World of Warcraft: Forever Editions Compared: Heroic, Epic and Collection

Quick answer

• You do not have to buy a pack to play World of Warcraft: Forever. It launches on November 4, 2026 at 3 p.m. Pacific (11 p.m. UTC), and access comes with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. Our release time guide has the clock for your region.
• Three optional paid upgrades exist. The Skyborne Heroic Pack is $29.99, the Skyborne Epic Pack is $59.99, and the Warcraft Forever Collection is $79.99 in the US. Blizzard’s own page calls the Collection a limited-time offer that runs through January 11, 2027.
• Buy the $29.99 Heroic Pack only if you want the new Skyborne race. Blizzard’s store page states that access to the Skyborne race or the Zephras Isle starting experience requires the Heroic Pack or higher.
• Buy the $59.99 Epic Pack if you want beta access, 30 days of Game Time from launch and three invite codes instead of one.
• Buy the $79.99 Collection if you also want Warcraft III: Reforged and its Forsaken Kingdom campaign.
• There is a physical edition too. Blizzard sells a World of Warcraft: Forever Collector’s Edition through its Gear Store while supplies last. Blizzard does not publish a price for it on the pages we checked, so look it up there before you assume what it costs.

What each edition includes

The three prices come from the Battle.net Store product page. The EU store lists the same three products at 29.99, 59.99 and 79.99 euros. The Epic Pack costs exactly twice the Heroic Pack, and the Collection adds $20 on top of that.

The packs, one by one

Skyborne Heroic Pack, $29.99. This is the cheapest way to get the headline feature, a new playable elven race called the Skyborne that Blizzard gates behind this pack or higher. The launch announcement says the pack also includes the Zephras Isle starting experience, Early Name Reservation, the Cerulean Prideclaw ground mount, cosmetics, housing decor and one Invite-A-Friend Launch Code. The riding skill for the mount is not included, so you buy that in game.

Skyborne Epic Pack, $59.99. Everything in the Heroic Pack, plus beta access from September 17, 30 days of Game Time starting on launch day, more cosmetics, pets and tabards, and three Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes in total. The 30 days of Game Time is what makes this the practical pick for a returning player who is not paying for a subscription right now.

Warcraft Forever Collection, $79.99. Everything in the Epic Pack, plus Warcraft III: Reforged and the Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom campaign, and Forsaken and Human figurine decor for Housing in modern World of Warcraft. It is the most expensive digital option and the one with a deadline attached.

Prices in the US and Europe

The Collection is the only one Blizzard restricts by date. The store page says the Warcraft Forever Collection will be available through January 11, 2027, so the decision to buy it now is a real one rather than a purchase you can make later.

Early access, the beta and the invite codes

The Epic Pack and the Collection both include beta access, and Blizzard opened the beta on September 17. If you want in before launch day, one of those two is the only route.

Invite-A-Friend Launch Codes are worth understanding before you buy. Blizzard’s store page says a code grants an eligible invitee access to World of Warcraft: Forever from November 4 to November 11, that codes are emailed beginning October 20, and that gift purchases do not qualify. One code comes with the Heroic Pack, three with the Epic Pack and the Collection.

Early Name Reservation runs from October 27 through November 3, and Blizzard says names are limited and offered first come, first served. Eligibility comes with a pack pre-purchase, and the window opens at a set local time in each region.

You can reserve up to three character names in total across all Rulesets during that window. If you have been holding a name since the beta, this is the window to use.

Is there a physical Collector’s Edition?

Yes, of a kind. Blizzard’s launch announcement says players who want a physical edition can buy the World of Warcraft: Forever Collector’s Edition through the Blizzard Gear Store while supplies last. Blizzard does not list a price for it on the store pages we checked for this guide, so treat the Gear Store as the only place that price exists.

What you still need to play

The packs are upgrades, not the game itself. Blizzard’s store page is blunt about it: World of Warcraft, including World of Warcraft: Forever, requires a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. Blizzard sells prepaid blocks of play time under the name Game Time, and the Epic Pack folds 30 days of it into the price. Gameplay outside the 30 days of Game Time included with the Epic Pack and the Collection needs a subscription or more Game Time, sold separately.

Two more details from the same page. Housing decor from the packs only works in Housing in modern World of Warcraft, and the Housing feature needs World of Warcraft: Midnight, which is sold separately. And the included in-game items are not available in WoW Classic.

Which one should you buy?

• Returning player who just wants to play on launch day? Buy nothing and pick up a subscription. The base game includes the new areas, quests and the original continents.
• Player who wants the Skyborne elf race on day one? The $29.99 Heroic Pack. It is the cheapest way to unlock the thing most people are asking about.
• Player without a subscription who wants the beta? The $59.99 Epic Pack, because it carries both beta access and 30 days of Game Time.
• Player who never finished Warcraft III: Reforged? The $79.99 Collection, which is $20 more than the Epic Pack and adds the game and its Forsaken Kingdom campaign.
• Collector? The physical Collector’s Edition from the Gear Store, for the box rather than the game.

Questions readers keep asking

Do I need to buy a pack to play World of Warcraft: Forever?
No. A World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time covers the game. The three packs are optional extras.

Is there a physical Collector’s Edition of WoW: Forever?
Yes. Blizzard sells one through its Gear Store while supplies last, and does not publish the price on the store pages we checked.

What does Game Time mean?
It is prepaid subscription time sold separately from a recurring subscription. The Epic Pack and the Collection include 30 days of it on launch day.

Do I need World of Warcraft: Midnight as well?
Only if you want to use the housing decor from the packs in modern World of Warcraft. That housing feature lives in Midnight, which is sold separately.

Is World of Warcraft: Forever on Xbox Game Pass?
Microsoft’s Game Pass pages do not list World of Warcraft, and Blizzard sells the game through Battle.net rather than the Microsoft Store. Do not plan a subscription copy around it.

What is Early Name Reservation?
A launch-week name claim that runs from October 27 through November 3. You need to pre-purchase one of the three packs to be eligible, you can reserve up to three names, and names go first come, first served.

Can I play the Skyborne race in WoW Classic?
No. Blizzard says the items included with the packs are not available in WoW Classic.

When do the invite codes work?
From November 4 to November 11, with codes delivered by email from October 20. Gift purchases are excluded.

For example, the Heroic Pack at $29.99 is the only purchase most returning players need. The decision comes down to one question: do you want the Skyborne race on day one? Blizzard put the race behind the $29.99 pack and built every other edition as a step up from there. A player who wants only the race pays $29.99. A player who wants the Warcraft III: Reforged campaign pays $79.99, which is $20 more than the Epic Pack. That makes the Collection the better buy for anyone who was going to play Warcraft III: Reforged anyway, and it makes the Heroic Pack the only purchase most returning players need. The subscription, not the pack, is the part everyone has to buy.

Edited by Kerwin Stewart, Editor-in-Chief · How we report