Forever is the Classic Plus that stopped being a rumor
The long-rumored Classic Plus, announced and dated in the same breath. Forever is a permanent version of the game alongside Modern and Classic: level 1 to 60 on the original continents, but with new zones, new dungeons, a new race, no realms, and updates that keep arriving. Blizzard's Day 2 panels wrote most of the systems down.
The short answer
A third version of the game, capped at 60, with no realms
Forever goes live November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST, with a beta from September 17 for Epic Pack and Collection buyers. It sits permanently alongside Modern and Classic rather than replacing either: the original continents, level 1 to 60, and content that keeps being added inside that bracket instead of above it. Four new zones, nine dungeons, two raids, a 15 versus 15 battleground, over a thousand quests, Legacy progression, Camping, six new race and class pairs, and the Skyborne. Rulesets replace realms, and Hardcore comes after launch.
What is confirmed, and by whom
The opening ceremony gave the dates and the setting. Blizzard's Day 2 recaps of the What's Next and Deep Dive panels wrote down nearly everything else, so almost every entry here is now a Blizzard post rather than stage reporting.
Launches November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Beta opens September 17, 2026. Access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time; the paid packs are optional.
Beta access comes with a paid pack
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.The Skyborne Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection carry beta access from September 17. The cheaper Skyborne Heroic Pack (the race, the Zephras Isle start, cosmetics, one Invite-A-Friend code) does not.
Set between Forsaken Kingdom and Molten Core
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.After the events of Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core opens. A reimagined original Azeroth rather than a fresh Classic realm on the old timeline.
Level 60 is still the cap, and nothing scales
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.The 1 to 60 bracket is the whole game: no flying mounts and no level scaling. New content is spread through the bracket instead of stacked past it, which is the part that separates Forever from an expansion.
The Skyborne pick a faction at creation
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.A new playable race from Zephras Isle. Choosing Alliance opens Mage, choosing Horde opens Shaman; both sides can also play Warrior, Hunter, Rogue and Druid. The neutral-race framing from the opening ceremony was replaced by this on Day 2.
No realms: four rulesets instead
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Normal, PvP, Roleplaying, and Hardcore, each working like one mega-realm. No grouping across rulesets, factions stay separate, and characters carry two-part names per region.
Hardcore arrives after launch
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.A fully enclosed ecosystem, not available on November 4. When a Hardcore character dies it can transfer to another ruleset, PvP included, rather than being deleted.
Four new zones
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Mount Hyjal, Shen'dralas, the Riverglades (more than 150 new quests across the mid-30s to mid-40s), and Zephras Isle, alongside reworked existing zones.
More than a thousand new quests
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Woven through the whole 1 to 60 journey rather than concentrated at the cap.
Nine new dungeons
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron, Whelgar's Excavation Site, City of Dalaran, Blackmaw Hold, Drowned City, Krol'dok Stronghold, Alcaz Prison, and Shaper's Terrace.
Two raids, the first opening December 9
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Hyjal Summit is a 20-player raid; Barrow Deeps is a 10-player maximum-level challenge. Blizzard dated the first raid unlock for December 9, five weeks after launch.
Darkspear Islands, a 15 versus 15 battleground
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.The new battleground. Existing battlegrounds were not listed in the recap.
Legacy: account-wide progression that is not a level
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Inspired by how Hardcore players level. Legacy Challenges earn Legacy Points for three trees (Professions, Adventure, Resourcefulness), up to 16 points spent per character and up to 65 earnable at the start. Points are shared account-wide across every ruleset except Hardcore, and a reward track hands out cosmetics like the Spectral Bear Cub.
Camping replaces the cooking fire
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.A Basic Campfire takes up to three crafted objects from nearby players, one each on an hour cooldown: a Blacksmith's Sharpening Wheel for Attack Power, a Tailor's Faction Banner for Spirit, an Herbalist's Incense Candle for Intellect. Every profession gets three objects, the first at skill 20, and Blueprint recipes for the better ones drop from dungeon bosses.
Over 600 new recipes
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Across professions and level ranges. Crafted food now gives a small experience bonus on top of its stats.
Six new race and class pairs
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, and Undead Paladin, with more planned. Every race now carries two active and two passive racials.
Talent trees keep the Classic shape
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.The same number of rows, with the one-point milestone talents at 11, 21 and 31 points joined by a new one at 16. Divine Spirit, Blessing of Kings and Improved Mark of the Wild become baseline.
Paladins get Holy Strike and a tanking seal
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Holy Strike at level 6 (an instant Holy weapon strike on a 12-second cooldown), Seals no longer consumed by Judgment, the tank-focused Seal of Fury for fast weapons, Consecration baseline at 20, Holy Shock on a 10-second cooldown, and Swift Judgment resetting Judgment once a minute. Still no interrupt.
