Predictions

43:04 We think World of Warcraft: Forever follows the roadmap Blizzard shows here almost to the season, with Hardcore in the winter and Molten Core as the summer's "revamped iconic raid", and that its first year ends with more players than Blizzard planned for.

These are Vi.ki's own predictions and opinions, not reported facts. Each one says what we base it on and when it can be checked. We will mark each one right or wrong when it resolves.

When will Hardcore come to World of Warcraft: Forever?

We think Forever's Hardcore ruleset opens between Jan 1 and Mar 20, 2027, in the winter Blizzard pointed to.

Confidence: Likely. Check by: Mar 2027.

Why we think so: Clay Stone introduced Hardcore by pointing to "a big gap right there, right around the winter time frame" on the roadmap, and the Hardcore panel said "We won't have it at launch, but soon" (Release and Roadmap). The raids take December, and the spring box on the roadmap is already full of raids, dungeons and a PvP season, so winter is the slot left. Classic's Hardcore was built by the same team, so the ruleset's rules exist already.

What would prove us wrong: no Hardcore ruleset in Forever by Mar 20, 2027, or one before Jan 1.

What is the "revamped iconic raid" in World of Warcraft: Forever?

Our prediction: Forever's summer "revamped iconic raid" is Molten Core, and it opens by Sep 22, 2027, the last day of summer.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Sep 2027.

Why we think so: Blizzard sets Forever "before Molten Core" and said the original iconic raids "have not opened yet" (Release and Roadmap). Of the original raids, Molten Core is the one that comes first in that timeline, and Onyxia's Lair, the other launch-era raid, already opens on Dec 9. MadSeasonShow reached the same guess reading the roadmap slide; the date is ours, the last day the word "summer" allows.

What would prove us wrong: the summer raid is another one, such as Blackwing Lair or Zul'Gurub, or no revamped raid opens by Sep 22, 2027.

How fast will Hyjal Summit be cleared in World of Warcraft: Forever?

We think a guild kills all 13 bosses of Forever's Hyjal Summit within seven days of its Dec 9, 2026 unlock.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Dec 2026.

Why we think so: Blizzard's notes of Nov 2 raised class damage across Forever and promised no big tuning changes before the raids (World of Warcraft: Forever), and we expect Classic's speed-clearing guilds, with years of practice in this combat, to be ready on day one. Hyjal Summit is 20 players, easier to fill with top players than 40, and resets weekly (Blizzard). It is also "by far our largest raid in WoW Forever", Blizzard said, which is why we call this Possible, not Likely.

What would prove us wrong: no full clear of Hyjal Summit reported by Dec 16, 2026.

Will World of Warcraft: Forever get a new class?

We think no new playable class comes to Forever before Jan 1, 2028.

Confidence: Likely. Check by: Dec 2027.

Why we think so: Stone said "nothing is off the table. Not even a new class", which is an opening, not a plan (Release and Roadmap). Forever's year-one roadmap is full of raids, dungeons, Hardcore and Skyborne models, and Blizzard keeps "no homogenization" as a rule for the nine classes it has (Classes and Talents). A tenth class would need its own talent trees, gear and lore inside a setting that "paints inside the lines", so we expect it, if ever, as a BlizzCon reveal for a later year.

What would prove us wrong: a new class playable in Forever in 2027.

What is the new playable area in World of Warcraft: Forever's spring update?

We think the "new playable area" on Forever's spring roadmap is Gilneas, opened for the first time from Silverpine Forest, with its own quests and a dungeon.

Confidence: Long shot. Check by: Jun 2027.

Why we think so: Blizzard's roadmap puts a new playable area in the spring, after the raids (Release and Roadmap), and the What's Next panel promised "the integration of previously unfinished and unused vanilla WoW content" without naming it (Updated Zones). In our view Gilneas, walled off on the original map, is the best-known unfinished place of the original game, and it sits beside the Undead lands that Forever already expanded with the Ruins of Lordaeron and the City of Dalaran. It is a long shot because Blizzard has also built wholly new places, such as The Riverglades and Shen'dralas.

What would prove us wrong: the spring's new area is anywhere else, or Gilneas has not opened by the end of June 2027.

