Rulesets

World of Warcraft: Forever has no server list. Instead of a realm, you choose one of four rulesets for each character when you create it. Each works like one large player ecosystem, not a single realm and not one realm for everyone.

ChosenPer character
SwitchingMeans a new character
GroupingWithin a ruleset

Which ruleset Blizzard's own description, and what differs

Normal

The baseline World of Warcraft experience with a focus on cooperation, where player-versus-player combat requires mutual consent.

Players fight each other only by choice

Available: At launch
Both factions on one account: Yes
Battlegrounds mix with other rulesets: Yes
Legacy challenges: Hardcore ones count here

PvP

For players who want every trip into contested territory to carry more danger, excitement, and world conflict.

Faction balance can limit new characters for one faction

Available: At launch
Both factions on one account: One faction only
Battlegrounds mix with other rulesets: Yes
Legacy challenges: Hardcore ones count here

Roleplaying

For players who want to lean more deeply into the fantasy of Azeroth and seek out like-minded adventurers.

Available: At launch
Both factions on one account: Yes
Battlegrounds mix with other rulesets: Yes
Legacy challenges: Hardcore ones count here

Hardcore

After launch

Available after launch for players seeking the ultimate challenge, where every decision matters and death carries lasting consequences.

A character that dies can transfer to another ruleset, PvP included

Available: After launch
Both factions on one account: Yes
Battlegrounds mix with other rulesets: Stays separate
Legacy challenges: 12 of its own, others do not show

The same on every ruleset

No flying mounts
Wherever you play.
No level scaling
Wherever you play.
Groups stay within a ruleset
Dungeons and raids too.
Horde and Alliance still cannot group
On any ruleset.
Collections and Legacy Points are account-wide
What Hardcore earns carries out, nothing flows back in.
Darkspear Islands
A 15 versus 15 battleground, open to every ruleset's battlegrounds.

Good to know

Playing with friends

Players group, run dungeons and raid only with others on the same ruleset.

Horde and Alliance still cannot group together. Agree on a ruleset and a faction before you start.

Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes let an invited friend play Forever from 4 through 11 November 2026 (Pacific) without a subscription or Game Time.

Switching rulesets

Characters cannot move freely between rulesets; playing another ruleset means a new character. A Hardcore character that dies can transfer to another ruleset, PvP included.

Collections and Legacy Points are account-wide across rulesets; Hardcore progress can carry out of Hardcore, but nothing from other rulesets flows into it.

Two-part names

Every character has two names, and the full two-name combination must be unique within the region.

The second name can be hidden in the world (Options, Nameplates, "My Secondary Name"); it still shows in chat.

Name rules check both parts together, so splitting a restricted word across the two names does not get around them.

On 24 September the developers began forcing renames of beta characters that broke the naming policy, removed beta access for the worst cases, and said an automated name check is coming shortly.

Hardcore, when it arrives

Hardcore is not available at launch; it arrives some time after.

After the December raids Blizzard plans more raids, dungeons, PvP updates, world content, more quests across levels 1 to 60, Hardcore, a revamped iconic raid and major updates.

When Hardcore arrives it gets 12 Legacy Challenges of its own; challenges earned in Hardcore count in all other rulesets, but non-Hardcore ones do not show in Hardcore.

Language

An account-wide Preferred Online Language setting (Options, Languages and Social) matches players by language; it can be changed once every 24 hours.

The Forever beta: dates, access and editions See every Legacy challenge Everything new in Forever