WoW Forever Gameplan Private launch gameplan for WoW: Forever (Nov 4 2026). Companion to the gameplan repo; game-data facts link out to the public sources listed on the Sources & Status page. The Plan Launch Checklist Do all of these before Nov 4. Everything else is in the day notes. Account Buy Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher ($29.99 minimum). Required for the Skyborne race; base subscription does not unlock it Reserve the name Fifth Dreadclaw during Early Name Reservation (Oct 27 - Nov 3). Two-part names are region-unique, so the window matters Check the Oct 2 cap-30 beta patch notes for anything that changed quests, XP, or dungeons (I keep this updated - see Open Items) Addons (install before launch morning) Questie (has Forever work in progress) DBM (DBM-Vanilla) AtlasLootClassic Verify interface version 16001 compatibility on launch morning; beta addons may need a TOC bump Character setup (do this before the queue, not during) Create the character: pick High Order (Alliance) at creation Keybinds set for Feral: Claw, Rip, Rake, Bear abilities, Faerie Fire Read Reference talent map so the first 11 points are automatic Know the first three moves: camping quest at 5, Feral Charge at 11, Bear Form quest at 10 Wallet Expect to be broke. Bags first, nothing else Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. Reference Mid-session tables. Build-stamped data: 1.60.1.70124 (Oct 1 2026). Beta numbers are provisional until launch. Talent map (Feral, in order) Ferocity 5 > Feral Swiftness 2 > Heart of the Wild 3 > Savage Fury 2 > Sharpened Claws 2 > Feral Charge (11) > Primal Bite (25, the 16-point milestone) > Predatory Strikes 3 > Blood Frenzy 2 > Leader of the Pack > Predatory Instincts 3 > King of the Jungle 3 > Rend and Tear > Berserk (40). Then the Resto tail: Furor 5, Naturalist 5, finish Heart of the Wild, Thick Hide, Natural Reaction. Milestones: Feral Charge 11, Primal Bite 25, Berserk 40, full Resto respec at 60. Druid quest calendar (nothing prompts you - go yourself) Level Quest Where 10 Bear Form Zephras (spirit bear, confusing waterfall) ~14 Cure Poison Darnassus (Skyborne chain was bugged in beta) 16 Aquatic Form Darnassus 20 Cat Form Moonglade, "The Great Cat Spirit" (stealth minigame: 3 idols, avoid patrols) Dungeon ladder (first clears = free levels) Dungeon Level Notes Hall of Thanes 13-18 Ironforge Wailing Caverns 15-25 Embrace of the Viper set (5pc = serpent cat form) Deadmines 18-23 Stockade 22-30 Blackfathom Deeps 24-32 Excavation Site 24-29 Wetlands, gank corridor City of Dalaran 28-33 (20-35 per one source) Your hub city SM Graveyard / Library 28-38 / 29-39 Razorfen Kraul 30-40 The Drowned City 35-40 STV coast Krol'dok Stronghold 40-45 (40-55 per one source) Riverglades Uldaman / ZF / Maraudon 42-52 / 44-54 / 45-57 Alcaz Prison 48-53 Dustwallow Blackmaw Hold 55-60 Azshara Shaper's Terrace 58-60 Un'Goro Feral combat rules Weapon DPS drives Bear and Cat. Every upgrade is real. Refresh your green 2h at every hub; train 2H Mace at Ironforge. Claw + Rip are your only cat damage abilities at 20. Rake when available, Claw to 4-5 combo points, Rip or Ferocious Bite. Faerie Fire spam feeds Omen of Clarity procs. Use it. Thorns: maintain always. It scales with spell power and snapshots it. Wrath spam scales with spell power (+50% buffed Sep 24). Any +spell power gear is dual-purpose with the heal set. Powershifting is dead. Do not build around it. Professions (locked Oct 1 2026) Herbalism + Alchemy primaries. All three secondaries. Alchemist's Stone (BoP, Alchemy 275): +20% healing/mana potion effect. Mixology: +25% to elixir/flask effects, self-crafted consumes only. Herbalism passive: Magic Resistance buff. Death Lotus: 1x per new endgame flask. Farm it, stockpile it. Camp slots with Fishing: Mana Well + Incense Candle + Fish Bowl (+8% stats). Enchanting items (Swiftmend idol, 2H Mighty Healing Power enchant) are BoE/purchasable - buy them with herb/flask income, don't take the profession. Camp rules Camping quest at level 5 (/sit at a campfire). Campfire = Simple Wood + Flint and Tinder from the Cooking trainer. Feature slots: Basic 3, Journeyman (cooking) 5, Expert 10. Campsites are shared: use anyone's Camp Tent (rested XP, 5% of a level) and Camp Chair (2% crit) when you find them. Log out at a tent whenever possible. Rested XP discipline over a PTO week is real XP. PvP rules (you're group-focused; these are insurance) Horde outnumbers Alliance on PvP rulesets. Assume ganks in packs. Wetlands is a griefing corridor. Route around or group up. Travel Form at 30 is the escape button. Glide (Walk on Air) off cliffs to disengage. Read Ley Line: 100% HP/Mana regen, 2 min CD. 15 sec with no ley line nearby, 15 min near one. Learn the spots. Alone: no elite camps, no AFK in the open, corpse-run forward. Fallback: no dungeons If queues break or pugs grind you down, switch to quest-only. Riverglades (150+ new quests) is the 30-40 backbone. Pace shifts ~20-30% slower: 60 by Nov 22-25, still ahead of the Dec 9 raids. Checkpoints shift down one row per PTO day. Open items (verify at launch) Oct 2 cap-30 patch notes: quest/XP/dungeon changes Cure Poison Skyborne bug fixed? Faction choice at creation confirmed live Where High Order is routed after Dalaran Herbalism while shapeshifted: allowed or not City of Dalaran and Krol'dok level ranges resolved Addon TOC compatibility on 16001 LFG/queue tooling exists at launch Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-04 Launch Day Target: ~10-12. Evening session, expect login queues. Checkpoints: camping quest at 5, Bear Form quest at 10. Get through the queue Create Fifth Dreadclaw (High Order at creation) if not reserved Zephras Isle quest flow to ~10 The Great Outdoors at 5: /sit at campfire, train Cooking, craft Basic Campfire (Simple Wood + Flint and Tinder from the Cooking trainer) Train First Aid and Fishing at the first hub Bear Form quest at 10 (spirit bear, confusing waterfall - budget time) Remember: Skyborne starting mobs hit harder than normal starting zones. Thorns up, always. Druid trainers: Thendall Village /way 41.6 23.4 (to 6), Shen'dar Village /way 45.2 44.2, Valanaar /way 64.0 75.0. