World of Warcraft Forever is set to launch at 3 p.m. Pacific time on November 4, opening its alternate version of Azeroth to players with an active World of Warcraft subscription or a friend code. The game’s beta attracted enough players for developers to describe its numbers as the craziest they had seen in 17 years, according to the live blog covering the launch.
Access during the beta was more limited: the level cap remained at 30, and most players, aside from some promotional exceptions, needed to purchase the Skyborne pack. The live launch removes that purchase requirement for subscribers and people with a friend code.
Server performance is a major concern ahead of launch. When Blizzard opened its name reservation system the previous week, European players were unable to access it for hours, while players in the United States encountered long queues and disconnections. The live blog anticipated queues at launch, though the servers had not yet opened at the time of its early updates.
The launch also follows debate over recent class changes. After patch notes were published on Monday night, the Shaman class Discord server shut down in protest, according to the report. The live blog noted that a similar response had followed changes affecting Retribution Paladins the previous year in Midnight.
At 5 p.m. Eastern time, the servers were expected to open in about an hour. An update 15 minutes later described players as eager to get into the game, while the blog’s author prepared to track server conditions and community reactions.
Sources: IGN.