WoW Forever Early Name Reservation guide: start times, who can take part, and how to get ready

WoW Forever has no separate realms. Each region is one shared world, so a full name (first name and surname together) can belong to only one character in the region. Early Name Reservation is the window before launch to claim the names you want: you create and customize a character and give it a name, and that character is waiting for you at launch.

1. When it opens

Each region starts at a different time. These are the times Blizzard announced for each region, with the UTC equivalent in brackets.

• Europe Oct 27, 18:00 CET (17:00 UTC)
• North America Oct 27, 1:00 p.m. PDT (20:00 UTC)
• Korea Oct 28, 07:00 KST (Oct 27, 22:00 UTC)
• Taiwan Oct 28, 07:00 UTC+8 (Oct 27, 23:00 UTC)

Blizzard says the window runs from October 27 through November 3 and has not given an exact closing time. During the window you can only create characters; playing in the world starts at launch (Nov 4, 3:00 p.m. PST, which is Nov 4, 23:00 UTC).

2. Who can take part

Early Name Reservation is only for accounts that bought an upgrade or the Collector’s Edition. The upgrades are:

• Skyborne Heroic Pack: the new Skyborne race and their Zephras Isle starting experience, Early Name Reservation, a mount, cosmetics, a toy, housing decor and one Invite-A-Friend Launch Code
• Skyborne Epic Pack: everything in the Heroic Pack, plus 30 days of Game Time (added from launch), more cosmetics, tabards, pets and two more Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes
• Warcraft Forever Collection: everything in the Epic Pack, plus Warcraft III: Reforged, the Forsaken Kingdom campaign and housing decor. On sale only through January 11, 2027.

An account with only a subscription does not qualify, and having been in the beta does not count either. The benefit only applies to the specific WoW account it was bought for. If your Battle.net account has more than one WoW account (WoW1, WoW2 and so on), make sure you bought it for the one you want to use.

3. Buying an upgrade

Pick a pack on the WoW Forever packs page on the Battle.net Shop ↗ and buy it. All three include name reservation, so if that is all you need, the Skyborne Heroic Pack is enough. Prices are on the store page.

4. Installing and reserving

These are the steps Blizzard lists. Downloads take a while, so it is a good idea to install the app ahead of time.

• 1. Make sure your graphics drivers are up to date.
• 2. Download and install the Battle.net desktop app ↗.
• 3. Open the Battle.net app and let it update if it asks.
• 4. Select World of Warcraft from the list of games.
• 5. In the Game Version menu above the Play button, choose World of Warcraft: Forever, then select Install.
• 6. Once reservation is open, select Play and choose your ruleset (see '5. Choosing a ruleset').
• 7. Create your characters and name them, up to three across all rulesets (see '6. Choosing names').

5. Choosing a ruleset

Instead of picking a realm, you pick a ruleset when you create a character. You cannot move a character to another ruleset later, so agree on one with your friends or guild first. Blizzard explains them in its ruleset article ↗.

• Normal: the core experience built around exploring, questing and cooperation. Fighting other players is opt-in.
• PvP: every trip into contested territory carries the risk of open-world fights with the other faction. On this ruleset you can only make characters on one faction.
• Roleplaying: for players who want to lean deeper into the fantasy of Azeroth and find like-minded adventurers.
• Roleplaying PvP: roleplaying plus open-world PvP like the PvP ruleset. It is coming for launch, and Blizzard says it is working to make it available during reservation too (our news post).
• Hardcore: the ultimate challenge, where death has lasting consequences. It arrives some time after launch.

You can only group up, and run dungeons and raids, with players on the same ruleset. Horde and Alliance can never share a group. Collections and Legacy Points are shared across your whole account regardless of ruleset, except for Hardcore.

6. Choosing names

• Each character has a first name and a surname. Only the full combination has to be unique in the region, so you can share a first name with someone else as long as the surname differs.
• Names are first come, first served, and Blizzard cannot guarantee you a particular name. Log in when your window opens and have a few backups ready. If you get stuck, the in-game name randomizer can suggest one.
• The name filter checks both halves together, so splitting a blocked word across the two names may still get it rejected. Names that impersonate Blizzard or the WoW team are blocked too.
• During reservation you can make three characters in total across all rulesets. For example, two on PvP leaves room for only one more on Normal or Roleplaying. The three-character limit only applies to Early Name Reservation.

Blizzard covers the naming rules in more detail in Create a Name of Your Own in WoW: Forever ↗.

Not announced yet

• The exact time the reservation window closes
• Whether reserving names also needs an active subscription
• Whether you can delete a reserved character and make a new one during the window
• Whether Roleplaying PvP will be available from the start of reservation