Blizzard shared several new details about World of Warcraft: Forever during the September 17 developer Q&A. The discussion covered the in-game economy, raid sizes and difficulty, PvP, addons, and even a character-creation rule that will make every adventurer choose a last name.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the broadcast ahead of the WoW Forever beta.
WoW Forever will not allow GDKP runs
The developers confirmed that GDKP will not be allowed in WoW Forever. In a GDKP run, raid drops are auctioned to players for gold and the total is divided among the group afterward. The format has been controversial because of its connection to illicit gold buying and its effect on the wider economy.
Senior Game Designer Josh Greenfield said the team intends to monitor the economy closely and take an aggressive stance against players who buy gold. The Q&A presented the GDKP restriction and gold-buyer enforcement as parts of the same effort to protect the value of legitimate play.
Tarnished Undermine Reals will help manage the economy
WoW Forever will use a Tarnished Undermine Real system as another tool for managing progression and the economy. Players who experienced Season of Discovery will recognize the name: Tarnished Undermine Reals served as a currency earned from high-level dungeon and raid bosses and spent on gear, materials, recipes, and other rewards.
Blizzard did not provide a complete Forever reward table during the Q&A, so the exact sources, daily limits, prices, and vendor inventory still need confirmation. The important announcement is that the underlying system is returning, giving players a reason to run group content while creating a controlled path to useful rewards.
One difficulty for dungeons and raids
The team said it is taking a firm stance on one difficulty for dungeons and raids. That keeps each encounter on a single shared ruleset instead of dividing players among multiple difficulty versions of the same content.
The approach fits Forever’s broader emphasis on a shared world and recognizable progression. It should also make a raid clear to discuss: when players talk about defeating a boss, they will be talking about the same encounter rather than separate normal, heroic, or mythic versions.
Onyxia’s Lair will be a 40-player raid
Onyxia’s Lair is planned as a 40-player raid when the first raid content arrives. Blizzard also clarified that 40-player raids will return beyond Onyxia, but players should not expect one in every content tier.
That leaves WoW Forever with room for different group sizes. Blizzard has already announced 10-player content in Barrow Deeps and 20-player encounters at Hyjal Summit, while Onyxia preserves the large-scale 40-player experience associated with original World of Warcraft. Visit our WoW Forever raid guide for the current raid lineup and release information.
Blizzard plans to invest heavily in PvP
The developers described PvP as an area they want to invest in heavily. Battleground honor has been adjusted, and additional battlegrounds are planned for future updates.
The Q&A did not provide names or release dates for those future battlegrounds. Balance, honor rates, and reward pacing will also need to be tested during the beta. Still, the commitment suggests that PvP is intended to remain an evolving part of Forever rather than a launch feature left unchanged.
Forever will use the modern addon API approach
WoW Forever will follow the modern API approach for addons. At the same time, Blizzard plans to build several popular information tools directly into the game, including a swing timer, damage meter, and cooldown meters.
This gives players access to important combat information without requiring a separate addon for every basic function. The final boundaries of the addon API—and which existing Classic addons will work without modification—will become clearer as developers publish documentation and addon authors test the beta.
Last names are required during character creation
One smaller but memorable reveal concerned character identity: players must enter something in the Last Name field when creating a character. The Q&A did not detail naming restrictions or explain how last names will appear throughout the interface, but the requirement confirms that surnames are part of WoW Forever’s character-creation system.
What these announcements tell us
Taken together, the Q&A answers point toward a clear philosophy. Blizzard wants one recognizable version of each dungeon and raid, a protected economy, fewer incentives for gold buying, built-in combat information, and continued support for both large raids and battleground play.
Some implementation details remain open, especially the Forever-specific Tarnished Undermine Real rewards, final honor values, future battlegrounds, addon restrictions, and last-name rules. We will update our coverage as Blizzard publishes written details and as the beta provides testable information.
Source
These announcements were summarized from Blizzard’s official World of Warcraft Live Q&A on September 17, 2026. Details may change during beta testing and development.