Update (Nov 10, 2026): not a result yet, but new evidence. Josh Greenfield told MrGM, in an interview published on Nov 6, 2026, that the land behind the Greymane Wall is already in Forever's world as "the Cataclysm version, but we plan to do a lot of different things with it once we get there", with "a no man's land around it" because "we don't really want you to go there yet" (Launch Week Developer Interviews). He gave no date and did not tie it to the spring.

When will World of Warcraft: Forever's first legendary be earned?

We think Forever's first legendary, Taldramir, the Whispering Wood, is earned through a questline that opens with the spring update, not from the raids of Dec 9, and that it is a staff.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Jun 2027.

Why we think so: Blizzard revealed Taldramir on Nov 4 without saying how it is earned (Hyjal Summit), and MadSeasonShow's reading of the roadmap puts "a legendary questline" in the spring box, after the December raids (Release and Roadmap). We expect Hyjal Summit to drop the first piece and a questline to finish it. The name, a "Whispering Wood", and Mount Hyjal's World Tree point to a staff, in our view.

What would prove us wrong: Taldramir drops whole from a boss, its questline opens before the spring update, or it is not a staff.

Will World of Warcraft: Forever ever go to Outland?

We think Forever never opens the Dark Portal before 2029: no Outland zone, raid or dungeon is added or announced by Dec 31, 2028.

Confidence: Likely. Check by: Dec 2028.

Why we think so: Blizzard says Forever is "not expanding away from Azeroth, but expanding deeper inside of it", and that it is not planning level cap increases that would invalidate players' accomplishments (World of Warcraft: Forever). In our view Outland cannot come without a new level cap, or without a story at level 60 that breaks the lore Forever "paints inside the lines" of.

What would prove us wrong: an Outland zone, raid or dungeon announced for Forever before 2029.

When will standard-definition Skyborne arrive in World of Warcraft: Forever?

We think Forever's standard-definition Skyborne models, Druid forms included, arrive by Mar 31, 2027, in the first major update after the raids.

Confidence: Likely. Check by: Mar 2027.

Why we think so: Blizzard dated them "early 2027" on Oct 7, and Josh Greenfield said they come in the game's "first kind of major update" (Release and Roadmap). Blizzard has kept every Forever date so far, from the beta to the launch hour.

What would prove us wrong: no standard-definition Skyborne models in the game on Mar 31, 2027.

Will Microsoft report record numbers for World of Warcraft: Forever?

We think Microsoft's results for October to December 2026, due in late January 2027, name World of Warcraft or Forever as a growth driver for Xbox content and services.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Feb 2027.

Why we think so: Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma said on Oct 29 that Forever "set records" before it launched (Massively Overpowered), the beta made more than 8.8 million characters, and the World of Warcraft category led Twitch with about 385,000 viewers on Nov 5 (World of Warcraft: Forever). Forever is in every subscription, so its success shows up as subscription revenue, the kind of line Microsoft calls out by name.

What would prove us wrong: Microsoft's January 2027 results and call do not mention World of Warcraft.

Will World of Warcraft: Forever fix the day and night cycle for Oceanic players?

We think Blizzard changes Forever's day and night cycle for Oceanic players, or gives them their own, by Mar 31, 2027.

Confidence: Possible. Check by: Mar 2027.

Why we think so: players in Australia and New Zealand asked for it because Forever's rulesets keep North American time, and Blizzard said it was looking into it (Massively Overpowered). Forever has no realms to split by region (Servers and Realms), which makes the fix harder than in Classic, so we give it until the spring.

What would prove us wrong: no change for Oceanic players announced by Mar 31, 2027.

Will the Skyborne become free in World of Warcraft: Forever?

We think the Skyborne race becomes playable without a paid pack, with a subscription alone, before the end of 2027.

Confidence: Long shot. Check by: Dec 2027.

Why we think so: the paid race is the most criticized part of Forever (Reception), and 1.88 million of the beta's 8.8 million characters were Skyborne, so players clearly want it. Blizzard sells the race in packs from $29.99 (Price and Subscription) and has given no sign of dropping that, which is why this is a long shot. We think a second new race, if one comes, would be the moment Blizzard folds the first one into the subscription.

What would prove us wrong: the Skyborne still requires a Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher on Dec 31, 2027.

