Official World of Warcraft: Forever artwork used for the Stress Test announcement.

WoW: Forever realm types: no RP-PvP, no arenas, and how to choose

Bytruhk

World of Warcraft

WoW: Forever has no RP-PvP plans, no arenas and less honor in Alterac Valley. How Normal, PvP and Roleplaying rulesets work and how to choose before Nov 4.

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WoW: Forever has no realm list. You pick a ruleset instead, and in episode 4 of the official WoW: Forever Podcast (October 15) Blizzard made that choice weigh more: there are no plans for an RP-PvP ruleset, no arenas or rated battlegrounds are coming, and characters can’t move between rulesets. If you plan to play on day one, November 4, decide before you create your main.

Quick summary

  • Rulesets: Normal, PvP and Roleplaying at launch; Hardcore comes later
  • RP-PvP: no current plans (“never say never”)
  • Arenas and rated PvP: not planned; launch PvP is the Rank 1 to 14 honor system
  • Honor: Alterac Valley gives a bit less, every other battleground gives much more
  • Transfers: none between rulesets, you reroll
World of Warcraft: Forever Stress Test artwork
Image: Blizzard Entertainment

The rulesets

  • Normal: questing and exploring, open-world PvP only when you flag for it.
  • PvP: contested zones are always dangerous. You can only make characters of one faction here, and Blizzard can temporarily limit new characters of a faction to keep balance.
  • Roleplaying: works like Normal (PvE), for players who want to stay in character. Both factions allowed.
  • Hardcore: permanent death, arriving some time after launch and kept separate from everything else.

You can only group, run dungeons and raid with people on the same ruleset. Battlegrounds can mix players from Normal, PvP and Roleplaying, but not Hardcore.

Why there is no RP-PvP

Senior Game Designer Josh “Aggrend” Greenfield said most RP-PvP realms since Grobbulus in 2019 drifted into plain PvP realms, citing Crusader Strike in Season of Discovery. He also said the RP community is small compared with Normal and PvP, and splitting it again would hurt the social side and the economy of a realmless game. He left the door open for later.

PvP: no arenas, and AV is no longer the honor farm

The team wants big 10v10 and 15v15 fights, not 2v2 or 3v3, and is wary of rated ladders and PvP-only gear. The honor grind to Rank 14 is the launch system. To end the Alterac Valley spam meta, AV gives a bit less honor and Warsong Gulch, Arathi Basin and Darkspear Islands give a lot more. Premade groups will be matched against premades, and solo players and small groups against each other.

How to choose before November 4

  • You want world PvP and ranks: PvP. Pick your faction carefully, because you can’t make the other one there.
  • You want battlegrounds but not ganking while questing: Normal. Battlegrounds still mix rulesets, so you get the same honor system.
  • You roleplay: Roleplaying, knowing it is PvE. Former RP-PvP players will have to pick between this and PvP.
  • You want permadeath: wait for Hardcore.
  • You play with friends: agree on the ruleset first, since you can’t group across rulesets.

The free Stress Test ran on October 21. If you have beta access, you can still try a ruleset until October 23 at 10 a.m. PDT.

FAQ

Can I transfer from PvP to Normal later? No. Blizzard said there are no transfers between rulesets; you would roll a new character.

Will WoW: Forever have arenas? Not planned. The developers said a direct port does not fit the game they are making.

Sources

World of Warcraft