World of Warcraft: Forever, the surprise announcement of BlizzCon 2026, invites players to a reimagining of the classic world of Azeroth. Structured around the Classic World of Warcraft world and experience, World of Warcraft: Forever offers a blend of the classic experience with new, expanded zones, dungeons and visuals. Slated for a November 04 release, players who have pre-purchased the Skyborne Epic pack have been granted beta access.
Having spent the last week revisiting Azeroth as it once was, this time as the newly introduced Skyborn race, I have come away from the experience with a few thoughts on what this new version of the iconic World of Warcraft title could mean for both veteran and new players. So, without further ado, here is my preview of World of Warcraft: Forever.
When World of Warcraft: Forever was announced earlier this year, it was presented as a sort of Classic Plus experience for players. Forever takes place in Azeroth as it was when it launched in 2004, with the Horde and Alliance at war, the two continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms contested, and every player stepping into the world from humble beginnings.
“Blizzard has achieved a unique balance with Forever’s first twenty levels, offering the slower, methodical levelling of Classic blended exceptionally well with some of the modern conveniences of Retail.”
Having now played World of Warcraft for over twenty years, it is both refreshing and familiar to step back into this classic setting. However, Forever is more than another classic server. Many of the zones have been expanded and updated for better flow and progression for players, essentially creating a desire to rediscover the world many of us have spent decades in.
What is most impressive about the redesign of Forever is how well the team at Blizzard has recaptured that sense of wonder of the first time you explored Mulgore as a Tauren Druid or tamed your first pet as a Dwarf Hunter in Dun Morogh. While we’ve only been given access to the first twenty levels of play (with access up to level thirty coming soon), exploring the world of Forever’s Azeroth feels new and exciting.
As a long-time Horde player, I decided to begin my journey through this reimagined Azeroth as an Alliance Skyborne Druid, as I have a long and sordid history with Night Elves, a story for another time. The Skyborne are aesthetically slightly bluer Blood Elves, which suits me just fine, but the standout feature of the new race is the new starting zone, Zephras Isle. It offers a clearly modern level design while still managing to fit into the original world quite naturally. \
“Blizzard has done an exceptional job of balancing the tension between the old and new, for which I say well done.”
Blizzard has achieved a unique balance with Forever’s first twenty levels, offering the slower, methodical levelling of Classic blended exceptionally well with some of the modern conveniences of Retail. Most notable is regeneration between fights, allowing players to move from mob to mob a bit easier than we did back in 2004, while still offering all of the challenge of those early days of level grinding. Make no mistake, players will feel the pressure and challenge associated with the Classic experience; Blizzard has simply given us a few quality-of-life updates to make that experience more enjoyable.
Interestingly, Blizzard has kept much of the original skill trees as they were, at least on my Druid, opting instead to fill in gaps that were present during Vanilla WoW. The result is a much smoother early-game experience, and while leveling is slow by retail standards, it’s a bit quicker than Classic, and each of the four classes I’ve tested feels capable at early levels, a notable change over the original WoW experience.
One of the most welcome design elements that is evident almost immediately is the drive to create a community within the game. A new campfire system allows players to literally gather around a campfire to receive a 60-minute buff, which can be enhanced by player-crafted items placed nearby. As you have to sit for a full minute to receive the buff, I’ve found myself more than once chatting away with other players, once or twice running quests together after our initial conversation.
Speaking of quests, Blizzard has taken a firm stance on marked mobs for WOW: Forever; if you tag it, you bag it—no XP sharing with anyone not in your party. While there has been some pushback from parts of the community, I’ve found this design choice to play well with their desire to build community. I find myself often inviting random people to group so as to ensure I get credit for mob kills. As with the campfire system, this mechanic has led to several hours of group play and party chat that I didn’t realise I was missing from Retail.
While there are a host of new areas to explore and dungeons to delve into, all of which I cannot wait to fully explore, I’ve actually been quite impressed with the optional visual updates Blizzard has introduced with World of Warcraft: Forever. From new water and lighting effects that bring vibrancy to the world while preserving the original art style of Classic, to the HD character models and animations—again, totally optional— to the opt-in transmog system, Blizzard has done an exceptional job of balancing the tension between the old and new, for which I say well done.
While I feel like I am only just scratching the surface of all that World of Warcraft: Forever has to offer, what I have experienced thus far has me itching to dive back in and explore. I confess that is a feeling I had long thought gone from World of Warcraft, but one that I am excited to experience once again.