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-05 Target: 12-14. Evening session. Checkpoints: faction hub (Dalaran), first Alliance zone. Finish Zephras to 12 Skyboat to Dalaran (Valanaar eastern dock /way 65.9 83.5) Follow the breadcrumbs into the first leveling zone (flow is new - take whatever the game gives you) Weapon check: buy/refresh a green 2h staff or mace Remember: Alliance Skyborne hub is Dalaran; classic starting zones are far. Take the quest flow live and adapt - don't force the old routes. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-06 Target: 14-17. Friday evening, grind begins. Checkpoints: Hall of Thanes first clear, Cure Poison trip. Hall of Thanes first clear (13-18, Ironforge) - offer heal first, tank if no tank Darnassus trip: Cure Poison quest line (~14). Skyborne chain was bugged in beta - if Power Over Poison doesn't trigger, note it and move on Keep Feral Combat weapon skill current (train 2H Mace at Ironforge) Remember: dungeon quest XP is ~3x Classic; one first clear is about a free level. Second clears are worthless. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-07 Target: 17-23. Saturday, full day. Checkpoints: Deadmines + Wailing Caverns first clears. Deadmines first clear (18-23) Wailing Caverns first clear (15-25) - grab Embrace of the Viper pieces Serpent's Shoulders if it drops Weapon upgrade check before each dungeon Remember: the Viper 5-piece turns Cat Form into a serpent. Cosmetics are progress too. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-08 Target: 23-26. Sunday, full day. Checkpoints: Primal Bite at 25. Stockade first clear (22-30) Blackfathom Deeps first clear (24-32) Excavation Site first clear (24-29, Wetlands - gank corridor, group up) Primal Bite online at 25 (16-point Feral milestone) Remember: Wetlands is a known gank corridor. Dungeon entrance ganks happen in packs; group up for this one. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-09 Target: 26-30. PTO begins, all day. Checkpoints: City of Dalaran first clear. City of Dalaran first clear (28-33 per table, 20-35 per guide - either way you live in Dalaran) Start Scarlet Monastery if the group forms Rested XP: log out at a campsite with a Camp Tent (anyone's) Remember: rested XP discipline starts now. 5% of a level per logout cycle adds up over a PTO week. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-10 Target: 30-34. Full day. Checkpoints: Travel Form at 30. SM Graveyard first clear (28-38) SM Library first clear (29-39) Travel Form online at 30 - your escape button from here on Riverglades entry (150+ new quests, the 30s backbone) Remember: Read Ley Line lasts 15 min near a ley line, 15 sec without. Learn the ley-line spots on your routes and pop it after fights. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-11 Target: 34-38. Full day. Checkpoints: Drowned City first clear. Drowned City first clear (35-40, STV coast) Razorfen Kraul first clear (30-40) Riverglades quests in between groups Herb on every run - flask herbs are the week-2 income Remember: pug etiquette - offer heal first, stay caster when heals aren't needed (shapeshifting costs are high in heal gear), FF + Moonfire instead of cat-weaving. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-12 Target: 38-42. Full day. Checkpoints: Berserk at 40, ground mount at 40. Krol'dok Stronghold first clear (40+) Berserk online at 40 (30 Feral points) Mount training at 40 (Empyrean Galestrider) Alchemy: push toward Expert (225) if not there Remember: mount at 40 changes your routes. Recheck ley-line spots on the new paths. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-13 Target: 42-46. Full day. Checkpoints: Uldaman and ZF first clears. Uldaman first clear (42-52) Zul'Farrak first clear (44-54) Riverglades finish Death Lotus stockpile check - all four endgame flasks need it Remember: the flask bottleneck herb matters from raid unlock (Dec 9) onward. Bank every one you see. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-14 Target: 46-51. Saturday, full day. Checkpoints: Maraudon and Alcaz Prison first clears. Maraudon first clear (45-57) Alcaz Prison first clear (48-53, Dustwallow) Weapon refresh - 40s greens matter as much as 20s ones did Remember: same rules as week 1. Weapon DPS drives all forms; every upgrade is real. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-15 Target: 51-55. Sunday, full day. Checkpoints: 50s content online, Shaper's Terrace prep. Classic 50s content (Un'Goro / Felwood / WPL quests) Shaper's Terrace at 58 (Un'Goro) - know the entrance Blackmaw Hold at 55 (Azshara) if the group forms Start planning the Resto respec (60 = full respec event) Remember: 60 is ~Nov 18-20 on this pace. Raids unlock Dec 9 - three weeks of margin. No need to sprint. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. 2026-11-16 Target: 55+. Back to work - evenings only from here. Checkpoints: 60 by ~Nov 18-20. Evening sessions to 60 At 60: full respec to Restoration 10/0/41 (see Reference) Grovekeeper Raiment (Tier 1) farm planning Raid prep: flasks via Alchemy 300 + Alchemy Lab camp station Remember: the respec is a one-time cost decision. After the first reset the price escalates, so do it once, deliberately, at 60. