World of Warcraft: Forever: How to Reserve Your Character Name Before Launch, and Who Can

You can reserve your character’s name before starting your adventure in World of Warcraft: Forever. According to Blizzard’s announcement, the early reservation window runs from October 27 through November 3 for purchasers of eligible upgrade packs. It allows up to three characters in total.

What World of Warcraft: Forever actually is

Forever is a permanent version of World of Warcraft running alongside modern WoW and WoW Classic. It returns to the original continents and a level cap of 60, while adding new stories and content to that familiar world. It is a separate path through original Azeroth rather than modern WoW’s next expansion.

Access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time; you do not need an upgrade pack to play using existing races. Blizzard’s upgrade announcement sets the worldwide launch for November 4 at 23:00 UTC.

Are you buying a name or a pack?

Early reservation is not a separate purchase of a name. It is a benefit bundled with an upgrade pack, alongside other content and items. Paying lets you choose earlier, but does not guarantee your preferred name will still be available.

Names also work differently. Blizzard’s official explanation describes two parts, similar to a first name and surname. The full combination must be unique within your region, such as Europe, rather than on an individual realm. Someone else can use your preferred first name without ruling it out for you: a different second part can produce an available combination, provided it meets the naming rules.

Who qualifies, and what it costs

All three packs below include early reservation. These are the prices displayed by the US Battle.net Shop at the time of writing:

• Skyborne Heroic Pack — $29.99: the Skyborne race and Zephras Isle starting experience, early name reservation, a ground mount, cosmetics and one Invite-A-Friend launch-week code.
• Skyborne Epic Pack — $59.99: everything in Heroic, plus 30 days of Game Time added from November 4, additional items and three friend codes in total.
• Warcraft Forever Collection — $79.99: everything in Epic, plus Warcraft III: Reforged and its Forsaken Kingdom campaign. This limited-time bundle is available through January 11, 2027.

These are US prices; your account’s regional store determines the checkout price. Blizzard’s reservation announcement also lists the Collector’s Edition as qualifying. The benefit applies only to the WoW account the upgrade was purchased for, not automatically to every WoW account you hold.

The three-character allowance is shared across all Rulesets. Creating two PvP characters leaves room for just one on Normal or Role-Play. The limit applies during early reservation and does not guarantee any particular name.

When and how to reserve

Europe’s opening is scheduled for October 27 at 17:00 UTC, with North America following at 20:00 UTC that day. The reservation period runs through November 3.

Blizzard gives these steps:

1. Update your graphics drivers and install or update the Battle.net desktop app.
2. Select World of Warcraft in the game list.
3. Choose World of Warcraft: Forever from the Game Version menu and install it.
4. Click Play and choose a Ruleset.
5. Create up to three characters with your chosen names.

Why reserve early, and has Blizzard done this before?

The practical reason is competition for a preferred combination: names are allocated in order of arrival. Early reservation lets upgrade purchasers choose before the game launches, but another eligible player can still claim the same name first.

There is a precedent. Ahead of WoW Classic’s 2019 launch, players with an active subscription or Game Time could create up to three characters and choose their names in advance. The important difference is eligibility: Forever ties early reservation to an upgrade purchase, rather than just the subscription that provides access to the game.

This is the first time we have heard of early name reservations. It makes us wonder whether this is a smart move or another marketing trick from the big brands.