WoW: Forever launches November 4: the complete Horde guide

Five more days. On Wednesday November 4 World of Warcraft: Forever goes live, worldwide. Blizzard put everything together in one big launch overview, and we did the same for the Horde, with everything we learned in the beta, the podcasts and the interviews. Grab a drink, this one is long. A perfect read for the weekend.

When does it start?

• Launch: Wednesday November 4 at 23:00 GMT, at the same moment worldwide. For us that is midnight, 00:00 CET, in the night from Wednesday to Thursday.
• Name reservation runs until Tuesday November 3. The characters you made there are ready on launch night.
• December 9: the first raids open.
• Winter: the Hardcore ruleset arrives.
• Spring 2027: a big update with 2 new raids (10 and 20 players), 2 new dungeons, new quests, a new playable area, a legendary questline and a new PvP season.
• Summer 2027: a revamped iconic raid, another new raid, more world content, 2 more dungeons, a new PvP season and updates to professions and the Legacy System.

The story: what if we never went through the Dark Portal?

Forever is set after Warcraft III: Reforged's Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core, in the early "Year 1" of original WoW. Kazzak has not reopened the Dark Portal yet and nobody has set foot in Northrend. Kris Zierhut, who worked on the original game, puts it like this: what if the team in 2006 had stayed in the old world and kept building it, instead of moving on to Outland? So: the world you know, but with more than 1,000 new quests, new zones, new dungeons and stories that could have existed back then.

Blizzard's own words for it: Classic is a museum, Forever is a living world. And Azeroth is shown "the way you remember it, not the way it really was": with new lighting, fog and real shadows.

Before you log in

• Subscription: Forever is included in a normal WoW subscription or Game Time. One subscription also gives you Midnight and Classic.
• Skyborne: to play the new race you need the Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher. The Heroic Pack also has a ground mount, cosmetic items and an invite code.
• Install: open the Battle.net app, choose World of Warcraft, and in the Game Version menu pick World of Warcraft: Forever. Have more than one WoW account? A second menu lets you pick the right one. Click Install, then Play.
• Graphics card: Forever needs a card from around 2012 or newer. The minimum is AMD Graphics Core Next 1 (like the Radeon HD 7850), NVIDIA Maxwell (GeForce GTX 750 or the 900 series) or Intel Skylake (Intel HD Graphics 530). A GeForce GTX 760, 770 or 780 or a Radeon HD 6950 won't work. Check yours in Windows under Settings, System, Display, Advanced display.
• Update Windows and your graphics drivers before launch night.
• Account safe? Can't log in, or think your account was hacked? Use Blizzard's account recovery page before launch, and add the Battle.net Authenticator while you're at it.
• Controller? It's supported, but still in beta.

The very first choice: Classic or Enhanced

The first time you log in you choose an Experience Preset, even before your ruleset. You only see this screen once, but every setting can be changed later under Game Menu, Options, System, Preset.

• Classic: Standard Definition models, no quest markers on the map, one-bag off, transmog off, keyboard turns the camera, classic UI layout.
• Enhanced: High Definition models, quest markers on, one-bag on, transmog on, keyboard strafes, centred UI layout.

Not sure? Blizzard advises Enhanced. Want to find your quests the old way? Classic. Apart from that you choose HD or SD per character when you create it, and you can switch later at a Barbershop. It only changes your looks.

Rulesets instead of realms

Forever has no realm list. You pick a ruleset, and everyone on that ruleset plays in one big world.

• Normal: adventure and fight monsters, PvP only when you want it.
• PvP: you can almost always be attacked by the other faction.
• Roleplay: strict naming and behaviour rules for players who want to play their character.
• Roleplay PvP: the roleplay rules on a PvP ruleset. Blizzard first said no, then changed its mind after player feedback.
• Hardcore: comes later this winter. One life. A Hardcore character that dies can move to another ruleset.

Important: you can only group, join a guild, run dungeons and raid with players on the same ruleset and faction. Collections and Legacy Points are shared across rulesets (except into Hardcore). You can also set a language preference, so you meet players who speak your language.

