WoW Forever

World of Warcraft: Forever is Blizzard's Classic+: the original Azeroth and its level-60 cap, with new zones, dungeons and raids, a new race, and classes reworked. It runs alongside Classic Era rather than replacing it — and this site covers Classic Era, so here is what Forever changes.

Last checked against the announcements on 15 September 2026. The beta changes things; sources are at the bottom.

Beta

17 September to 21 October 2026Blizzard

Name reservation

27 October 2026Edition owners · reported

Launch

4 November 20263:00 p.m. PST · Blizzard

How to get it

• Included with a World of Warcraft subscription or game time — no separate purchase to play.
• The Skyborne race needs one of the three editions: the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection.
• Guaranteed beta access comes only with the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection. Opting in on the World of Warcraft site does not guarantee it.

What is new

• New zones: Mount Hyjal, The Riverglades, Shen'dralas, Zephras Isle — Zephras Isle is where the Skyborne start.
• A new race: the Skyborne, playable on either faction.
• 9 new dungeons: Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron, Wetlands Dig Site, Dalaran, The Drowned City, Krol'dok Stronghold, Alcaz Prison, Blackmaw Hold, Shaper's Terrace.
• Raids: Hyjal Summit (20 players) and The Barrow Deeps (10 players).
• A new battleground: Darkspear Islands.
• More than 1,000 new quests, with the original zones expanded as well as new ones added.
• Systems: Transmogrification; Legacy — progress shared across an account; Camping — player-built campsites with rest, vendors and profession workspaces.
• No realms. Players choose a ruleset — Normal, PvP or Roleplaying — instead of a server.
• The level cap stays at 60.

What changes from Classic Era

Each change below is set against this site's own Classic Era data, read from the 1.12 game files — so what you see is not only that something changes, but exactly what it was.

New race and class pairings Confirmed

Talents leaving the trees Reported

Talents that did nothing but strengthen a group buff are reported to leave the trees, so that no build is forced to spend points on them. Every report names these three; a fourth is named differently from one report to the next, so it is not listed here. In Classic Era each cost this much to reach:

Every talent tree gains a new one-point talent at 16 points, alongside the existing milestones.

Hit and critical strike merged Reported

Hit and critical strike are merged into single stats rather than split between melee, ranged and spells. In Classic Era, 677 of the 7,856 pieces of equipment in this site's gear planner carry at least one of the stats being merged — 185 with hit, 366 with critical strike and 206 with spell critical strike. Their totals will not read the same way in Forever.

Dungeon loot Reported

Every dungeon drop has been re-examined, with hundreds of new or adjusted items. The drop tables on this site describe Classic Era and will not match Forever's dungeons.

Not confirmed yet

• When Hardcore arrives. One report says it is available at launch, another that it follows later; Blizzard's own article does not say.
• The full list of talents leaving the trees. Reports agree on three and name the fourth differently.
• Any change to professions. Details have circulated, but none appears in anything Blizzard has published.
• Raid unlock dates.

What this site covers

Everything else on WoW Guides is Classic Era, patch 1.12.1. The talent calculator, rotation trainer and gear planner are built from the Classic Era client's own data tables, which is how they avoid guessing. A Forever version of each needs the same tables from the Forever client — and those have not been published: the beta has not started, and the source this site reads Classic Era from lists no Forever build yet.

Some of the site cannot have a Forever version at all. Drop chances, trainer positions, fishing waters and gathering spawns come from a 1.12 server database, and there is no equivalent for Forever. See how this site is built.

FAQ

• When does WoW Forever come out?

  World of Warcraft: Forever launches worldwide on 4 November 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST. The beta runs from 17 September to 21 October 2026.

• Is WoW Forever free with a subscription?

  Yes. Access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or game time. The paid editions add the Skyborne race, beta access with the two higher tiers, and cosmetics.

• How do I get into the WoW Forever beta?

  The Skyborne Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection guarantee beta access. Opting in on the World of Warcraft site enters you for a chance at an invite but does not guarantee one.

• Is WoW Forever the same as WoW Classic Era?

  No. It keeps the vanilla world and the level-60 cap, but adds new zones, dungeons, raids, a new race and new race and class pairings, and — as reported from the BlizzCon presentation — rebuilds the talent trees and merges hit with critical strike. Talent builds, rotations and gear numbers from Classic Era do not carry over.

• Does WoW Guides have a Forever talent calculator?

  Not yet, and it will not guess one. The talent calculator here is built from the Classic Era client's own tables; a Forever version needs the Forever client's tables, which have not been published. Anything calling itself a Forever talent calculator before then is working from a presentation, not from the game.

Sources

• Blizzard — Pre-purchase World of Warcraft: Forever upgrades
• Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever
• Blizzard Watch — Forever unveiled, launching November 4
• Blizzard Watch — Forever will be realmless
• classicwow.gg — Forever vs Classic Era, announced changes
• Output Lag — a fourth one-point talent at 16 points