September 13, 2026 — The World of Warcraft: Forever pre-purchase went live at BlizzCon with three paid upgrade packs. All three build on the same rule from the announcement article: an active WoW subscription or game time gets you normal Forever access at launch, and the packs are optional additions.
TL;DR
- Skyborne Heroic Pack: Skyborne race, Zephras Isle starting experience, Early Name Reservation, Cerulean Prideclaw mount, Shen'dorei Skyseer's Garb, rucksack, top and housing decor. Reported at $29.99 / €29.99 (per Icy Veins storefront report).
- Skyborne Epic Pack: everything in Heroic, plus beta access from September 17, 30 days of game time starting November 4, extra cosmetics, tabards and pets.
- Warcraft Forever Collection: everything in Epic, plus Warcraft III Reforged and its new Forsaken Kingdom campaign and housing figurines. Limited to January 11, 2027.
- Beta runs September 17 to October 21, 2026, via Epic or Collection.
- Early Name Reservation: October 27 to November 3, up to three characters, first come first served.
- Invite-A-Friend codes: one with Heroic, three with Epic/Collection; emailed from October 20; grant launch-week access November 4 to November 11 without a subscription.
The three packs
The naming matches what dataminers saw as "Heroic and Epic licensing references" on the encrypted 1.60 branch back in June. Blizzard's official pre-purchase article lists full contents.
The Heroic pack is the entry point with the new race. Beyond the Skyborne race and the Zephras Isle starting experience, it carries Early Name Reservation, the Cerulean Prideclaw ground mount (the riding skill is still bought in-game), the Shen'dorei Skyseer's Garb outfit, the Veteran Adventurer's Rucksack, the Shen'dorei Windwell toy, and Skyborne housing decor for modern WoW. Blizzard has not printed a price in its announcement articles; storefront reporting from Icy Veins and earlier sources put the Heroic pack at $29.99 / €29.99.
The Epic pack adds the two things players actually wait on: beta access and time. It includes the team's packed launch window directly, with the beta from September 17 through October 21 and 30 days of game time that start on November 4. Extra Veteran Adventurer-inspired cosmetics, tabards and pets round it out.
The Warcraft Forever Collection is the limited bundle that connects Forever to the Warcraft III story, including the origins of the Forsaken Paladins. It stacks Warcraft III: Reforged and the Forsaken Kingdom campaign on top of the Epic contents, making it effectively the only way to get both games plus the Forever upgrade in one purchase.
There is also a physical World of Warcraft: Forever Collector's Edition. It bundles the Warcraft Forever Collection digital code with a 13-inch Dwarf-and-Bear statue, a Zephras Isle mousepad, art prints, pins, a companion journal, and launch codes for the November 4-11 window (per Blizzard's Collector's Edition announcement).
Name reservation and Invite-A-Friend
Early Name Reservation runs October 27 through November 3. It is included with any upgrade purchase, and supports up to three characters. Blizzard warns that names are reserved first-come, first-served and that a desired name cannot be guaranteed (per the official pre-purchase article).
Invite-A-Friend codes give launch-week access from November 4 to November 11 without the invitee needing their own subscription. The Heroic pack includes one code, the Epic pack and Collection include three. Codes start being emailed October 20. Gifts are excluded, and codes cannot be used on an account that already bought a Forever upgrade (per Blizzard's Invite-A-Friend support article).
The money line for players
Sorting the packs is easy once you know what you want to do:
| Want | Pick |
|---|---|
| Skyborne race, no beta, cheapest entry | Heroic Pack |
| Beta access from Sep 17 | Epic Pack or Collection |
| 30 days of game time at launch | Epic Pack or Collection |
| Warcraft III Reforged + Forsaken Kingdom campaign | Collection only |
| Physical statue, mousepad, pins | Collector's Edition |
| Early Name Reservation | Any pack |
The Collection is the only edition that gates the Forsaken Kingdom campaign, and it closes January 11, 2027. Per Blizzard's announcement, Forever itself requires the subscription or game time on top of whichever pack you choose.
Why this matters for the private-server crowd
The pre-purchase structure confirms two things people asked about after the reveal. First, the Skyborne race is a paid unlock tied to the packs, not a free part of the sub. Second, beta access sits only in the two higher packs. That pricing ladder matters to classic players deciding whether Forever replaces a private server: the sub covers the base game, but the new-race content and beta are storefront purchases. Full breakdown plus editions table on the Forever hub.
Notes
Facts from Blizzard's official pre-purchase announcement and Invite-A-Friend support article, verified September 13. The $29.99 Heroic price is storefront reporting (Icy Veins), not a price quoted in Blizzard's articles, and is flagged accordingly on the hub's editions table.