Latest on this boardRetail checked 2026-10-22: 12 cited rows · 22 Oct 2026Classic Era checked 2026-10-22: 13 cited rows · 22 Oct 2026
By GamGemLast updated 22 Oct 2026
WoW Forever vs Retail WoW (Midnight): Level 60 or 90, and What Else Differs — WoW Forever vs Retail
How is WoW Forever different from retail WoW? It is a third version of WoW beside retail and Classic, capped at level 60 indefinitely where Midnight is level 90. This page sets what Blizzard and Warcraft Wiki say about Forever next to what they say about retail Midnight. Nothing here is our own count: each cell names its page, and a row that cannot be sourced on both sides is not on the page.
By GamGem · Updated 2026-10-22 · 12 cited rows
WOW FOREVER · LEVEL
60
RETAIL · MIDNIGHT · LEVEL
90
Is there flying in WoW Forever?
No. Blizzard’s What’s Next recap says WoW Forever has no flying mounts. The same recap says there is no level scaling anywhere in the world. Zephras Isle, the Skyborne starting island, floats in the sky, but players leave it by airship, not by flying mount.
Source: Blizzard — What’s Next panel recap · checked 22 October 2026
Different or the same?
The evidence, row by row
ForeverRetail
Level cap, classes and races
3 of 3 rows differ- 01
Level cap
Level 60, indefinitely.Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22Level 90 in Midnight. Reaching the current cap needs the latest expansion; Free Trial accounts stop at 20.Warcraft Wiki — Level cap (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22 - 02
Classes
Nine classes; all nine have new or updated abilities and talents compared with Classic.Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22Thirteen playable classes.Warcraft Wiki — Class (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22 - 03
Races
Eight Classic races plus the new Skyborne. Races introduced from The Burning Crusade onward are not playable.Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22Core races, plus allied races that must be unlocked through questlines and achievements.Warcraft Wiki — Playable race (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22
Talents and respec
2 of 2 rows differ- 04
How talents unlock
Talents start at level 10, with one-point milestone talents at 11, 21 and 31 points and a new one at 16.Blizzard — Class Deep Dive: Priest and Warrior · checked 2026-10-22One point per level from level 10, alternating between a class tree and a spec tree; hero talents from level 71.Warcraft Wiki — Talent (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22 - 05
Changing talents
Dual spec at level 40 from class trainers for 10 gold; swapping is free out of combat and each spec’s respec fee falls over time to 1 gold.Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22Talents swap at any time in a rested area and are changed easily and cheaply.Warcraft Wiki — Talent (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22
Dungeons, raids and Group Finder
3 of 3 rows differ- 06
Dungeons
33 dungeons on Warcraft Wiki’s list, nine of them new to Forever.Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22Midnight launched with eight dungeons and ten delves.Warcraft Wiki — Midnight (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22 - 07
Raids
Three raids unlock on 9 December: Barrow Deeps (10 players), Hyjal Summit (20) and Onyxia’s Lair (40).Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22Midnight’s first raid has nine encounters in three parts.Warcraft Wiki — Midnight (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22 - 08
Finding a group
Warcraft Wiki describes Forever as favouring community building over auto-matchmaking.Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22A Group Finder with Dungeon Finder, Raid Finder, premade groups, scenarios, a PvP tab and a Mythic+ tab.Warcraft Wiki — Group Finder (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22
PvP ranks and progression
1 of 1 rows differ- 09
PvP progression
Honor and Rank Points with 14 ranks; the ranks are the familiar ones of original WoW and end in High Warlord or Grand Marshal.Blizzard — How PvP Progression in Forever Works · checked 2026-10-22A PvP tab of the Group Finder covers battlegrounds, arena, rated battlegrounds, premade groups and War Games.Warcraft Wiki — Group Finder (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22
Transmog, versions and subscription
3 of 3 rows differ- 10
Transmog
Opt-in: set outfits at a transmogrifier in certain cities, or disable the system entirely; Classic Mode switches it off automatically.Blizzard — Deep Dive recap · checked 2026-10-22Transmogrifier NPCs replace the look of armor and weapons; Midnight moves to slot-based outfits.Warcraft Wiki — Transmogrification (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22 - 11
Relationship
A standalone branch that does not share continuity with retail and runs beside retail and Classic.Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22Retail, also called Modern, is the primary server set that always runs the latest version of the game.Warcraft Wiki — Classic (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22 - 12
Subscription
Access is included in a WoW Subscription or Game Time.Blizzard — Pre-purchase post · checked 2026-10-22A single subscription gives access to World of Warcraft and WoW Classic; the latest expansion, Midnight, is bought separately.Blizzard — World of Warcraft Classic · checked 2026-10-22
Only in Forever
- Legacy: 65 challenges that pay account-wide Legacy Points, at most 16 spendable per character.Blizzard — Legacy System article · checked 2026-10-22
- Six class and race combinations that Classic never had: Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin.Blizzard — Deep Dive recap · checked 2026-10-22
- Skyborne: Shaman for Horde, Mage for Alliance, and Warrior, Hunter, Rogue and Druid for both.Blizzard — What’s Next panel recap · checked 2026-10-22
- Darkspear Islands, a 15 vs 15 battleground for levels 30 to 60.Blizzard — Battle for the Darkspear Islands · checked 2026-10-22
- Rulesets instead of a realm list: Normal, PvP, Roleplaying, Roleplay-PvP and Hardcore (later), one ruleset per character: to play under another you create a new character there.Blizzard — Rulesets article · checked 2026-10-22
- No flying mounts and no level scaling.Blizzard — What’s Next panel recap · checked 2026-10-22
Only in Retail
- Mythic+: endlessly scaling 5-player dungeons run against a timer, with weekly affixes and a rating per season.Warcraft Wiki — Mythic+ (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22
- Delves: role-agnostic mini-dungeons for one to five players, with a companion.Warcraft Wiki — Delves (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22
- The Great Vault: a weekly extra piece of gear for max-level players.Warcraft Wiki — Great Vault (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22
- Housing: plots in public or private neighborhoods, fully released in patch 12.0.0.Warcraft Wiki — Midnight (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22
Warcraft Wiki’s feature list for Forever does not name any of these four. That is a gap in the published list, not a Blizzard statement that they will never come to Forever.Warcraft Wiki — World of Warcraft: Forever (CC BY-SA 4.0) · checked 2026-10-22