WoW Forever Day 1 Checklist

Everything to do before and after WoW Forever launches on Nov 5, 2026: name, ruleset, class, addons, launch night and your first ten levels. Check items off as you go; your browser remembers your progress.

Before launch Launch night Levels 1–10 Level 10: talents Afterwards FAQ

Before launch

Reserve your names: from Oct 27, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, for up to three characters. Requires an upgrade pack (Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher). First come, first served. official
Pick a first and last name: every character has a two-part name, and each full name is unique per region. Have a few backups ready. official
Pick a ruleset: Normal, PvP or Roleplay. You can't switch later. Full details: Rulesets and Names. official
Coordinate with friends and your guild on ruleset and faction. Groups, mail and guilds only work within one ruleset, and Horde and Alliance can't group up. official
Choose your class and race. The Tier list, the class quiz and the Races and Classes overview can help.
Note the launch time: Nov 4, 2026, 3:00 pm PST (Nov 5, 2026, midnight CET), worldwide at the same time with no early access. Your local time: Launch time worldwide. official
Check your game time: WoW Forever is included in the regular WoW subscription. Make sure yours is active on launch day. official
Install and update the game in the Battle.net launcher ahead of time so you're not stuck on a big download on launch night.
Get your addons ready: a few up-to-date WoW Forever addons are plenty to start with. How to install: Install addons. Recommendations: Addon list.

Launch night

Expect queues: on launch night, a huge number of players will try to log in at once. Check the current status on Server status.
Set your preferred online language (Options > Language and Social). It applies to your whole account and can only be changed once every 24 hours. official
Set up your graphics: “Modern” or “Classic” preset, HD or SD models. Gamepads are supported. official
Set up your keybinds before you start: put key abilities on easy-to-reach keys, enable extra action bars, and bind target switching and interact.
Check your UI: the built-in Cooldown Manager tracks abilities, racials and trinkets without an extra addon. official
Pick up the first quests in your starting zone. Starting zones by race are listed below, and every zone page lists all quests with their quest givers.
Crowded starting zones: when everyone is hunting the same mobs, group up for kill quests. For collection quests, it can be faster to do a different quest first.

Starting zones by race

Human Alliance: Elwynn Forest
Dwarf Alliance: Dun Morogh
Gnome Alliance: Dun Morogh
Night Elf Alliance: Teldrassil
Orc Horde: Durotar
Troll Horde: Durotar
Tauren Horde: Mulgore
Undead Horde: Tirisfal Glades
Skyborne: Zephras Isle (levels 1–12, upgrade pack only) official

Levels 1–10

Pick your route: Horde leveling route or Alliance leveling route. All zones by level are in the Leveling guide.
Visit your class trainer regularly so you don't miss new ranks and abilities. Your class page shows what you learn at each level.
Learn a gathering profession early, since materials sell from day one: Herbalism, Mining or Skinning.
Pick a good combo: Best professions shows which professions suit your class.
Level First Aid and Cooking on the side: bandages cut downtime, and food helps you regen.
Use campfires: a camp gives you vendors, repairs, profession workstations and one-hour buffs. More: Camping. official
Save your gold: vendor gray loot, sell gathered materials on the Auction House, and only buy what you really need. More tips: Making gold.
Set your Hearthstone in your current zone and grab every flight point along the way. It saves a lot of travel time later.

Level 10: talents

Spend your first talent point: you get it at level 10, then one per level.
Plan your talents in advance. WoW Forever adds a new milestone at 16 points, alongside the usual ones at 11, 21 and 31. Talent calculator and leveling builds: Talent calculator. official
Open the leveling guide for your class: Warrior · Paladin · Hunter · Rogue · Priest · Shaman · Mage · Warlock · Druid.

Afterwards

Save gold for riding, which unlocks at level 40. Costs and where to learn it: Riding in WoW Forever.
Keep an eye on the Legacy System: your first point usually comes at level 25, or from 150 skill in a crafting profession or a fully explored world map. More: Legacy System. official
Plan your first dungeons: Dungeons by level shows which instance fits which level.

Rogue

Rogue: use Pick Pocket while leveling once you've learned it. Best targets and junkboxes: Pick Pocket guide.
Rogue: keep Lockpicking leveled as you go instead of catching up later. Skill, lockboxes and route: Lockpicking guide.

FAQ

When does WoW Forever launch?

On Nov 4, 2026 at 3:00 pm PST, worldwide at the same time. In Germany, that's Nov 5, 2026 at midnight CET. There's no early access.

Can I reserve my name before launch?

Yes, from Oct 27, 2026 to Nov 3, 2026, but only with an upgrade pack (Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher). You can reserve up to three characters, first come, first served. Blizzard hasn't announced a start time yet.

Can I change my ruleset later?

No. You'd need a new character. Coordinate with friends and your guild before launch, since groups, dungeons, mail and guilds only work within the same ruleset.

Which zone does my character start in?

Human: Elwynn Forest; Dwarf: Dun Morogh; Gnome: Dun Morogh; Night Elf: Teldrassil; Orc: Durotar; Troll: Durotar; Tauren: Mulgore; Undead: Tirisfal Glades. Skyborne start in Zephras Isle and stay there until level 12.

When do I get talent points?

At level 10, then one per level. WoW Forever also adds a new milestone at 16 points.

Are my checkmarks saved?

Yes, but only in your browser on this device. We don't store anything on our server. In a private window or after clearing site data, the list resets.

As of Oct 14, 2026. Dates and rules come from official Blizzard announcements and are marked as such. Everything else is general advice from experience.

Launch time worldwide Beginner's guide

More WoW Forever Guides

What's New in WoW Forever?
Every change compared to Classic at a glance.
Forever vs. Classic
Every difference, topic by topic, with sources.
Rulesets and Names
Normal, PvP, RP, Hardcore and name reservation.
Races and Classes
Skyborne and every race and class combination.
Raids
Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit and Onyxia from Dec 9, 2026.
PvP
Honor, rank points, ranks 1–14 and the new battleground.
Legacy System
65 challenges, three trees, cosmetic rewards.
Which class suits me?
Quiz with 8 questions and a class recommendation.
Best professions
Which profession suits which class.
Making gold
Honest ways to earn gold, no buying, no bots.
Release and Countdown
Every date up to the raid launch.
Editions and prices
All editions, prices and what the subscription includes.
Roadmap
Dates and phases through 2027, confirmed or open.
Class quests
Every class quest chain for each class, by level.
Class trainers
Where every class finds its trainers, with coordinates.
Macros
Ready-made macros for all nine classes to copy.
Dungeon quests
Every quest to pick up before each dungeon as a checklist.
Tier list
The strongest classes and specs by role.
Skyborne guide
The new race: factions, racial abilities and starting zone.
Hardcore
What is confirmed and what is still open.
Onyxia attunement
Every attunement quest as a checklist.
Launch time worldwide
When WoW Forever launches in your time zone.
Server status
Servers, queues and known issues during launch week.
What to do at which level?
Zones, quests and dungeons for every level.
Riding
Required level, cost and mounts.
Camping
Every camp object and what it does.
Lockpicking
Rogue guide, skill 1–300.
Pick Pocket
What rogues can steal and where.
Install addons
How to get addons into WoW Forever.
Legacy planner
Plan the perk trees and tick off all 65 challenges.
Patch notes
What changes in the game data from build to build.