The beta for World of Warcraft: Forever has launched and is being overwhelmed to such an extent that even Blizzard is surprised. But anyone who manages to get past the queues feels 20 years younger as a result.
World of Warcraft: Forever aims to bring back the old Azeroth without simply copying WoW Classic all over again. The fact that Blizzard has struck a chord is now evident in the most typical MMO way: The servers are overloaded, players are stuck in massive queues, and some still can’t get in even after a long wait.
The rush apparently surprises even Blizzard
The WoW Forever beta launched on September 17, and it was immediately clear that Blizzard was in for a lot of work. Players reported on the Blizzard forum about long queues, disconnects, and the all-too-familiar classic of getting kicked out of the queue only to have to get back in line from the back.
And even at Blizzard, the rush seems to have been greater than expected. Senior Game Producer Tom Ellis wrote, in light of the load, that this was a bit excessive even for a beta and that the test environment was taking quite a beating, while several services were being scaled up.
Yeah, okay, that’s a bit excessive for a beta. Calm down now… give us a minute; this environment is taking a beating, and we’re scaling various services up.
— Tom Ellis (@FwoiblesWoW) September 17, 2026
Associate Production Director Clayton Stone described the number of players simultaneously “banging on the beta’s door” as “insane.” Blizzard is continually increasing capacity.
“I’m 40 and I feel like I’m 18 again”
In a major thread on the WoW Forever subreddit, players are currently sharing their first impressions, and the nostalgia practically oozes from the screen in some comments:
- brandcolt: “Yeah… I’m 40 now, but when I walk through these places, I feel like I’m 18 again. I’m having a hard time putting the game down. Right now I’m helping my kid with homework, but damn, I really want to keep playing, lol.”
- CatsGotANosebleed: “I decided to skip the quests for now because the starting zones were completely overcrowded, so instead I ran through Durotar and Orgrimmar with my level-1 character, then on to Ashenvale, to try to reach Azshara. I just wandered around aimlessly, taking in the surroundings. At the Echo Isles, I hopped around in the water a bit and just listened to the splashing sounds. […]«
- Halonos: “I logged in while I was a little high, and oh my God… it’s like someone took my memories of 2004 and turned them into an HD game. Damn, it’s good. All the fun and simplicity of Classic combined with all the convenience features of Retail. So immersive. So beautiful. I honestly got really emotional.”
- Full Statement 9255: “Normally, I refuse to play PTRs or betas because I know my characters are only temporary anyway. But I just can’t put this beta down. I don’t think I’ll play any live version of WoW while this beta is running.”
- Rincewindcl: “I tried logging in five or six times last night—with queues of up to 20,000 players—but without success. That’s a shame, because I also wanted to be there on the first day. Anyway, I just woke up and will try to squeeze in a little bit before work if I can!”
In any case, Blizzard still has some time before the release on the night of November 5, so hopefully the queue won’t feel like “forever” anymore.
How about you: Have you made it into the beta yet? And if so, did WoW Forever hook you right away, or does the whole thing feel too much like the old Vanilla version so far? Let us know in the comments section!
