Blizzard's latest entry, World of Warcraft: Forever, launches on November 4, offering a blend of familiar elements and new content for both veteran players and newcomers. The game requires an active World of Warcraft subscription to play. While the base game is accessible with a subscription, the new Skyborne race and its starting zone are available through a $30 Heroic Pack, with other bundles offering additional cosmetic items.
For Returning Players
Veterans of World of Warcraft will find much of Forever familiar. The game is set in the original forms of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, featuring the same core races, classes, and mechanics as the original launch of WoW. Questlines and characters are largely preserved, aiming to evoke nostalgia for those who played in the game's early years. However, new content is woven throughout the experience.
New areas to explore include the Riverglades in the Eastern Kingdoms at level 35 and Mount Hyjal in Kalimdor as an endgame leveling zone, which differs from its Cataclysm appearance. Shen'Dralas, a zone situated between Mulgore and Desolace, is also new, though its intended level range and implementation were still in development during the beta.
Players can also experience previously faction-locked classes, such as Undead Paladins and Dwarf Shamans. The Skyborne Elf starting zone offers a completely new narrative experience, though it requires the aforementioned Heroic Pack.
Forever launches with nine new dungeons: Hall of Thanes (Level 13-18), Ruins of Lordaeron (Level 16-22), Excavation Site (Level 26-32), City of Dalaran (Level 28-34), The Drowned City (Level 35-40), Krol’Dok Stronghold (Level 40-45), Alcaz Island Prison (Level 48-53), Blackmaw Hold (Level 55-60), and Shaper’s Terrace (Level 58-60).
Two new raids, The Barrow Deeps (ten players) and Hyjal Summit (20 players), along with the return of Onyxia’s Lair from original WoW, are scheduled to unlock on December 9th.
Forever introduces a new campfire system that allows players to build fires in the wilderness for buffs, with effects determined by profession-learned items placed around them. This system is intended to encourage quiet moments and social interaction. Additionally, a Legacy Point system replaces modern WoW achievements, rewarding players with spendable points for activities like leveling and exploration. These points can be used for various bonuses outside of combat.
Players can toggle certain visual elements, such as character models and transmogrification appearances, to customize their experience between old and new aesthetics. The game also retains some of the original WoW's deliberate pacing and occasional jank, which the developers suggest embracing as part of the experience.
For New Players
Newcomers to World of Warcraft will first need to select a realm type: Normal, PvP, RP, or RP-PvP. Normal realms are recommended for most players, as they restrict combat between opposing factions to opt-in situations. PvP realms allow open conflict, while RP realms focus on in-character roleplaying. A Hardcore realm, featuring permanent character death, will be added later.
Choosing a race determines starting zones, racial abilities, faction allegiance, and available classes. Players are advised to pick a race that appeals to them visually and that offers their desired class, ensuring they align with friends' factions if playing together.
Available classes include Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior, each with distinct playstyles and roles. Druids are versatile shapeshifters, Hunters are ranged attackers with pets, Mages focus on spellcasting damage, Paladins offer hybrid roles, Priests are healers or shadow damage dealers, Rogues specialize in stealth and melee, Shamans use elemental magic, Warlocks command demons and dark magic, and Warriors are melee combatants.
When starting, players should follow the yellow exclamation marks indicating quests. The game provides yellow arrows on the minimap to guide players to quest objectives, a feature not present in the earliest versions of WoW. If quests run out, returning to major cities like Orgrimmar or Stormwind or exploring roads to new settlements is recommended.
Skills are not learned automatically; players must visit their class trainer and pay to learn new abilities and their subsequent ranks. Professions are introduced early and include gathering skills (Mining, Herbalism, Skinning) and crafting skills (Blacksmithing, Alchemy, Leatherworking, Tailoring, Enchanting, Engineering). Players are generally advised to combine a gathering and a crafting profession. Cooking, Fishing, and First Aid can be learned in addition to these.
Other tips for new players include understanding faction languages (Common for Alliance, Orcish for Horde, with Skyborne Elves speaking Darnassian), coordinating starting zones with friends, setting Hearthstones at inns to teleport back, resting in inns to gain bonus experience, and enabling Autoloot in the settings.
If confusion arises, players are encouraged to use the zone chat by typing /1 followed by their message to ask for help from other players, who are often willing to provide guidance.
