Beta guide

Source: View source Version: Forever beta launch announcement (2026-09-17) Review: Source checked Last reviewed: 2026-09-20

Beta guide · reviewed 20 September 2026. This guide combines Blizzard's published testing scope with a practical checklist for documenting your session. Availability can change during testing.

The Forever beta is open. Its initial cap is level 20, with 30 planned later. Week one includes Skyborne, Zephras Isle, Hall of Thanes (13–18), Ruins of Lordaeron (15–20), and zone content through level 20. Additional content follows; a public Server Slam is planned without an announced date. October 21 is the last full testing day.

Install the correct version

In Battle.net, select World of Warcraft, then World of Warcraft: Forever Beta under In Development in the version menu. Install, launch, and create a test character. Eligible digital purchases can take up to 30 minutes to appear; restart the launcher. Game access covers eligibility, while System requirements covers hardware.

For XP comparisons, use Leveling and experience to distinguish developer intentions, perk descriptions, and measured results.

Plan a useful session

1. Read Beta known issues before comparing class behavior. A listed bug can explain a surprising result without establishing an intended design change.
2. Choose one question and record the client build, date, character level, faction, equipment, and allocated talents.
3. For a dungeon visit, capture your route to the entrance and the actual entry result. Separate recommended levels from observed restrictions.
4. For a quest, record its exact title, giver, objectives, prerequisites, and reward screen. Keep those records together so another contributor can repeat the steps.
5. For a talent, compare the appropriate rank on its reference page. Keep tooltip text separate from observed combat behavior.

A client can contain high-level spells, future zones, or unused records beyond currently playable content. An imported tooltip does not prove that its maximum rank can be tested today. Follow the dated availability announcement before planning a high-level test.

Identify where a connection problem occurs

Record whether the failure happens before the version appears in Battle.net, when pressing Play, after authentication, at gameplay-style selection, or when entering the world. Keep the error code and installed build with that stage. An access problem, an update problem, and a world-entry failure need different evidence.

Use Game access for entitlement checks and community troubleshooting reports for dated reports with their limitations. A report that an error occurred yesterday is not a live server-status check.

Share evidence

Use the template at Project:Beta verification and attach the source to the affected article. A useful report identifies both the expected result and the actual result, including whether the same steps reproduce the issue. Cite an official correction separately from your own test.

When testing a possible fix, record the new build and repeat the same conditions. Do not label a planned fix as resolved merely because a client update appeared. Beta changes records the source dates behind wiki updates.

Related references

Beginner guide · Beta known issues · Project:Research tasks · Release roadmap