WoW Forever launch: the time, the names, the realms and the editions

The exact launch time, time zone by time zone

Blizzard announces a worldwide launch on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Pacific time. The table converts that time into common zones; the offsets are those of November 4, after daylight saving time ended in the US (November 1) and in Europe (October 25).

Only the Pacific time comes from Blizzard: the rest is our conversion. One thing to watch: Blizzard's announcement page writes "PDT" in one place and "PST" in another. On November 4 the US west coast is on standard time (PST, UTC−8), so 3:00 p.m. is 11:00 p.m. UTC, which is midnight in Paris, as several press sites also report. If Blizzard meant PDT, the launch would be an hour earlier (11:00 p.m. in Paris on November 4). We will update this page as soon as Blizzard confirms.

The calendar until launch

• October 20: Invite-A-Friend codes are emailed (valid November 4 to 11, no beta access).
• October 21: the beta ends.
• October 27 to November 3: early name reservation for buyers of an eligible edition.
• November 4, 3:00 p.m. (Pacific): the game launches.
• December 9: the Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia's Lair raids unlock (Icy Veins' calendar only, treat it as provisional).

Reserving your name: two names, unique per region

Every WoW Forever character has two names, like a first and a last name. According to Blizzard, it is the full combination that must be unique in a region: the same first name can exist several times if the second name differs.

• Early reservation runs from October 27 to November 3, 2026, for purchases of an eligible edition (Skyborne Heroic Pack, Epic Pack or Warcraft Forever Collection). The Heroic Pack gives access for three characters.
• Names are handed out first come, first served, and Blizzard cannot guarantee the name you want. If it is taken, pick another or use the game's random name generator.
• Some words, spellings and repeated letters are restricted, and the system checks both names together: splitting a banned word across the two does not make it valid.
• The second name can be hidden in the game world (Options, Nameplates, "My Secondary Name"); it still shows in chat.
• The beta does not guarantee access to the reservation: a player invited to the beta must buy an eligible edition to reserve before launch.

Realms: no realm to choose

Blizzard describes a "realmless" structure: a larger Azeroth with no realm list. According to the BlizzCon presentation as reported by the press (Warcraft Tavern, Method.gg), you pick a ruleset instead: Normal, PvP, Roleplay, and Hardcore later. The rulesets stay separate, and Alliance and Horde do not group together.

The rulesets are not in the two Blizzard articles we read: they come from BlizzCon write-ups. Server regions are not listed either. To be confirmed at launch.

Queues: what we do not know

We found no official information on launch-evening queues. We cannot say whether logging in will be smooth; this section will be updated if Blizzard communicates.

Which edition for launch?

The game is included in a WoW subscription or game time, with no separate purchase (Blizzard). The three editions are optional: the Skyborne Heroic Pack (Skyborne race, Zephras Isle, name reservation, a mount), the Epic Pack (plus beta access, 30 days of game time and two more invite codes) and the Warcraft Forever Collection (plus Warcraft III: Reforged). The details and the prices reported by the press are on the editions page.

Getting ready: class, race, talents

To choose before midnight, our pages rely on the beta client's data and our level 60 simulator. They are numerical, and their limits are shown (for example, the melee ranking assumes Classic's attack table).

• The level 60 tier list ranks specs by simulated DPS.
• Which race to pick gives, class by class, the client's racials and the DPS gap they create (about 0 to 2.5%).
• The 1-60 leveling guide lists zones, dungeons and profession ranks by level band, flagging what comes from Classic.
• The talent calculator and the spec guides give a level 60 build and pre-raid gear.

What is not confirmed

• The exact time in Europe (midnight CET by our conversion, see the note on PDT and PST).
• Queues and server stability on launch evening.
• Rulesets and regions (announced at BlizzCon, absent from the official articles we read).
• What the beta carries over at launch: Blizzard does not say in the announcements we read.
• The editions' euro prices and the physical collector's edition's contents.