World of Warcraft: Forever Launches November 4 with Nine Dungeons and Two Raids
Blizzard's September 2026 recaps confirm the WoW: Forever launch time, beta start, four named regions, nine dungeons, two raids, and the first system details.
Zone guide: Mount Hyjal Zone guide: Shen'dralas
Editorial record
Responsible editor: Max · medium risk · desk review · AI assistance: draft

Blizzard’s September 2026 panel recaps fill in the first useful WoW: Forever launch outline. The game launches globally on November 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. PST, with beta beginning September 17. New raids unlock on December 9.
Forever is a separate World of Warcraft experience built around reimagined original Azeroth. It is not a new version of Classic, and it is not a static Vanilla preservation project.
The confirmed launch scope
The What’s Next panel recap names four regions in the level 1–60 journey:
Mount Hyjal, where players help a recovering land after Archimonde’s defeat;
Shen’dralas, a mystery between
Mulgore and
Desolace tied to the Shen’dralar,
Eldre’Thalas,
Dire Maul, and the centaur tribes;
Riverglades, a frontier with more than 150 new quests across much of the
mid-30s to mid-40s experience;
Zephras Isle, a level 1–12 elemental starting experience and home of the
playable Skyborne.
The same recap confirms more than 1,000 new quests and names all nine dungeons: Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron, the excavation site above Whelgar’s Excavation, City of Dalaran, Blackmaw Hold, The Drowned City, Krol’dok Stronghold, Alcaz Prison, and The Shaper’s Terrace.
Raids, battlegrounds, and systems
Blizzard names Hyjal Summit and The Barrow Deeps as the first two raids. Hyjal Summit has 20-player raid encounters. The Barrow Deeps is planned as a maximum-level 10-player challenge. The recap does not say whether either raid supports another size.
The
Darkspear Islands add a 15 vs. 15 battleground with strategic control points
and Arathi Basin-style flag capture and defense. The Deep Dive also describes
Basic Campfires, Legacy Challenges and Trees, realmless rulesets, opt-in
transmog, revised racial and class systems, and itemization changes. Those are
confirmed design details, not complete player databases.
What remains a guide gate
The source cut does not provide a complete race and class matrix, every class’s talents, dungeon level gates, bosses or loot, full profession recipes, final item values, or a tested leveling route. Those fields need a later written source or a recorded Forever build with its build number and test conditions.
For the maintained player-facing overview, use the World of Warcraft: Forever guide.


