On Tuesday, October 27 at 6 p.m. Paris time, Blizzard opens WoW Forever name reservation, and each full name will be handed out only once per region. Five weeks of beta give no head start: the characters disappear, and beta access reserves nothing. Here is who can reserve, at what time, and what is worth preparing before then.
Opens Tuesday at 6 p.m., closes November 3
Blizzard’s October 20 announcement gives four opening times: October 27 at 18:00 CET for Europe, the same day at 1 p.m. PDT (Pacific daylight time) for North America, and October 28 at 07:00 for Korea and Taiwan. The window runs until November 3. The announcement does not give a closing time.
The beta does not close right away. Instant Gaming reported on October 21 that Clay Stone, the franchise’s associate production director, extended it through Friday, October 23. His post on X: « We’re extending the Beta out to Friday morning PDT. And Early Name Reservations start next week! » The exact time, 10 a.m. PDT or 7 p.m. in Paris, comes from the research done for our stress test article.
The game then launches on November 5 at midnight Paris time, according to Blizzard’s September 12 announcement, whose date we reproduced.
Which edition is enough to reserve
Blizzard lists three offers: the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection, available for a limited time. The footnote states that the benefit applies only to the World of Warcraft account the purchase was made on. If you have several accounts, check which one holds the offer.
The cheapest pack is enough for WoW Forever name reservation. According to Method’s guide, the Heroic Pack (29.99 € in Europe) gives reservation without beta access, while the Epic Pack (59.99 €) and the Collection (79.99 €) include both. These prices and this detail come from that single source.
Method also flags a trap for the physical Collector’s Edition: the beta key received by e-mail does not open reservation, but the Warcraft Forever Collection key in the box does. If the box has not arrived in time, the guide says a digital pack bought in the meantime is refunded as Battle.net credit. Again, a single source: check with Blizzard before paying twice.
Having played the beta reserves no name
This is the most likely misunderstanding. Eric O’Dea, of Blizzard Watch, wrote on October 7 that even though some offers include the beta, beta access does not guarantee reservation. A player invited to the beta has to buy an offer to reserve early, or wait for launch day. Method confirms that the beta does not reserve the names of its characters.
All beta characters, like those of the stress test, are deleted. You start from zero, with a reservation that only a purchase opens.
Three slots in total for WoW Forever name reservation
During WoW Forever name reservation, you can create up to three characters in total, across all rulesets. Blizzard gives an example: two PvP (player versus player) characters leave room for only one in Normal or RP (role-playing). This limit applies only to early reservation.
Blizzard’s September 21 post adds a constraint: on PvP, you can only create characters in one faction. Choosing the ruleset is covered in another article in our series. Our view as PvP players: three slots is not much, and a name reserved on a ruleset you will not play is a wasted slot.
Preparing backup names
Names are handed out in order of arrival, and Blizzard states that the name you want is not guaranteed. But the two-name system helps: what must be unique in the region is the full combination. A first name that is already taken can still be used with another second name. Blizzard’s example is Asha Brightvale, Thalen Brightvale and Mira Brightvale.
Naming rules remain those of the in-game code of conduct. The system analyzes both parts together: splitting a forbidden word between the first name and the second name does not necessarily make it pass. If the combination is taken or refused, Blizzard suggests choosing another combination or trying the random name generator.
For each of your three slots, write down a first choice and two second-name variants before Tuesday. At 6 p.m., first come keeps the name.
What Blizzard does not say yet
None of the sources we read says what happens to a reserved name that is never used: is it released after launch, after a delay, or kept? That is an open question, and the answer will change how to reserve three names « just in case ». In its October 15 guide, ExpCarry listed the release delay of a name after deletion among the points not yet announced. The October 20 announcement does not answer that either.
Another silence: the closing time on November 3. The only certainty on timing fits in one line: the WoW Forever name reservation window opens Tuesday, October 27 at 6 p.m. Paris time and gives seven days to anyone holding an offer.
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