Blizzard has confirmed the existence of “Classic+”, a long-rumoured expansion that fans of World of Warcraft have been tracking for years. The game’s official announcement names the project World of Warcraft: Forever.
The confirmation came during BlizzCon’s opening ceremony, where Blizzard revealed that the game launches globally on 4th November. Beta access starts this Thursday, 17th September, for anyone who has pre-purchased one of the game’s upgrade packs.
The Rumours Were Right
Dataminers spotted colour codes listed on Blizzard’s website bearing a strange “wow 2” tag last week. A great many players took that to mean the suspected World of Warcraft Camelot, otherwise known as “Classic Plus”, was being hinted at. It now appears their guess was nearly correct.
The group gathered for a focused discussion included senior game director Ion Hazzikostas, lead Classic designer Tim Jones, lead software engineer Nora Mills, and associate production director Clay Stone. Together they provided further explanation of the new regions, systems, and design approach guiding the project.
What Forever Brings
Instead of replacing Modern and Classic, Blizzard frames Forever as a fresh, lasting base for World of Warcraft, standing alongside both of those versions. Its setting sits between two fixed points in the game’s history: it follows the new Forsaken Kingdom campaign, yet comes before the original Molten Core raid.
The game brings players back to the original continents with a level cap of 60, and it launches with three new zones, more than 1,000 new quests, nine new dungeons, and two new raids that support both 10 and 20-player groups. It also adds new race and class options, along with a brand new playable race called the Skyborne.
Access comes with an existing World of Warcraft subscription, so no separate purchase is needed. Upgrade packs can be bought separately, including the Skyborne Heroic Pack, which opens up the Skyborne race and a starting zone early. The more expensive Skyborne Epic Pack adds beta access, a month of Game Time, and extra cosmetics.
The Numbers
- Launch date: 4th November
- Beta access begins: 17th September
- Level cap: 60
- New zones: 3
- New quests: More than 1,000
- New dungeons: 9
- New raids: 2, supporting 10 and 20-player groups
- New playable race: Skyborne
This Thursday marks the first opportunity for players to actually experience the game, with beta access giving them a look at it in action. Those who have already pre-purchased an upgrade pack will be among the first to get their hands on it, ahead of the full release.
The Skyborne Epic Pack offers a month of Game Time plus early access to the beta, drawing in players who want to get started ahead of everyone else. A lesser package opens up the Skyborne race and starting zone early, giving players a more modest way into the game.
Subscribers don’t need to purchase a separate copy of WoW. Instead, the upgrade packs provide additional cosmetics and early access for those who choose to spend more.
At BlizzCon 2026, the opening ceremony covered several announcements spread across three major franchises. Among those were Diablo 5 and a fresh open-world StarCraft shooter.
Some players will find the wait until November hard to bear. The road to Forever is now visible, however, with beta access beginning this Thursday and the full game arriving in just a few months.
See the video the story is built around at Eurogamer.