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The WoW Forever beta ends today: what happens between now and launch on November 4
The WoW Forever beta closes at 10:00 a.m. PDT on October 23, after a last day of celebration events in the starting zones. Why launch is twelve days later, and every date between: name reservation, the new RP-PvP ruleset, launch.
Oct 23, 2026Checked against build 1.60.1.705322 min read
The WoW Forever beta closes for good at 10:00 a.m. PDT today, Friday, October 23 (19:00 CEST). For its last 24 hours, Blizzard filled Zephras Isle, Dun Morogh, Elwynn Forest, Teldrassil, Durotar, Tirisfal Glades and Mulgore with what it called “shenanigans and upheaval”, with items and events that won’t be in the game at launch.
Why launch is twelve days later
The beta ran on different hardware from the live game, a lead software engineer, Ana Resendez, said on Blizzard’s end-of-beta podcast: the two weeks go to setting up the live servers and the rulesets, with fixes from the beta’s feedback each week. ▶ 11:32 The rest of that episode is in our podcast 5 recap.
Blizzard hasn’t said beta characters carry over, and nothing it posted suggests it, so plan to start fresh at launch.
The beta’s last build, 1.60.1.70532 (October 22), changed none of the game’s client data against 70450, so whatever it changed is on Blizzard’s servers. Every earlier build’s changes are on build changes.
Every date from here
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Friday, Oct 23, 10:00 a.m. PDT | The beta closes |
| Tuesday, Oct 27 | Early name reservation opens: 18:00 CET in Europe, 1:00 p.m. PDT in North America (how it works) |
| Nov 3 | Name reservation ends |
| Wednesday, Nov 4, 3:00 p.m. PST | Launch, with a new Roleplay-PvP ruleset (RP-PvP) |
| Nov 4 to 11 | Invite-A-Friend week |
| Dec 9 | First raids open (the raids) |
The launch hour in your time zone: WoW Forever launch time. The full calendar is on what’s new in WoW Forever.
What to do before November 4
- Pick a race and class: races and racials, every class and its changes, and the talent calculator.
- Pick a ruleset for good: can you switch rulesets?
- Plan your road to 60: the WoW Forever leveling guide, every zone by level and the route from each starting zone.
- Set up your addons: how to install addons in WoW Forever. The BoF Guide, Bind on Forever’s free in-game leveling guide, takes every race from 1 to 30.
Questions
When does the WoW Forever beta end?
At 10:00 a.m. PDT on Friday, October 23, 2026 (19:00 CEST). Blizzard ran a last day of celebration events in the starting zones before it closed.
Why is there a gap between the WoW Forever beta and launch?
The beta ran on different hardware from the live game. Blizzard said on its Oct 22 podcast that the two weeks go to setting up the live servers and the rulesets, and to working through the beta's feedback.
Do WoW Forever beta characters carry over to launch?
Blizzard hasn't said they do, and nothing it posted suggests it. Plan to start fresh on November 4. Names can be reserved from October 27 with an eligible upgrade.
What happens next in WoW Forever?
Early name reservation opens October 27 (18:00 CET in Europe, 1:00 p.m. PDT in North America), the game launches November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST with a new Roleplay-PvP ruleset, and the first raids open December 9.