The Future of WoW: Forever — Interview with Developers on Project Direction
World of Warcraft has undergone countless transformations over the decades. While expansions have added complexity, many players have long expressed a desire to return to the raw sense of discovery found in the early days of Azeroth. This sentiment birthed World of Warcraft: Forever, a project unveiled at BlizzCon. Following its recent beta phase—the largest in the game's history—the team is now moving from vague anticipation to concrete development. In an interview with Inven, Executive Producer Holly Longdale and Associate Production Director Clay Stone discussed the project's direction and the lessons learned from the community.
Beyond a Simple Remaster: Technical and Social Shifts
WoW: Forever is not merely a nostalgic trip; it is a technical evolution. Clay Stone highlighted several high-risk development decisions that have yielded overwhelmingly positive feedback. This includes a rendering update designed to keep the vanilla world intact while introducing modern lighting and atmospheric effects, as well as a new server infrastructure that removes traditional realm boundaries.
The camping system has also emerged as a standout feature during the beta, fostering organic social interaction among players. While the team is cautious about making immediate promises, they confirmed that discussions are underway to expand this system, potentially linking it more deeply to professions and crafting as players progress beyond the current level 30 cap.
Class Identity vs. Homogenization
One of the most critical discussions surrounding the beta involves the overhaul of player classes. While some players have noted shifts in class identity, Clay Stone clarified that the core philosophy is to avoid the homogenization seen in other experimental modes like Season of Discovery. The goal is not to make every class feel the same, but to ensure every specialization (spec) has a distinct purpose.
The development team is specifically targeting "meme specs" or builds that were previously considered non-viable. The objective is to ensure that no specialization feels useless due to the community-driven meta. Instead of making every class equally effective in every scenario, the team wants to ensure each spec has a compelling reason to be brought to specific raids, dungeons, or content, allowing every class the opportunity to shine in different parts of the game.
Horizontal Progression and the Value of Gear
The concept of "horizontal progression" is a key differentiator for the project. Clay Stone explained that development will move not just "upward" through power increases, but "sideways" by expanding the world itself—adding new zones, dungeons, raids, quests, and deepening profession trees.
Regarding gear, the team aims to minimize drastic power jumps between tiers. The goal is to keep older content relevant for as long as possible, ensuring that items from previous raids can remain Best-in-Slot (BiS) for extended periods. While the team acknowledges that a "100% forever" approach might be impossible, they intend to make sure that everything a player achieves in the game holds meaningful value.
The Player's Journey: Why Dungeons Aren't Everything
The beta revealed a controversial point regarding dungeon XP tuning, which some players felt restricted exploration in the open world. Clay Stone admitted that the initial numbers might have leaned too far in one direction, but viewed this as a valuable learning experience. "We want the journey to matter deeply," he stated, emphasizing the importance of social interaction and experiencing Azeroth together.
The team is already working on adjustments to find a middle ground: slightly reducing XP from dungeon quests while increasing XP from dungeon mobs to encourage the actual process of dungeon crawling rather than just rapid quest completion. Ultimately, Holly Longdale expressed hope that WoW: Forever will forge its own distinct identity, standing alongside modern World of Warcraft as a unique experience shaped by its community.
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