World of Warcraft: Forever is a new, permanent version of World of Warcraft that Blizzard runs alongside the modern game and Classic: the original Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, set after Warcraft III and before Molten Core, played to level 60 at Classic's pace, with more than a thousand new quests, nine new dungeons, four new regions and a new race, the Skyborne. It launches on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC), and it is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time; the three upgrade editions are optional.
Blizzard sums it up in one line: "This is not a mode, a season, or a new version of Classic." Forever is meant to last and keep growing, with new raids from December 9 and more content through 2027. Here is what it is, what it changes from Classic, what it costs and what comes next, from Blizzard's announcements of September 12 and 13 and the beta.
WoW Forever at a glance
|
|
| What it is |
A new version of WoW, alongside the modern game and Classic: Blizzard calls it "a new permanent home" |
| Setting |
After Warcraft III: Reforged's Forsaken Kingdom campaign, before Molten Core |
| World |
Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, plus Mount Hyjal, Shen'dralas, the Riverglades and Zephras Isle |
| Level cap |
60 |
| New content |
More than 1,000 quests, 9 dungeons, over 600 recipes, the Skyborne race |
| Raids |
None on day one; three open on December 9 |
| Price |
Included with a WoW subscription or Game Time; editions from $29.99 are optional |
| Launch |
November 4, 2026, 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC), the same moment in every region |
| Platforms |
Windows and macOS |
Is WoW Forever just WoW Classic?
No. WoW Classic rebuilt the original game as it stood in patch 1.12; Forever starts from the same world and the same journey to 60, then changes it. Blizzard says its combat "remains rooted in the feel and pacing" of Classic, and it keeps Classic's line on flying and scaling, but much of what surrounds the combat is new or reworked:
|
WoW Classic |
WoW Forever |
| World |
The two original continents |
The same, plus four new regions |
| Quests and dungeons |
The original ones |
More than 1,000 new quests and 9 new dungeons on top |
| Race and class pairs |
40 |
56: both factions can play all nine classes |
| Talents |
Three trees per class, 51 points |
The same shape, a new 16-point talent, many talents reworked |
| Stats |
Separate hit and crit for spells and weapons |
One hit and one crit stat; caster weapons with spell power |
| Servers |
A list of realms |
Rulesets, each one large shared world |
| Account progression |
None |
Legacy: 65 challenges, up to 16 points per character at launch |
| Look |
The original |
A Classic or Enhanced preset; optional transmog |
| Flying and level scaling |
None |
None |
What's new in WoW Forever
- A new race, the Skyborne. One race of elves, split between the factions: Alliance Skyborne can be Mages, Horde Skyborne Shamans, and both can play Warrior, Hunter, Rogue or Druid. They start on Zephras Isle, and playing one takes the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a bigger edition. Our Skyborne race guide has the rest.
- Six new race and class pairs for the original races: Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin. With the Skyborne, that makes 56 combinations, all in our race and class combinations.
- Four new regions: Mount Hyjal, Shen'dralas, the Riverglades and Zephras Isle, where you help restore Hyjal and build a future on the Riverglades frontier. Our WoW Forever atlas maps them with every flight path, and our new zones guide gives their levels.
- Nine new dungeons, then new raids. Four of the dungeons are already in the beta, among them the Ruins of Lordaeron and Excavation Site: Wetlands. Our dungeon guides list every boss and drop, and our new dungeons and raids article covers all nine.
- Classes and talents. The nine classes keep three trees each, with a new milestone talent at 16 points and many talents reworked; key buffs such as Blessing of Kings are now part of their class. Plan a build in our talent calculator, and meet each class in our classes guide.
- Stats and gear. Hit and critical strike become single stats for spells and weapons alike, caster weapons give spell power, and bonus healing also counts for damage at a third of its value. Every item is in our item database, and our itemization guide explains the changes.
- Professions and camping. Over 600 new recipes, and campfires where players rest, take one-hour buffs and place objects made with their professions. Every recipe is in our professions and recipes, and camping in our camping guide.
- Legacy. Each of 65 challenges earns a point for your whole account, and at launch a character can spend 16 of them in three perk trees. Try a split in our Legacy planner, and read our Legacy guide.
- Rulesets instead of realms. You pick Normal, PvP or Roleplaying, with Hardcore after launch; each ruleset is one large world, and names come in two parts, unique in your region. Our realms and rulesets guide explains how it works.
- Classic or Enhanced. The first time you launch the game, you choose a preset: Classic, with standard models and transmog off, or Enhanced, with HD models, quest markers and transmog on. Every setting can be changed later, as our transmog and presets guide shows.
What stays the same
- The journey from 1 to 60 across the original continents.
- Combat "rooted in the feel and pacing" of Classic.
- "No flying mounts, no level scaling, and a continued focus on challenge", in Blizzard's words.
- The subscription, the same one as for the rest of World of Warcraft.
Is WoW Forever free?
No. "World of Warcraft, including World of Warcraft: Forever, requires World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time," Blizzard writes. With a subscription you play from launch, and there is nothing else to buy. The upgrades are optional:
| Edition |
Price (Battle.net Shop, Oct. 6) |
What it adds |
| Skyborne Heroic Pack |
$29.99 / €29.99 |
The Skyborne race and Zephras Isle, Early Name Reservation, a mount and cosmetics, 1 Invite-A-Friend Launch Code |
| Skyborne Epic Pack |
$59.99 / €59.99 |
The Heroic Pack, plus beta access, 30 days of Game Time and 2 more launch codes |
| Warcraft Forever Collection |
$79.99 / €79.99 |
The Epic Pack, plus Warcraft III: Reforged and its Forsaken Kingdom campaign; on sale until January 11, 2027 |
A friend you invite with a launch code plays without a subscription from November 4 to 11. The physical Collector's Edition, prices in every currency and which edition suits whom are in our release date and editions guide.
When does WoW Forever come out?
On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST: 6:00 p.m. in New York, 11:00 p.m. in London and midnight going into November 5 in Paris and Berlin. There is no head start: everyone logs in at the same moment, and our launch countdown shows it in your time zone.
- Until October 21: the beta's last full day of testing.
- October 27 to November 3: Early Name Reservation for edition owners.
- December 9: the Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia's Lair (40) open.
- Winter: Hardcore launches, as its own ruleset, without an exact date yet.
- Spring and summer 2027: more raids, dungeons, quests and a revamped iconic raid, on Blizzard's roadmap.
Every date is in our launch calendar, with a calendar file for your phone.
Can you play it on PC, Mac or console?
Blizzard lists requirements for Windows and macOS only. At the minimum, that means Windows 10 64-bit, a four-core 3.0 GHz processor, 8 GB of RAM, a DirectX 12 graphics card with 4 GB and an SSD with 128 GB free, or macOS 12 with an Apple M2 or a 9th-generation Intel Core. No console version has been announced. Our system requirements article has the full specs.
Get ready for November 4
- Your route: follow our leveling route, zone by zone from 1 to 60, for the Alliance or the Horde.
- Your gear: find the best items for your spec, in PvE and PvP, in our BiS lists.
- Launch night: if you can't log in, check our server status page first.
