On September 21, Blizzard published an article about rulesets: WoW Forever will not have the familiar realm list. Before creating a character, you choose a ruleset rather than a realm, and that determines who you can play with. You cannot transfer an existing character to a different ruleset, so it is best to decide before the November 4 launch.
Which rulesets are available
Blizzard lists four options:
Each ruleset is one large shared world rather than an individual realm. According to the developers, this removes the guesswork of picking a realm at launch and helps keep Azeroth populated.
- Normal: the core WoW experience, with quests, exploration, and optional PvP.
- PvP: more danger and encounters in contested territories.
- Roleplaying: for players who want to stay in character and find like-minded people.
- Hardcore: a mode where death comes at a very high price. It will arrive sometime after launch; Blizzard has not given an exact date.
Who you can play with
The main restriction concerns groups. Blizzard lays out the rules as follows:
On the PvP ruleset, Blizzard promises to monitor faction balance as it does in Season of Discovery: character creation for one side may be temporarily restricted.
- Groups, dungeons, and raids are limited to players on the same ruleset. There are no cross-ruleset groups.
- Horde and Alliance players still cannot group together.
- Players from different rulesets can meet in battlegrounds, except for Hardcore, which remains separate.
- On the PvP ruleset, an account can only create characters of one faction: once you make an Alliance character, you cannot start a Horde character there. Both factions are available on Normal, Roleplaying, and Hardcore.
No transfers, shared collections
You cannot freely switch between rulesets: to play on a different one, you need to create a new character there. Hardcore is completely isolated, with one exception: a dead Hardcore character can be transferred to another ruleset, including PvP.
Collections and Legacy Points are shared across all rulesets on your account. With Hardcore, this works in one direction: progress and rewards earned there can benefit you on other rulesets, but nothing transfers back into Hardcore.
Language settings
Blizzard also mentions Preferred Online Language, which makes you more likely to meet players who selected the same language. You can find it under Esc → Options → System → Languages and Social. The setting applies to your entire account and can only be changed once every 24 hours.
This matters most in Europe, where each ruleset's shared world brings together players from many countries. Blizzard's article does not specify which languages the list will offer. Our how to play with friends guide explains how to get everyone onto the same ruleset.