World of Warcraft Forever is finally here, and the gates to this alternate version of Azeroth open at 3 PM PST / 6 PM EST. All the signs from the beta are pointing to Forever being one of the biggest launches in Warcraft history, with so many people testing the game that developers claimed it put up "the craziest numbers" they've seen in 17 years.
Even after expanding the level cap in the beta, it was still capped at level 30, and most people – outside of some promotions – had to buy an expensive Skyborne pack to get in. Once the live servers go up, the only barrier to playing WoW Forever is going to be an active WoW subscription or a friend code. (And there are going to be a lot of friend codes out there.)
But while WoW Forever promises to be a huge launch and a return to form for many WoW fans, the real test is going to be how well the servers hold up. I've been playing Blizzard's games my entire life, and it's pretty much a given that something is going to go wrong when Blizzard flicks the switch to open up the game. Even last week, when Blizzard opened its name reservation system, European players couldn't get in for hours, and American players were greeted with long server queues and disconnects. So, I expect the full launch to be, well, spicy.
But I'm going to be in the trenches, trying to get in myself and keeping an eye on the community to find all the cool stuff people are talking about, and gathering all of that here. So, whether you're stuck at work while the servers go up, or you're inevitably frustrated by the servers buckling under the weight of millions of MMO fans, stay tuned for all the fun. Live updates are below.
6:36 pm: Just killed enough zombies to finish the first quest, there are just so many people in Tirisfal right now. But, while the launch seems to have gone smoothly for most people, I've started seeing some players that are having trouble getting online. Some people are also reporting that the characters they reserved aren't there anymore.
6:30 pm: IGN's review in progress from Len Hafer just went live! There's obviously no verdict yet, but it seems good so far.
6:23 pm: If you're still getting gray rulesets bug, it seems like most people have been able to fix it by closing the game and re-entering the queue. I know it sucks to have to sit in line again, but it seems like the queues are going pretty quick so far. But, of course, that could change.
6:13 pm: Wait, I'm in! Looks like the server is at least working for me, and there's a veritable army of Undead here in Tirisfal Glades. Even in the forums, people seem pleasantly surprised by how quick the server queue went. But there are still some people who are getting kicked offline as soon as they get to the character select screen.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/world-of-warcraft-forever-launch-live-blog
