Forever drops the realm-selection screen. You choose the kind of world you want first, and each ruleset works as one broad community instead of a single server. The goal is to make it easy to find people who play the way you do while the world still feels busy and lived in.
The four rulesets
| Ruleset | Who it is for | Factions |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Questing, exploring and cooperating, with PvP when you opt in | Both factions on one account |
| PvP | Every trip into contested territory can turn into a fight | One faction only |
| Roleplaying | Players who want to stay in character | Both factions |
| Hardcore | One life; death carries lasting consequences. Arrives after launch | Both factions |
Playing together
- You can group, run dungeons and raid only with players in the same ruleset. Cross-ruleset groups are not supported.
- Battlegrounds can include players from other rulesets, except Hardcore, which stays separate.
- Factions stay apart: Horde and Alliance cannot group, on any ruleset.
Faction balance on PvP
On the PvP ruleset you can only create characters for one faction: once you have an Alliance character there, you cannot make a Horde one, and the reverse. Blizzard also plans to limit new character creation for a faction temporarily when one side outnumbers the other, as it did in Season of Discovery.
Moving between rulesets
You cannot hop freely. To play under a different ruleset, create a new character there. Collections and Legacy Points are account-wide across rulesets, with Hardcore handled differently:
- Progress, collections and rewards earned in Hardcore can carry over to the other rulesets.
- Progress from the other rulesets does not flow back into Hardcore.
- When a Hardcore character dies, it can transfer to another ruleset, including PvP.
Language preference
You can set a preferred online language so you meet players who share it. Open the Game Menu (Escape), then Options, then Languages and Social under System, and choose a Preferred Online Language. The setting is account-wide and has a 24-hour cooldown.
Which one should you pick?
- Pick Normal if you want the classic leveling experience without being ganked, or you want to play both factions with friends.
- Pick PvP if world PvP is the point. Commit to a faction with your friends before launch.
- Pick Roleplaying if you value immersion and naming conventions.
- Wait for Hardcore if you want stakes. Your Legacy challenges earned in Hardcore will count everywhere else too.