World of Warcraft: Forever takes notes from OSRS by fleshing out the original 2004 world

Published Sep 12, 2026, 10:11 PM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Summary WoW: Forever restores 2004 vanilla Azeroth — no expansions, fresh content added. Blizzard aims for an OSRS-style balance: new updates without breaking the classic feel. Community-driven updates and cautious optimism may lure classic purists from private servers. For some people, "classic" World of Warcraft includes everything pre-Burning Crusade, and that's that. As such, when Blizzard announced that World of Warcraft: Classic would slowly progress through all the expansions, disgruntled gamers went back to private servers to relive the 'true' classic experience. Now, Blizzard is hoping to win them over with a new version called World of Warcraft: Forever, which will wind time back to 2004 again. This time, there will be no expansions, but the game will be fleshed out with new content, much like how Old School RuneScape handled its content. World of Warcraft: Forever is the 'Classic Plus' experience that some people wanted When Classic wasn't classic enough You can check out the trailer for World of Warcraft: Forever in the trailer above. It was announced at BlizzCon 2026, and it seems the main idea behind it is that it'll be WoW's version of Old School RuneScape (OSRS). It'll run a vanilla version of the game with no expansions, but will add new content to keep players entertained for years to come. Blizzard has already confirmed that WoW: Forever will feature Mount Hyjal, Zephras Isle, and The Riverglades as new zones, plus a new elven race called the Skyborne. If you've ever played Old School RuneScape before, take note of the last few words of this quote from Blizzard and tell me if they feel familiar: "Built as a new permanent home alongside modern and Classic WoW, Forever invites past, current, and new players into a familiar yet fresh Azeroth where the world takes center stage, community comes first, and the journey matters as much as the destination. Set after the events of Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core, players will return to the original continents, adventure to level 60, and continue progressing through new stories, experiences, and updates inspired by years of player passion and feedback." For those not in the know, RuneScape's developer, Jagex, strikes a fine balance when it comes to adding content to OSRS. They want to keep the players entertained and excited for more without ruining what made the old version of RuneScape so appealing. Its solution was to put all major content additions to a public vote, with voting booths placed around the cities in OSRS. If players felt a proposed feature would add to OSRS, they voted it in; if they thought it would spoil the spirit of the game, they voted to scrap it. As such, I wouldn't be surprised if those last few words in Blizzard's quote are a nod to a similar system in World of Warcraft: Forever. It'd certainly be a good idea for it to do so, as the company has had issues keeping the classic fans appeased long enough to keep them away from private servers. We'll have to see how it shakes out, but I'm cautiously optimistic this will be 'the one'. WoW: Forever will enter beta on September 17, 2026, and will require the purchase of either the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection to access.