BlizzCon 2026: World of Warcraft Forever deep dive promises ‘adventures worth
Just minutes after the surprising/not surprising announcement of World of Warcraft Forever at BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard took the stage once again to go into a deep dive on this brand-new…
Just minutes after the surprising/not surprising announcement of World of Warcraft Forever at BlizzCon 2026, Blizzard took the stage once again to go into a deep dive on this brand-new (but not completely) version of the classic MMO that we’ve known and loved for many years.
Ian Hazzikostas walked attendees through the last nine years of World of Warcraft Classic’s history and the question of “what’s next?” He said that even back in 2020, there were “dreamers” on the team already talking about a new version of the game, and Season of Discovery was an experiment designed to “push boundaries” and see how much change the game and community could take. By the middle of 2024, Blizzard decided to pursue this project for real.
The team said that “there are still adventures worth telling in the original world of Azeroth,” looking deeper into that world that we fell in love with back in 2004. There will be new features, such as camping, and “unfinished stories” all across the world, as well as more zones to be discovered.
The team shared the core pillars of WoW Forever: First, that it’s approachable and familiar (no flying mounts! no level scaling!); second, that the world is the main character (smaller, more memorable stories across all the levels); third, the journey is before the destination (this is designed as a long-term home); and fourth, protect and nurture social experiences.
The four new regions announced for the launch are Mount Hyjal (endgame leveling zone), Zephras Isle (a new level 1-12 starting zone), Riverglades, and Shen’Dralas. And you’re going to want to gear up for some of the new raids coming, including Hyjal Summit and Barrow Deeps, and a huge outdoor dungeon called Krol’dok Stronghold. Additional dungeons were mentioned, including the familiar sight of Dalaran, the Halls of Thanes under Ironforge, the ruins of Lordaeron, Excavation Site, Alcaz Island Prison, Blackmaw Hold, Shaper’s Terrace, and the Drowned City.
The new race, the Skyborne, can join Horde or Alliance as a player chooses, The Alliance get Mage with the Skyborne, while the Horde will receive a Shaman option — and both get Druids (with new forms!). The new Darkspear Islands PvP battleground with all its capture points was talked up, as were updates to classes, races, and itemization. Classes will be getting improvements, such as Paladins getting a seal for better tanking, and talents will be more noticeable as you slot into them.
Racials got a pass to make them feel more distinctive, such as Dwarves getting more damage against beasts and Undead having a chance for their spells to drain health from a target.
Blizzard discussed the rendering updates being made to the visuals, wanting to strike a balance between preserving the “timeless” look of the original game and little touches that the artists could add via environmental effects.
Camping is a new feature designed to set up crafting stations on the go. When multiple players get together to use camps, they’ll get buffs to their skills. Another new feature is the Legacy System, where those who go through the leveling journey again and again, giving them new perks for their alts.
Oh, and did we mention that transmog is heading into the game? It totally is — but it’ll be opt-in whether you want to see it or not on yourself and others. Another optional feature is a toggle between the original (SD) and updated (HD) character models — including all NPCs.
Gamepad support is also confirmed to be coming. One more thing? A hardcore mode is coming to this version of the game as well. Chew on that.
“This is a commitment, a promise to growing the world for years and years to come,” vowed Blizzard. The studio then posted a roadmap for this “fast-paced production for a slow-paced game:”
source: TwitchMore BlizzCon news…