Transmog is opt-in, and dungeon drops unlock for the group
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Off by default and switchable at a city transmogrifier. An Uncommon or Rare bind-on-pickup dungeon drop grants its appearance to every eligible looter; Epic raid drops bind their look to the receiver only. Armor type restrictions stay, level restrictions end at 60, and Classic Mode disables it entirely.
Itemization reworked, hundreds of new drops
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Spell, melee and ranged hit chance combine, as do the three critical chances. Caster weapons grant spell damage and healing, unique dungeon boss items rise to blue quality, and hundreds of new dungeon drops and rare-creature drops were added.
Official gamepad support and HD or SD models
blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.Controller play is built in, and character models can be shown in HD or the original SD.
Forsaken Charger, the Undead Paladin mount
panel report. Shown at the BlizzCon 2026 panels and reported by outlets, but not yet written into a Blizzard post. Treat it as provisional.Shown at the con and covered as a first look by outlets; Blizzard's recaps confirm the Undead Paladin but do not describe the mount.
Rulesets instead of realms
There is no realm list. You choose how you want the world to behave, and everyone who chose the same thing shares it. The choice is sticky: no grouping across rulesets, and factions stay apart inside each one.
| Ruleset | At launch | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Yes | The baseline game with a focus on cooperation; player-versus-player combat needs mutual consent. |
| PvP | Yes | Every trip into contested territory carries more danger and world conflict. |
| Roleplaying | Yes | For players who want to lean more deeply into the fantasy of Azeroth. |
| Hardcore | After launch | Death carries lasting consequences. A fully enclosed ecosystem; a dead character can transfer to another ruleset, including PvP. |
The nine dungeons and two raids
Names from Blizzard's What's Next recap. Level ranges, boss counts and loot are not published, and the first raid unlock is dated December 9.
Dungeons
- Hall of Thanes
- Ruins of Lordaeron
- Whelgar's Excavation Site
- City of Dalaran
- Blackmaw Hold
- Drowned City
- Krol'dok Stronghold
- Alcaz Prison
- Shaper's Terrace
Raids
- Hyjal Summit - 20-player
- Barrow Deeps - 10-player, maximum level
Both raids are smaller than the 40-player originals. Blizzard has not said which of the two opens December 9.
Forever, Classic, and Modern side by side
| Version | Level cap | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Forever | 60 | A reimagined original Azeroth that keeps growing, set before Molten Core opens. |
| Classic | Varies by branch | The original game and its expansions replayed on their own timeline. |
| Modern | Raised each expansion | The live retail game, currently Midnight, heading into The Last Titan. |
Everything else on this site describes Modern. Class guides, keystone timers and gearing paths are written for retail Midnight and do not transfer to a level-60 ruleset.
Getting into the beta
The beta starts September 17, 2026, ahead of the November 4 launch, and access is tied to a purchase: the Skyborne Epic Pack (the Heroic Pack contents plus 30 days of Game Time and three Invite-A-Friend codes) or the limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection (the Epic Pack plus Warcraft III: Reforged and the Forsaken Kingdom campaign). Buying the Heroic Pack alone gets you the Skyborne and the Zephras Isle start on launch day, not the beta.
Where each claim came from
- blizzard post. Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.
- Transcribed from an official Blizzard article. Names and numbers are theirs.
- panel report. Shown at the BlizzCon 2026 panels and reported by outlets, but not yet written into a Blizzard post. Treat it as provisional.
- Shown at the BlizzCon 2026 panels and reported by outlets, but not yet written into a Blizzard post. Treat it as provisional.
- press estimate. Reported by an outlet on its own, such as a datamined patch number or a release-date guess. No panel showed it and no Blizzard post confirms it.
- Reported by an outlet on its own, such as a datamined patch number or a release-date guess. No panel showed it and no Blizzard post confirms it.
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft at BlizzCon 2026 Forever release and beta dates, setting, the Skyborne race, and the tease for The Last Titan
- Blizzard: Carve a New Path with World of Warcraft: Forever Launch time, subscription access, the paid packs, which packs carry beta access, and the Skyborne starting experience
- Blizzard: Forever What's Next Panel Recap The four zones, quest count, the nine dungeons, both raids and the first raid unlock, the Skyborne factions, Darkspear Islands, and gamepad support
- Blizzard: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap Rulesets instead of realms, Hardcore, Camping, Legacy, professions, talents, the Paladin rework, itemization, transmog, and the six new race and class pairs
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