WoW Forever launch checklist: what to settle before November 4

WoW Forever launches globally on November 4, 2026, at 3 p.m. PST. Settle these before then.

Is your name reserved?

Early Name Reservation is for players with an eligible upgrade. It runs from October 27 through November 3, 2026. Your full name is a main name plus a secondary name, and that pair has to be unique in your region. Two characters can use the same main name, or the same secondary name, if the full names are different. How character names work.

Which ruleset will you play on?

The rulesets are Normal, PvP, Roleplaying and Hardcore. Hardcore arrives some time after launch. You cannot move a character to another ruleset. The one exception is a Hardcore character who dies. That character can move to another ruleset, including PvP. Otherwise, start a new character to play on another ruleset. On PvP, an account can create characters for only one faction. The rulesets.

Have you picked faction, race and class?

• Alliance or Horde lists the races of each faction and the classes each race can be.
• The Warrior and the Mage guides compare racials for those classes.
• Racials puts every race's racial abilities on one page. It also links comparisons for Druid, Warlock, Rogue, Priest and Hunter, plus the Horde Paladin and Alliance Shaman guides.

Have you planned levels 1 to 20?

Each class has a guide for levels 1 to 20. The Priest and Hunter guides list what you learn at each level. Spend talent points in the talent planner. The Legacy perk Talented can give the first talent point earlier.

Which professions will you take?

Which two professions go together lists profession pairings and the materials each craft uses. Crafting guides cover skill 1 to 150, including Alchemy and Blacksmithing.

Are your add-ons ready?

The add-on guide covers which add-ons work and how to install them.