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. Character Fifth Dreadclaw - High Order Skyborne Druid Main character plan for WoW: Forever launch (Nov 4 2026). Alliance, PvP ruleset, healer main. Name already chosen: two-part, region-unique. Created: 2026-09-29. Beta facts are dated and move per build. Build referenced: 1.60.1.70058 (Sep 29 2026); re-checked 2026-10-01 against build 1.60.1.70124. Recheck before launch. Week-by-week play plan: first-week-playbook.md. Identity Field Value Name Fifth Dreadclaw (two-part, region-unique) Race Skyborne (shen'dorei) Faction High Order (Alliance) Class Druid Ruleset PvP Role Healer main (guild tag) Pack needed Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher (base sub does not unlock Skyborne) Beta character reference: https://twilighttavern.co/characters/1447 Racial kit (High Order Skyborne) Racial Effect Notes Read Ley Line +100% HP and Mana regen, 2 min CD. Region-dependent: 15 sec with no ley line nearby, 15 min near one Alliance-only. Your sustain racial. Learn ley-line spots on your routes. Wind Blessed +1% haste (passive) Small but free. Elemental Insight +5% damage vs Elementals Situational, good on elemental quest mobs. Walk on Air Glide Traversal QoL. The +10% run speed racial (Skysight) is Horde (Windshaper) only. As Alliance you do not get a leveling-speed racial. Your speed comes from Feral Swiftness (+30% cat movement) and Travel Form at 30. Beta base stats at level 3 read Int 25 > Str 21, so Skyborne appear to lean caster. Provisional (client data), verify at launch. Source: Blizzard "Meet the Skyborne" https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24302071 Leveling spec: Feral, heal dungeons on the side Beta player experience (Sep 18-23) is unanimous on one point: level Feral. Wrath was undertuned early (caster complaints are thick, see Beta intel below), and Feral (Bear at 10, Cat at 20) is what people actually leveled with. Feral does not block dungeon healing: at low level your heal throughput comes from spell rank and Int/Spirit gear, not talents. Keep a healing set, heal each dungeon's first run, and respec Restoration at 60. Why this still fits a healer main: Forever cut dungeon enemy XP and boosted dungeon quest XP, so the first clear of every dungeon is the best XP in the game. A druid can tank or heal, so you fill any group. Feral covers Bear (tank), Cat (solo), and off-heals, so you play all roles on the way up. Working order (foreverwisp 0/41/10, verify live): Feral core, in order: Ferocity 5, Feral Swiftness 2, Heart of the Wild 3, Savage Fury 2, Sharpened Claws 2, Feral Charge, Primal Bite at 25 (16-point milestone, renamed Mangle), Predatory Strikes 3, Blood Frenzy 2, Leader of the Pack, Predatory Instincts 3, King of the Jungle 3, Rend and Tear. Berserk at 40 (needs 30 Feral points). Then the Resto tail: Furor 5, Naturalist 5, then finish Heart of the Wild, Thick Hide, Natural Reaction. Feral beta tips: Feral Combat weapon skill is NEW. Level it or your forms feel weak. Buy a green 2h staff or mace early and keep it current. Cat rotation: Rake, Claw to 4-5 combo points, Rip or Ferocious Bite. Prowl to skip mobs. Powershifting reportedly no longer restores energy (a Feral nerf). Do not build around it. Bear Form had a known armor bug in beta that multiplied armor from buffs, inflating tankiness. Expect it fixed at launch. Alternative: Restoration hybrid leveling If you want to feel like a healer the whole way, this is the all-in path. Order: Improved Wrath 5 (Balance), Nature's Focus 5, Naturalist 5, Reflection 3, Swiftmend at 30, Improved Rejuvenation 3, Nature's Swiftness, Living Spirit 3, then Wild Growth at 40 (31 Resto points). It depends on Wrath, which was the weak point until build 70009 (Sep 24) buffed Wrath base damage ~50%. Slower solo than Feral, and levels 1-20 still drag. Alternative: Balance-for-a-healer (PvP-server pick) Beta players on PvP servers suggest Balance first for a "healer" role: keep DoTs and HoTs rolling, use Roots and Travel Form to stay slippery, drop to Bear when focused, and off-heal with Barkskin, Innervate, and combat res. Starfire at 20 is the main nuke. This fits a PvP server better than deep Resto while leveling, and still heals PvE fine. Patch note: Primal Bite is the renamed Mangle (build 70009, Sep 24 2026, debuff removed). Faerie Fire (Feral) was removed, Faerie Fire is baseline for all druids. Beta intel: how people actually leveled (Sep 2026) Sourced from Blizzard beta forums and the wowforeverbuilds class report. Consensus: "Druid: Feral fine, Wrath painful." Feral is the expected leveling spec. Druid 1-20 is rough, worst before Bear at 10. Gets much better at Cat (20). Thorns is often your top damage number because kills are slow. Wrath complaints: rank 2 hit for 11-13 and cost half mana and half health per mob. A player calculated the base-damage nerf cut druid damage ~67% vs ~23% for warlock/mage. Reported workaround: Moonfire plus weapon autos, or spam rank-1 Wrath with Moonglow. Timeline caveat: build 70009 (Sep 24) buffed Wrath base damage ~50% and renamed Mangle to Primal Bite. Most complaints predate that fix. Re-test Wrath live before trusting it. Skyborne starting-zone mobs reportedly have higher health than standard starting zones. XP to 60 is unchanged from Classic (Wowhead retracted its lower-curve datamine). Sources: wowforeverbuilds beta class report, us/eu Blizzard beta forum threads (Sep 