Your name has two parts

• Every character has a first name and a second name. The full combination must be unique in Europe.
• Someone else can have the same first name, as long as the second name is different. A shared second name works great for a family of alts.
• Both parts are checked together, so splitting a forbidden word over two names won't work.
• Hide your second name above your head under Options, Nameplates, My Secondary Name. In chat it stays visible.
• During the reservation a bug blocked too many names, for example everything with "con" in it. That has been fixed. Got "That name is restricted" earlier? Try again.

Horde races and classes

Nine classes, one new race and several new combinations. For the Horde:

• Orc: Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior
• Tauren: Druid, Hunter, Shaman, Warrior
• Troll: Hunter, Mage, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior
• Undead: Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Warrior
• Skyborne (Windshaper): Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior

New for us: the Orc Mage, the Troll Warlock, the Undead Paladin and the Skyborne. The Alliance gets the Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman and Gnome Priest.

The Undead Paladin even gets its own story: the Forsaken Paladin Journey around Bandarion Keep in Tirisfal Glades. Blizzard released a short story as a prologue, "Unbowed", about the fallen Scarlet Crusader Cormack who rises as a Forsaken and still hears the Light.

The racials at launch

Every race has two active and two passive racials. Just before name reservation Blizzard made a final pass and put racial identity first. What changed for the Horde:

• Orc: the 1% crit racial is gone. Command is back: Hunter and Warlock pets deal 5% more damage. Blood Fury now has a 2 minute cooldown (was 3).
• Tauren: Plainsrunning gives 2% movement speed per stack, up to 60%, but no longer on your mount. Endurance gives 5% more health, the extra hit and crit are gone. War Stomp stays.
• Troll: Berserking lasts 15 seconds (was 10).
• Undead: Touch of the Grave (your attacks sometimes drain health) has a 15 second cooldown (was 25). Cannibalize now restores mana too, and Will of the Forsaken still breaks charm, fear and sleep.
• Skyborne: 2% haste. Read Leyline gives 50% more mana and health regeneration, or the full 100% when you used it at a Ley Line (Attuned, one hour). Skysight gives 15% run speed, or 30% after you used it at an elemental convergence (Charged, one hour). Both bonuses disappear when you enter a raid.

Weapon specializations, like the orc's axe bonus, don't return: Blizzard doesn't want loot to depend on your race.

The Skyborne

The new race. Long ago a group of exiled Highborne made a pact with the spirits of the wind and built a civilisation in Skywall. Horde Skyborne are called Windshapers: because of that elemental bond they can become Shaman. You choose Horde or Alliance at character creation.

• Starting zone: Zephras Isle, level 1 to 12, with architecture inspired by Skywall. The air spirits that protected the island have vanished, and you find out why.
• After that you take the airship to Mulgore and travel on to Thrall in Orgrimmar.
• Their own druid forms, their own /dance and lots of customisation: ten faces per body type, nine skin tones, over twenty hairstyles, feathers and tattoos.

New lands

• Mount Hyjal: the end of your leveling story at level 60. For the first time since the Third War the road is open. You help the Druids of the Talon and the Cenarion Circle rebuild after Archimonde's defeat, travel through Darkwhisper Gorge, and Horde and Alliance live side by side in an uneasy truce. There is no flying, so you see Hyjal from the ground.
• Shen'dralas: a long hidden mystery between Mulgore and Desolace, tied to the Shen'dralar, Eldre'Thalas, Dire Maul and the centaur tribes.
• The Riverglades: a rough frontier of rivers, grasslands and trade routes with more than 150 quests, from the mid 30s to the mid 40s. As Horde you get the story of the Boulderrock ogres, a clan that once served the Twilight's Hammer. There is a pirate operation to stop, a horse to rescue, someone called Jom-Jom, and deep in ogre land The Bloodmasters Ring, a fighting ring in the style of the old Ring of Blood. The Horde flight master is Rog'mar.
• Zephras Isle: the Skyborne starting zone.

