At BlizzCon, developer Blizzard Entertainment officially launched the long-awaited Classic+ version of “World of Warcraft: Forever.” Developed by a dedicated Classics team, this version inherits the foundations of the original Azeroth, released in 2004, but takes the world into an alternate storyline. Rather than taking the well-known expansion path, the level cap will remain permanently at level 60. Instead, the development team relied on massive expansions of the existing universe, including entirely new locations, dungeons, and gameplay mechanics. Official sales are scheduled to begin on November 4, 2026, with the closed beta phase beginning on September 17.
The content of this project is specifically designed to fill in the unfinished gaps in the original main game. Three brand new regions and revised region sections are already available at the start of the sale to fill out unused areas on the world map. Visual highlights include the mage city of Dalaran, accessible for the first time before its destruction, and the iconic world tree Nordrassil.
The scope also includes more than 1,000 new missions, nine new dungeons, two raid instances and an additional battlefield for player-versus-player combat. Sky Elves are introduced as a new playable race, while new racial class combinations such as Dwarf Shaman or Undead Paladin relax the class system.
Technically, the spin-off benefits from a modern graphics engine that allows for visual modifications to the game world without distorting the classic art style. Access to the community is accessible: the item will be included with every active World of Warcraft subscription at no additional cost. Optional digital packs available, such as the Skyborne Epic Pack, allow early access to the upcoming beta phase in addition to cosmetic bonuses.
With the release of World of Warcraft: Forever, Blizzard is directly responding to the fan base’s long-standing desire for an ever-expanding vanilla experience. The concept combines the familiar feel and hard progression elements of the original with modern content design. Whether the combination of nostalgia and new content can retain the community in the long term will be revealed in late autumn.
