WoW: Forever Name Reservation — October 27 to November 3

WoW: Forever name reservation opens October 27, 2026 and runs until November 3, one day before the November 4 launch. You can create up to three characters and lock their names, first come first served, but only if your account has the Skyborne Heroic Pack, Epic Pack or Warcraft Forever Collection. Without an upgrade pack, character creation waits for launch day.

Name reservation at a glance

How to reserve your name

1. Buy the Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher on the Battle.net shop before October 27 (the Collection is sold only until January 11, 2027, but you need it in hand before the window opens).
2. Make sure your subscription or Game Time is active on launch — the Epic Pack and Collection include 30 days of game time starting November 4, the Heroic Pack does not.
3. On October 27, open the Battle.net app, pick World of Warcraft, and select WoW: Forever as the game version.
4. Create up to three characters. Each one holds its name through launch.
5. Log in on November 4 and start playing on the character you already made.

Blizzard has not announced realm names, realm types or regions yet, so which realm your reserved characters land on is unknown until the window opens. Plan your guild's realm choice around whatever list appears on October 27.

Can I reserve a Skyborne character?

Yes, and that is the main reason many players buy a pack early. The Skyborne are a new elven race starting on Zephras Isle, a floating island with its own 1–12 experience, and they require the Heroic Pack or higher — the same packs that unlock name reservation. Skyborne are not neutral: Windshaper Skyborne go Horde, High Order Skyborne go Alliance. All of them can roll Warrior, Hunter, Rogue or Druid (with unique sky-blue druid forms); Horde Skyborne also get Shaman, Alliance Skyborne also get Mage.

The two other new combos, Forsaken Paladin and Dwarf Shaman, do not need a pack. You can reserve them during the window as long as you own one, or make them on launch day.

What if I don't buy a pack?

You wait until November 4. WoW: Forever is included with any active subscription or Game Time — there is no separate game purchase — so a standard subscriber can log in at launch and create characters normally. The trade-off is obvious: popular names on popular realms will already be taken by pack holders who reserved a week earlier. If your guild name, your main's name from another version, or a short clean name matters to you, the Heroic Pack is the only way to guarantee it.

One thing you should not count on: Blizzard has said nothing about names, characters or anything else carrying over from Modern, Classic Era, Anniversary or Season of Discovery realms. Treat Forever as a fresh start.

Does the beta count toward name reservation?

No. The beta runs September 17 – October 21, 2026, is capped at level 30, and is a separate test environment tied to the Epic Pack and the Collection. Beta characters do not persist, and beta names are not held for launch. Name reservation happens on the live game a week after the beta closes.

What about invite codes and a friend who wants to reserve a name?

Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes go out by email from October 20. A friend you invite can play November 4–11 without a subscription, but the code itself does not include an upgrade pack, so it does not grant name reservation. The Heroic Pack comes with one code; the Epic Pack and the Collection come with three.

If you would rather skip the launch-week grind and jump straight into the new dungeons, PewPewShop takes Forever pre-orders until November 4 — play-together leveling from 1–60 from EUR 137.2 with vetted human players, or the Skyborne Start on Zephras Isle 1–12 from EUR 15 — so the name you reserved on October 27 is at cap while everyone else is still in the starter zones.