The road from 1 to 60

1 to 12: Durotar (Orc, Troll), Mulgore (Tauren), Tirisfal Glades (Undead), Zephras Isle (Skyborne). Grab your capital's flight master before you leave.

12 to 20: The Barrens or Silverpine Forest, then Stonetalon Mountains. Dungeons: Ragefire Chasm (best around 14 to 16), the new Ruins of Lordaeron (15 to 20, with eight Horde quests) and Wailing Caverns.

20 to 30: Ashenvale, Hillsbrad Foothills, Thousand Needles and Stonetalon. Use the zeppelins to switch continents. Skip Redridge, Duskwood and the Wetlands: no Horde flight paths there. Dungeons: Shadowfang Keep, the new Excavation Site (24 to 29) and the City of Dalaran (28 to 33).

30 to 40: Stranglethorn Vale (zeppelin to Grom'gol), Desolace and Arathi Highlands, then the Riverglades. Dungeons: Razorfen Kraul, Scarlet Monastery, the new Drowned City (35 to 40) and Razorfen Downs.

40 to 50: finish the Riverglades with Krol'dok Stronghold, then the ship from Powderfuse Port to Tanaris, Feralas and The Hinterlands. Dungeons: Uldaman, Zul'Farrak, Maraudon and the new Alcaz Prison (48 to 53).

50 to 60: Un'Goro Crater, Felwood, Azshara, the Plaguelands, Winterspring and Silithus, and finally Mount Hyjal. Dungeons: Blackrock Depths, Blackrock Spire and the new Blackmaw Hold and Shaper's Terrace.

Tricks to level faster:

• Rested XP doubles the experience from monsters. Log out in an inn or a city, or rest at a campfire.
• Crafted food gives a small experience bonus.
• Dungeon monsters give about 20% more experience, but the bonus from dungeon quests was halved. Run each dungeon once with all its quests, then go back to questing.
• Experience is based on your own level. If someone in the group is far above the monster's level, nobody gets experience for that kill. No boosting by high level friends.
• Levelling is slower than in Classic: about 10 to 15 seconds per monster solo. Enjoy the journey.

No Dungeon Finder, no flying

• There is no Dungeon Finder. You make your groups yourself, on the road, at a campfire or in your guild.
• There are no flying mounts. Pick up every flight path on your way.
• Mounts work like in Burning Crusade: the cost is in the riding training, and you get a mount when you learn to ride.

Combat, talents and gear

• Combat keeps the Classic pace: crowd control matters in dungeons and threat still counts.
• Hit and crit are one stat each for spells, melee and ranged. Good news for hybrids like the Enhancement Shaman.
• Talent trees keep their familiar shape, with a new milestone talent at 16 points. Buffs like Divine Spirit and Improved Mark of the Wild became baseline.
• Dual spec is in the game from day one. A third spec is not ruled out. Swapping talents for every boss won't happen.
• Hundreds of new items, caster weapons with spell power while leveling and better trinkets. Unique dungeon boss items are now blue.
• Transmog exists, but you can switch it off completely at a transmogrifier. Then you see everyone in the gear they actually wear. Green and blue dungeon drops give their appearance to everyone in the group who could use it. Plate stays plate, cloth stays cloth.

Camping

One of the biggest new systems. With Cooking you place a Basic Campfire, and that turns the spot into a campsite for everyone nearby.

• Up to three players each add one camp feature to the fire. Cooks later learn campfires for five or ten features.
• Sit or craft at the camp for one minute and you get the buffs of every feature, for an hour.
• The buffs are versions of class buffs and don't stack with the class buff they copy.
• Your first camp feature comes at profession skill 20. Better ones (skill 140 and up) drop in dungeons and raids.

What every profession brings:

• Cooking: the Basic Campfire itself.
• First Aid: First Aid Kit, more Stamina.
• Fishing: Fishing Bowl, 8% more stats.
• Alchemy: Mana Well, mana regeneration.
• Blacksmithing: Sharpening Wheel, more Strength.
• Enchanting: Enchanted Lute, armour, stats and resistances.
• Engineering: Reagent Bot, buy reagents out in the world.
• Herbalism: Incense Candle, more Intellect.
• Leatherworking: Camp Tent, extra rested experience.
• Skinning: Camp Chair, 2% more critical strike.
• Tailoring: Faction Banner, more Spirit.

