Announcements, beta notes and hotfixes, newest first, with the dates that matter. Follow them in a feed reader with the RSS feed.
The week in Forever · Oct 24, 2026
Recent simulations from MythicSim and SixtySim place the Survival Hunter at the top of single-target damage rankings. With the game launching on November 4th, these metrics offer a glimpse into current spec performance before real raid data becomes available.
How sureConfirmedBetaDataminedRumourClassic baseline
metaBeta
MythicSim's latest snapshot (Oct 23) puts Survival Hunter first at 1,215 DPS on a two-minute single-target fight with a weave build. Demonology Warlock is second at 977 DPS and Fury Warrior third at 955 DPS. These are simulations using reference builds; real raid performance remains unconfirmed.
metaBeta
SixtySim's matrix also ranks Survival Hunter first at 1,280 DPS, followed by Fury Warrior at 1,073 DPS. Both simulators agree on the top spec despite different reference builds and gear assumptions.
betaclassesBeta
The October 15 beta build introduced significant changes to racial abilities (Tauren, Dwarf, Human, Orc, Undead, Gnome, Night Elf, Troll) and the new Skyborne race. Class adjustments include a redesigned Arcane Blast for Mages, a new Frost Blast spell, Hunter auto-shot standing requirements, and Druid talent fixes. Several pet abilities were also rebalanced.
metabetaBeta
Forever Logs' all-dungeon leaderboard, built from level 20-30 beta logs, is led by a Destruction Warlock at 1,088 DPS, far ahead of Frost Mage (449) and Elemental Shaman (395). A single best parse at low level says little about level 60 raids; Warcraft Logs has no Forever section yet.
betapatchRumour
Blizzard took the beta down for what it called a full suite of bug fixes and gameplay adjustments. Fan patch notes report dungeon monsters giving about 20% more experience and the City of Dalaran dungeon opening; official notes haven't been posted yet.
metaclassesBeta
MythicSim's reference-build simulations (wowsims Forever engine, two-minute single-target fight) put Fury Warrior first at 933 DPS with an 18/31/2 talent split, and Survival Hunter second at 872 DPS (93%). These are sims, not logs, and some talents still use unverified values.
classesblizzardConfirmed
The next round of deep dives landed. Mages get Arcane Blast and Missile Barrage as talents, Shamans lose Elemental Mastery but get Stormstrike at 16 points and much friendlier totems, Rogues get Mutilate and a Venom finisher, and Warlocks split Banes from Curses. Paladin is the only class still waiting.
classesblizzardConfirmed
Blizzard's class deep dives have started. Priest and Warrior came first (Rage should feel steadier, and every Priest gets Fear Ward and Devouring Plague), alongside Hunter and Druid (foxes, Aimed Shot at 20, and powershifting returns). Talents start at level 10, there's a new 16-point milestone, and Dual Spec unlocks at 40.
betadungeonsBeta
The October 1 beta update lifted the cap from 20 to 30 and opened Excavation Site, Razorfen Downs and Uldaman for testing. Talents up to the 21-point milestone can now be tried out.
betaConfirmed
The beta runs from 17 September to 21 October 2026, starting with a level 20 cap. Expect talents, class tuning and item stats to keep shifting until launch, so treat anything you read about the beta as provisional.
raidslaunchConfirmed
Five weeks after launch, three raids open together: The Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20 players) and Onyxia's Lair, back as a 40-player raid. A revamped iconic raid is on the roadmap for summer 2027.
launchblizzardConfirmed
Forever is a third branch of WoW built on the original 2004 world: a permanent level 60 cap, no flying and no level scaling. It adds four zones, nine dungeons, new raids, more than 1,000 quests and the new Skyborne race. Play is realmless: pick a Normal, PvP or RP ruleset, with Hardcore planned later. It's included with a regular WoW subscription.
launchblizzardConfirmed
Forever is included with a WoW subscription or Game Time and launches on 4 November at 3:00 pm PST. Optional packs: the Skyborne Heroic Pack ($29.99: the Skyborne race, a mount, cosmetics and early name reservation from 27 October), the Epic Pack ($59.99: adds beta access and 30 days of game time), the Warcraft Forever Collection ($79.99: adds Warcraft III: Reforged) and a $150 Collector's Edition.
blizzardraidsConfirmed
Blizzard's roadmap puts a Hardcore ruleset in winter 2026/27. Spring 2027 should bring two raids, two dungeons, a new area, a legendary questline and a PvP season refresh; summer 2027 a revamped iconic raid, another new raid, two dungeons and profession updates. No exact 2027 dates yet.