World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, and if the beta and stress test were any sign, the first few hours are going to be packed. Starting zones will be crowded, quest mobs will be contested and something is almost certainly going to break.
Leveling creator and speedrunner Kargoz has shared five tips for getting ahead at launch. We have broken them down below and added a few extras of our own, including launch times by region and a short checklist for the week before the servers open.
When Does WoW: Forever Launch?
Blizzard Entertainment is launching WoW: Forever globally at the same moment. Here is when that lands around the world:
- PST: November 4 at 3:00 p.m.
- EST: November 4 at 6:00 p.m.
- GMT: November 4 at 11:00 p.m.
- CET: November 5 at 12:00 a.m.
- KST: November 5 at 8:00 a.m.
- AEDT: November 5 at 10:00 a.m.
The game is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time, so there is no separate box to buy.
Tip 1: Get Your Mental Game Right
Kargoz's first tip has nothing to do with spells or routes. He recommends practicing the first 10 and 20 levels ahead of time, prepping your addons, UI and macros, and then accepting that some of it will break on launch day anyway.
He also stresses the basics that people forget in the hype: get some sleep, pace your caffeine, and have a route planned with backup options. If a quest is heavily contested, skip it and come back later instead of fighting 40 other players for one spawn.
Tip 2: Always Keep Moving Forward
The second tip is about forward progress. Know roughly how long each chunk of your route should take and use an XP-per-hour tracker so you notice when you are falling behind. When things go wrong, Kargoz recommends a tiered fallback plan: quest first, grind mobs if questing stalls, and jump into dungeons if the open world falls apart.
His reasoning is that when the open world gets unstable at launch, instanced dungeons tend to stay stable. Just keep in mind that Blizzard has deliberately tuned WoW: Forever so dungeons are close to, but not faster than, optimal questing.
Tip 3: Master Tagging And Movement
In a crowded starting zone, tagging mobs first is everything. Kargoz suggests knowing your fastest instant tagging tool, like Gouge on Rogue or Moonfire on Druid, and getting out of the starting zone as quickly as possible.
He also recommends automating as much as you can with quest and vendor addons, knowing which skills you can skip buying from your trainer to save gold, and planning your professions and early gear before you log in.
Tip 4: Grab The Cheap Upgrades
Early power spikes are easy to miss. Kargoz points to sharpening stones for melee, white weapons from the tier-2 town vendors in places like Bloodhoof Village, Razor Hill and Goldshire, and wands for casters as soon as you can afford one. None of these are glamorous, but they shave real time off every kill.
Tip 5: Find A Duo Partner
Finally, Kargoz recommends leveling with a partner. Quest density in WoW: Forever is high, which makes duo leveling especially strong since both players share kills and quest objectives while splitting the danger.
Tip 6: Play The Game
Honestly, just play the game and you will progress. And have fun while you do it. You cannot progress or move forwardi f you do not play the game. Do not waste time sitting in towns if your goal is to get ahead of the pack.
Tip 7: Class Doesn't Matter As Much As You Think
Picking your first class and all doesn't matter as much as some make it out to be. You can level just fine on any class, now granted some classes have some advantages over others. But in the end you can level up at similar speeds regardless of class by the end of the game. There might be outliers, but if you do it right you can make up a lot of time and weaknesses that your class may have in leveling.
Your Pre-Launch Checklist
On top of Kargoz's tips, here are a few things worth sorting out before November 4. The most time-sensitive one is already live, as Blizzard's support team confirmed Early Name Reservations are open now.
- Reserve your names: Early Name Reservation runs from October 27 through November 3 for anyone who pre-purchased the Skyborne Heroic Pack, Skyborne Epic Pack or Warcraft Forever Collection, with up to three characters per account. Here are the start times by region and the steps to reserve.
- Pick your Ruleset: WoW: Forever uses Rulesets instead of traditional realms, so brush up on how they work before you lock in.
- Get the client ready: Update your graphics drivers and make sure the Battle.net app is patched, then select WoW: Forever from the game version menu on the World of Warcraft page so you are not stuck downloading on launch night.
- Bring a friend: The Skyborne Heroic Pack comes with one Invite-A-Friend Launch Code and the Epic Pack comes with three, which is an easy way to lock in that duo partner.
- Know what the packs include: The Skyborne race and the Zephras Isle starting experience are part of the optional upgrade packs, so check your edition before planning a Skyborne main.
- Check your class: Classes and racials have changed a lot during the beta, including a racial tuning pass this week, so double check that your plans still hold up.
Are you planning to race to 60 on launch night, or are you taking things slow in WoW: Forever?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.