A traveller’s almanac of Azeroth
What’s new, where to begin, and how to choose a character you’ll still love at level 60. Six short chapters; read them in any order.
If you played Classic in 2019 or back in 2004, most of Forever will feel like coming home. These are the changes worth knowing before you make a character.
Two Skyborne races, the shen’dorei high elves: High Order for the Alliance and Windshapers for the Horde.
Human hunters, orc mages, dwarf shamans, undead paladins, gnome priests and troll warlocks.
Familiar trees with new talents, merged weapon specializations and new spells, like Frostfire Bolt for mages.
Shamans get a reworked totem kit, and both factions now have shamans.
Nine new dungeons from level 13 to 60, plus Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia’s Lair (40).
Mount Hyjal and new zones to explore, and a new 15-versus-15 battleground on the Darkspear Islands.
A new progression system with three trees, Professions, Adventure and Resourcefulness, and 16 points at launch.
You choose a ruleset (how you want to play) rather than hunting for the right realm.
No flying, no level scaling, manual grouping and limited add-ons. Transmog is opt-in.
Every race has a starting area built for its story. Begin there even if a friend is elsewhere; you’ll meet up by level 10 or so, and you’ll know who your character is.
Visit your class trainer every couple of levels. New ranks of old spells matter as much as new spells.
Mining, herbalism or skinning pay for your first mount. Cooking, fishing and first aid are free to learn and never wasted.
Grouping is manual: talk in town, invite the person doing your quest, and say thanks. Friends lists in Forever fill up fast.
It sounds small. It isn’t. The world’s stories live in those paragraphs, and Forever adds new ones.
There’s no catch-up and no rush. A blue staff at 24 is a big day. Mark it on your character page.
Racial abilities are from Forever’s game files and described in our own words. Several changed from Classic; exact numbers arrive at launch.
Young and adaptable, the humans of Stormwind hold the Alliance together.
WarriorPaladinHunter (new)RoguePriestMageWarlock
Mountain folk of Ironforge: master smiths, explorers and proud of their titan origins.
WarriorPaladinHunterRoguePriestShaman (new)
Ancient guardians of Kalimdor’s forests, watched over by the moon goddess Elune.
WarriorHunterRoguePriestDruid
Brilliant inventors who lost their city, Gnomeregan, and now live in Ironforge.
WarriorRoguePriest (new)MageWarlock
Shen’dorei high elves who return to Azeroth to relearn the arcane.
WarriorHunterRogueMageDruid
Tank · Melee · Plate
Rage builds as you fight; every swing earns the next one.
The warrior is the person who stands in front. Not chosen, not blessed: just stubborn enough to keep going, and that is the whole point.
Leveling: The slowest start of any class. You’ll eat between pulls and every weapon upgrade will feel enormous. It makes the payoff sweeter.
New in Forever: Weapon specializations are folded into Weaponmaster choices, and Fury and Protection both get reworked talents.
Warrior talents
Healer · Tank · Melee · Plate
Slow, sure and almost impossible to kill. Blessings make every group better.
A paladin carries a promise: to protect, to heal and to be the light when things go dark. It’s a class for people who like being relied on.
Leveling: Steady and safe rather than fast. You’ll rarely die, and rarely be in a hurry.
New in Forever: Undead can now be paladins, and Holy and Protection have new talents to play with.
Paladin talents
Ranged · Leather, then Mail
You and your companion against the wild. Tame a beast and it’s yours for the whole journey.
Hunters are wanderers at heart. The pet you tame in the hills of your starting zone can still be at your side at level 60.
Leveling: The smoothest solo leveling in the game. Great for taking the long way round.
New in Forever: Humans can now be hunters, and Beast Mastery has new aspect talents.
Hunter talents
Melee · Leather
Unseen until it matters. Openers, combo points and a quick exit.
A rogue lives by wit, not rules. Lockpicking, poisons and stealth turn the world into a puzzle only you can solve.
Leveling: Quick and clever once you learn when to pick fights. Stealth lets you skip what you don’t want.
New in Forever: New poisons, and the weapon specializations are merged into Hack and Slash.
Rogue talents
Healer · Ranged · Cloth
Light and shadow in one robe. Heal the party or quietly unravel the enemy’s mind.
Priests choose between keeping others alive and walking in the dark themselves. Either way, it’s a calling more than a job.
Leveling: Gentle with Shadow, slower as a healer. Groups will always welcome you.
New in Forever: Gnomes can now be priests, and the talent trees mention new spells like Penance and Prayer of Mending.
Priest talents
Healer · Ranged · Melee · Leather, then Mail
Totems at your feet and the elements at your call. A bit of everything.
Shamans listen to the earth, wind, fire and water, and ask rather than command. It’s the class of balance and respect.
Leveling: Sturdy and flexible: heal yourself, shock what runs, swing a big weapon.
New in Forever: Dwarves can now be shamans, so the Alliance has them too. Totems are overhauled.
Shaman talents
Ranged · Cloth
Fire, frost and arcane. Conjure food, open portals, freeze the room.
A mage is a scholar with a dangerous hobby. The world is a library, and every scroll is a door.
Leveling: Fast once you learn to kite. You’ll never pay for water again.
New in Forever: Orcs can now be mages, and every mage gets Frostfire Bolt.
Mage talents
Ranged · Cloth
Curses, demons and patience. Let the damage over time do the work.
Warlocks bargain with what others fear. Power has a price, and you’ve decided to pay it on your own terms.
Leveling: Very strong alone: your demon tanks while your curses tick.
New in Forever: Trolls can now be warlocks. Curse of Agony becomes Bane of Agony, and Wrack joins your drains.
Warlock talents
Healer · Tank · Melee · Ranged · Leather
Bear, cat, moonkin, healer: one character, every role.
Druids are guardians of the wild, shaped by the land rather than ruling it. The most patient class, and the most free.
Leveling: Flexible and calm. Travel form at 30 makes the scenic route easy.
New in Forever: The Skyborne can now be druids, so both factions have more choice.
Druid talentsForever is realmless: rather than hunting for the right realm, you choose the rules you want to play by. There’s no wrong answer, only the evenings you’d like to have.
Explore, quest and group up; fight other players only when you choose to.
The world is yours to explore at your own pace. Nobody can attack you unless you opt in. The best fit for the scenic route and a calm evening.
The other faction can attack you almost anywhere. Every road has a little danger.
Contested zones are truly contested. It makes the world feel alive and every trip tense, and the stories are unforgettable. Expect to be ambushed sometimes, and to ambush back.
Players speak and act in character, with naming and behaviour rules to match.
Your character is a person with a past. Roleplayers write stories together in the world: guard patrols, taverns, trials and festivals. Perfect if lore and feeling matter most to you.
One life. If your character dies, they stay dead on this ruleset.
Every pull matters and every level is earned. A fallen character can move to another ruleset to be brought back, so a loss isn’t the end of their story. For players who love high stakes and careful play.
The four rulesets are Blizzard’s; the descriptions are ours. See Blizzard’s announcement for their own words.
Sources: Blizzard’s WoW Forever announcement (rulesets and dates), plus coverage by Icy Veins and classicwow.gg; races, racials and talents from the game files via wago.tools. WoW Forever is a trademark of Blizzard Entertainment; First Pull Academy isn’t affiliated with Blizzard.