WoW Forever Guide: Release Date, Classes, Races and Dungeons

World of Warcraft: Forever is a reimagined, level 1 to 60 version of original Azeroth that launches November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific. It is included with an active WoW subscription or Game Time. It has nine classes, a new race (the Skyborne), nine new dungeons and raids from December 9. This guide covers how to start, what to pick and what to expect.

When does WoW: Forever launch and what does it cost?

World of Warcraft: Forever goes live globally on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific (11:00 p.m. UTC).²⁵ You do not need to buy a separate game. An active WoW subscription or Game Time covers it, and you choose it as its own game version in the Battle.net desktop app.¹⁵

Name reservation runs October 27 to November 3. Per one guide, it covers up to three characters, first come first served, and only for owners of an upgrade pack.²³

Optional upgrade packs

The beta has ended, so beta access is no longer a reason to buy a bigger pack.³

System requirements

You can play on Windows or Mac with keyboard and mouse. Controller support exists but is still in a beta state.¹ One guide lists Windows 10 64-bit (May 2019 Update) or later, or macOS 12 or later, with 128 GB free on an SSD. Very old graphics cards are not supported, so check Blizzard's current requirements before you install.²

Which preset and ruleset should you pick?

Pick a preset

The first time you log in you choose an Experience Preset, before you pick a ruleset.¹ It is a starting point, and you can change every setting later under Game Menu, then Options.

Blizzard's advice: if you are not sure, start with Enhanced.¹ Each new character can also use HD or SD models, which changes looks only. Abilities and progression are the same.¹

Pick a ruleset

Rulesets replace realm choice. They decide how player-versus-player combat works and what community conventions apply.¹³

• Normal: adventuring and monsters, with PvP at your discretion. The welcoming choice for new players.
• PvP: you can be attacked by the opposing faction through much of the open world.
• Roleplay: naming and behavior rules for staying in character.
• Roleplay-PvP: strict roleplay rules plus constant PvP risk.
• Hardcore: planned for after launch. A character's journey can end in death, and details are still to come.

Names work differently too: a main name plus a secondary name, and the full combination must be unique in your region. You can hide the secondary name on nameplates, though it still shows in chat.¹

What races and classes are in WoW: Forever?

All nine classic classes return, each with three specializations.³

Alliance races: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome. Horde races: Orc, Forsaken, Tauren, Troll. Both factions can also play the new Skyborne.²

Forever adds new race and class pairings. One guide lists six: Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, Undead Paladin, Human Hunter, Gnome Priest and Dwarf Shaman.² A second guide confirms Forsaken Paladins and Dwarf Shamans.⁵

No class is officially the best for beginners. The community advice across guides is the same: choose the class and role you will enjoy for dozens of levels, not whatever tops a tier list.²³ Blizzard itself suggests trying another class if your first pick does not feel right.¹

What are the Skyborne?

The Skyborne are the headline addition. At character creation you choose whether yours joins the Horde or the Alliance. Horde-aligned Skyborne follow elemental traditions and can be Shaman. Alliance-aligned Skyborne follow their ancestors' arcane legacy and can be Mage. Both start on Zephras Isle, a level 1 to 12 zone.¹

Skyborne require the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher upgrade.¹³ For more on their story, see the confirmed lore in our WoW fact list.

How does leveling work?

The journey runs from level 1 to 60 across the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor, with more than 1,000 quests, new areas and reworked rewards.⁴ Zones have fixed levels, with no level scaling, and there are no flying mounts. You travel by road, boat, flight path and Hearthstone.⁴

Named zones to look for include Zephras Isle, Mount Hyjal, the Riverglades and Shen'dralas, plus the Wetlands excavation dungeon.¹²

Combat is slower and more tactical than in modern WoW. One guide puts an ordinary solo kill at roughly 10 to 15 seconds.² In groups, threat control and crowd control (Polymorph, Fear, roots and similar) matter.⁴ Quest-item drops are also designed to be spread more evenly across a group.⁴

What dungeons are in WoW: Forever?

Nine new five-player dungeons cover levels 13 to 60.³

Level ranges come from a single guide and could shift at launch.³ Beta advice for dungeons: trash mobs give little experience, but one-time dungeon quests give a lot. Collect the quests, clear each dungeon in your range at least once, then go back to questing.⁴ A standard group is five players: a tank, a healer and three damage dealers.¹

What raids are in WoW: Forever?

Raids unlock on December 9, 2026, about five weeks after launch.²³

All three are level 60 content. More raids, dungeons, PvP updates and Hardcore are planned after launch.³

How do professions and camping work?

Each character can learn two primary professions and all three secondary ones.¹

• Gathering: Herbalism, Mining, Skinning.
• Crafting: Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Enchanting, Engineering, Leatherworking, Tailoring.
• Secondary: Cooking, Fishing, First Aid.

Guides report more than 600 new recipes.²⁴ Open the Professions window with K and visit a trainer in a starting area or major city to learn one.¹ Professions are meant to be leveled while you quest, not saved for level 60.⁴

Campsites

Camping is a new system that gives professions a shared, social role in the open world.¹³

• A Basic Campfire starts a campsite and supports up to three profession-made objects. Each nearby player can add one.³⁴
• Sitting or crafting nearby for about a minute grants the benefits, and most combat buffs last around an hour.³⁴
• You do not need the profession that made an object to use it, so mixed groups build better camps.⁴
• Campsites can also provide vendors, repairs and crafting workspaces.²

What is the Legacy system?

Legacy is a horizontal progression system that rewards activity beyond leveling one character. Challenges span character progression, professions, PvP, dungeons and raids, and exploration, and they earn Legacy Points that unlock account-wide perks.³ It is not meant to replace normal class progression or act as a gear ladder.³

You earn your first point by doing any one of these:³

1. Reach level 25 with a character.
2. Reach skill 150 in a non-gathering primary profession.
3. Explore the whole world map with one character.

Gear and stats

Several stat rules are simplified. Spell, melee and ranged hit are combined into one Hit stat, and critical strike is unified too.²⁴ Baseline spell damage and healing are lower, so spell power on gear matters more, and healing gear gains some value from spell damage.⁴ Weapon skill still matters: a weapon type you rarely use will perform poorly until the skill improves.⁴ Judge each item on its own and do not lean on old Classic gear guides.

PvP

Open-world PvP depends on your ruleset. For organized PvP, a community guide reports a 15 vs 15 Darkspear Islands battleground with capture points and a central flag, plus Honor and Rank Points for progression.⁵ Treat PvP details as preview information until launch.

What should you do in your first hour?

Blizzard's own starter guide gives five tips:¹

1. Read ability tooltips and quest text. Both teach you how the world works.
2. Keep your Hearthstone handy and visit flight masters to learn flight paths.
3. Repair gear, sell junk and save coin for training, bags and travel.
4. Ask for help when a quest feels hard.
5. Switch classes if your first pick does not click.

Hotkeys worth knowing

Other basics: right-click an item to equip it, right-click vendors to buy or sell, and check the Buyback tab if you sell something by mistake. If you die, run back to your corpse and choose where you resurrect carefully. The Spirit Healer is the fallback, but it damages gear durability and can apply Resurrection Sickness.¹

Settings that community guides suggest: lock your action bars so you cannot drag abilities off mid-fight, show health as numbers and percentages, and turn on Target of Target.²

Want company? Blizzard points new players to the official WoW Portal Room on Discord.¹

WoW Forever FAQ