WoW: ForeverCGN planner & guide

Before your first login

Rulesets and two-part names

Forever replaces the realm list with rulesets and gives every character two names. Both choices are hard to undo, so here is what Blizzard has confirmed, who can group with whom, and a plain way to decide.

Blizzard Confirmed CGN checked October 9, 2026

A wide view of a connected Azeroth

The four rulesets

There is no realm to choose. Each ruleset works like a very large ecosystem for grouping, dungeons, raids and community, so "this is not one giant realm for everyone".

The four rulesets
RulesetWhat it is forBoth factions on one account?Available
NormalThe baseline experience: exploring, questing and cooperating. Open-world PvP only when both players choose it.YesLaunch
PvPContested territory is dangerous and open-world conflict is part of the game.No. One faction per account on this ruleset.Launch
RoleplayingFor players who want to lean into the fantasy and find like-minded adventurers.YesLaunch
HardcoreThe ultimate challenge: decisions matter and death has lasting consequences. Fully enclosed.YesSometime after launch. No date.

Blizzard Confirmed Blizzard, Sep 21, 2026 ↗ · Blizzard, Sep 13, 2026 ↗

Who can group with whom

  • Same ruleset, same faction: you can group, run dungeons and raid together.
  • Different rulesets: cross-ruleset grouping is not supported.
  • Horde with Alliance: still not possible anywhere. Blizzard calls this maintaining the "war" in Warcraft.
  • Battlegrounds can include players from other rulesets. Hardcore is the exception and stays separate.
  • Moving rulesets: you cannot hop between them. To play on a different ruleset you make a new character there.
  • Collections and Legacy Points are account-wide across rulesets. Hardcore is handled differently (see below).
  • PvP ruleset faction rule: once you create an Alliance character on PvP you cannot create a Horde one there, and the reverse. Blizzard may also temporarily limit character creation for the more crowded faction, as it did in Season of Discovery.

Blizzard Confirmed Blizzard, Sep 21, 2026 ↗ · Blizzard, Sep 13, 2026 ↗

Which ruleset should I pick?

Blizzard does not tell you which to pick. This is CGN's plain reading of the rules above, in the order that tends to matter.

  1. Where are the people you want to play with? Pick their ruleset and their faction. Nothing else matters more, because you cannot group across either line and you cannot move a character later.
  2. Do you want open-world PvP to happen to you? If yes, the PvP ruleset. If you only want it when you choose, Normal, where PvP needs consent.
  3. Do you want to play both Horde and Alliance on one account? Then not PvP. Normal, Roleplaying and Hardcore all allow both.
  4. Do you want to play in character? Roleplaying is where Blizzard says like-minded players will gather.
  5. Do you want permanent death? Wait for Hardcore. It is not available at launch and Blizzard has given no date.
  6. Still not sure? Normal keeps the most doors open: both factions, and PvP only by agreement.

This is guidance, not a Blizzard recommendation. Population balance between rulesets is not something Blizzard has published.

Two-part names

  • Two names per character, like a first name and a surname. Together they make a full name that is unique within your region, not within a realm (there are no realms).
  • A first name someone else has can still be yours if the pair differs. Blizzard's examples: Asha Brightvale, Thalen Brightvale and Mira Brightvale could all exist together.
  • The name filter reads both parts together, so splitting a restricted word across them does not make it allowed. Names still follow the in-game code of conduct, and names that impersonate Blizzard or the WoW team are restricted.
  • Hide the second name: Game Menu (Esc), Options, Nameplates, and tick "My Secondary Name". It will no longer show in the world, but it still shows in chat.
  • You cannot be sure of a name. If your pair is taken or does not pass the filter you choose another, or use the random name generator.

A practical way to pick

  • Decide the first name you care about most, then treat the second name as the part you can bend.
  • Keep two or three backups. A family-style second name (the Brightvale idea) lets a group of friends share a theme and still be unique.
  • Check both halves against the filter together: do not rely on a single word being fine alone.
  • If you plan to reserve early, remember the reservation belongs to the specific account that bought the upgrade.

Blizzard Confirmed Blizzard, Sep 21, 2026 ↗ · Blizzard, Sep 13, 2026 ↗

Early name reservation

  • Dates: October 27 through November 3, 2026, before the November 4 launch.
  • Who: eligible upgrade purchases. The Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection all list Early Name Reservation.
  • Account-bound: Blizzard's product page says the benefit only applies to the specific WoW account the upgrade was bought for.
  • First come, first served, and a name is never guaranteed.

Editions and what each includes →

Blizzard Confirmed Blizzard, Sep 21, 2026 ↗ · Blizzard ↗ · Blizzard ↗

Language setting

Set a Preferred Online Language to meet players who share it: Game Menu (Esc), Options, then Languages and Social under System. It is account-wide, applies to all your characters, and has a 24-hour cooldown before you can change it again.

Blizzard Confirmed Blizzard, Sep 21, 2026 ↗

Hardcore

  • Hardcore is a fully enclosed ecosystem. Its characters stay inside it.
  • If a Hardcore character dies, it can transfer to another ruleset, including PvP.
  • Legacy and collections: what you earn in Hardcore can become available in other rulesets, but progress from other rulesets never flows back into Hardcore. Legacy challenges done elsewhere do not show up in Hardcore.
  • PvP Legacy challenges cannot be done in Hardcore, so Blizzard plans 12 Hardcore-specific challenges for Hardcore's launch.
  • Press coverage of Blizzard's roadmap says "sometime between 2026 and 2027". Blizzard's own articles say only "sometime after launch".

Blizzard Confirmed Blizzard, Sep 21, 2026 ↗ · Blizzard, Sep 23, 2026 ↗ · Blizzard, Sep 13, 2026 ↗

What we don't know yet

  • The Hardcore release date.
  • How "region" is drawn for name uniqueness (Blizzard only says "region").
  • Whether and how a name can be changed later.
  • Population balance between rulesets and how guilds work across them.

Sources on this page

Labels: Blizzard Confirmed Beta Build Beta Data Developer Interview Press Report Community Observation Survey / Concept Only Not Yet Known