18-23 2026), wowclassicforever.info, r/wowforever threads. Endgame spec: Restoration (10/0/41) Guild role is Main Healer, so this is the 60 target. Balance (10): Genesis 5/5, Moonglow 3/3, Nature's Majesty 2/2. Restoration (41): Nature's Focus 5/5, Naturalist 5/5, Subtlety 3/3, Reflection 3/3, Gift of Nature 5/5, Gift of the Earthmother 1/1, Tranquil Spirit 3/3, Improved Rejuvenation 3/3, Swiftmend 1/1, Nature's Swiftness 1/1, Living Spirit 3/3, Improved Tranquility 2/2, Improved Regrowth 5/5, Wild Growth 1/1. Fact Detail Wild Growth (capstone) Party HoT within 43 yd, instant, 6s CD, 550 mana. Needs 30 Resto + Living Spirit 3. Value disputed: 285 over 7s (classicwow.gg) vs 336 (wowforeverbuilds). Gift of the Earthmother Cuts 0.5s GCD on Rejuv, Swiftmend, Wild Growth. Swiftmend Instant heal for the full duration of an active Rejuvenation or Regrowth. In Forever it does NOT consume the HoT. Not eligible on Wild Growth. Resto 16-point milestone. Stat priority Healing power > Spirit / mana regen > Int > spell crit > Stam. Tier 1 set Grovekeeper Raiment. 5-piece Swiftmend CD cut is the target bonus. Incompatibility Nature's Grace (21 Balance) cannot fit with Wild Growth (31 Resto) in 51 points. PvP flag-carry variant (later): 0/20/31, taking Feral Swiftness and Nature's Swiftness alongside Wild Growth and Swiftmend. wowhandbook lists a near-identical raid build at 11/0/40. On a PvP server, a Balance-leaning off-heal build is also common (see leveling alternatives). Forever healing changes (beta) HoTs now stack and can crit. Swiftmend no longer consumes the HoT it reads, and moved to the 16-point milestone. Gift of the Earthmother is new (0.5s GCD cut on Rejuv, Swiftmend, Wild Growth). Omen of Clarity procs do not break the 5-second rule. Thorns scales with spell power. Source: wowforeverbuilds.com builds (community-derived), Forever Codex. Leveling route (Alliance) Beta: 1-12 Zephras Isle (Skyborne). CORRECTION 2026-10-01: faction is chosen at character creation, not at 12 (Wowhead Skyborne guide). Alliance Skyborne then hub out of Dalaran via the Valanaar skyboat ( /way 65.9 83.5); classic Alliance starting zones are far from Dalaran, so take the breadcrumbs live and adapt. Druid class quests have no in-game prompts: Bear Form at 10 (Zephras), Cure Poison ~14 and Aquatic Form 16 (Darnassus, Skyborne cure-poison chain reported bugged Sep 20), Cat Form 20 (Moonglade stealth quest). See first-week-playbook.md for the full runbook. Band Zones Dungeons in range 12-20 From Dalaran: Hillsbrad/Arathi-side breadcrumbs, or Westfall + Redridge, or Loch Modan + Wetlands, or Darkshore + Ashenvale (verify live flow) Hall of Thanes 13-18 (Ironforge) 15-30 Classic dungeons are re-leveled in Forever: Wailing Caverns 15-25, Deadmines 18-23, Stockade 22-30, Blackfathom Deeps 24-32 Excavation Site 24-29 (Wetlands), City of Dalaran 28-33 (table) or 20-35 (guide text, unresolved) 30-40 STV + Arathi, then Riverglades mid-30s; SM GY/Library 28-38/29-39, Razorfen Kraul 30-40 Drowned City 35-40 (STV) 40-50 Riverglades + Feralas / Tanaris / Hinterlands; Uldaman 42-52, ZF 44-54 Krol'dok 40-45 (table) or 40-55 (text, unresolved), Alcaz Prison 48-53 (Dustwallow) 50-55 Un'Goro / Felwood / WPL; Maraudon 45-57 - 55-60 Burning Steppes / EPL / Winterspring / Azshara Blackmaw Hold 55-60 (Azshara), Shaper's Terrace 58-60 (Un'Goro) Ruins of Lordaeron (15-20) is a Horde-side detour, optional for Alliance. PvP ruleset note: Wetlands is a known griefing corridor at launch. Route around it or group up. As a druid you have stealth and Travel Form to dodge. Sources: wowhandbook.com, expcarry route, wowforeverbuilds route (community). Dungeon locations cross-checked against Forever Codex. Professions LOCKED for now, Oct 1 2026 (revisit if launch changes the math; beta data moves per build): Herbalism + Alchemy primaries, all three secondaries (Cooking, First Aid, Fishing). Cap: 2 primaries + 3 secondaries; Camping needs no slot. Alchemist's Stone (BoP, Alchemy 275): +20% healing/mana potion effect trinket, doubles as Philosopher's Stone. Profession-locked healer power. Mixology (Forever mechanic): +25% to elixir/flask effects for the alchemist. Self-crafted consumes outperform bought ones. Herbalism passive: Magic Resistance buff (Forever gathering perk). Plus Incense Candle camp buff (+Int) and herb income. Death Lotus: all four new flasks need 1x each; farm the bottleneck, control flask supply at raid unlock (Dec 9), sell surplus. Enchanting items are all BoE/purchasable (Idol of Swiftness: epic relic, Swiftmend CD -3 sec; Mighty Healing Power 2H enchant): buy with herb/flask income. The DE bank goes to a future bank-alt (Arcane Salvager needs only skill 140; Legacy Points guarantee alts). Fishing: Fish Bowl camp item (+8% stats), best tier-1 camp buff. Camp slots with Fishing: Mana Well + Incense Candle + Fish Bowl. Cooking: campfire feature slots scale with cooking skill (Basic 3, Journeyman 5, Expert 10) - it gates the whole camp system. Unique foods: rested XP, profession-skill food. First Aid: healing potions moved here from Alchemy in Forever, plus antivenom and anti-bleed. Zero-slot sustain for a healer. Recipe counts and per-build data live in data/db/forever.sqlite and wiki/professions/*.md (generated, build-stamped). Legacy Account-wide Legacy Points, 16 per character at launch, up to 65 earned, cosmetic Reward Track. Druid challenges unlock at 25, 45, and 60. Spend on perks as they open. Open items to verify at launch Oct 2 cap-30 beta patch notes (level cap rose from 20 to 30 on Oct 1-2). Skyborne base stats (Int-leaning), client-derived and beta-fluid. Resto talent