Blizzard announced World of Warcraft: Forever at BlizzCon 2026, a new take on classic WoW that players spent years calling Classic Plus. It is not a re-release of the old game but a continuation in the spirit of the original: new zones, a thousand new quests, nine dungeons and a new race called the Skyborne. It launches on 4 November 2026, and the beta starts on 17 September.
What is new in World of Warcraft: Forever
- 1,000 new quests. Spread across the whole 1 to 60 journey rather than piled up at the end.
- New zones. Mount Hyjal, Zephras Isle for the new race, and the Riverglades.
- Nine new dungeons. Plus raids for 10 and 20 players.
- New race and class combinations. The trailer shows an Undead Paladin.
- Extra skills and talents. And new reputations with account wide rewards.
- A new battleground. Darkspear Islands.
The old zones have been reworked
Familiar places were not just carried over as they were. The official page shows updated Ashenvale, Felwood, Mulgore, Darkshore and other original zones.
Graphics: you can keep the old look
Characters get a toggle between the old models and new high definition ones. The engine itself gains new lighting with global illumination, volumetric particles, new water and real time shadows. So the nostalgia stays and the blur goes.
Skyborne: a new race that costs extra
The Skyborne are a new neutral elven race with their own starting questline on Zephras Isle. You can only play them after buying the Skyborne Heroic Pack for 29.99 dollars or a higher edition.
Beta, subscription and dates
- Beta from 17 September to 21 October 2026. Access goes to anyone who preorders the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection.
- Name reservation from 27 October to 3 November. First come, first served.
- Launch on 4 November 2026.
- A subscription is required. Just like regular World of Warcraft. The Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection include 30 days of game time.
- Warcraft Forever Collection. Bundled with the new Forsaken Kingdom campaign for Warcraft III, on sale until 11 January 2027.
And what about regular World of Warcraft
The main version got news too. The big Eclipse update, numbered 12.2, continues Xal'atath's story, and early 2027 brings The Last Titan, the final part of the Worldsoul Saga.
Sources
The 4 November 2026 launch date, the 17 September beta start, three new zones, more than 1,000 quests, nine dungeons, two raids and the Skyborne race, as well as the Eclipse 12.2 update about Xal'atath and The Last Titan arriving in early 2027, come from Blizzard's official BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony recap. The zone names Mount Hyjal, Zephras Isle and the Riverglades, quests spread across levels 1 to 60, raids for 10 and 20 players, the toggle between old and new character models, the new lighting, particles, water and shadows, the Darkspear Islands battleground, and the new talents and reputations come from Game Informer. The 29.99 dollar price of the Skyborne Heroic Pack comes from Wowhead. The subscription terms, 30 days of game time in the editions, the beta running until 21 October, name reservation from 27 October to 3 November, Skyborne access requiring the Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher, and the Warcraft Forever Collection being on sale until 11 January 2027 come from the official worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com page. The videos are official uploads from the World of Warcraft channel. Screenshots and artwork come from the game's official page.
