World of Warcraft: Forever opens at 11pm GMT on 4 November 2026, giving players a new start in a reworked version of original Azeroth. Before creating a character, agree on a ruleset and faction with your friends. Those choices decide who you can actually play with, and changing your mind about a ruleset means starting another character.
Blizzard confirmed the global launch details in its 3 November announcement. The UK unlock is 23:00 UTC, so the European date rolls into 5 November in several other regions. Access is included with an active WoW subscription or Game Time.
The appeal is a familiar world with room for unfamiliar journeys. Forever stays with the original continents and a level cap of 60, while adding places, quests and character options. It sits alongside modern and Classic WoW. Your decision is which version of Azeroth you want to spend an evening in.
Start with the people you want to play with
The old question of which realm to join becomes a choice of ruleset. Normal suits players who want to adventure without constant attacks from the opposing faction. PvP allows that danger, while Roleplay and Roleplay PvP add naming and behaviour expectations for playing in character.
These are separate communities. Blizzard's ruleset explanation says dungeon groups and raids cannot cross between them. Horde and Alliance characters cannot group together either. A friend choosing Normal while you choose PvP is a practical problem, even if you both picked the same faction.
There is no free switching between rulesets on the same character. Pick another ruleset and you need a new character there. PvP also restricts your characters to one faction, so settle the Horde-or-Alliance question before anyone gets attached to a name.
Hardcore arrives after launch. Blizzard has not given an exact date in these guides, so a group planning around that mode should treat it as a later option. Ordinary launch characters are not a substitute for a confirmed Hardcore start.
Classic and Enhanced change the interface
The first-run preset screen asks a different question. Classic and Enhanced are presentation defaults, rather than separate rulesets or difficulty levels.
Blizzard's starter guide describes Enhanced as a starting setup with higher-definition character models, quest markers and objective areas, a combined bag view and transmog enabled. Classic starts with older-style models and a familiar screen layout, with several conveniences switched off.
You can adjust individual settings later. Choosing Classic does not require every member of your party to do the same, and choosing Enhanced does not place you in a different community. That makes the preset a much easier decision to revisit than your ruleset.
On Windows or Mac, install through the Battle.net desktop app and select Forever from the available WoW versions. Check Blizzard's current requirements before downloading rather than assuming an old WoW installation proves your machine is ready.
A level-60 world with new routes through it
The world changes matter most for returning players who know the old levelling routes by heart. Blizzard lists Mount Hyjal, Shen'dralas, the Riverglades and Zephras Isle among the destinations, with more than 1,000 new quests across the journey.
Its comparison with familiar WoW systems also describes nine new five-player dungeons covering levels 13 to 60. Group content is part of the climb, rather than something that only becomes relevant once levelling ends.
Classes have revised talents and abilities rooted in original WoW. A class name you recognise does not mean a modern build transfers unchanged. Hunters can use traps in combat, for example, while pet changes include gear scaling and family abilities.
Progression also extends through the account-wide Legacy System. Each character can spend up to 16 Legacy Points at launch, and one character can reach that spending cap. You do not have to make a collection of alternate characters just to benefit.
Controller support comes with a keyboard caveat
Blizzard's gamepad guide supports XInput-compatible controllers and describes the feature as a functional beta. An earlier Xbox Wire preview called it alpha support. Blizzard's guide is the more specific reference for setup, but both descriptions make clear that development continues.
Enable it under Gameplay in the Options menu. Shoulder buttons select friendly and hostile targets, while the triggers switch action bars. The arrangement gives abilities their own controller layout instead of asking you to move a pointer around a keyboard-oriented screen.
Chat still needs a keyboard, and some screens lack controller footers. Keep one nearby. Controller support is a way to play the PC or Mac game; these announcements do not establish a console release.
The first raids have their own start date
Launch night does not open every endgame activity. Blizzard's raid overview dates the initial raids for 9 December.
Barrow Deeps takes 10 players, Hyjal Summit takes 20, and Onyxia's Lair takes 40. All require level 60. Onyxia also requires every participant to carry the Drakefire Amulet, so reaching the level cap alone will not get a group through the entrance.
That gives a prospective guild something concrete to plan around. Agree on the same ruleset and faction first, then work backwards from the raid size your group can realistically support.
Cover image: Blizzard Entertainment, via the official Forever launch guide.