In November, Blizzard will release WoW Forever – the promised Classic+ with a new race, 9 dungeons, and 1000 quests

At the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony, Blizzard announced World of Warcraft: Forever, the very version of the game the community has spent years discussing under the name Classic+.

Release is set for November 4, 2026, with beta testing kicking off September 17. The Classic team is handling development, drawing on lessons from WoW Classic and Season of Discovery.

Blizzard made the project status clear right away. This isn't a mode, a season, or another Classic version – it's a permanent branch that runs alongside both modern WoW and the existing Classic servers. Access comes with a regular subscription or game time, with no separate purchase required.

The story picks up after the events of the Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom campaign and before Molten Core opens up. Players get the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor back with a level cap of 60, though the map has grown noticeably larger.

Ion Hazzikostas, senior game director, joined Classic lead designer Tim Jones, lead engineer Nora Mills, and producer Clay Stone to lay out four core principles – accessibility, the world as the main character, journey over destination, and protecting the social experience.

That philosophy translates into some strict limits. Flying mounts are out, level scaling is out, and gear still comes from leveling, dungeon runs, and playing with others.

The bulk of the content consists of four new and reworked zones along with more than a thousand quests spread across the 1-60 leveling path.

Mount Hyjal shows the aftermath of Archimonde defeat and opens up into Darkwhisper Gorge. Shen'dralas fills the empty space between Mulgore and the Barrens, tying the story to Shen'dralar, Eldre'Thalas, the Forgotten City, and the local centaur tribes.

Riverglades covers the mid-leveling stretch. It's a frontier region full of rivers, trade routes, and old grudges, with more than 150 quests added roughly for levels 35 through 45. Zephras Isle serves as the starting zone for levels 1 through 12, blending classic Warcraft aesthetics with architecture reminiscent of Skyreach.

Zephras Isle is also home to the new playable race. The Skyborne descend from exiled high elves who struck a pact with wind elementals generations ago. Shared history didn't stop them from splitting over ideology, so players pick a faction for this race right in the character creator.

That choice determines which classes are available. Horde Skyborne get access to shaman, drawing on elemental traditions, while Alliance Skyborne follow an arcane heritage and get mage. Both sides can pick warrior, hunter, rogue, or druid, and druids get unique forms tailored to this race.

Blizzard is also expanding race and class combinations more broadly. The trailer and panel showed off a dwarf shaman and an undead paladin, and class changes with new abilities and talents are coming across the board.

Nine dungeons launch at the start, each revealing locations the community has argued about for years:

• Hall of Thanes beneath Ironforge

• The ruins of Lordaeron, which the Forsaken are trying to reclaim

• Whelgar's Excavation, featuring titan puzzles in Un'Goro

• The city of Dalaran, gripped by a magical anomaly

• Blackmaw Hold, dealing with spreading corruption

• The Drowned City, full of naga and pirates

• Krol'dok Stronghold

• Alcaz Prison

• Shaper's Terrace

Two raids launch alongside the dungeons, built for different group sizes. Barrow Deeps is designed as a max-level challenge for ten players, while Hyjal Summit is built for twenty. Both raids come with new gear sets and a legendary reward, though Blizzard hasn't shared details on that yet.

PvP gets a new battleground on the Darkspear Islands off the coast of Kalimdor. The 15v15 format mixes control of strategic points with flag capture and defense, similar to Arathi Basin.

A separate batch of changes covers systems and quality of life:

• Legacy, a progression system for players who like leveling alt characters

• Camping, letting players set up campfires in the open world where others can contribute professions and gain shared buffs

• Optional transmogrification that can be toggled on or off

• A choice between HD and SD character models, with classic animations restored for the HD versions

• Official gamepad support

Visually, Blizzard promises targeted upgrades without breaking the original art style – flowing rivers in Elwynn Forest, mist over the water in Darkshore, and moonlight filtering through the trees in Ashenvale.

A roadmap already covers the first few months after launch. New raids arrive December 9, followed by more raids and dungeons, PvP updates, world content, additional 1-60 quests, a Hardcore mode, and a revamp of one of the classic raids.

Paid editions affect access to the new race. The Skyborne Heroic Pack, priced at $30, unlocks the Skyborne and Zephras Isle starting zone, early name reservation, the Azure Prideclaw ground mount, and cosmetic items.

The Skyborne Epic Pack at $60 adds beta access starting September 17 and 30 days of game time, while the limited Warcraft Forever Collection at $80 includes Warcraft III: Reforged with the Forsaken Kingdom campaign.

Blizzard also touched on plans for modern WoW. The next major update for Midnight, called Eclipse, will bring players face to face with Xal'atath at the world's core and push the Worldsoul Saga toward its conclusion in The Last Titan expansion, which heads back to Northrend.

Name reservations for World of Warcraft: Forever open October 27 and run through November 3. A Deep Dive panel covering systems and rewards in detail airs September 13 at 8:00 PM Moscow time.