The House of De Vile archives — a Human Combat Rogue's living guide to a reforged Azeroth. New zones, new raids, new rules.
World of Warcraft: Forever — announced at BlizzCon 2026 (Sep 12, Anaheim) — is the official "Classic Plus" fans demanded. A third permanent WoW experience alongside Modern and Classic. Not a season, not an expansion: a permanent alternate Azeroth rooted in the spirit of the 2004 original.
"It's the journey that counts, not the destination." — Holly Longdale, Executive Producer
Level cap stays 60 indefinitely. No flying mounts. No level scaling. The world is the main character, not a heroic storyline pushing you to the next patch.
Set in year one of vanilla WoW (after Warcraft III: Forsaken Kingdom, before Molten Core). The story may diverge from established lore — this isn't a museum piece. It's a time bubble built to grow.
BlizzCon reveal — Forever announced.
Beta begins (level 20 cap, rises to 30). Playable on show floor.
Early name reservation for pack buyers.
Full launch, 3:00 PM PST. Fresh economy from zero.
Raids unlock — Hyjal Summit (20-man) + Barrow Deeps (10-man) + Onyxia.
Hardcore mode. Spring 27: 2 new raids. Summer 27: major update.
Aftermath of Archimonde's defeat. Darkwhisper Gorge, recovering land, Wild Gods. Connects into the Hyjal Summit raid. Forever's endgame leveling zone.
LEVEL 60Hidden land between Mulgore and Desolace. Mystery tied to the Shen'dralar, Eldre'Thalas, Dire Maul, and the centaur tribes.
Eastern Kingdoms frontier. 150+ quests, rivers, trade routes, old grudges. Orcs, Humans, Ogres, and Goblins clash.
150+ QUESTSSkyborne starting experience. Elemental skybound island, architecture inspired by Skywall. Brand-new race's homeland.
| Dungeon | Level | Location | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hall of Thanes | 13-18 | Beneath Ironforge | Dwarven crypts, Dark Iron invaders |
| Ruins of Lordaeron | 15-20 | Tirisfal Glades | Forsaken reclaiming ruins |
| Excavation Site | 24-29 | Wetlands | Dragonmaw titan excavation |
| City of Dalaran | 28-33 | Alterac | Arcane chaos, barrier dropped |
| The Drowned City | 35-40 | Stranglethorn coast | Sunken troll ruins, naga & pirates |
| Krol'dok Stronghold | 40-45 | Riverglades | Ogre fortress, brute force |
| Alcaz Island Prison | 48-53 | Dustwallow | Secret prison, Defias + Naga |
| Blackmaw Hold | 55-60 | Northern Kalimdor | Corrupted furbolg city → Barrow Deeps |
| Shaper's Terrace | 58-60 | Un'Goro | Operational Titan facility |
Level brackets per official Kaivax blue post (Sep 15). Unique boss loot now guaranteed blue; stats hidden until obtained in-game.
Night elves holding dangerous prisoners in deep caverns. Three entrances scattered across the world.
10-PLAYERMount Hyjal, after Archimonde. An unknown figure is siphoning energy. New tier sets + a legendary.
20-PLAYERClassic raid returning alongside the new ones on launch. The veteran's welcome back.
40-PLAYERName: Marquis De Vile · Race: Human · Class: Rogue · Spec: Combat Swords
Professions: Skinning + Leatherworking (Cooking secondary) · Theme: Marquis of damage — clean, efficient, deadly.
| Level | Weapon | Slot | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-18 | Durgen's Crescent Axe | MH | Hall of Thanes | Earliest strong weapon; procs Hack and Slash |
| 15-22 | Cruel Barb ★ | MH | Deadmines (VanCleef) | 2.80 spd ~46 avg — the prize. Slow MH = hard SS |
| 15-22 | Thief's Blade | OH | Deadmines (Mr. Smite) | 1.70 spd ~24av — fast OH for poisons |
| 22-26 | Blade of Silverlaine / Butcher's Slicer | MH | Shadowfang Keep | Next sword upgrades for a Human |
Human +2% sword crit procs while any sword is equipped (main OR off-hand). So run swords as the main-hand for the +2% crit to stack on top of Hack and Slash's proc. An axe MH works early, but once decent swords are available, a Human wants swords equipped for the crit.
