WoW Forever: Everything You Need to Know About Realms

In previous version of World of Warcraft, players would be presented with a list of realms to choose where they would like to create their characters. This could be somehwat of a difficult decision, as players wanted to play with their friends, but also have to choose a specific realm type, between PvE (Normal), PvP, RP, or RP-PvP. In addition to type, realms were also divided by timezone, which made the decision even more difficult.

This system was problematic, because it divided the playerbase and made it more difficult to group up with friends. However, thanks to some technological advancements, WoW Forever will feature realmless Game Modes! Now, instead of choosing a specific realm that only allows you to interact with other players in that realm, players will choose a "ruleset" to create their characters, and each of these rulesets will exist in one mega-server each.

Blizzard decided to allow all players within the same ruleset (and Region) to interact with each other for several reasons:

• Higher population realms means you'll always have someone to play with.
• The trading and Auction House economies will be consistently active.
• The availability of rare items or recipes will be much greater.

With the selection of Gameplay Style, players will no longer choose an individual realm, and instead, they will be able to interact, trade, and group with anyone (of the same Faction) in their chosen Ruleset.

In WoW Forever, there will be three rulesets that players can choose to begin with, including Normal (PvE), PvP, or Roleplay. Additionally, a Hardcore ruleset will be introduced post-launch.

As in other versions of World of Warcraft, the Normal, or PvE, server will primarily focused on cooperative play within each Faction. Players who choose this ruleset will team up to take down monsters, while also deciding whether or not they want to flag themselves for PvP.

The PvP ruleset centers on the Horde vs. Alliance faction war, allowing players to attack members of the opposing faction at any time. Players who decide to play with this ruleset will need to be on the lookout for both NPC and player enemies alike.

Similar to how this server rule set worked in previous iterations of WoW, players will be restricted to only playing one Faction if they choose the PvP rule set. This means that if you choose the PvP rule set, you will only ever ben able to make either Horde or Alliance characters on that specific rule set.

Additionally, Blizzard is taking a page from Season of Discovery, and creating forced faction-balance, to make sure that one faction is not constantly outnumbering the other.

Similar to a "Normal" ruleset, players who choose the Roleplay style will determine whether they want to engage in PvP combat or not. The biggest difference is that players will be expected to immerse themselves in their character, in order to create a living fantasy world for all players.

While not expected to arrive until early 2027, Hardcore servers will provide players with a 1-life challenge. Once a character perishes on a Hardcore server, they will be given the opportunity to transfer to one of the other rulesets. Additionally, while Normal, PvP, and Roleplay servers will all contribute to an account's Legacy Points, characters on the Hardcore ruleset will not benefit from these perks. Hardcore is the only ruleset that is completely separate from the others, in that Legacy Points can only be used if they have been earned on a Hardcore character. Collection items and Legacy Points earned in Hardcore will be available in the other rulesets, but not the other way around.

All players in the same ruleset will be able to group up with each other for Dungeons and Raids, send mail to each other, trade items on the Auction House, and share outdoor World Events.

To make these "mega-servers" feel more social, players will often see the same people in their layer. This is meant to create the sense of a smaller server community, even while players are all on one server of the same rule set. Players who are in the same guild will often be automatically put in the same layer as their guildmates to create easier goruping scenarios.

Additionally, players will be able to choose their Preferred Online Language in the Social and Languages menu. This will help ensure that players are consistently encountering others who speak the same language.

Before choosing a rule set, it is important to note that World of Warcraft: Forever will not launch with the ability for characters to transfer. This means that whichever rule set you choose to make your characters on will be their permanent home for the forseeable future. With that in mind, here's a summary of each rule set to help you and your guild decide where you want to play on launch day.

Normal/PvE

• No forced PvP. Players can choose to flag themselves.
• Focused on adventuring and cooperating with other players to complete content.
• Grouping, Mail, Auction House, and Outdoor Content is tied to all other PvE/Normal players who are in the same Region and Faction.
• All Collections and Legacy Points earned are shared with all characters on the same account between Normal, PvP, and RP rule sets.

PvP

• All players are auto-flagged for PvP and can be attacked by enemy players at any time.
• Layers are faction-balanced.
• Players on the PvP rule set are locked to creating characters on one Faction for that rule set.
• With the risk of death comes the thrill of victory.
• Grouping, Mail, Auction House, and Outdoor Content is tied to all other PvP players who are in the same Region and Faction.
• All Collections and Legacy Points earned are shared with all characters on the same account between Normal, PvP, and RP rule sets.

Roleplay

• Strict naming convetions and behavior rules to enhance player immersion.
• Meant for players to enjoy the fantasy and storyline elements of the game.
• Grouping, Mail, Auction House, and Outdoor Content is tied to all other RP players who are in the same Region and Faction.
• All Collections and Legacy Points earned are shared with all characters on the same account between Normal, PvP, and RP rule sets.

Hardcore (Coming Post-Launch)

• The ultimate challenge, where every decision matters.
• Meant for players who wish to challenge themselves and test their knowledge of the game.
• Grouping, Mail, Auction House, and Outdoor Content is only tied other Hardcore players who are in the same Region and Faction.
• Collections and Legacy Points earned in Hardcore are shared with all characters on the same account, but nothing from the other rule sets is shared to Hardcore.
• Upon death, characters can be transferred to either the Normal, PvP, or RP rule set.

In The Same Category

Name ReservationRacesForever OverviewChoosing Your MainAll Class GuidesCamping