WoW Forever release date and launch day checklist

What you need to play

WoW Forever is included with a regular World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. There is no separate box to buy. If your subscription is active on November 4, you can log in at launch.

Blizzard also sells optional upgrades on the Battle.net Shop: the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack, and the limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection. The Epic Pack and the Collection include beta access. The Collection also includes Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom. If you want to play the new Skyborne race, check what each pack includes before launch — the Skyborne guide covers the race itself.

If you are bringing a friend who does not play yet, Blizzard is handing out Invite-A-Friend launch codes with qualifying purchases. They are emailed from October 20 and give the invitee access from November 4 to November 11.

Before launch: the week-out checklist

Install and update the game client a few days early. Patch downloads on launch day are slow because everyone pulls them at once, and you do not want to spend the first hour watching a progress bar.

Check that your subscription or Game Time will still be active on November 4. Renewing at the last minute during a launch rush is a risk you do not need.

Decide your race, class, and faction ahead of time, and agree on a realm with your friends or guild. Picking a realm together before launch saves the classic problem of half the group rolling on a different server. WoW Forever adds six new race-class combos — Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, and Undead Paladin — so it is worth a look even if you have a favorite from Classic.

Set up your keybinds and interface the way you like them. Every minute you spend in menus on launch night is a minute other players spend taking quest mobs.

Launch night: your first hours

Expect queues and crowded starting zones. Every player starts at level 1 at the same time, so quest mobs will be contested. Group up with other players for kill quests — sharing credit is much faster than waiting for respawns alone.

If one starting zone is packed, consider a different race. Each starting zone covers roughly levels 1-10, and the Skyborne start on their own island (Zephras Isle, levels 1-12), which spreads players out a little.

Pick up gathering professions early. On launch week, copper ore, peaceblooms, and light leather sell well on the auction house because everyone is leveling their crafting at once. This is also the easiest way to start saving for your level 40 mount, which costs about 100 gold in WoW Forever.

Do not sell your first green items to a vendor without checking the auction house. In the first days of a launch, low-level greens and bags sell for far more than they will a month later.

The first week: building a fast start

Follow a clear zone route instead of wandering. The 1-60 leveling guide breaks down which zones to quest in at every level range, including the new WoW Forever zones.

Log out in an inn or a city at the end of every session so you bank rested experience. It doubles your experience from kills when you come back.

Try the new dungeons early. Hall of Thanes (levels 13-18) and the Ruins of Lordaeron (levels 15-20) are the first two new dungeons you can run, and every boss in the new dungeons drops blue-quality items. See the full list of new dungeons for the rest.

Bank some gold from launch-week sales. Prices for everyday materials drop sharply once the early rush is over, and the gold farming guide covers where to farm once you are past the starting zones.

If you want help with the slow parts

WowForeverBot launches alongside WoW Forever and can automate the parts of leveling, farming, and gathering you would rather skip — for example leveling an alt while you play your main. If you are curious, read how the leveling bot works and the honest safety guide before you decide.