order for the 40-60 tail (10/0/41 vs wowhandbook's 11/0/40). Re-test Wrath live: the Sep 24 buff is confirmed in dev notes; re-test live feel. Wild Growth tooltip value (285 vs 336) and rank. Whether dungeon faction restrictions gate Ruins of Lordaeron for Alliance. Live talent tree against the current build before committing points. Faction choice confirmed at character creation (Wowhead Sep 17); re-confirm at launch. Where High Order is routed after Dalaran (no beta data yet, Oct 1). Sources Blizzard "Meet the Skyborne": https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24302071 (confirmed) Blizzard "What's Next": https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24303862 (confirmed) Blizzard "Deep Dive": https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24303313 (confirmed) Forever Codex druid page: https://forever-codex.com/classes/druid (client-derived, build 1.60.1.70058) wowforeverbuilds.com (restoration leveling guide + beta class report): https://wowforeverbuilds.com (community) wowhandbook.com: https://wowhandbook.com (community) wowclassicforever.info (druid ability levels, dungeon XP model): https://wowclassicforever.info (community) talentsforever.com (talent calculator): https://talentsforever.com (community) Blizzard beta forums (druid leveling threads, Sep 18-23 2026): us.forums.blizzard.com (player reports) r/wowforever (player threads): https://www.reddit.com/r/wowforever (player reports) Warcraft Tavern / Icy Veins Classic druid (healing-change cross-check): community Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. First Week Playbook Launch-to-PTO plan for WoW: Forever, Nov 4-16 2026. Companion to fifth-dreadclaw.md. Written 2026-10-01 against beta build 1.60.1.70124. Beta facts are dated; re-verify anything marked OPEN before launch. Beta ends Oct 21, so numbers can still move. Clock Fact Value Launch Wed Nov 4 2026, 3:00 p.m. PST = 23:00 UTC = 6:00 p.m. EST (DST ends Nov 1) Your time zone EST during launch week Raids unlock Dec 9 2026 (Barrow Deeps 10, Hyjal Summit 20) Play shape Light Wed/Thu, Fri evening on, full days Nov 7-8, PTO Nov 9-13, full days Nov 14-15, back to work Nov 16 Pre-launch checklist (do before Nov 4) 1. Own the Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher ($29.99 minimum). Required for the Skyborne race; base subscription does not unlock it. 2. Name reservation window Oct 27 - Nov 3: reserve Fifth Dreadclaw (two-part, region-unique). 3. Install addons ahead of time: Questie (has Forever work in progress), DBM (DBM-Vanilla repo), AtlasLootClassic. Verify interface version 16001 builds on launch morning; beta addons may need a TOC bump. 4. Decide spec keybinds before logging in. Plan is Feral leveling with a healing set banked; see talent map below. 5. Skim the Oct 2 cap-30 beta patch notes (OPEN: may change 1-30 pacing or quests). Launch night: Wed Nov 4, 6:00 p.m. EST (target: level ~12) Expected: login queues. Beta feedback says leveling is fast, so don't rush past content; the queue is the bottleneck tonight. Character creation: pick High Order (Alliance) at creation. Wowhead confirms faction is chosen during character creation, not at level 12 (CORRECTION from the character sheet). Skyborne Alliance classes: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Warrior. Zephras Isle flow (1-12, confirmed beta): Druid trainers: Xyton Silverwind, Thendall Village /way 41.6 23.4 (to 6), Naeluna Swiftmend, Shen'dar Village /way 45.2 44.2, Lotheluum Starbreeze, Valanaar /way 64.0 75.0. At level 5: quest The Great Outdoors - /sit at a campfire, then train Cooking and craft a Basic Campfire (Simple Wood + Flint and Tinder, both sold by the Cooking trainer). 3 camp-feature slots. Never travel without dropping camp: buffs, repairs, vendors. Train First Aid and Fishing at the first hub too - all three secondaries are cheap and every one feeds the camp system. Skyborne starting mobs hit harder than standard starting zones (beta reports). Thorns up, always. At 12: skyboat from Valanaar's eastern dock /way 65.9 83.5 to Dalaran. Alliance Skyborne hub is Dalaran; its guards are friendly only to Alliance Skyborne (other Alliance races can't use it as a hub yet - OPEN how this resolves at launch). From Dalaran (Alterac), the nearest leveling zones are Hillsbrad/Arathi-side; the classic Alliance route zones (Westfall, Darkshore) are far. OPEN: where Blizzard routes High Order at 12 at launch. Beta players report heading to the usual Alliance zones; verify the quest flow live and take whatever the breadcrumbs give you. Druid quest calendar (no prompts exist - schedule these) Beta found zero in-game prompting for druid class quests. Put them on your own calendar: Level Quest Where Notes 10 Bear Form Zephras (spirit bear) Confusing waterfall objective; budget time, don't rage-quit it ~14 Cure Poison Darnassus Skyborne chain was bugged (Power Over Poison not triggered after Curing the Sick, Sep 20 report). OPEN: fixed? 