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WoW Forever newsOct 8, 20264 min read

WoW Forever name reservation: dates, time and two-part names

WoW Forever Early Name Reservation runs Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 (PT) for upgrade owners: up to 3 characters, first come, first served. Time, rules, two-part names.

By Stowlen

Endgame Tools · Published

Four heroes of Azeroth look out over a lake toward a distant city at dusk
Blizzard Entertainment · Press kit · cropped
In this article
  1. 01Early Name Reservation at a glance
  2. 02Who can reserve a name
  3. 03How two-part names work
  4. 04Pick your ruleset before you reserve
  5. 05What Blizzard hasn't said yet
  6. 06Get ready for October 27

WoW Forever's Early Name Reservation runs from October 27 to November 3, 2026 (Pacific time) for anyone who owns an upgrade: the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection. You can create and customize up to three characters, names go first come, first served, and Blizzard has not said yet at what time on October 27 it opens. A subscription alone doesn't include it: without an upgrade, you create your characters at launch, on November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST.

Names work differently from Classic: there are no realms, every character has two names, and the full name must be unique in your whole region. Here is who can reserve, how many, the naming rules and what Blizzard has not answered yet, from its announcements of September 12, 21 and 24.

Early Name Reservation at a glance
Dates October 27 to November 3, 2026, Pacific time
Opening time Not announced as of October 8
Who Owners of any upgrade: Heroic Pack, Epic Pack or Warcraft Forever Collection
How many Up to three characters, created and customized
Rule First come, first served; Blizzard can't guarantee a name
Launch November 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC): your characters are waiting

Our launch countdown shows every date in your own time zone, and our launch calendar has them all, with a calendar file for your phone.

Who can reserve a name

  • With an upgrade: Blizzard includes Early Name Reservation with "any upgrade purchase". On the Battle.net Shop on October 6, the Skyborne Heroic Pack cost $29.99 (€29.99), the Skyborne Epic Pack $59.99 and the Warcraft Forever Collection $79.99; what each one adds is in our release date and editions guide.
  • With a subscription only: no reservation. You create your characters at launch, like everyone else on November 4.
  • With the physical Collector's Edition: orders from Blizzard's September 24 restock are expected to ship and arrive in February 2027, after the reservation window. Blizzard's answer is to buy the Warcraft Forever Collection or another Forever upgrade on the Battle.net Shop now, which brings the beta and Early Name Reservation. Some of those purchases earn a Battle.net Balance credit equal to the amount paid once you redeem your Collector's Edition code, by December 31, 2027, but not all products qualify: Blizzard asks buyers to check its support article first.

How two-part names work

Forever drops the single name tied to a realm. Every character gets two names, which Blizzard compares to a first name and a surname:

  • In character creation, you type a Main Name, the one "shown most often across the game", and a Secondary Name, "used together with your Main Name to create your character's unique identity across the region", in the words of the beta client.
  • What must be unique is the full name, in your whole region. Two characters can share a first name as long as their full names differ.
  • You can hide your second name in the game world if you prefer a simpler look: Game Menu > Options > Nameplates, then "My Secondary Name".
  • The usual rules apply. Names follow the in-game code of conduct; some names, words, spellings and repeated letters are restricted, and so are names that impersonate Blizzard or could confuse other players. The game checks both parts together, so splitting a banned word across the two names doesn't make it valid.

Pick your ruleset before you reserve

There is no realm list. Your character lives on a ruleset, Normal, PvP or Roleplaying at launch, with Hardcore after it, and each ruleset is one large world shared by everyone who picks it. Groups, mail and guilds stay within a ruleset, so agree on one with your friends and guild before October 27. On the Roleplaying ruleset, names must also follow its stricter naming conventions. Our realms and rulesets guide explains each one.

What Blizzard hasn't said yet

As of October 8, three questions players ask on the official forums have no answer from Blizzard:

  • The hour at which reservation opens on October 27.
  • Three characters in total, or three per ruleset. Blizzard writes "up to three characters during this period", without more.
  • Faction balance during the window. Blizzard plans faction balance systems for the PvP ruleset; it hasn't said whether they apply while names are being reserved.

We will update this guide when Blizzard answers.

Get ready for October 27

Next objective

Launch countdownWhen WoW Forever opens in your time zone, every date Blizzard has announced, and what to do before launch dayGuide

Keep goingTalent calculator

Tagsname reservationEarly Name Reservationtwo-part namesupgradeCollector's Editionrulesets

Frequently asked questions

When does WoW Forever name reservation start?

Early Name Reservation runs from October 27 to November 3, 2026, Pacific time, then the game launches on November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST. In Korea and Taiwan, Blizzard gives October 28 to November 4, local time.

What time does WoW Forever name reservation open?

Blizzard has not announced the hour as of October 8. It has only given the dates, October 27 to November 3, Pacific time, and players on the official forums are still asking for the time.

How many names can you reserve in WoW Forever?

Up to three characters: you create and customize them during the window, and their names are reserved first come, first served. Blizzard hasn't said whether that is three in total or three per ruleset.

Do you need to buy something to reserve a name?

Yes: Early Name Reservation comes with any upgrade, the Skyborne Heroic Pack ($29.99), the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection. With a subscription only, you create your characters at launch.

Do WoW Forever names have to be unique?

The full name does, across your whole region: every character has a Main Name and a Secondary Name, like a first name and a surname. Two characters can share a first name if their full names differ, and you can hide your second name in the game world.

Sources

  1. Blizzard — Create a Name of Your Own in WoW: Forever (September 21, 2026)
  2. Blizzard — Pre-Purchase World of Warcraft: Forever Upgrades and Begin Your Next Journey in Azeroth (September 12, 2026)
  3. Blizzard — [Updated 9/24] Pre-Purchase the World of Warcraft: Forever Collector's Edition (September 24, 2026)
  4. Blizzard — World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap, rulesets (September 13, 2026)
  5. 블리자드 — 월드 오브 워크래프트: 포에버 업그레이드 사전 구매, 한국 시간 사전 이름 예약 일정 (2026년 9월 12일)
  6. World of Warcraft: Forever editions and prices, Battle.net Shop (checked October 6, 2026)
  7. 《魔兽世界》：“无限”战网商城国服礼包与名称预留（2026年10月6日查询）
  8. Blizzard Forums — Name Reservation Question: three per ruleset or in total? (October 5, 2026)
  9. Blizzard Forums — Anyone have a clue what hour of day name reserves are slated for? (October 6, 2026)

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