WoW Forever First-Day Checklist: Setup, Login and Your First Night

World of Warcraft: Forever went live worldwide on Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC). Blizzard's Now Live article confirms the servers are open. Whether you logged in on launch night or you're starting later in launch week, the same decisions come first. This checklist covers access, rulesets, language, names, class, addons and a plan for your first night, so you spend your first session playing instead of in menus.

This page is a to-do list for your first days in Forever; everything on it still applies after launch day. For an overview of what Forever is and how to get access, start with our WoW Forever start-here guide.

Scope and checking. Rechecked 5 November 2026 against Blizzard's Now Live article and edition details. Where a detail is only known from the beta or fan reports, we say so.

Launch time in your region

Blizzard used one global launch moment: Wednesday, November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC). That was 11:00 p.m. GMT in the UK and midnight CET in Central Europe, where launch fell on Thursday, November 5. Our WoW Forever release date and time page has the full table for every region, the maintenance that ran and the key dates still ahead.

The checklist at a glance

When	Task	Done?
Before you log in	Active WoW subscription or Game Time	☐
Before you log in	Decide whether you want the Skyborne (paid pack)	☐
Before you log in	Agree ruleset and faction with your group	☐
Before you log in	Set your Preferred Online Language (24-hour cooldown)	☐
Before you log in	Send any Invite-A-Friend codes (valid November 4–11)	☐
Before you log in	Choose a two-part name and two backups	☐
Before you log in	Choose class and race	☐
Before you log in	Update Battle.net; install the Forever client and addons	☐
Before you log in	Using RestedXP: update the addon and re-import the guide string	☐
First login	Pick the Classic or Enhanced preset	☐
Character creation	Choose HD or SD models	☐
First session	Follow a planned route; log out in an inn	☐

Before you log in

1. Check your access

Forever is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. There is no separate box to buy for the base game. If you bought the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection, Blizzard says they include 30 days of Game Time starting November 4.

Invite a friend for launch week. Qualifying Battle.net purchases include Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes: one with the Skyborne Heroic Pack, three with the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection. Blizzard says a friend can use one to join Forever during launch week, November 4 through November 11, 2026 (PST). The codes were emailed from October 20, so check your inbox and send them early in the week.

2. Decide on the Skyborne before you create your character

The new Skyborne race and its Zephras Isle starting zone need the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition. The Heroic Pack also includes Early Name Reservation and the Cerulean Prideclaw mount. You still have to buy the riding skill in game to use it. If you plan to start as a Skyborne, buy the pack before you create the character so you aren't sorting out the purchase mid-login. Our Skyborne leveling guide explains what the race and zone offer.

3. Agree a ruleset and faction with your group

Forever replaces realm selection with rulesets. At launch there are four:

Ruleset	What it means
Normal	PvE focus. You fight other players only when you choose to.
PvP	You are almost always at risk of attack by the opposing faction.
Roleplay	Strict naming and behavior rules for character roleplay
Roleplay PvP	Roleplay rules plus open-world PvP

Hardcore will come "sometime after launch," with no date. Two rules matter for groups: you can only group, run dungeons and raid with players on the same ruleset, and Horde and Alliance still cannot group together. Settle both in your group chat before you create characters.

Set your language preference too. Blizzard asks every account to set a Preferred Online Language (Game Menu > Options > System > Languages and Social). It's account-wide and has a 24-hour cooldown before you can change it again, so set it once, correctly, before you meet your group.

4. Pick your names

Each character has a two-part name, and the full name must be unique within your region (not per realm, because realms no longer exist). Popular single words will be taken, so have two backup combinations ready. Roleplay rulesets have stricter naming rules.

5. Choose your class

Pick before you hit the character screen, not while the queue is moving. If solo leveling speed matters to you, Hunter and Warlock lead every beta-based tier list. Our best leveling class guide compares all nine classes and the new race/class combinations (Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin).

6. Prepare the client and addons

• Update the Battle.net app and pre-download the Forever game client. Wowhead reports that pre-download is now open to all players, not only Skyborne pack owners.
• Install addons into the Forever client folder, not Classic Era or Retail. Our addon install guide shows how to check the folder and confirm each addon loads.
• Choose a small, tested set: a route or quest helper, plus whatever UI basics you need. Our Forever addons guide lists tested options.
• Expect addon updates during launch week. Update again just before you log in, and keep the release notes open.
• Update RestedXP before you quest. RestedXP shipped a major Forever update on 3 November and addon v4.11.31 on 4 November. Update the RestedXP Guide addon to v4.11.31 or newer. If you own the paid guide, export a fresh guide string at account.restedxp.com, then in game type /rxp import, click Purge, then Reload, and import the new string (full steps). Download from account.restedxp.com when the site is busy. Forever 35–60 routes are still not out (shop checked 5 November).

Enlarge

CurseForge shows the Forever installation selected and a RestedXP Guide download at 33 percent.

