Blizzard has published a new World of Warcraft: Forever starter guide ahead of the game’s November 4 launch. Its most useful detail for returning players is easy to miss: the first-login screen asks you to choose between Classic and Enhanced experience presets before selecting your ruleset. The presets change presentation and defaults, not the underlying game or which players you can join.
For friends planning to level together, there is a second, more consequential choice: ruleset and faction must match for grouping, guilds, dungeons and raids. Here is the practical order to make those decisions without mistaking a visual preference for a permanent character restriction.
Classic or Enhanced? Pick the interface you want to learn
Blizzard describes two starting presets:
| First-login preset | What it enables by default | Best starting point if… |
|---|---|---|
| Classic | Standard-definition character models, fewer automatic quest hints, separate bags, traditional UI placement and keyboard turning. | You want a more traditional presentation and prefer exploring without quest-area markers. |
| Enhanced | High-definition character models, quest objectives on the map, one-bag inventory, transmog and strafe-oriented keyboard defaults. | You want more navigation guidance and modern convenience while learning. |
Neither preset locks you in. Blizzard says individual settings remain adjustable under Game Menu → Options after first login. The one-time preset prompt will not reappear, but its choices are not permanent. Character-model appearance can also be selected separately when creating a character.
For a new player, Enhanced is a sensible default because it makes quest navigation and inventory management more visible. If you’re returning for the slower Classic feel, choose Classic and enable only the conveniences you actually want.
Agree on ruleset and faction before making characters
Blizzard’s guide lists Normal, PvP, Roleplay and Roleplay-PvP at launch, with Hardcore planned later. PvP means hostile-faction encounters are a regular open-world risk; Roleplay-PvP combines that danger with roleplaying conventions. Normal is the less confrontational choice if your group mainly wants quests and dungeons.
The critical restriction is social, not visual: you can group, join guilds and run dungeons or raids only with players on the same ruleset and faction. Friends can pick different races or classes, but they should settle those two choices together first. See MBGN’s ruleset and RP-PvP explainer for the differences and restrictions.
Five useful things to prepare before launch
- Confirm access. Forever is included with an active World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time; the optional upgrade packs are not a general entry requirement.
- Install the correct version. In the Battle.net app, select World of Warcraft, then choose World of Warcraft: Forever from the game-version selector before installing.
- Decide your group’s ruleset and faction. Do this before creating characters, especially if you want to dungeon together on launch week.
- Set up the controls you actually prefer. Enhanced defaults to strafe movement; Classic defaults to keyboard turning. You can change movement keys, nameplates, action bars and accessibility options later.
- Leave room to learn. Blizzard’s starter guide recommends reading tooltips, training abilities, setting a Hearthstone inn, repairing gear and using the quest log rather than rushing through every objective.
Blizzard also confirms that Forever uses two-part character names: the complete name combination must be unique within a region. Early reservation for eligible upgrade owners runs October 27–November 3, with three reserved characters across rulesets. See our reservation guide if you are using that benefit.
What this means for PvP and solo players
If you plan to play a Hunter or another damage class solo, the preset choice affects how much guidance you see, not your class strength. Your ruleset determines whether open-world PvP is part of normal travel. A group with limited shared playtime should agree on the ruleset first and avoid discovering after launch that its characters cannot enter the same dungeon.
For new players, the practical takeaway is simple: Classic versus Enhanced is reversible; ruleset and faction are the choices to coordinate. Blizzard’s full guide is linked in Sources below, and our WoW: Forever game hub collects the launch timeline and related original coverage.
This is a source-based setup guide, not a claim that MBGN has independently tested the live launch client. Blizzard may adjust settings or rules before November 4.