Overview
- Blizzard revealed World of Warcraft: Forever at BlizzCon and said the closed beta is available to players who pre‑purchase upgrade packs with the beta opening Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026 and the full release scheduled for Nov. 4, 2026.
- Forever will lock progression at level 60 'for the foreseeable future' while adding three new zones, overhauled classic regions, more than 1,000 quests, nine dungeons, two raids and a new PvP battleground called Darkspear Islands.
- The new Skyborne Elves race will be optional paid content and upgrade bundles on Battle.net will also grant early name reservations, cosmetics and beta access while the core Forever experience is included with an active WoW subscription.
- Blizzard is adding modern systems to preserve social play including an SD/HD model toggle, opt‑in transmog, camping, a Legacy system, gamepad support and an optional Hardcore mode, and it plans to test balance implications for unusual race/class mixes during the beta.
- The Forever plan follows Classic and retail runs and signals a long‑term strategy to run multiple WoW branches simultaneously, which could deepen nostalgia‑driven play but also raise questions about player split, support commitments and future balance that the beta should help clarify.