16 Aquatic Form Darnassus No prompt; go proactively 20 Cat Form Moonglade, "The Great Cat Spirit" Stealth minigame: 3 idols, avoid patrols. Prowl unlocks outside the cave Train 2H Mace at Ironforge (Wo Ping is Stormwind 1H; IF has the 2H trainer) beta thread: Str/Agi 2H staves are scarce before the 40s, 2H maces fill the gap. Talent map (Feral, in order) Feral core: Ferocity 5, Feral Swiftness 2, Heart of the Wild 3, Savage Fury 2, Sharpened Claws 2, Feral Charge (11), Primal Bite at 25 (16-point milestone), Predatory Strikes 3, Blood Frenzy 2, Leader of the Pack, Predatory Instincts 3, King of the Jungle 3, Rend and Tear. Berserk at 40 (30 Feral points). Resto tail: Furor 5, Naturalist 5, then HotW finish, Thick Hide, Natural Reaction. Milestones to feel for: Feral Charge at 11, Primal Bite at 25, Berserk at 40. Respec: first reset 1s in beta (temporary), later resets much more expensive - do NOT respec on a whim; the Resto switch is a level-60 event. Feral combat rules (confirmed beta, Sep 24 dev notes + Wowhead feral guide): Weapon DPS drives Bear and Cat. Every weapon upgrade is a real upgrade. Keep a current green 2h; refresh at every hub. Level Feral Combat weapon skill or forms feel weak. Claw + Rip are your only cat damage abilities at 20. Rotation: Rake when available, Claw to 4-5 CP, Rip or Ferocious Bite. Faerie Fire spam feeds Omen of Clarity procs - add it to the rotation. Thorns: maintain always; scales with spell power and snapshots it. Wrath spam scales with spell power (buffed ~50% in build 70009, Sep 24). Any +spell power gear early is dual-purpose with your heal set. Powershifting is dead (no energy restore). Do not build around it. Bear tanking is the easiest dungeon invite. Lead with "druid, can tank or heal" in LFG. Dungeon ladder (first-clear XP is the engine) Forever boosted dungeon quest XP ~3x (Wailing Caverns quests: 40k vs 12k in Era) and cut dungeon mob XP to 20%. One first-clear ≈ a free level. Second clears are worthless. Classic dungeons are also re-leveled: Dungeon Level Notes Hall of Thanes 13-18 Ironforge. First target, Fri Nov 6 Wailing Caverns 15-25 Re-leveled. Embrace of the Viper set - 5 pieces turn Cat Form into a serpent; Serpent's Shoulders Deadmines 18-23 Re-leveled Stockade 22-30 Re-leveled Blackfathom Deeps 24-32 Re-leveled Excavation Site: Wetlands 24-29 New. Wetlands is a gank corridor - group up, go after City of Dalaran 28-33 (table) / 20-35 (guide text) New. You live in Dalaran anyway. Range discrepancy OPEN Scarlet Monastery GY / Library 28-38 / 29-39 Re-leveled Razorfen Kraul 30-40 Re-leveled The Drowned City 35-40 New, STV coast Krol'dok Stronghold 40-45 (table) / 40-55 (text) New, Riverglades. Range discrepancy OPEN Uldaman / Zul'Farrak / Maraudon 42-52 / 44-54 / 45-57 Re-leveled Alcaz Prison 48-53 New, Dustwallow Pug etiquette for a feral healer: offer heal first (off-heal throughput at low level comes from spell ranks + Int/Spirit, not talents), tank if no tank. Shapeshifting costs are high in heal gear (beta consensus); stay caster, FF + Moonfire when heals aren't needed rather than cat-weaving. Fallback: leveling without dungeons Use this section when either trigger hits: 1. Queue/tech failure - dungeons unreachable (no LFG tooling at launch is possible; beta grouped via chat/LFG channels - OPEN). Switch immediately. 2. Grind fatigue - pug chaos stops being fun. Switch at any day boundary. Dungeon first-clears become opportunistic, never load-bearing: take one if a guildmate drags you, skip without guilt otherwise. The quest-only route is the plan; dungeons are a bonus. Quest-only route Band Route Notes 12-20 Dalaran breadcrumbs into the Hillsbrad/Arathi side; or classic: Westfall+Redridge / Darkshore+Ashenvale Live quest-flow dependent (OPEN item) 20-30 Duskwood, STV start, Ashenvale finish Wetlands avoided on principle (gank corridor) 30-40 STV finish + Arathi + Riverglades Riverglades is the backbone: 150+ new quests built for exactly this band 40-50 Riverglades finish + Feralas / Tanaris / Hinterlands Krol'dok taken as bonus, not required 50-55 Un'Goro / Felwood / WPL 55-60 Burning Steppes / EPL / Winterspring / Azshara XP levers that replace dungeon bursts Rested XP discipline: log out at campsites with a Camp Tent (LW tents, anyone's camp) every night. Up to 5% of a level per logout cycle. Forever added 1,000+ new quests, and the beta consensus ("leveling is far too easy", 236 posts) is that pure questing is already fast. Dungeon XP is a bonus, not a requirement. Herb/Alch stays woven in: questing routes are herb routes; self-supplied consumables keep kill speed up. Druid class quests are all outdoor content, unaffected by the fallback. Adjusted pacing Quest-only runs roughly 20-30% slower than the dungeon-assisted schedule. Revised end-state: 60 around Nov 22-25 instead of Nov 18-20, still 2+ weeks ahead of the Dec 9 raid unlock. Checkpoint adjustments: shift each PTO day's target down one row of the day-by-day table (e.g. Nov 10 lands ~28-32 instead of 30-34, Nov 13 lands ~38-42 instead of 42-46). PvP adjustment for quest-only More open-world hours means more gank exposure: Quest in zones your faction populates; with the expected Horde imbalance, quiet Alliance zones are where ganks hunt, crowded Alliance zones are cover. Bank the Thorns + Read Ley Line rhythm every session (ley-line spots on the route, pop after fights). Same solo rules as the doctrine section: no elite camps, no AFK in the open, corpse-run forward. Professions beats LOCKED for now, Oct 1 2026: Primary Herbalism + Alchemy (data-backed; see wiki/professions/ for full recipe data). All three secondaries trained: Cooking, First Aid, Fishing (cap is 2 primaries + 3 secondaries; Camping is not a profession and needs no slot). Secondary Train when Why it matters Cooking Day 1 (Zephras trainer sells campfire mats) Campfire feature slots scale with cooking skill: Basic = 3, Journeyman = 5, Expert = 10. Also unique foods (rested XP, profession-skill food) First Aid First hub, cheap Forever moved healing potions here from Alchemy, plus antivenom and anti-bleed. Zero-slot sustain Fishing Early, level in downtime Fish Bowl camp item = +8% stats, best tier-1 camp buff. Contingent upside: if bot bans hold, fish prices spike (Ludy tier-list take, Oct 1) Why Herb+Alch wins for this character (build 1.60.1.70124, sqlite + nether tooltips + Wowhead druid overview): 1. Alchemist's Stone (BoP, Alchemy 275): trinket, "Increases the effects that healing and mana potions have on the wearer by 20%" + doubles as a Philosopher's Stone. The only profession-locked power item relevant to a healer found in the data. 2. Mixology (Forever mechanic): alchemists get +25% to elixir and flask effects. Your self-crafted flasks beat everyone else's. 3. Herbalism passive: Forever gives herbalists a Magic Resistance buff (Mining gives Health) - permanent survivability on a PvP ruleset. 