27 (6 p.m. in Paris) to November 3, and the beta ran from September 17 to October 23, 2026.

What is WoW Forever?

WoW Forever is a third World of Warcraft experience next to Modern and Classic, and Blizzard says it is "not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic". It plays Classic's world on the modern game client, after the events of Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core, with a level cap of 60, no flying mounts and no level scaling. It runs on Windows and Mac.

Blizzard sums up the launch content as "three new zones, over 1,000 new quests, nine new dungeons, two new raids, the new Skyborne race". Access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or game time: there is no separate box to buy. How it compares with Classic Era and Retail, point by point: WoW Forever vs Classic Era vs Retail.

What's new in WoW Forever compared to Classic?

WoW Forever adds the Skyborne race, six new race and class combinations (gnome priest, human hunter, dwarf shaman, orc mage, troll warlock, undead paladin), new zones such as Riverglades and Mount Hyjal, nine new dungeons, new raids, over 600 new profession recipes, campfires, a reworked PvP progression and the account-wide Legacy system. Each race now has two active and two passive abilities.

• Skyborne: a new elven race from Zephras Isle (levels 1 to 12), for the Alliance (High Order) or the Horde (Windshapers).
• Zones: Mount Hyjal with Darkwhisper Gorge, Shen'dralas between Mulgore and Desolace, Riverglades in the Eastern Kingdoms (mid-30s to mid-40s, roughly the size of Stranglethorn Vale), Zephras Isle.
• Dungeons (Blizzard's overview of October 20, all for five players): Hall of Thanes 13-18, Ruins of Lordaeron 15-20, Excavation Site 24-29 in the Wetlands (26-31 in the October 1 beta notes), City of Dalaran 28-33, the Drowned City 35-40, Krol'dok Stronghold 40-45, Alcaz Prison 48-53, Blackmaw Hold 55-60, the Shaper's Terrace 58-60.
• New ship routes: Stormwind Harbor to Auberdine, Menethil to Southshore and Auberdine, and the Steamwheedle Cartel from Tanaris to Riverglades.
• Legacy system: 65 challenges, 1 point each for your account, up to 16 points spent per character at launch.
• PvP: Honor as a currency, rank points with a weekly cap, blue and epic PvP sets, a weekly season journey and a new battleground, the Darkspear Islands (15 against 15, levels 30 to 60).

What changes for classes, talents and gear?

In WoW Forever, talents start at level 10 and dual specialization opens at level 40, with a new 16-point milestone on top of the classic 11, 21 and 31. Hit and critical strike are merged between spells, melee and ranged, bonus healing also gives a third as much bonus damage, and unique dungeon boss items become blue. Divine Spirit, Blessing of Kings and Improved Mark of the Wild are now baseline.

Your mount comes with the riding skill, as in The Burning Crusade. Transmog is optional and "Classic Mode" turns it off; appearances stay locked by level until 60. The game offers HD or SD models and modern or Classic presets.

What's new for professions?

WoW Forever adds over 600 new profession recipes, according to Blizzard, and blueprints that drop from dungeon bosses. The cooking fire becomes a Basic Campfire with vendors, repairs, workspaces and one-hour buffs, holding up to three profession objects from skill 20. Two new factions, the Azeroth Commerce Authority and Durotar Supply and Logistics, give Merchant's Favor. No new profession has been announced.

Our profession pages list every recipe of the beta game tables with the material cost at auction house prices, the resale value and the margin.

Are there realms in WoW Forever?

No. WoW Forever is realmless: you pick a ruleset instead, Normal, PvP, Roleplaying or Roleplay-PvP, added for launch on October 22, with Hardcore coming after launch. You can't group across rulesets, factions stay separate, and on the PvP ruleset all your characters must be of one faction. Character names have two parts and are unique per region, and your language preference applies to the whole account.

What is the WoW Forever roadmap?

Blizzard's roadmap opens three raids for level 60 players on December 9, 2026, all planned to reset each week: the Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20 players) and Onyxia's Lair (40 players). Hardcore arrives in winter. Spring 2027 brings two new raids, two new dungeons, new quests and a playable area, and a legendary questline; summer 2027 a revamped iconic raid, a new raid, two dungeons and profession and Legacy updates.

Blizzard adds that "content and timing" are "subject to change". The raids bring new tier sets and a legendary reward, and Onyxia's Lair still needs the Drakefire Amulet, from a faction questline through Blackrock Depths and Blackrock Spire: details in our raids guide.

What does Blizzard do against gold buying in WoW Forever?

Blizzard said on the beta forums that it will increasingly act against the accounts of gold buyers, not only sellers, with penalties from gold removal to permanent closure. A warning appears when you trade with a stranger, and since October 13, 2026 a Temporary Economy Hold can restrict trade, mail, guild banks and the auction house while a suspicion is checked, lifted automatically if it is false.

Do you need to buy WoW Forever?

No: WoW Forever is included with any World of Warcraft subscription or game time. The paid packs add extras: the Skyborne Heroic Pack unlocks the Skyborne race, early name reservation and cosmetics; the Skyborne Epic Pack adds beta access and 30 days of game time; the Warcraft Forever Collection adds Warcraft III: Reforged and Forsaken Kingdom, until January 11, 2027.

The packs, their content and the prices seen on the Battle.net shop are detailed in our Skyborne guide.