Developer announcements, class deep dives, podcasts, beta fixes, and events. Each summary links to its original source. We check the news so you can check your loot.
Last checked Oct 9, 2026, 7:33 AM Central · Only verified, useful updates
City of Dalaran opens as dungeon XP rises
Blizzard’s October 8 beta build opens the new City of Dalaran dungeon for testing and raises experience from dungeon creature kills by approximately 20%. It also fixes a mixed-level party bug that reduced XP based on the group’s highest-level player and restores swapping multiple weapons within one global cooldown. These are beta changes and may change again before launch. A new official podcast episode also discusses dungeon leveling and questing.
Skyborne SD models and visual refinements are planned
Blizzard says it is refining the high-definition Skyborne Druid forms with sharper fur detail and adjusted color saturation so they fit the original WoW visual style more closely. Standard-definition Skyborne character models and SD Druid forms are also in development for early 2027.
Mage, Shaman, Rogue, and Warlock deep dives arrive
Blizzard’s latest class breakdowns add Frostfire Bolt and cross-school options for Mages; faster, longer-lasting, and movable totems for Shaman; broader weapon and poison choices for Rogues; and revised Banes, weapon stones, pet scaling, and talent paths for Warlocks. Blizzard notes that all class abilities and talents remain subject to beta changes.
Forever PvP progression will use Honor as a spendable currency and Rank Points for weekly-capped advancement through the classic ranks. Honor buys blue gear, while epic upgrades require the blue item plus rank-gated Emboldened Seals. Seasonal weekly tasks award Honor and Rank Points, and three tasks per season also grant Legacy Points that remain available in later seasons.
Blizzard revealed a new level 30–60 battleground off Dustwallow Marsh. Two teams of 15 contest four capture points and a central flag, with the first side to reach 2,000 points winning. Separate Darkspear Raiders and Theramore Expeditionary Force reputation tracks offer gear, consumables, quests, and faction tabards.
October 6 hotfixes target missing quest items and disconnects
Blizzard announced priority fixes during the October 6 beta realm restart. They target missing quest items in refillable chests, disconnects on elevators or transports, and errors when joining or leaving a guild. Our Patch Notes tab highlights the three changes; Blizzard’s thread includes the official follow-up.
Blizzard’s new beta build lets players reach level 30 and opens Excavation Site: Wetlands, Razorfen Downs, and Uldaman. Dungeon quests now award less bonus experience. For Rogues, the update fixes combo points being lost when Expose Armor misses and adjusts Subtlety’s Setup talent. These are beta changes and may change again before launch.
The second official Forever Podcast brings together Countdown To Classic, Josh Greenfield, Kris Zierhut, Aidan Moon, and guest Sodapoppin. The discussion focuses on the choices and challenges behind Forever’s class design. It is a developer conversation, rather than a new patch announcement.
Blizzard published detailed development breakdowns for Hunter, Druid, Priest, and Warrior. The articles cover baseline ability changes and revised talent trees, including in-combat Hunter traps, broader shapeshifting support for Druids, wider access to core Priest spells, and adjustments intended to make Warrior Rage more reliable. Blizzard says class abilities and talents can continue changing during beta.
Blizzard announced that Holly Longdale and Clay Stone will appear at PAX Aus, where Stone will give a behind-the-scenes look at one of Forever’s new dungeons. The presentation streams October 8 at 8:00 p.m. Central through the official Warcraft and PAX Twitch channels.
Blizzard announced a Scarlet Monastery-inspired escape room in Toronto for October 8–11. It also plans a Horde-versus-Alliance escape room livestream on October 23 through the official Warcraft Twitch and YouTube channels; the stream time has not been announced.
Blizzard has published a dedicated overview of the Legacy System. Read the announcement for the details before planning around a beta feature, since systems can change during testing.
Blizzard’s BlizzCon news roundup lists November 4 as the launch date for World of Warcraft: Forever. It also announced the beta beginning September 17.
Blizzard’s Forever announcement lists the beta window as September 17 through October 21. Check the original post for access details and any updates to the schedule.