Pick your spot with care: monsters still find you, and on a PvP ruleset an enemy camp is an easy target.

Professions

• Two primary professions: Herbalism, Mining or Skinning (gathering) or Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Enchanting, Engineering, Leatherworking or Tailoring (crafting).
• All three secondary professions: Cooking, Fishing and First Aid.
• More than 600 new recipes, and professions matter more than in Classic.
• Learn and rank up at a profession trainer in a starting area or city. Can't find one? Ask a city guard.
• Tauren can grow bonus herbs with Cultivation that anyone can pick, no Herbalism needed.

The Legacy System

Account-wide progression that rewards exploring everything, not just power. Alts help, but you can unlock everything with one character. You unlock it with your first point, usually around level 25, and open it with Y.

• 65 Legacy Challenges, each worth 1 point: reach level 25, 45 and 60 with every class, level crafting professions to 150, 225 and 300, PvP ranks and reputations, explore the whole world map, finish dungeons per level range, and kill Onyxia and all bosses in Hyjal Summit and Barrow Deeps.
• Legacy Perks: at launch you can spend 16 points per character in three trees. Professions (more skill-ups, extra rare finds, cheaper vendors), Adventure (a bigger and faster rested pool, talents up to 5 levels early, cheaper flights) and Resourcefulness (longer food buffs, faster corpse runs, less durability loss, more Honor and reputation).
• Legacy Rewards: the Replica Ironforge Air Rifle toy, the Spectral Bear Cub pet, the Spectral Bear Tabard and the Reins of the Spectral Bear mount.

Nine new dungeons

• Hall of Thanes (13 to 18): beneath the Throne of Ironforge, Dark Iron dwarves and restless spirits. For us that means a trip into Alliance territory.
• Ruins of Lordaeron (15 to 20): right above the Undercity, fully outdoors. The Forsaken reclaim the ruins while a necromancer gathers power. Our own dungeon.
• Excavation Site (24 to 29): Wetlands. A dwarven dig went wrong, beyond lies a place frozen in time with titan constructs, and stealthed raptors in the tall grass.
• City of Dalaran (28 to 33): Alterac Mountains. The barrier is down and the city is in arcane chaos. You enter through the sewers and choose your own path. Horde players start the attunement in Tarren Mill with Magus Wordeen Voidglare ("Key to the City" and "Prison Break-In"). There is even a secret boss, Lyn the Ignored.
• The Drowned City (35 to 40): west of Grom'gol, troll ruins risen from the sea. You dive to find the entrance, and a storm builds before the last boss.
• Krol'dok Stronghold (40 to 45): the ogre fortress in the Riverglades.
• Alcaz Prison (48 to 53): Dustwallow Marsh, rumoured to have held King Varian Wrynn. Inside the Defias and the naga are at war.
• Blackmaw Hold (55 to 60): a huge furbolg city in Azshara, with several routes and bosses.
• Shaper's Terrace (58 to 60): a titan facility in Un'Goro Crater. Bring the power crystals you collect outside.

Raids from December 9

• Barrow Deeps: 10 players, 8 bosses. The prison beneath Kalimdor that held Illidan for 10,000 years. Entrances in Mount Hyjal, Winterspring and Blackmaw Hold.
• Hyjal Summit: 20 players, 13 bosses. At the top of Mount Hyjal near Nordrassil. It starts with an ancient guardian, after that your raid chooses its own route across the mountain.
• Onyxia's Lair: 40 players, Dustwallow Marsh. Three phases full of fire, so collect fire resistance. Everyone needs the Drakefire Amulet.

