WoW Forever announced: Everything we know about Blizzard’s Classic+
WoW Forever announced: Explore Blizzard’s reimagined Classic Azeroth, new races, zones, raids, dungeons, and November release date.
WoW Forever / Release date
WoW Forever is soon to be released
WoW Forever laucnes on November 4:
WoW Forever beta requires Skyborne Edition to play
WoW Forever beta starts on September 17:
Table of Contents
Key takeaways:
- WoW Forever is Blizzard’s new Classic experience: It rebuilds and expands original Azeroth while keeping the level cap at 60 and focusing on persistent progression.
- A huge amount of new content is coming: Blizzard confirms more than 1000 new quests, nine new dungeons, two max-level raids, new zones, races, gear, and revamped talent trees.
- WoW Forever launches November 4, 2026: Beta access begins as early as September 17 for eligible editions, while the live game only requires an active WoW subscription or game time.
WoW Forever announced! After years of Classic+ speculation and months of Project Camelot leaks, Blizzard has finally revealed its new take on Classic World of Warcraft.
World of Warcraft: Forever is a reimagined Azeroth built by the team behind WoW: Classic. It keeps the level 60 structure and the spirit of original WoW while adding new zones, races, class combinations, revamped systems, more than 1,000 new quests, nine new dungeons, and an entirely new endgame.
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This article covers the strongest evidences, the most credible leaks, and what players can realistically expect from Classic+.
What is WoW Forever
World of Warcraft: Forever is a new beginning for WoW Classic, set in a reimagined version of Azeroth.
Rather than simply reproducing Vanilla World of Warcraft, Blizzard is expanding it with new stories and systems while trying to preserve what made the original game distinct. The core philosophy is still very Classic:
- Level cap of 60
- Alliance and Horde remain the main factions
- Progress persists instead of resetting through short seasons
- The leveling journey remains important
- Grouping and social interaction remain central
- New content will continue arriving after launch
Blizzard specifically says players should be able to progress at their own pace without worrying about falling behind, with post-launch updates adding new content across all levels rather than only at max level. In other words, WoW Forever is much closer to the long-term Classic+ concept many players imagined than a temporary Season of Discovery-style experiment.
WoW Forever release date
WoW Forever releases November 4, 2026.
Access to WoW Forever itself is included with an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time, meaning players do not need to buy a separate expansion just to play. Blizzard is also running a beta before launch. WoW Forever Beta begins as early as September 17, 2026 for players with the Skyborne Edition or Warcraft Forever collection.
New race: Skyborne
One of WoW Forever’s biggest additions is the Skyborne, a new playable race of High Elf exiles.
The Skyborne were forced to flee their ancient kingdom and, unusually, can choose to join either the Alliance or Horde. This makes them one of the most unusual race additions Blizzard has made to a Classic-style version of World of Warcraft, especially because faction identity remains an important part of Forever.
More information about Skyborne racials, starting area, classes, and customization options are currently unknown.
New WoW Forever class combinations
WoW Forever also expands the race and class combinations available in the original game. Blizzard has already confirmed:
- Forsaken Paladins
- Dwarf Shamans
- More combinations TBA
Exactly how far Blizzard intends to loosen Vanilla’s traditional class restrictions is still unknown.
WoW Forever new zones
Forever will contain new and expanded areas throughout Azeroth rather than limiting new content to an isolated expansion continent.
Two locations have already been confirmed.
Riverlands
The Riverlands are a completely new zone coming to WoW Forever.
Blizzard describes them as lush lands representing one of the previously unseen corners of Azeroth. The zone’s level range, faction presence, story, and dungeons are TBA.
Mount Hyjal
Players will also finally be able to properly explore Mount Hyjal.
In Forever’s version of the world, the zone still bears the remnants of the recent battle against Archimonde, connecting it directly to Warcraft III and original WoW-era history. Mount Hyjal was one of Vanilla WoW’s most famous inaccessible areas, making its inclusion particularly fitting for a Classic+ style project.
More than 1000 new quests
WoW Forever is not simply adding a handful of endgame quests.
Blizzard says the game will feature more than 1000 new quests across Azeroth, including new content inside existing zones as well as entirely new areas. That is important because Forever appears designed around expanding the entire leveling journey, not rushing players toward level 60. Expect new storylines, quest hubs, reputations, rewards, and reasons to revisit familiar Vanilla zones.
WoW Forever dungeons
WoW Forever will launch with nine new dungeons. Blizzard has not yet revealed the complete dungeon list.