4. Death Lotus control: all four new flasks (Natural Accuracy/Aggression/Precision/Swiftness) need 1x Death Lotus each. You farm the bottleneck herb, control flask supply at raid unlock, and sell the surplus. 5. Self-fed raid-prep loop: herbs -> flasks/potions -> consumes, cheapest craft to level, no AH dependency. 6. The Enchanting items are purchasable: Idol of Swiftmend (Swiftmend CD -3 sec) is BoE; Mighty Healing Power 2H enchant is a trade-chat service. Buy both with herb/flask income. Enchanting's real value (the DE bank, Arcane Salvager at skill 140) moves to a future bank-alt - Legacy Points guarantee alts. Also noted: Forever adds Enchanting ring enchants, all purchasable. Decision table (estimates labeled; see wiki/professions/ for full data): Axis Herbalism+Alchemy Enchanting+Herbalism Raid-prep self-sufficiency Full (flasks + potions + Mixology) Buys consumes Exclusive power Alchemist's Stone (BoP) + herb passive None (all BoE/purchasable) Week-1 gold Medium (herbs) High (DE mats) Gold at 60 High (flask market) High (raid gear churn) Camp slots (with Fishing) Mana Well + Incense + Fish Bowl Lute/Incense + Fish Bowl Leveling cost ~Free Moderate (DE offsets) Camping buffs that matter (Wowhead camping guide, Sep 22): Source Buff Herbalism: Incense Candle +Intellect Fishing: Fish Bowl +8% stats Alchemy: Mana Well Mana regen Enchanting: Enchanted Lute +Armor Enchanting: Arcane Salvager More efficient disenchanting LW: Camp Tent Rested XP up to 5% of a level Skinning: Camp Chair 2% crit You won't have LW/Skinning/Enchanting, but campsites are shared - use other players' tents and chairs whenever you see a camp. Your own slots: campfire + Mana Well + Incense Candle + Fish Bowl (the full three with Fishing). Profession work beats, woven into travel: pick herbs on every run (druids don't need to leave form to herb in Forever - OPEN: confirm this live, it was a later-era change; if false, it's still low-cost). Bank every green you can't use for a future enchanting alt's disenchant stockpile rather than vendoring (check AH price vs DE value once you know the market). Craft consumables (First Aid) before dungeon blocks, not during. First Aid also makes healing potions and antivenom in Forever. PvP ruleset doctrine Eric plays group-focused; the solo rules below are contingency, not a playstyle. On a PvP ruleset, world PvP happens to you even when you don't seek it, so these stay in force: Horde will outnumber Alliance at launch on PvP rulesets (orc racial perception + Undead Paladin hype). Assume ganks come in packs. Wetlands is a known griefing corridor. Route around or group up. Beta PvP was fog/phasing chaos on a mega-server; launch population spreads differently. Expect crowd ambushes anyway near phasing lines and dungeon entrances. Travel Form at 30 is your escape button. Feral Swiftness (+30% cat speed) before that. Glide (Walk on Air) off cliffs to disengage. Read Ley Line: 100% HP/Mana regen, 2-min CD, lasts 15 sec with no ley line nearby, 15 min near one. Learn where ley lines sit on your routes and pop it there after fights. Rules when alone: don't grind elite camps, don't AFK in the open, corpse-run forward rather than log out angry. Gold notes (week 1) Don't plan income around leather. Beta skinning is retail-style (everyone can skin one corpse) and 30-40-man skinning raids are crashing the market. Sell: early herbs (hot while everyone levels alchemy), surplus Death Lotus if you find it (the flask bottleneck herb), spare potions. Enchanting mats are the week-1 gold engine, but you're not an enchanter: vendor greens only when the vendor price beats the DE value, and stockpile the rest for a future enchanting alt. Buy early: bags first, then nothing. Week-1 AH prices on gear are traps. Buy flasks/potions from others only when your alchemy skill hasn't caught up to what you can craft. Day-by-day targets (provisional - extrapolated past 30) Beta pacing anchors: 40 hrs casual duo to 20 (Sep 20 forum report); "leveling is far too easy" is the 236-post consensus. Solo feral with dungeon first-clears should run faster than that report. Targets past 30 are extrapolation since the beta cap only reaches 30 on Oct 2. Dungeons here are bonus XP: if queues break or the pug grind wears you down, the Fallback: leveling without dungeons section governs and the pace absorbs it. Day Session Target Blocks Wed Nov 4 Evening (queues) ~10-12 Zephras + camping unlock Thu Nov 5 Evening 12-14 Dalaran, first zone, Bear Form quest done Fri Nov 6 Evening 14-17 Hall of Thanes first clear; Darnassus (Cure Poison) Sat Nov 7 Full 17-23 Deadmines + Wailing Caverns first clears, Viper pieces Sun Nov 8 Full 23-26 Stockade, BFD, Excavation Site; Primal Bite at 25 Mon Nov 9 Full 26-30 City of Dalaran, start SM Tue Nov 10 Full 30-34 SM GY/Library, Riverglades entry Wed Nov 11 Full 34-38 Drowned City, RFK, Riverglades Thu Nov 12 Full 38-42 Krol'dok at 40, Berserk at 40, mount at 40 Fri Nov 13 Full 42-46 Uldaman, ZF, Riverglades finish Sat Nov 14 Full 46-51 Maraudon, Alcaz Prison at 48 Sun Nov 15 Full 51-55 Classic 50s content, Shaper's Terrace at 58 prep Mon Nov 16 Work resumes 55+ 60 by ~Nov 18-20, then endgame prep Checkpoints that matter more than the level numbers: 25: Primal Bite online. 