The World of Warcraft: Forever Beta Is Live, But Its New Race Will Cost You $30
The World of Warcraft: Forever beta went live on September 17, following a live Blizzard Q&A stream, giving the first wave of players a look at the permanent Classic-adjacent mode Blizzard unveiled at BlizzCon 2026. Here’s how to get in, what you can actually test right now, and why the new playable race is stirring up some frustration before the mode has even launched.
How to Get Into the Beta
There are two ways in. The free route is opting in on the official World of Warcraft: Forever website, which gives you a random chance at access, the same way Blizzard has historically handled beta selection. The guaranteed route is buying into one of the paid upgrade packs that include beta access outright, with entry opening within about 30 minutes of purchase. Either way, you can confirm your access by logging into your Battle.net account and checking for a “World of Warcraft: Forever beta license” under Your Game Accounts. The beta itself runs from September 17 through October 21.
What You Can Actually Test Right Now
The opening week of the beta caps characters at level 20. Testers can roll the new Skyborne race and explore its starting zone, Zephras Isle, alongside two dungeons: Hall of Thanes (levels 13-18) and Ruins of Lordaeron (levels 15-20). Blizzard says the level cap will rise to 30 later in the test, unlocking more zones, dungeons, and a new battleground. As with any beta, none of this progress carries over. Everything wipes when testing ends on October 21, ahead of the full launch.
The Skyborne, World of Warcraft: Forever’s new playable race, as shown in Blizzard’s Skyborne Heroic Pack artwork.
The Skyborne Race Costs Extra, and Not Everyone’s Thrilled
World of Warcraft: Forever itself is included with an active WoW subscription or game time, so there’s no separate purchase needed to play the base mode. The Skyborne race is a different story. Unlocking it requires the Skyborne Heroic Pack, a $29.99 add-on that includes race access and its starting zone, early character name reservation, the Cerulean Prideclaw mount, and some cosmetics, but notably not beta access on its own.
According to Wowhead, it’s the first time Blizzard has paywalled a playable race outside of a full expansion release, and the move has drawn real backlash from players who feel a cosmetic-and-convenience race unlock shouldn’t come with its own price tag on top of a subscription, especially for a mode built around Classic-style content rather than a new expansion.
Guaranteed Beta Access Will Cost You More
If you want to skip the lottery entirely, two higher packs guarantee entry. The Skyborne Epic Pack ($59.99) includes everything in the Heroic Pack plus immediate beta access, 30 days of game time starting at launch, extra cosmetics, and three Invite-a-Friend codes instead of one. The limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection ($79.99), available through January 11, 2027, adds Warcraft III: Reforged and its new Forsaken Kingdom campaign on top of everything in the Epic Pack.
Release Date and What’s Coming at Launch
World of Warcraft: Forever fully launches on November 4 at 3 p.m. PST. At full release, it picks up chronologically after Warcraft III: Reforged’s Forsaken Kingdom campaign and before Molten Core, with a level 60 cap, four new or reworked zones, more than 1,000 new quests, nine dungeons, and two raids: the 20-player Hyjal Summit and the 10-player Barrow Deeps, the latter unlocking December 9. As Blizzard put it in its beta announcement, “the journey matters as much as the destination,” with the world built to keep growing for years to come.
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Picture Source: Blizzard Entertainment