Current dungeon information:
- Number of new dungeons: 9
- Locations: TBA
- Level ranges: TBA
- Max-level dungeons: TBA
And current new dungeons roster:
- Shaper Terrace
- Drowned City
- Excavation Site
- Hall of Thanes
- Krol’Dok Stronghold
- Barrow Deeps
- Timbermaw Hold
- Alcaz Prison
- Dalaran
Because Forever adds content across the entire leveling range, some of these dungeons may be designed for leveling rather than exclusively level 60.
WoW Forever raids
WoW Forever will launch its new endgame with two new max-level raids. Blizzard has not yet revealed their names, locations, bosses, or raid sizes.
WoW Forever launch raids:
- Raid 1: Hyjal
- Raid 2: TBA
Additional raids will also be possible after launch, as Blizzard describes Forever as a persistent game that will receive frequent major updates for years.
Revamped talent trees
Character progression is also changing.
WoW Forever introduces revamped talent trees, allowing players to customize their character’s strengths and abilities while leveling and preparing for endgame content.
The exact tree layouts and how heavily they differ from Vanilla talents are TBA.
This is an area where Blizzard’s experience with Season of Discovery could be particularly relevant, although Blizzard has not stated that Forever directly inherits SoD’s Rune system.
Legacy System
Forever introduces a new account-wide progression feature called the Legacy System. Most likely it will work similar to Warband system in retail WoW.
The Legacy System provides account-based rewards based on progress made across all of your characters. That represents a significant quality-of-life departure from original Vanilla WoW, where almost all meaningful progression was character-specific.
Exactly which accomplishments contribute to Legacy progression and what rewards players can earn are TBA.
Campfire feature
Another new feature is Campfire, designed to make meeting and connecting with other players easier. Blizzard has not yet explained exactly how Campfire functions, but it fits Forever’s broader emphasis on community and social gameplay.
More information about Campfire is TBA.
WoW Forever graphics update
Forever is also giving classic Azeroth a visual overhaul without completely replacing its original aesthetic. Blizzard confirms improvements including:
- New lighting
- Global illumination
- Volumetric fog
- God rays
- Improved water
- Dynamic terrain shadows
The goal is to make Azeroth look more modern while retaining the visual identity of original World of Warcraft.
This should make Forever visually distinct from both Classic Era and modern Retail WoW.
Persistent WoW Classic progression
One of the most important differences between WoW Forever and previous experimental Classic versions is its long-term structure. Forever is not presented as a temporary seasonal server.
Blizzard says progress persists and that frequent major updates will evolve its version of Azeroth for years to come. The level cap remains 60, while future updates can add content at different points throughout the leveling experience instead of continuously raising the maximum level.
That makes Forever’s model fundamentally different from traditional expansion progression.
And that wraps up our WoW Forever overview! After years of Classic+ speculation, Blizzard is finally building a persistent, expanded version of Azeroth with new zones, quests, races, raids, dungeons, and systems designed to evolve for years after launch.
WoW Forever FAQ
What is WoW Forever?
WoW Forever is a new World of Warcraft experience created by the team behind WoW: Classic. It reimagines original Azeroth with new zones, quests, races, class combinations, systems, dungeons, raids, and updated graphics while keeping the level cap at 60.
Is WoW Forever Classic+?
Blizzard does not officially call it Classic+. However, Forever follows the general Classic+ concept of expanding Vanilla WoW with new content while preserving its original gameplay philosophy.
When does WoW Forever release?
WoW Forever releases November 4, 2026.
When does the WoW Forever Beta begin?
Eligible players with the Skyborne Edition or Warcraft Forever collection can enter the Beta starting September 17, 2026.
Do I need to buy WoW Forever?
Normal access to WoW Forever is included with an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time.
What is the WoW Forever level cap?
The level cap is 60, and Blizzard plans to add new content across different level ranges after launch instead of relying entirely on traditional level-cap increases.
What new race is coming to WoW Forever?
The Skyborne are a new race of High Elf exiles who can choose to join either the Alliance or Horde.
How many new dungeons does WoW Forever have?
Blizzard confirms nine new dungeons. The names are: Shaper Terrace, Drowned City, Excavation Site, Hall of Thanes, Krol’Dok Stronghold, Barrow Deeps, Timbermaw Hold, Alcaz Prison, Dalaran.
How many raids does WoW Forever launch with?
Its new max-level endgame begins with two new raids.
Does WoW Forever replace Classic Era?
The supplied Blizzard preview does not say that Forever replaces Classic Era, so Classic Era’s future should be treated separately until Blizzard clarifies how the different Classic versions will coexist.
Was WoW Forever previously called Project Camelot?
Blizzard’s supplied WoW Forever fact sheet does not mention Camelot, so an official connection is not confirmed in the document. Camelot remains useful as historical context because it was the codename associated with the earlier datamining and leak trail.
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