WoW Forever Name Reservation: Dates, Rules & Surnames

World of Warcraft: Forever name reservation runs from 27 October to 3 November 2026 (Pacific Time), ahead of launch on 4 November.

Blizzard says you will be able to choose the new Roleplay-PvP ruleset and reserve names on it when reservation opens (details).

Known issues (28 October)

Name reservation opened on 27 October, and Blizzard community manager Kaivax has posted about two bugs so far:

• “That name is restricted” was too strict. Blizzard says a bug in the restricted name list made the game overly restrictive with some names. One example it gave is names containing “c-o-n”. The fix was due with the next realm restarts in each region. If you were told a name was restricted and think it should be fine, try again afterwards.
• Oceanic players on Australian-based servers: create any Roleplay or Roleplay-PvP characters before Normal or PvP ones. If your first character is on Normal or PvP, the Roleplay rulesets stop being offered for later characters. Blizzard called a fix urgent. It said this should only affect that group.

Some players on the forums also report disconnects and rulesets not showing up during the rush. That is player reports, not something Blizzard has confirmed for other regions.

Key facts

When	27 October – 3 November 2026 (PT)
Who	Owners of any Forever upgrade: Skyborne Heroic Pack, Skyborne Epic Pack, or Warcraft Forever Collection
How many	Up to 3 characters per account
How	First come, first served
Exact opening time	Not announced yet. Ignore sites quoting a precise time.

Players with just a subscription or game time can’t reserve early. They create characters at launch. Which edition includes what →

How names work in Forever: first and last names

Every Forever character has a first name and a surname.

• Your full name has to be unique within your region, not just on one realm, because Forever has no realms.
• Two players can share a first name as long as their surnames differ. “Arthas Lightbringer” and “Arthas Menethil” can both exist.
• You can show or hide your own surname under Esc → Options → Nameplates → “My Secondary Name”.

Name rules

• The usual naming policy applies: no offensive names and no impersonating Blizzard.
• Some names, spellings and repeated-character patterns are restricted.
• First and last names are checked together. Splitting a banned word across both “will not necessarily make it valid.”

Tips to get your name

1. Decide your 3 names and surnames before 27 October. Have backups ready.
2. Log in as soon as reservation opens. It’s first come, first served across your whole region.
3. Pick your ruleset first. On the PvP ruleset you’re limited to one faction per account.
4. Short, single-word first names will go fast. Surnames give you a lot more room for a unique combination.

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Sources: Blizzard: Overly Restrictive Name Check, Blizzard: Name Reservation Issue for Oceanic Players, Blizzard: Roleplay-PvP Ruleset, Blizzard: Pre-purchase upgrades, Blizzard: Create a name of your own, Blizzard: Choose your ruleset.