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Thought you knew Elwynn Forest by now? Blizzard has found you a few more jobs. Announced at BlizzCon on September 12, World of Warcraft: Forever is a new branch of WoW that builds on the original Azeroth. Another journey to level 60, with rather less opportunity to do the whole thing on autopilot.
A few dates for the calendar
For years, Classic+ has been a useful shorthand for a wish: what if Blizzard built on old WoW without simply working through the same expansions again? Forever is the official answer. PC Gamer describes the approach as another timeline for the MMO. The familiar world is the starting point; your old raid calendar cannot tell you exactly where the journey ends.
Blizzard places Forever after Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core. It is being built as a lasting third WoW experience. Modern WoW and Classic will continue alongside it.
Three Azeroths. Your diary probably had a little space left somewhere.
Which WoW is which?
The announcement lists three new zones, more than a thousand new quests, nine new dungeons and two new raids. That describes the announced content, rather than promising every door will open on the first evening: the roadmap puts the new raid unlocks on December 9.
Blizzard is developing places including Mount Hyjal, Shen'dralas and the Riverglades. The Riverglades will offer adventures while you are still leveling; Hyjal explores the aftermath of the battle against Archimonde. Existing starting areas are also getting extra quests and smaller additions. You should encounter something new long before you reach the level cap.
That sounds appealing if you ever spent an evening jumping at a mountainside because someone on a forum insisted there was something behind that particular ledge. Sometimes there was an invisible wall. Followed by another invisible wall.
The developers say Forever will have no flying mounts and no level scaling. Leveling, preparation and cooperation remain important. That tells you more about the intended pace than a trailer full of enormous swords: the world should still affect how you get around.
There are modern options too, including controller support, a choice of modern and Classic visual settings, and opt-in transmog. A new Camping system lets players create campfires that others can contribute to, sharing buffs. We still need to see how that works in practice. A cosy campfire sounds lovely; a tank who actually returns from the break remains the real luxury.
An active WoW subscription or game time covers Forever itself. The new Skyborne race and its Zephras Isle starting experience are tied to a paid upgrade, however. The Heroic Pack includes the race; the Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection also include beta access. A September 17 beta therefore does not mean every subscriber automatically gets in that day.
Check that distinction before paying. Trying the new world and insisting on starting as the new race are different purchasing decisions. A bundle does not become compulsory just because it is the shiniest thing on the shop page.
There is plenty to explore in this plan, but preserving an old game and building a new one on its foundations remain different things. Forever deliberately changes Azeroth. It is not an exact copy of WoW as it stood in 2004, and its name alone says nothing about offline play or access if the servers eventually disappear. Those require separate arrangements and technical provisions.
The immediate test is simpler: does this new Azeroth feel good when you are actually walking through it? The beta can give players a first impression from September 17. Until then, perhaps dig out the old guild chat. Do not open with a demand for raid attendance. Start gently: does anyone remember their password?
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