WoW Forever patch notes: the Oct. 15 beta build reworks racials and adds a new-player tutorial

Blizzard has updated the World of Warcraft: Forever beta again. The build released on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, adds a tutorial for new players, reworks racial abilities for every race and brings new spells for Mages, Priests and Shamans. It’s one of the last beta builds before testing ends on Oct. 21 and WoW Forever launches on Nov. 4.

What’s new in the Oct. 15 WoW Forever beta build

The biggest addition for newcomers is a new tutorial. Hunters get a setting called Auto Attack/Auto Shot, which switches automatically between melee and ranged attacks and also works with a gamepad. At the same time, Auto Shot and wands now require you to stand still for half a second before firing, as in early versions of World of Warcraft.

Smaller fixes cover the basics. Creatures now regenerate health out of combat, Horde players can no longer earn Kirin Tor reputation, bloom intensity is now a slider in the advanced graphics options, the Auction House shows an equippable-level column and level-up messages showing new stats and talent points are back.

The old weapon racials are gone. Humans lose Sword Specialization and get Ruthless, with 2% more critical strike chance. Orcs swap Axe Specialization for Savage, with 1% more critical strike chance, and Blood Fury’s cooldown rises to 3 minutes from 2. Dwarves trade Mace Specialization for Earth Fury, with 2% more critical damage and healing.

Other races get tuned too. Tauren Endurance now gives 2% more critical damage and healing instead of 1% hit chance, and War Stomp’s cooldown drops to 90 seconds. Troll Regeneration doubles to 20%, Night Elf Quickness now stacks with other speed boosts, and the Gnome racial Eureka! becomes an 8-second buff. The new Skyborne race gets 3% haste from Wind Blessed, up from 1%, and can use Skysight and Read Leyline while moving.

Mages learn Frost Blast at level 24, a 1.5-second spell that deals damage and slows the target by 40%. Blizzard says it replaces what players used to get from casting the lowest rank of Frostbolt. Arcane Mages also get a new 16-point talent, Arcane Wrath.

Shamans see Elemental Mastery return as the Elemental tree’s 31-point talent, and Lava Burst moves up to the 21-point slot. Shadow Priests get a new talent, Dark Inspiration, which raises the Spirit of the whole party.

Many group buffs now reach the whole raid instead of just your party, including Battle Shout, Trueshot Aura, Moonkin Aura, Leader of the Pack and several Shaman totems. Hunter pet abilities such as the Crocolisk’s Dismember and the Bat’s Sonic Blast get shorter durations and longer cooldowns.

One quest change will matter to every Horde player. Members of the Horde are no longer welcome in Dalaran under any circumstances, and the city’s guards attack them on sight. Blizzard says this doesn’t block access to the City of Dalaran dungeon. Other quest fixes touch Ashenvale, Darkshore, Mulgore, Stormwind, Teldrassil and the Wetlands.

When WoW Forever launches, and what comes next. The beta, which started on Sept. 17, runs through Oct. 21, Pacific time, and beta players can reach level 30. Blizzard’s roadmap puts early name reservation and character creation on Oct. 27, a week before launch.

World of Warcraft: Forever launches worldwide on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 3 p.m. PT, which is 6 p.m. ET. It’s set after Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom and before Molten Core, and players return to the original continents and level to 60. Raids unlock on Dec. 9: Barrow Deeps for 10 players, Hyjal Summit for 20 and Onyxia’s Lair for 40. A Hardcore version follows in the winter, and spring brings two new raids, two new dungeons and a new legendary questline. WoW Forever is also on our list of new games in November 2026.

How to get into WoW Forever. Access is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. Blizzard also sells three optional upgrades on the Battle.net Shop. The Skyborne Heroic Pack unlocks the new Skyborne race and its Zephras Isle starting area, early name reservation, a mount and one Invite-A-Friend code. The Skyborne Epic Pack adds beta access, 30 days of Game Time from Nov. 4 and three Invite-A-Friend codes. The Warcraft Forever Collection adds Warcraft III: Reforged and its Forsaken Kingdom campaign.

Invite-A-Friend codes arrive by email starting Oct. 20 and let friends play WoW Forever from Nov. 4 to Nov. 11. A physical Collector’s Edition is sold through the Blizzard Gear Store, and orders from its latest restock are expected to ship in February 2027.

This page is updated as soon as Blizzard posts new WoW Forever patch notes or launch-day details.