If you have a character name in mind for World of Warcraft: Forever, you will want to be at your PC next Tuesday. Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed the start times for Early Name Reservations, which let eligible players claim names a week before the game goes live. Here is everything you need to know about when it starts where you live and how the process works.
When Do WoW: Forever Name Reservations Start?
Blizzard published the official schedule yesterday (October 20th). Each region opens at a different moment, so the time that matters is the one for the region you play in, not necessarily the one on your local clock. Blizzard lists these four start times:
- North America: Tuesday, October 27 at 1:00 PM PDT
- Europe: Tuesday, October 27 at 18:00 CET
- Korea: Wednesday, October 28 at 07:00 KST
- Taiwan: Wednesday, October 28 at 07:00 Taiwan time (UTC+8)
What Time Is That In My Time Zone?
The North American start of 1:00 PM PDT works out to 2:00 PM MDT, 3:00 PM CDT and 4:00 PM EDT on October 27. In UTC, that is 20:00. Australian players who play in the Americas region can expect that same moment to land at 7:00 AM AEDT on Wednesday, October 28.
The European start is a separate moment. Most of Europe will already have moved its clocks back on October 25, which is why Blizzard lists the time in CET rather than CEST. That means 18:00 CET equals 17:00 in the UK (GMT), 19:00 in Eastern European Time and 17:00 UTC. In other words, European name reservations open about three hours before North America's.
For Asia, the Korea opening at 07:00 KST is 22:00 UTC on October 27, while the Taiwan opening at 07:00 local time is 23:00 UTC on October 27.
How Long Does The Reservation Window Last?
The window runs from October 27 through November 3. Blizzard has not given an exact closing hour, so treat November 3 as the last day. World of Warcraft: Forever then launches globally on November 4 at 3:00 PM PST.
Who Can Reserve A Name?
This is an early access perk tied to the upgrade editions. To take part, you need to pre-purchase one of the following:
- The Skyborne Heroic Pack
- The Skyborne Epic Pack
- The limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection
According to the fine print, a WoW: Forever Digital Upgrade or Collector's Edition purchase is required, and the perk is limited to the specific WoW account it was bought for. Blizzard's post does not say whether an active subscription is needed to log in during the reservation window, so double-check your account before the big day. Playing after launch does require a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time.
How To Reserve Your WoW: Forever Character Names
Blizzard's official checklist walks through the process in seven steps:
- Update your graphics drivers.
- Download and install the Battle.net desktop app if you do not already have it.
- Launch Battle.net and let it finish any updates.
- Pick World of Warcraft from your game list.
- Open the Game Version menu above the Play button, choose World of Warcraft: Forever and click Install.
- When the install finishes, click Play and pick a Ruleset.
- Create up to three characters using the names you want to claim.
Our advice is to have the client installed well before the window opens. Popular names are claimed first come, first served, so a last-minute download could cost you the name you wanted.
How Many Names Can You Reserve, And On Which Rulesets?
You get three characters in total, and that limit is shared across every Ruleset. WoW: Forever offers Normal, PvP and Role-Play Rulesets, so if you use two of your slots on PvP, only one slot remains for Normal or Role-Play. The three-character cap is specific to Early Name Reservation and does not apply once the game launches.
Keep in mind that you are making actual characters during this window, not filling in a form. Since the name is attached to the character you create, it helps to settle on your race and class before you log in.
How Do Names Work In WoW: Forever?
WoW: Forever does away with traditional realms, so each character has a first name and a second name. Only the full pairing needs to be unique within your region, which means a popular first name can still be yours with a different second name. You can hide the second name above your character through the Nameplates section of the Options menu, though it will still show in chat. Standard naming rules apply to both parts together.
Which names are you hoping to grab, and will you be logging in the minute your region opens?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.