World of Warcraft: Forever is a new, permanent version of World of Warcraft built on the original game’s world and level 1–60 journey, but expanded with new zones, dungeons, quests, a new race and reworked classes. Blizzard calls it “a new permanent home alongside modern and Classic WoW” and says it is “not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic”. It launches globally on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific.
The short version
- Setting: after the events of Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core.
- Level cap: 60, on the original continents, the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor.
- New content at launch: four new zones (Zephras Isle, Riverglades, Mount Hyjal, Shen’dralas), nine new dungeons, more than 1,000 new quests, the Skyborne race and six new race and class combinations.
- Reworked systems: every class and specialization, racial abilities, itemization, professions (600+ new recipes), the Honor system, plus new Legacy and Camping systems.
- Design rules: no flying mounts, no level scaling, combat pacing like Classic.
- Updates: regular content patches, starting with three raids on December 9.
Does WoW Forever cost extra?
No. WoW: Forever is included with an active World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. You do not need to buy an expansion to play it. The upgrade editions are optional:
| Edition | What it adds |
|---|---|
| Skyborne Heroic Pack | Skyborne race and Zephras Isle starting questline, Early Name Reservation, Cerulean Prideclaw mount (riding skill bought in game), Shen’dorei Skyseer’s Garb, Veteran Adventurer’s Rucksack, Shen’dorei Windwell toy, Skyborne housing decor for modern WoW, one Invite-A-Friend Launch Code |
| Skyborne Epic Pack | Everything above, plus beta access, 30 days of Game Time from November 4, more cosmetics, tabards, pets and three Invite-A-Friend codes in total |
| Warcraft Forever Collection (until January 11, 2027) | Everything in the Epic Pack, plus Warcraft III: Reforged, the Forsaken Kingdom campaign and Forsaken and Human figurine decor for modern WoW housing |
A physical Collector’s Edition is also sold through the Blizzard Gear Store while supplies last.
Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes let a friend play WoW: Forever without a subscription from November 4 to 11, 2026. The codes are emailed to buyers starting October 20.
How is Forever different from Classic and retail?
| WoW Classic (Era / Anniversary) | WoW: Forever | Modern WoW (retail) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| World | Original Azeroth as it was | Original Azeroth, expanded with new zones and quests | Many expansions of new continents |
| Level cap | 60 | 60 | Much higher, with level scaling |
| Classes | As in patch 1.12 | All nine reworked, new talents at 11/16/21/31 points | Modern classes and talents |
| New race | – | Skyborne | Many |
| Realms | Pick a realm | Pick a ruleset, realmless | Connected realms |
| Transmog | No | Optional, can be turned off | Yes |
| Flying | No | No | Yes |
We break down every change in WoW Forever vs Classic.
Graphics and options
- Toggle between High Definition and Standard Definition character models for the original races; HD models get restored Classic animations.
- Modern and Classic visual presets, improved lighting and environment effects (flowing rivers in Elwynn Forest, mist over Darkshore, moonlight in Ashenvale).
- Official gamepad support.
- Transmog is opt-in. Choosing “Classic Mode” on first launch disables it automatically.
What to do before launch
- Decide your ruleset and faction.
- Pick a class with the class picker or the race and class table, then plan its build in the WoW Forever talent calculator.
- If you bought an upgrade, reserve names between October 27 and November 3.
- Install WoW: Forever from the Game Version menu in the Battle.net app.
- Check launch time in your time zone.
Related guides
Sources
Facts on this page come from the sources below: official Blizzard posts unless marked as a secondary source. If Blizzard changes something, we update the page and the date above.
- World of Warcraft: Forever (official page) (2026-10-24)
- Carve a New Path with World of Warcraft: Forever (2026-09-13)
- Pre-Purchase World of Warcraft: Forever Upgrades (2026-09-13)
- World of Warcraft: Forever What's Next Panel Recap (2026-09-13)
- World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap (2026-09-14)
- Claim Your World of Warcraft: Forever Character Names (2026-10-21)