Choose Your Ruleset in World of Warcraft: Forever

Rather than forcing players to pick a specific server before creating a character, the new system allows you to choose the type of experience you want first. Each ruleset acts as a broad player ecosystem, making it easier to find others with similar playstyles. The available options include:

• Normal: The standard experience focused on exploration, questing, and optional PvP.
• PvP: Designed for players seeking open-world conflict and increased danger in contested territories.
• Roleplaying: A mode for those looking to lean into the fantasy and connect with like-minded adventurers.
• Hardcore: A high-stakes mode where death carries lasting consequences. This mode will be released sometime after the initial launch.

Each ruleset functions as a distinct space. While players can group, run dungeons, and raid with others in the same ruleset, cross-ruleset grouping is not supported. However, Battlegrounds may include players from different rulesets, with the exception of Hardcore, which remains entirely separate. The faction divide between Horde and Alliance remains a core part of the experience.

Movement between rulesets is intentionally limited to preserve community integrity. Players cannot freely hop between them; to switch playstyles, you must create a new character in the desired ruleset. Hardcore features a unique exception: if a character dies, they can be transferred to another ruleset, including PvP. While collections and Legacy Points are account-wide, progress earned in Hardcore cannot flow back into other rulesets, ensuring the mode's distinct challenge is maintained.

To maintain faction balance in the PvP ruleset, Blizzard will implement systems similar to those used in Season of Discovery, which may include temporary limits on new character creation for a specific faction. Additionally, players in the PvP ruleset must commit to one faction, whereas Normal, Roleplaying, and Hardcore allow for characters from both Horde and Alliance.