30: Travel Form. 40: Berserk + ground mount (Empyrean Galestrider). 60: full respec to Resto 10/0/41 (see character sheet), Grovekeeper Raiment farm starts. Anti-goals No respec until 60 (respec costs escalate after the first reset). No AH gear purchases week 1 except bags. No second dungeon clears for XP (mob XP is gutted; quest XP is one-shot). No leather-farming income plan (market is crashing on beta meta). No rep grinding on the Zephras faction beyond quest flow (beta: the rep zone is a slog; payoff comes later). Open items (verify before launch) Oct 2 cap-30 beta patch notes - anything that changes 1-30 quests, XP, or dungeons. Cure Poison Skyborne bug fixed? Faction-choice-at-creation vs at-12: confirmed at creation by Wowhead Sep 17; re-confirm at launch. Where High Order is routed after Dalaran (no beta data yet). Herbalism while shapeshifted: allowed in Forever or not. City of Dalaran and Krol'dok level ranges (conflicting sources). Addon TOC/interface compatibility on 16001 at launch. Confirm LFG/queue tooling exists at launch (beta grouped via chat/LFG channels; if absent, the fallback section is the default plan). Sources Blizzard dev notes Sep 24 (topic 2360696) and Oct 1 maintenance announcement (topic 2367661): us.forums.blizzard.com (confirmed) Wowhead: Feral Druid Level 20 guide (Sep 29), Camping Overview (Sep 22), Dungeons Overview (Sep 23), Zephras Isle Zone Overview (Sep 24), Skyborne Race Overview (Sep 17) (community, client-adjacent) Blizzard beta forum threads: Alliance Skyborne Druid 1-20 (2367867), Zephras questlines (2367113), WC dungeon XP math (2367667), Feral Druid Weapons (2359187), Leveling is far too easy (2353471), Resto druids cat-dps (2368104), Skinning economy (2365519), faction balance (2367063) (player reports, Sep 20 - Oct 1) Forever Codex: build 1.60.1.70124, rebuilt Oct 1 2026 (client-derived) Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. Sources & Status Sources & Status Where game facts in this book come from, and where to click first when you want the raw detail. The book itself carries only planning and personal data; game-data claims link out to these sources instead of duplicating them. Status Data build 1.60.1.70124 Last verified 2026-10-01 Beta window Sep 17 - Oct 21 2026 Launch Nov 4 2026, 3:00 p.m. PST (6 p.m. EST) Beta numbers move build to build. Anything numeric in this book is provisional until launch. Facts are labeled: confirmed (Blizzard), datamined (client), Classic-derived (fallback assumption). Trusted sources, by topic Click the site that owns the topic: Topic Source Why Talents, class changes wowforeverguides.com 173 pages / 479 cited sources, dated beta-change notes, client build tagged, editorial policy Races, racials, systems wowforeverwiki.org Evidence-ranked: Blizzard-confirmed baseline, everything else labeled with verification level Professions (raw data) Forever Codex Client DB2 pipeline, hourly rebuild, highest fidelity (beats both wikis) Talent calculator wowforeverguides / classicwow.gg Interactive planners Zones, dungeons, raids wowforeverwiki.org / wowforeverguides Confirmed + datamined split Official announcements Blizzard news Primary source, always wins a conflict Client DB2 raw tables wago.tools De facto API for spell/item data Caveats wowforeverwiki.org is a solo project: good methodology, unknown longevity. wowforeverguides.com updates faster during beta. world-of-warcraft-forever.wiki is blacklisted: AI-generated filler with fabricated stats. Do not use. The agent keeps this list current in the gameplan repo ( RESOURCES.md), which is the deeper reference if a link here rots. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch. Home Fifth Dreadclaw - High Order Skyborne Druid - PvP ruleset - Healer main Clock Launch Wed Nov 4 2026, 6:00 p.m. EST Name reservation Oct 27 - Nov 3 Beta ends Oct 21 Raids unlock Dec 9 (Barrow Deeps 10, Hyjal Summit 20) Character Name Fifth Dreadclaw (reserve it early) Race/class High Order Skyborne Druid (Alliance) Leveling spec Feral (Bear at 10, Cat at 20) Endgame spec Restoration 10/0/41 at 60 Professions Herbalism + Alchemy, all secondaries (Cooking, First Aid, Fishing) Ruleset PvP, group-focused play The plan Launch Checklist - do these before Nov 4 Day notes: 2026-11-04 Launch Day through 2026-11-16 Reference - dungeon ladder, talents, quests, camps, PvP rules Progress Day Date Target Done 1 Wed Nov 4 ~10-12 [ ] 2 Thu Nov 5 12-14 [ ] 3 Fri Nov 6 14-17 [ ] 4 Sat Nov 7 17-23 [ ] 5 Sun Nov 8 23-26 [ ] 6 Mon Nov 9 26-30 [ ] 7 Tue Nov 10 30-34 [ ] 8 Wed Nov 11 34-38 [ ] 9 Thu Nov 12 38-42 [ ] 10 Fri Nov 13 42-46 [ ] 11 Sat Nov 14 46-51 [ ] 12 Sun Nov 15 51-55 [ ] 13 Mon Nov 16 55+ [ ] Targets are beta-derived estimates. Dungeons are bonus XP - if queues break or pugs grind you down, follow the fallback route in Reference and the plan absorbs it. 60 by ~Nov 18-20, three weeks ahead of raids. Anti-goals (read when tempted) No respec until 60. Respec costs escalate after the first reset. No AH gear purchases except bags. Week-1 gear prices are traps. No second dungeon clears for XP. Quest XP is one-shot; mob XP is gutted. No income plans around leather. Beta skinning raids crashed that market. No rep grinding on the Zephras faction beyond quest flow. Source: gameplan repo, data build 1.60.1.70124, published 2026-10-01. Beta numbers are provisional until launch.