WoW Forever launch checklist: 18 steps to Nov 4

Eighteen steps from pre-order and name reservation to day-one routes and raid prep, in timeline order. Tick them off — progress lives in your own browser, and one click copies it for your guild chat. Official facts carry an Official badge, community reports say TBC, the rest is our advice.

Browser storage unavailable (disabled or full) — progress cannot be saved and only lasts this page.

Phase 1 · Purchase & planning (now – Oct 26)

Pick your edition: Heroic / Epic / CollectionOfficial The three tiers differ in perks and name-reservation timing — set a budget first; edition owners can reserve names from Oct 27.
Plan your race & class combo 10 races with 40 traits plus 6 new combos (Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Undead Paladin…) — racials are permanent.races & traits page →
Review Forever's changes for your class New spells, talent-row changes, removals — know what muscle memory to unlearn before you log in.class changes pages →
Pick your first talent build All 27 max-level builds are engine-verified; save a leveling build in the planner's local slots so you never guess.builds library →

Phase 2 · Name reservation (Oct 27 – Nov 3)

From Oct 27: reserve your name (edition owners)Official The reservation window runs through Nov 3; Heroic / Epic / Collection get in on day one.
No edition? Watch for your reservation windowOfficial The window still closes Nov 3 — the exact opening time follows the Battle.net announcement. Don't leave it to the last night.
Prepare 2-3 backup names Popular names go instantly — write a shortlist; if taken, tweak the prefix instead of stalling on the page.

Phase 3 · Download & preload (early Nov, TBC)

Oct 21 is the last full day of betaOfficial The beta servers close after that; don't count on carrying anything over.
Download the pre-load clientTBC Blizzard usually opens a pre-load (community reports say early November, unconfirmed) — install early, log in fast on day one.
Free disk space, test your network Client size, VPN/accelerator routing and Battle.net login — check all three ahead of time.
Check your account & subscription Authenticator, payment method, game time — don't get stuck on the login screen on launch morning.

Phase 4 · Launch day (Nov 4, 3 PM PT ＝ Nov 5, 7 AM Beijing)

Servers open Nov 4, 3:00 PM PacificOfficial That's Nov 5, 7:00 AM Beijing — log in early to queue; day-one queues are long.
First talent point at level 10Official New characters start spending at 10; with the Legacy Talented perk unlocked, your next character can start at 5.
Legacy unlocks at level 25Official Hotkey Y opens the panel for your first Legacy Point — the 65-point account pool and per-character 16 you can spend start here.Legacy page →
Run the first two dungeons at 13-20Official Hall of Thanes (13-18, Ironforge) and Ruins of Lordaeron (15-20, Undercity) — official and live in beta.

Phase 5 · First week to max level (through the Dec 9 raids)

Queue dungeons by level band from 24TBC 7 community-listed dungeons await launch confirmation (see the cheat sheet); the in-game finder governs.dungeon cheat sheet →
Plan your 16 Legacy points 65 challenges feed the account pool but each character spends only 16 — plan in the simulator before spending.Legacy simulator →
At 60, switch to your max-level build — raids Dec 9Official The first raids are Barrow Deeps (10-player) and Hyjal Summit (20-player); 51-point builds are in the library.

This page's FAQ now lives in the searchable Tavern Q&A →