What creators predict

MadSeasonShow: the revamped iconic raid "has to be Molten Core"

Reading Blizzard's roadmap slide in his Sep 14, 2026 summary of World of Warcraft: Forever, MadSeasonShow said the summer's "first revamped iconic raid" is one "which I imagine has to be Molten Core" (23:17). We think he is right, for the reason he gives and one more: Forever is set before Molten Core, so it is the first original raid the story reaches.

Check by: Sep 2027.

Riyani: the Protection Paladin stays the preferred AoE tank

Surveying Forever's tanks from the BlizzCon demo on Sep 14, 2026, Riyani found Consecration cut to its full value on only four targets, yet said "Protection Paladin still seems to be the preferred AoE tank", if "brought down a peg" from The Burning Crusade (2:35). We think he is right for dungeons and wrong for Hyjal Summit, where we expect raid leaders to want Warriors for single-target bosses.

Check by: Jan 2027.

Uncas: Enhancement Shaman among the strongest damage specs

In his Sep 15, 2026 look at Forever's biggest class changes, Uncas said Shaman damage "got some crazy buffs, particularly enhancement", with testing showing it "may be one of the strongest DPS specs" (11:38). We think he is right in the leveling game and that the first raid tuning pass brings it back to the pack, since Blizzard plans "a large tuning pass" once players pass level 30 (Classes and Talents).

Check by: Jan 2027.

Asmongold: 20,000 in Olympus on the first full day

A day after launch, in the stream posted on Nov 6, 2026, Asmongold set his Olympus guilds the goal of "maybe 20,000 people today", and with 18,000 counted five hours in said "I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the night we're at 20" (5:06:29). We think he set it as a target for his recruiters more than as a forecast.

Check by: Nov 2026.

Result (Nov 7, 2026): Wrong, narrowly. Near the end of the same session his add-on showed "almost at 19,000" (6:33:59), short of 20,000. These are his add-on's counts; Blizzard publishes no guild numbers.

Our take

We think World of Warcraft: Forever is the best idea Blizzard has had for WoW in a decade, because it gives Classic players what they asked for, "a forever home where their investment would be meaningful", a world that keeps growing without a level cap that throws their gear away. We think it is worth it for anyone who already pays for World of Warcraft, since it costs nothing more, and worth a month of Game Time for anyone who left after the original game.

In our view the Legacy system is underrated: it is the first reason in any Classic-style game to level a second and third character, and we think alts will matter more in Forever than they ever did in Classic. We think the Skyborne race is overrated as a reason to buy a pack, since the six new race and class pairings come free (New Race and Class Combinations).

We think the realmless rulesets are the biggest risk: they made launch day smooth, but with no realm community, reputation on a server, the thing Classic players value most, has to be rebuilt in guilds and camps instead (Rulesets, Camping).

Frequently asked questions

Will World of Warcraft: Forever ever go past level 60?

We do not think so in Forever's first years. Blizzard says it is not planning level cap increases that invalidate accomplishments, and we expect growth to come sideways, through new zones and raids at 60.

Is World of Warcraft: Forever worth it in 2027?

We think so, for anyone who likes Classic: it costs no more than a World of Warcraft subscription, and on our reading of the roadmap, raids, Hardcore and a revamped iconic raid all arrive by the end of summer 2027.

Will World of Warcraft: Forever replace WoW Classic?

We do not expect Blizzard to close Classic in 2027. We think Forever will take the larger share of Classic players, but Classic's fixed-content seasons serve players who want the original exactly as it was.

When will Molten Core open in World of Warcraft: Forever?

We think it is the summer 2027 "revamped iconic raid" and opens by Sep 22, 2027. Blizzard has not named the raid.

Sources

• Raid overview: locations, raid sizes and attunement, Blizzard, Oct 20, 2026
• Xbox CEO says that WoW Forever already has set records prior to its launch, Massively Overpowered, Oct 29, 2026
• World of Warcraft Forever's beta saw over 8.8 million characters created, Massively Overpowered, Nov 2, 2026
• World of Warcraft: Forever - What's Next Panel | BlizzCon 2026, World of Warcraft, Sep 13, 2026 (video)
• World of Warcraft: Forever - Everything We Know, MadSeasonShow, Sep 14, 2026 (video)
• Classic+ Tank Overview: First Look | WoW Forever, Riyani, Sep 14, 2026 (video)
• Classic+ | WoW Forever | BIGGEST Class Changes | Best New Specs to Play, Uncas, Sep 15, 2026 (video)