The Horde road to the Drakefire Amulet, in short:

1. Badlands: "Blood and Thunder" from Warlord Goretooth in Kargath.
2. "Warlord's Command" sends you through Lower Blackrock Spire.
3. On to Eitrigg and Thrall in Orgrimmar.
4. "For the Horde!": back into Lower Blackrock Spire for the head of Rend Blackhand.
5. "What the Wind Carries", then find Rexxar on the roads of Desolace.
6. Bring his testament to Myranda the Hag in the Western Plaguelands, and collect Black Dragonspawn Eyes for her.
7. Find the drake Emberstrife in Dustwallow Marsh and bring him the skulls of Scryer, Somnus, Chronalis and Axtroz.
8. Back to Rexxar with the Dull Drakefire Amulet.
9. Take the blood of General Drakkisath in Upper Blackrock Spire, and Rexxar gives you the Drakefire Amulet.

Running Lower Blackrock Spire anyway on the way to 60? Start the attunement right away.

PvP

• Honor is a currency for gear, earned from kills, battlegrounds and PvP quests.
• Rank Points take you through the old ranks up to High Warlord, with a weekly cap that goes up every week. A bit every week beats grinding day and night.
• Two PvP sets: a blue one, and an epic version with an Emboldened Seal. Rewards are sold in the Hall of Legends in Orgrimmar. Specs without PvP gear in Classic got their own, like healer, melee and caster sets for Shamans.
• Alterac Valley gives less Honor, Warsong Gulch, Arathi Basin and the new battleground more. Every battleground should be worth your time.
• PvP seasons with weekly tasks, about four months each.
• No protection against ganking on a PvP ruleset. That's PvP.

New battleground: Darkspear Islands, 15 against 15, levels 30 to 60, off the coast of Dustwallow Marsh. The Darkspear Raiders fight the Theramore Expeditionary Force for four capture points and a flag in the middle. First to 2000 points wins. Join at a battlemaster or at the Horde base at the Merchant Coast in the Barrens, where you also find reputation vendors and quests.

Layering

Without realms, Forever needs new layering tech. In the beta you were moved far too often, and Blizzard has turned that down a lot.

• The system tries to keep you in the same layer as your community: guildmates and players you meet often.
• When you join a group you are no longer moved instantly. You get a pop-up and a time window to make the jump yourself.
• Blizzard decides which zones share a layer. At launch Durotar will be packed, so it is kept apart from Orgrimmar. You'll still see players disappear at some zone borders.
• For big world PvP fights, Blizzard is looking at letting the server grow during the battle. Not at launch yet.

Expect busy starting zones on launch night. Want to stay together? Group up, then accept the move when you're ready.

Gold and the economy

• Gold buying is banned, and Blizzard is strict: more than 2,100 accounts were already banned during the beta.
• A suspected account can get a Temporary Economy Hold: no trade, mail, guild bank or auction house until the investigation is done. A false alarm leaves no mark.
• GDKP raids are banned in Europe and North America.
• Selling a carry? The gold must come directly from the buyer. Gold from a third player can be removed, also from a guild.
• You'll earn more gold than in Classic, and vendors even sell Black Lotus for at most 50 gold.

After launch

• About one big update every four months, three times a year, with content unlocking in between.
• Blizzard dreams of the Emerald Dream, Grim Batol, Gilneas (the terrain is already in the game, with a story before the Cataclysm), parts of the Caverns of Time and one day Silvermoon. You will always come home to Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms.
• No player housing for now.
• The WoW: Forever Podcast continues, the next episode is in about two weeks.

Launch night with Legends of Azeroth

This is the game our guild was built for. On Wednesday night we are online, in Discord and in game, from the first minute. Find us around the Valley of Trials and Orgrimmar, look for a group for Ragefire Chasm and the Ruins of Lordaeron, and put a campfire down at every stop. Not in the guild yet? Fill in the recruitment form at https://legendsofazeroth.com/recruitment

See you in Durotar. For the Horde!

Sources: Blizzard Entertainment at https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-gb/news/24315820/world-of-warcraft-forever-goes-live-globally-4-november and earlier Blizzard articles, the development notes, the WoW: Forever Podcast, and IGN's interview with Kris Zierhut and Tim Jones.