Key facts at a glance
- Blizzard published an official New Player’s Starter Guide for World of Warcraft: Forever on October 28, 2026.
- Your first login asks you to pick an Experience Preset – Classic or Enhanced – and Blizzard suggests Enhanced if you are unsure.
- Normal, PvP, Roleplay and Roleplay-PvP Rulesets are available at launch; Hardcore comes later.
- The game runs on Windows and Mac with an active WoW subscription or Game Time; controller support is in beta.
- WoW: Forever launches November 4, 2026 – Blizzard says you have seven days left to settle on a race and class.
Before you start: account, subscription and first settings
An active World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time is all you need to play WoW: Forever. Install it through the Battle.net app and select World of Warcraft: Forever from the game versions. Blizzard recommends enabling two-factor authentication and supports Windows and Mac with keyboard and mouse, with controllers in a beta state.
On first login you choose an Experience Preset. It only sets your starting point – every individual option can be changed later under Game Menu > Options:
| Setting | Classic | Enhanced |
|---|---|---|
| Character models | Standard Definition | High Definition |
| Quest points of interest and objective blobs | off | on |
| One-bag | off | on |
| Transmog | off | on |
| Screen layout | classic | centralized |
Ruleset, race and class
Your Ruleset comes before your first character, and it decides who you can play with. Grouping, guilds, dungeons and raids only work with players on the same Ruleset and faction, so agree on both with friends first. Blizzard points newcomers to Normal. The full rules are in our Ruleset news.
Faction sets your cities and stories, race sets appearance, starting zone and racial abilities, and class sets how you fight; the classes and races page lists them all. Each character can also use HD or SD models – a purely visual choice you can switch later at a Barbershop. Names use a main and a secondary name, and the combination has to be unique in your region.
Skyborne pick Horde or Alliance at creation: Horde Skyborne can play Shaman, Alliance Skyborne can play Mage. Both begin on Zephras Isle, a level 1–12 zone. Skyborne require the Heroic Pack or a higher digital upgrade.
First steps, professions and campsites
The guide walks through the basics: accepting and tracking quests, dragging abilities from the Spellbook to your action bar, visiting class trainers, and binding your Hearthstone at an innkeeper. After death you run back to your corpse as a spirit; the Spirit Healer resurrects you on the spot but damages gear durability and can apply Resurrection Sickness.
Every character can learn two primary professions and all three secondary ones. Gathering covers Herbalism, Mining and Skinning; the secondary professions are Cooking, Fishing and First Aid. Recipes for all of them are in the professions overview. Open-world campsites let players rest, trade and share profession-made benefits.
Later journeys lead to places like the Riverglades, Shen’Dralas and Mount Hyjal.
FAQ
How much does WoW: Forever cost?
It is included with an active World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. Playing Skyborne requires the Heroic Pack or a higher upgrade.
Should I pick the Classic or Enhanced preset?
Blizzard suggests Enhanced if you are unsure. The preset is just a starting point, and every setting can be changed in Options later.
Can I play with friends on a different Ruleset?
No. Groups, guilds, dungeons and raids only work with players on the same Ruleset and faction.
Is Hardcore available at launch?
No. Hardcore is planned for a later release, with details and timing to come.
When does WoW: Forever launch?
November 4, 2026.
Sources: Blizzard: New Player’s Starter Guide (October 28, 2026), Warcraft on X (October 28, 2026). As of October 28, 2026.
