Plan on nothing carrying over. Blizzard has not published a carry-over promise for the WoW: Forever beta, and every World of Warcraft beta so far — Classic, TBC and Wrath Classic, Season of Discovery, every retail expansion — ended with a full character wipe. The beta runs September 17 to October 21, 2026, capped at level 30; launch characters are created fresh from October 27.
The beta-to-launch timeline in one table
| Beta window | September 17 – October 21, 2026 (per Blizzard's roadmap; may change) |
| Beta level cap | 30 |
| Beta access | Skyborne Epic Pack or Warcraft Forever Collection |
| Early Name Reservation and character creation | October 27 – November 3, 2026, up to three characters, any upgrade pack |
| Launch | November 4, 2026, 3 p.m. Pacific, worldwide, included with an active subscription or Game Time |
| Raids open | December 9, 2026 — Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit, Onyxia's Lair |
Read that middle row carefully. Character creation for launch opens six days after the beta closes, as a separate step, and it is where your three reserved names live. That is the structure of a fresh start, not a transfer. If Blizzard changes course and announces a carry-over, it will come from the official WoW: Forever forum category or the September 17 live Q&A (18:00 BST on the Warcraft Twitch and YouTube channels) — treat anything else as rumor.
Skyborne Start: Zephras Isle 1–12The new Skyborne starting experience completed on your character.from 15 EURGet it doneWhat "wipe" almost certainly means for you
- Beta characters, levels, gold, bags and bank contents do not move to the live game.
- Names you used in the beta are not reserved by playing the beta. Name Reservation (October 27) is the only route, and it is first come, first served, per region, using the new two-part name (Main Name plus Secondary Name).
- Legacy Points earned on the beta — the account-wide perks from Legacy Challenges — should be assumed gone too. Legacy is account-wide across rulesets on live, but Blizzard has said nothing about beta Legacy progress surviving.
- Collections (appearances, pets) from the beta: same assumption, no carry-over.
The beta is a rehearsal. Use it to learn the new 13–20 dungeons (Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron), test a Forsaken Paladin or Dwarf Shaman, and decide which ruleset — Normal, PvP or Roleplaying — you actually want. Hardcore arrives after launch, so you cannot test that one.
Does WoW: Forever beta carry over if I bought the Epic Pack?
Buying the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection gets you into the beta plus the launch bonuses (name reservation, Cerulean Prideclaw mount, cosmetics, 30 days of game time from November 4 for Epic, three Invite-A-Friend codes). Those pack rewards are yours on live. The beta characters themselves are a separate thing, and nothing Blizzard has published attaches a carry-over to any edition.
When is the WoW: Forever beta wipe?
Blizzard has not announced a specific wipe date or whether there will be mid-beta resets. The only firm dates are the beta end (October 21) and the start of live character creation (October 27). If a mid-beta wipe happens — common in past WoW betas when a big build lands — expect it in a Blizzard post in the Forever forum category rather than an in-game notice.
Do Classic, Era or Anniversary characters carry over into Forever?
Unknown. Blizzard has not said whether anything from Classic Era, Anniversary realms, Season of Discovery or Modern WoW moves into Forever, and the game is realmless — you pick a ruleset, not a server — so the usual "copy to a realm" model does not map cleanly. Until there is an official statement, assume Forever is a clean slate for every account.
Is it worth playing the beta if it gets wiped?
Yes, if you want a head start in knowledge rather than levels. The first 30 levels cover Zephras Isle (the Skyborne 1–12 start), the reworked classic zones, and the first five or six new dungeons. Knowing quest routes, the new itemization (hit and crit are single stats now) and the Camping system before November 4 is worth more than the 30 levels you lose. Boosters currently quote 2–3 weeks for a full 1–60 at launch, so the early race will be decided by routing, not by who tested longer.
If you would rather spend launch week playing than planning, PewPewShop takes Forever pre-orders until November 4: vetted human players (no bots, long zero-ban record) offer coaching and play-together help for the Forever Leveling 1–30 stretch from EUR 13, the Riverglades 30–45 leg from EUR 15, and the Forever Launch-Ready Pack (1–60, pre-raid gear, 500g) from EUR 219, with raid clears available from December 9.