Clay Stone closed the content section of the World of Warcraft: Forever What’s Next panel at BlizzCon 2026 with a 2026 to 2027 roadmap slide. Stone, Associate Production Director, called it “a fast-paced production for a slow-paced game.”
The dates on the slide
September 17 to October 22: beta. The box reads “Play up to level 30.”
October 27: early name reservation and character creation.
November 4: launch.
December 9: raids unlock. Three open on the same day: Barrow Deeps at 10 players, Hyjal Summit at 20 players, and Onyxia’s Lair at 40 players. This is the only entry in the winter slot.
Spring: a “Major Updates” box listing two new raids (one 10-player, one 20-player), two new dungeons, new quests and a new playable area, a new legendary questline, and a PvP season refresh.
Summer: a second “Major Updates” box, listing a revamped iconic raid, a new raid, expanded world content, two new dungeons, a PvP season refresh, and professions and Legacy updates.
Neither seasonal box carries a date. The footer reads: “Content and timing subject to change.”
What Stone said about it
“You will see new raids unlock on December 9th, followed by even more new raids, new dungeons, PvP updates, world content, and so much more, all in addition to the original vanilla WoW content,” Stone said.
On the summer entry: “This game takes place at the beginning of World of Warcraft and tells stories authentic to that time period. The original iconic raids that you know and love have not opened yet, and we’re excited for you to rediscover them in the future.” He did not name the raid, and added that “nothing is off the table, not even a new class.”
The winter gap
Stone then pointed back at the slide: “You may have noticed there’s a big gap right there, right around the winter timeframe. Let’s discuss that. But first, I want to take a second to talk about a picture.” The picture was the signed Hardcore artwork on his wall since 2023, and what followed was the Hardcore announcement, with details held for a day two panel. He never returned to the gap and did not say Hardcore fills it.
The “And more” list
Just before the roadmap, an “And more” slide listed: new professions content, new reputations, new itemization and rewards, an updated PvP system, the first new legendary, riding skill updates, gamepad support, and previously unfinished and unused vanilla WoW content. Gamepad support is playable on the show floor this weekend “in an in-development state,” Stone said.
The closing card read “Launches November 4th, beta starts in 5 days, demo here today.”
What is still unknown
No dates for spring or summer, no patch cadence, and nothing between December 9 and spring. Pricing and subscription terms were not discussed in this panel, and the revamped iconic raid was not named.