Blizzard confirmed Beta closure on 23 October 2026 after the scheduled 10:00 PDT (17:00 UTC) end. Next: early name reservation, then launch. Celebration items and experiences may not be available at launch.
Read the announcement ↗WoW Forever updates
Official release dates, Beta access and the latest recorded game changes.
Announced schedule
WoW Forever updates below come from Blizzard’s announcement and What’s Next recap. They are not inferred from the talent snapshot.
Past test schedule and installation reference: WoW Forever stress test.
Need the same ruleset as friends? WoW Forever servers has the grouping table.
Picking an instance by level? WoW Forever dungeons lists the nine new ones beside Classic, with official ranges and sourced records.
Need pickups before a low-level dungeon? WoW Forever quests lists the recorded Hall of Thanes and Ruins of Lordaeron quests.
Forever launches globally on 4 November 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific. The announcement writes PDT; the What’s Next recap writes PST.
Read the announcement ↗The What’s Next recap says new raids unlock on 9 December 2026.
Read the What’s Next recap ↗Current talent snapshot
465 talents · 1308 recorded ranks · link version beta-20261022-79b9f5bc. Data revision beta-20261027-a2e64a17, recorded 27 October 2026.
Data & sources ↗Launch and beta access, from the announcement
Is Forever included with a WoW subscription at launch?
Yes. The official announcement says launch access is included with a World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time. Skyborne packs are optional upgrades, not the only way to play at launch.
Can I still join the Beta?
Blizzard confirmed Beta closure on 23 October 2026 after the scheduled 10:00 PDT (17:00 UTC) end. Next: early name reservation, then launch. Celebration items and experiences may not be available at launch.
What comes next?
Skyborne Heroic Pack, Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection include up to three early characters total across all rulesets, on the specific WoW account that bought the upgrade. Names are first come, first served. Regional opening times are listed below. Reservation ends on 3 November; Blizzard has not published the exact closing hour.
Name reservation & Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes
Regional opening times are listed below. Reservation ends on 3 November; Blizzard has not published the exact closing hour.
Reserve up to three characters
Skyborne Heroic Pack, Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection include up to three early characters total across all rulesets, on the specific WoW account that bought the upgrade. Names are first come, first served.
Agree on a faction and ruleset with friends and prepare backup names. In Battle.net, select World of Warcraft → Game Version → World of Warcraft: Forever → Install. A test character does not reserve a launch name.
Name reservation opens by region
- Europe: · 2026-10-27 17:00 UTC
- North America: · 2026-10-27 20:00 UTC
- Korea: · 2026-10-27 22:00 UTC
- Taiwan: · 2026-10-27 23:00 UTC
Invite friends for launch week
Email delivery starts:
Skyborne Heroic Pack includes one code; Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection include three each. Delivery to every buyer on the first day is not guaranteed.
Open the purchase email, share a code privately with your friend, and have them redeem it through Battle.net.
Eligible recipients can play during the window shown without a subscription or game time. Codes do not include beta access. Gift purchases are excluded; check Blizzard support for other restrictions.
Official reading
Blizzard pages for dates, access and the recaps this site cites, plus the 18 September Known Issues thread.
Beta has ended
Blizzard confirmed Beta closure on 23 October 2026 after the scheduled 10:00 PDT (17:00 UTC) end. Next: early name reservation, then launch. Celebration items and experiences may not be available at launch.
Read the announcement ↗Carve a New Path with World of Warcraft: Forever
Launch date, subscription access and the optional Skyborne packs.
Read the announcement ↗World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap
Paladin talent notes on Class changes cite this recap.
Read the Deep Dive recap ↗World of Warcraft: Forever What’s Next Panel Recap
Named regions and the 9 December raid unlock.
Read the What’s Next recap ↗The 18 September thread lists current Beta issues. Examples include Starshards and Twilight Focus, Vengeance, Holy Strike ranks, Create Firestone 3–4, Bear Form multiplying consumable and buff armor, queued Heroic Strike, Cleave and Raptor Strike, Arcane Missiles, and low-level resurrection sickness. Later-build fixes named there are not confirmed on this site.
Read the Known Issues thread ↗Sourced game-data changes
A note appears here only when a later export or an official line shows the game data itself changed. Preview-to-Classic comparisons live on Class changes.
Preview trees drop two talents and swap several cells
The 17 September export removes Warrior Protection Vitality and Druid Balance Balance of Nature (470 → 468). Bastion moves into Vitality’s cell, Restoration swaps Totemic Focus and Tidal Mastery, Combat replaces Restless Blades with Flawless Execution, and Affliction renames Drain Hope to Wrack. Saved drafts and shared links from the previous version are incompatible; copy a new link after rebuilding.
Talents touched- Warrior · Bastion
- Warrior · Focused Rage
- Rogue · Combat · Flawless Execution
- Warlock · Affliction · Wrack
- Shaman · Totemic Focus
- Shaman · Restoration · Tidal Mastery
Racials and Legacy records from 18 September are a data correction on Changelog. ↗
WoW Forever updates FAQ
Dates and access lines from Blizzard’s announcement and recaps.
When does WoW Forever launch?
4 November 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific. The announcement writes PDT; the What’s Next recap writes PST.
Can I still join the Beta?
Blizzard confirmed Beta closure on 23 October 2026 after the scheduled 10:00 PDT (17:00 UTC) end. Next: early name reservation, then launch. Celebration items and experiences may not be available at launch.
Where do the launch and beta dates come from?
Blizzard’s launch announcement, What’s Next recap, and official Beta closure confirmation.
Shared build links change version only when the tree layout changes; text-only refreshes keep every link valid. Data & sources →