September 23, 2026: the first beta patch week opens with a client build, not a blog post. Blizzard pushed WoW Forever 1.60.1 build 69977 to testers (US and EU blue posts, Sep 22-23), with a short fix list: Mac display and stability issues plus controller navigation in the character-selection screen.
The Mac line matters because it was the one platform thread with no workaround (workarounds): macOS players crashed on launch with nothing to try. That entry is now officially addressed, test-and-report rather than troubled-and-waiting. A companion dev reply on a detailed 8-bug Mac graphics thread says multiple analyses and potential fixes are underway, crediting player repro steps. The controller fix lands one week after the BlizzCon hands-on flagged pad support as alpha.
Separately hotfixed (Sep 22): the quest A Firm Response no longer strands Windshaper Skyborne on Zephras Isle at Belathaan Brightwish near the Shrine of Akir. Two more threads (duplicate-name errors, login-stuck characters) are in info-gathering, not fixed.
Still open and conspicuous: the suspected memory leak behind hour-long FPS decay has no acknowledgment anywhere in this round. Fixes are landing same-week; that one is not among them yet.
SOURCES: Blizzard blue posts via Tavern blue tracker RSS (EU 630815, US 2358655, EU 630568, US 2353697, US 2354050; Sep 22-23).