World of Warcraft: Forever Is a Third Permanent WoW Set in the Vanilla Era, and It Launches November 4 With a Beta on September 17

For years the phrase Classic Plus was a running joke in WoW communities, the thing everybody wanted and Blizzard never quite confirmed. On Saturday it stopped being a joke. During the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony, Blizzard announced World of Warcraft: Forever, a third permanent version of the game that sits alongside modern WoW and WoW Classic, stays in the vanilla era, and keeps growing from there. It launches globally on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST, with a beta starting September 17.

The pitch, in Blizzard's own words, is a new beginning that never ends. Forever is set after the events of Warcraft III: Reforged's Forsaken Kingdom campaign and before Molten Core, so the world is the original two continents at level 60, with the added twist that Blizzard now gets to build the parts of Azeroth that vanilla never finished. Access is included with a normal World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time, the same arrangement Classic has today.

Video: World of Warcraft on YouTube

What is actually new at level 60

The headline numbers from the What's Next panel are big for a game that keeps its level cap at 60. Forever adds over 1,000 new quests across the leveling journey, three new zones, nine new dungeons, two new raids and a new battleground, on top of overhauls to existing zones. Mount Hyjal is finally a playable region, picking up the aftermath of Archimonde's defeat and taking you through Darkwhisper Gorge. Shen'dralas is a hidden zone tucked between Mulgore and Desolace, tied to the Shen'dralar and Dire Maul. The Riverglades is a frontier of rivers, grasslands and trade routes with more than 150 quests aimed at characters in their 30s and 40s.

The nine dungeons are Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron, Whelgar's Excavation Site, the City of Dalaran, Blackmaw Hold, Drowned City, Krol'dok Stronghold, Alcaz Prison and Shaper's Terrace. The raids are Hyjal Summit, built for 20 players, and Barrow Deeps, a 10 player challenge at max level. Blizzard says the first raids unlock on December 9, about five weeks after launch, and that more raids and dungeons will follow in later phases. PvP gets Darkspear Islands, a 15v15 battleground that mixes control points with flag captures.

The client itself is getting attention too. The panel confirmed a toggle between HD and SD character models, restored Classic animations for the HD models, and official gamepad support. There is also a Legacy progression system meant to make alternate characters less of a chore, and a campfire system where you craft outdoor camps for buffs and profession contributions. If you enjoyed how Curse of Ula'tek expanded Classic earlier this summer, this is that idea turned into a whole product line.

The Skyborne, and the part that costs money

The new playable race is the Skyborne, an elven people from Zephras Isle, a skybound elemental starting zone that covers levels 1 to 12. The race is neutral at creation: you pick Alliance or Horde when you make the character. Horde-aligned Skyborne can be Shamans, Alliance-aligned Skyborne can be Mages, and both sides get Warriors, Hunters, Rogues and Druids, with their own druid forms.

Here is where we have to be straight with you. Blizzard's pre-purchase page lists access to the Skyborne race and the Zephras Isle starting experience as part of the Skyborne Heroic Pack, a paid upgrade that also includes early name reservation, the Cerulean Prideclaw ground mount, cosmetics and housing decor. The Skyborne Epic Pack adds beta access, 30 days of Game Time and more cosmetics. The limited time Warcraft Forever Collection stacks Warcraft III: Reforged and its Forsaken Kingdom campaign on top and is available through January 11, 2027. Blizzard has not announced a free route to the race. We could not confirm the pack prices on an official page at the time of writing, so we are not quoting any.

The dates around the beta are clear, though. Beta runs from September 17 to October 21 and only the Epic Pack and the Collection grant a spot. Invite-A-Friend codes go out by email on October 20, and early name reservation for pack owners runs from October 27 to November 3, the day before launch.

Our take

This is the most interesting thing Blizzard has done with Warcraft in a long time, even in a show that also produced a Diablo V window and a StarCraft shooter. The vanilla era is the version of WoW most people are nostalgic for, and Forever promises to keep it alive without the treadmill of re-running The Burning Crusade every few years. The Skyborne paywall is the sour note. A brand new race locked behind an upgrade pack on a subscription game is going to be argued about right up to November 4, and we suspect Blizzard knows it. The beta on September 17 will tell us quickly whether the new zones feel like 2004 or like 2026 wearing a costume.