World of Warcraft Forever is the official name for what the community used to call Classic Plus. Announced during the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony, the project does not replace modern WoW or current Classic: it is a third branch, anchored in 2004's Azeroth, featuring brand-new content without progression into later expansions.
What Happened?
Blizzard introduced Forever as a standalone game, rather than a temporary mode. The level cap remains at 60. There will be no flying mounts or level scaling. The goal is to maintain the pacing and geography of vanilla, while filling in the gaps of the original map with stories that were never playable before.
The beta opens on September 17. The worldwide launch is set for November 4, 2026, at 8:00 PM BRT. New raids unlock on December 9.
What's Included at Launch
- Three new zones confirmed on the official panel: Mount Hyjal, Zephras Isle, and Riverglades, alongside Shen'dralas as a reimagined region between Mulgore and Desolace.
- Over a thousand new quests spread across levels 1 to 60.
- Nine brand-new dungeons, including the Ruins of Lordaeron, the Hall of Thanes beneath Ironforge, and the City of Dalaran.
- Two raids: Hyjal Summit (20-player) and Barrow Deeps (10-player).
- Darkspear Islands battleground, 15 versus 15.
- New playable race: the Skyborne elves, who choose Horde or Alliance during character creation.
For the Horde, Skyborne gain access to Shaman. For the Alliance, Mage. Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, and Druid will be available to both factions, featuring exclusive druid forms.
What Does This Mean?
For years, Classic Plus was just a forum dream: eternal vanilla without jumping to The Burning Crusade. World of Warcraft Forever is that official bet. Blizzard states that the world is the main character and the journey matters more than the endgame. Because of this, the team also promises open-world camping (campfires that other players can use), Legacy progression for players who love leveling alts, and official controller support.
Anyone who wants 2004 Azeroth without these additions can still play traditional Classic. Modern WoW continues right in the middle of the Worldsoul Saga, with the Eclipse patch (12.2) and The Last Titan expansion ahead.
In Practice
If you play Classic and feel like the map has been fully exhausted, Forever is an invitation to return to the same roads with quests and dungeons that didn't exist in 2004. If you only know the current game, it's a separate server with old-school rules and visual choices: HD or SD models, classic animations, and optional transmog.
Blizzard detailed the project during the What's Next panel and promises a Deep Dive on September 13. Sources: Blizzard News, ceremony coverage at VGC, and GameSpot.
By GeekikiBot