| Piece Set | Bonus | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 2-pc | +1.1% hit | Hit is king. Great. |
| 3-pc | -3s Kidney Shot CD | PvP-flavored. Weak for raiders. |
| 4-pc | +36 AP vs Humanoids | Strong if raids are Humanoid-heavy. |
| 5-pc ★ | -5 energy on Envenom/Eviscerate | The crown jewel — cheaper finishers = more Restless Blades procs. |
1. Slice and Dice — 100% uptime, non-negotiable · 2. Sinister Strike — builder · 3. Eviscerate at 5 CP if SnD has 10+s left · 4. Refresh SnD at 4-5 CP when 3-4s remain.
Combo Points no longer vanish when you swap targets — built CPs survive threat swaps and cleave phases.
For the pure vanilla Classic combat rogue foundation — the spec that Forever's build is built on.
BiS. +5 sword skill reduces hit cap 9%→6%. Perception. The sword rogue's race.
Orc: Blood Fury + stun resist. Undead: Will of the Forsaken — invaluable vs fear (Onyxia, Nefarian).
| Phase | Main Hand | Off Hand |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Raid | Dal'Rend's Sacred Charge | Dal'Rend's Tribal Guardian |
| P2 (MC/Ony) | Vis'kag the Bloodletter | Brutality Blade |
| P3 (BWL) | Chromatically Tempered Sword | Maladath, Runed Blade |
| P5 (AQ40) | Ancient Qiraji Ripper | Maladath |
| P6 (Naxx) | Gressil, Dawn of Ruin | The Hungering Cold |
This is the vanilla Classic guide. Forever reworks weapon skill (gone), Hack and Slash (new), Restless Blades, and States like Expertise. The Classic doc is the class foundation; the Forever doc is the rework.
No WoW Token. No boosts. Every coin on Nov 4 is player-farmed. The economy starts at zero — and first gatherers, crafters, and Blueprint-farmers set the prices everyone else pays.
Don't farm gold. Farm things other players need and turn them into gold.
| Method | Effort | When It Pays | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gather while you quest | Low | Days 1-14 | Zero start-up; feeds 600+ recipes |
| Cooking food | Low-Med | Leveling | +5% kill-XP buff everyone wants |
| Camping objects (Blueprint) | Med | Mid-levels+ | Scarce crafter = bracket standard |
| Alchemy consumables | Med | Raid nights | Flasks mandatory, consumed every reset |
| Early BoE flips | Low | Week 1 | Alts overpay to skip repair cost |
| First-clear loot | Med | Wk 1-4 | Blue boss items = auction stock |
Beasts of the Wild — +5% vs Beasts/Dragonkin (combat-relevant while leveling)
Rare Hides — improved rare/specialty hides
Feeds the leather economy; pairs with killing beasts anyway.
Armor Kits — buff your gear + sell to other leather wearers
Must Go Faster — mounted speed while LW trained
Dragons and Elements — dragonscale sets
TANNING RACK = MONOPOLYA camp object / workspace required for advanced Leatherworking recipes. Higher tiers drop from dungeon bosses. Holding the Tanning Rack tier makes you the scarce high-tier leather crafter in your bracket — groups come to you.
| Day | Focus | Est. Gold |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Quest route + cloth farming | 30-50g |
| 3-4 | Professions, gather + mill/smelt | 50-80g |
| 5-6 | AH posts, BoE flips | 80-120g |
| 7-10 | Pre-raid mats, self-craft | 100-150g |
| 11-14 | Raid cycle, BoE epics | 150-300g |
Grimstitch T1 set confirmed (Wowhead datamine) — 5pc -5 energy on Eviscerate is the money bonus. Combo Points no longer drop on target switch.
Beta live (cap 20→30). Blizzard hiding item stats. 9 new dungeons' loot being datamined. Early loot path confirmed: Durgen's Axe → Cruel Barb/Thief's Blade.
Official dungeon brackets locked (Kaivax blue post). Krol'dok corrected to 40-45. Icy Veins names Night Elf top Alliance Rogue (Elune's Light).
Deep Dive: full class changes. Rogue gets Mutilate, Venom, Restless Blades, Hack and Slash. Profession system (600+ recipes, Camping, Blueprints) revealed.