The Forever installation selector and an addon download in CurseForge, from a 6 October 2026 tutorial. The creator’s original step banner is retained; download progress does not show that the addon has loaded in game.

Open original

At first login

If you hit a queue, a disconnect or "no realms available" before you get this far, check Blizzard's channels first; our launch night login problems page lists where Blizzard posts outages and what the common errors mean.

7. Choose your experience preset

The first time you log in, Forever asks you to Choose Your Experience Preset, before you pick a ruleset. You only see this screen once, but every setting can be changed later under Game Menu > Options.

Setting	Classic preset	Enhanced preset
Character models	Standard Definition	High Definition
Quest points of interest and objective areas	Off	On
One-bag	Off	On
Transmog	Off	On
Movement keys	Keyboard turning	Keyboard strafing
UI layout	Classic	Centralized

Blizzard's advice is to start with Enhanced if you're unsure. For leveling, the main difference is quest points of interest and objective areas: Enhanced marks them on the map, Classic leaves you to read the quest text. A route addon covers much of this either way. If you use Questie, see our Questie guide for how it works alongside the built-in markers.

8. HD or SD models

Every time you create a character, you choose High Definition or Standard Definition models and animations. It affects appearance only, not abilities or progression, and you can change it later in Options or at a barbershop. Skyborne currently stay HD; Blizzard has said SD Skyborne models are in development for early 2027.

Your first session

9. Have a plan for the first hours

• Know your first zones. Our leveling guide lists starting zones and a zone order for each faction. First character ever? Our beginner guide covers the basics and common mistakes.
• Expect crowds in launch week. Every player starts at level 1 at about the same time. Grouping for kill quests in busy areas usually beats waiting for respawns.
• Expect queues and layers. Blizzard hasn't announced queue limits, so have a backup plan if login queues form on launch night. Forever spreads players across layers; Blizzard has said it's working on its top layering issues (Wowhead). Grouping with a friend is the usual way to end up on the same layer.
• Learn your first spells and skills when you can afford them. Trainer visits are part of any good route. New weapon types are trained at a Weapon Master in a capital city; see our weapon skills guide.
• Pick professions early. Gathering professions earn gold for your mount. Forever's crafted food can also give a small XP bonus, and campfires get profession-built objects. See our professions guide.

10. Log out in an inn or a capital city

Rested XP builds while you are logged out in an inn or a major city. It doubles the XP from kills until it runs out, but it doesn't affect quest XP. Ending every session at an inn is one of the easiest speed gains in the game. Our fastest way to level guide explains how much rested XP you can bank.

Try before you pay: RestedXP's free chapters cover levels 1–20. If you buy, the 10% RestedXP discount applies automatically through our link, and our RestedXP review lists the drawbacks as well as the strengths. For prices and packages, see RestedXP for WoW Forever.

11. Start saving for level 40

Blizzard has confirmed that the mount comes with riding training (Burning Crusade style). Beta players reported level 40 and 100 gold for Apprentice Riding with the mount included. Blizzard hasn't published the price, so treat 100 gold as a target, not a guarantee. Avoid spending gold you don't need to before then. See our mounts and riding guide for trainers and costs.

Dates after launch

Date	What happens
November 4 (23:00 UTC)	Launch: levels 1–60, four rulesets
November 4–11 (PST)	Invite-A-Friend Launch Code window
After launch, no date	Hardcore ruleset
After launch, no date	RestedXP's Forever routes for 35–60 (Era routes cover 35–60 until then)
December 9	First raids open at 60: Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit, Onyxia's Lair

Your first Legacy Point usually arrives at level 25. That opens the Legacy window and the account-wide perks covered in our Legacy overview.

Frequently asked questions

What time did WoW Forever launch?

WoW Forever launched on November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST, which is 23:00 UTC, 11:00 p.m. GMT in the UK and midnight CET (00:00 on November 5) in Central Europe. Blizzard's Now Live article confirms the servers are open.

Do I need to buy WoW Forever?

No. Forever is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. Paid packs are optional, but the Skyborne race and its Zephras Isle starting zone need the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition.

Which ruleset should I choose in WoW Forever?

Choose Normal for PvE leveling with PvP only by choice, PvP for open-world combat, or Roleplay or Roleplay PvP for character roleplay. Pick the same ruleset and faction as your friends, because you can't group across rulesets or factions.

Is Hardcore available at WoW Forever launch?

No. Blizzard says the Hardcore ruleset will arrive sometime after launch and hasn't given a date.

Should I choose the Classic or Enhanced preset?

Blizzard recommends Enhanced if you're unsure. It turns on HD models, quest points of interest and one-bag. You can change any setting later in Options, so the choice is not permanent.

How do names work in WoW Forever?

Each character has a two-part name, and the full combination must be unique within your region. Prepare a couple of backup combinations in case your first choice is taken.