The first important decision in World of Warcraft: Forever isn’t your class. It’s the kind of experience you want and the community you intend to play with. Blizzard’s October 28 starter guide confirms a new first-login experience preset, distinct rulesets, and several interface choices that are easy to overlook. This checklist turns those announcements into a manageable first session without pretending we’ve tested the retail launch.
Before you press Play
Make sure the Battle.net desktop app is installed, your account has an active World of Warcraft subscription or game time, and you’ve selected World of Warcraft: Forever in the game’s version selector. Blizzard lists Windows and Mac support. Controller support is described as beta, so a keyboard and mouse remain the predictable starting point if you don’t want to troubleshoot input on day one.
If you’re starting with friends, agree on your faction and ruleset in advance. A shared voice chat is useful; everyone can create characters independently, but that does not mean every character can join the same dungeon group.
Classic or Enhanced: which preset should you pick?
At first login, Blizzard says you’ll choose a presentation preset before choosing a ruleset. This is a bundle of starting settings, not a permanent difficulty or server choice.
| Setting | Classic preset | Enhanced preset |
|---|---|---|
| Character presentation | Standard-definition models | High-definition models |
| Quest objective guidance | Less automatic map guidance | Quest points and objective areas enabled |
| Inventory | Separate bags by default | One-bag enabled |
| Movement keys | Camera-turning keyboard defaults | Strafing keyboard defaults |
| Interface | Classic layout | Centered layout |
Our recommendation: If this is your first WoW experience, start with Enhanced for clearer quest guidance and inventory convenience. If you want a more old-school interface, choose Classic. Neither locks you in: Blizzard says you can adjust individual options later under Game Menu → Options. The preset prompt itself appears only on your initial login.
Don’t confuse this with the HD/SD character-model choice. Blizzard also lets you select model presentation per character, and says that setting does not affect abilities or progression.
Pick the ruleset for the group you actually have
| Your priority | Consider | Important caveat |
|---|---|---|
| Learning quests and dungeons with less world-PvP pressure | Normal | PvP is available by choice. |
| Fighting other players in the open world | PvP | Expect enemy-player danger in much of the world. |
| Staying in character with community conventions | Roleplay | Naming and behavior rules apply. |
| Roleplay plus dangerous world PvP | Roleplay-PvP | Both RP conventions and world-PvP risks apply. |
Hardcore is not a launch option. Blizzard plans it for later. Most importantly, players must share the same faction and ruleset to group, join guilds, run dungeons, or raid. A Horde player on PvP cannot solve that mismatch by simply inviting an Alliance friend on Normal. For a deeper comparison, see MBGN’s ruleset guide.
Make your controls comfortable in the first ten minutes
Blizzard’s guide confirms the following default shortcuts. Use them as a quick orientation, then change keybindings to suit how you move and fight.
| Shortcut | What it opens | First-session use |
|---|---|---|
| L | Quest Log | Review, track, untrack, or abandon quests. |
| M | World Map | Find quest areas, your corpse marker, and travel routes. |
| P | Spellbook | Drag new spells onto your action bar. |
| C | Character panel | Compare and equip gear. |
| K | Professions | Check recipes, materials, and skill levels. |
| Esc → Options | Settings | Adjust camera, keybinds, action bars, accessibility and graphics. |
If you’re accustomed to modern action games, test turning, strafing and camera movement before combat becomes stressful. The preset’s movement defaults are just a starting point. Bind frequently used abilities to reachable keys, then leave space for new spells as you level.
A useful first-session route
- Create the right character. Confirm faction, ruleset and full two-part name. Read the class role description rather than picking solely from a tier list.
- Take a handful of nearby quests. Follow the quest log and map. You don’t need to accept every quest marker at once; keep your tracker readable.
- Test two or three combat abilities. Read their tooltips, check health and resources, and visit a class trainer as new abilities become available.
- Set a Hearthstone location and learn travel routes. Talk to innkeepers and flight masters. That will save more frustration than optimizing early gear.
- Manage inventory before it fills. Sell gray-quality items, compare equipment before replacing it, and repair damaged gear in town.
- Choose professions deliberately. Blizzard lists two primary professions per character plus Cooking, Fishing and First Aid as secondary options. Gathering can provide materials; crafting may serve your preferred class or group.
A death is not a reason to restart. Blizzard explains that you can travel back to your body from the graveyard; using the Spirit Healer is an alternative with equipment-durability and possible temporary-debuff costs.
What this guide does—and doesn’t—promise
These are publisher-described launch controls and systems, not independently tested live gameplay. UI labels, balance and availability can change. If you are playing with friends, the most valuable pre-launch task is still agreeing on a faction and ruleset. Then you can spend your first evening exploring rather than recreating characters.
For dates, eligibility and further verified announcements, visit the WoW: Forever game hub and MMORPG release radar. The original Blizzard starter guide and ruleset explanation are listed below under Sources and official pages.