Blizzard has released Forsaken Kingdom, a new story campaign for Warcraft III Reforged, and it is the first new Warcraft III story in 23 years, since The Frozen Throne. It was shown at the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony and went live the same day, no preorders, no waiting. The campaign is paid, starting at 29.99 dollars, and alongside it every Reforged owner got a large free 3.0 update with new graphics and a reworked map editor.
What is inside Forsaken Kingdom
This is not a couple of bonus maps but a full campaign on the scale of the original chapters. Blizzard promises more than 30 hours of play.
- The Last Days of Lordaeron prologue. The final days of the kingdom right after Arthas killed his own father.
- The Forsaken Kingdom main campaign. A prologue and three chapters, more than 30 hours in total.
- Heroes and enemies. Sylvanas Windrunner, Putress, the Scarlet Crusade and the forces of the Scourge.
- A new neutral hero. The Forsaken Paladin, once a guardian of Lordaeron.
- Platform. PC only, through Battle.net.
The story: how Lordaeron became the Undercity
The original undead campaign in Reign of Chaos took Arthas north to the Frozen Throne and left the human capital off screen. Forsaken Kingdom goes back exactly there. The people of Lordaeron, raised by the Scourge, try to break the Lich King's hold and win back their free will, and Sylvanas leads them.
From there the story goes down beneath the ruined castle, where the Forsaken build the Undercity. On the way you fight both the Scarlet Crusade, which hates every undead without distinction, and what is left of the Scourge, which has no intention of letting its runaways go. If you played World of Warcraft, this is the moment the Horde got its capital underground.
How much it costs
The campaign is sold on its own or in a bundle with the new version of World of Warcraft.
- Standard edition, 29.99 dollars. The Forsaken Kingdom campaign with its prologue.
- Spoils of War Edition, 39.99 dollars. Adds skins for four heroes and bonuses for World of Warcraft and Hearthstone.
- Warcraft Forever Collection. Forsaken Kingdom together with the Skyborne Epic Pack for World of Warcraft: Forever, on sale until 11 January 2027.
A free 3.0 update for everyone
The nicest part of this news is that you do not have to buy the campaign to get the rest. The 3.0 update went out to every Reforged owner.
- A new Definitive Edition graphics mode. More detail on terrain, buildings and units, with the same top down isometric camera.
- Switchable graphics. Definitive Edition and the original look can be swapped at any time.
- 24 units in one group. Twice the familiar twelve.
- The Forsaken Paladin for everyone. The new neutral hero is available in every version of the game, even without the campaign.
- A reworked World Editor. More control over terrain and lighting settings.
- New game servers and an improved inventory. From the feature list on the game's page.
Custom map makers get their own treat. The editor is what once gave the world Dota and dozens of genres, and Blizzard clearly remembers who Warcraft III owes its long life to.
Why this matters after Reforged
Reforged itself had a rough launch in 2020: bugs, missing features from the original and decisions that long time fans did not like. For years it looked like Blizzard had simply closed the book. A new 30 hour campaign, a free graphics mode and a reworked editor look like a serious attempt to give the game back the place it used to hold.
You can check whether it worked today: the campaign is available right now.
Sources
The announcement and release date come from Blizzard's official BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony recap, which says the Forsaken Kingdom campaign is available now and is the first new Warcraft III story in more than 23 years, and that the 3.0 update includes a graphics overhaul and a World Editor revamp. The campaign structure, The Last Days of Lordaeron prologue and three chapters, more than 30 hours, the story of Lordaeron's people raised by the Scourge and led by Sylvanas, the prices of 29.99 dollars for the standard edition and 39.99 dollars for the Spoils of War Edition with hero skins and bonuses for World of Warcraft and Hearthstone, and the PC only release are taken from Blizzard's press release as reported by Worthplaying. Putress, the Scarlet Crusade and Naxxramas as part of the campaign, and the option to buy it standalone or in a bundle, come from Kotaku. The Definitive Edition mode with the isometric camera kept, switchable graphics, 24 unit group selection, the Forsaken Paladin being available to all players and the World Editor changes come from Game Informer and Worthplaying. The edition feature list, including new game servers and an improved inventory, and the Warcraft Forever Collection being on sale until 11 January 2027 come from the official warcraft3.blizzard.com and worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com pages. The video is an official upload from the World of Warcraft channel. Screenshots and artwork come from the official Warcraft III Reforged website.
