The short version
Early Name Reservation lets players with a qualifying upgrade pick character names before launch. It runs from 27 October to 3 November 2026, names go first come, first served, and Blizzard cannot guarantee any particular name (Blizzard announcement (opens in a new tab)).
When it opens
- Europe: 18:00 CET on 27 October (19:00 in Greece).
- North America: 1:00 p.m. PDT on 27 October (22:00 in Greece).
- Korea: 07:00 KST on 28 October (00:00 in Greece, still 28 October).
- Taiwan: 07:00 CST on 28 October (01:00 in Greece).
- Blizzard gives the window as 27 October to 3 November and does not publish an end time. Launch is on 4 November at 3:00 p.m. PST.
Who qualifies
The benefit comes with the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack and the limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection, which is on sale until 11 January 2027. It applies only to the WoW account the purchase was made for (Blizzard announcement (opens in a new tab)).
How many names
Up to three characters in total across all rulesets. Two PvP characters, for example, leave room for one more on another ruleset. The cap applies only during Early Name Reservation.
How to claim a name
- Update your graphics drivers and install the Battle.net desktop app.
- Select World of Warcraft, then pick World of Warcraft: Forever in the Game Version menu and install it.
- Press Play, choose your ruleset and create up to three characters with the names you want.
How names work
Every character has a first name and a second name. Blizzard checks the full combination, and it must be unique within your region, not within a realm, because Azeroth has no realms. The same first name is fine if the pair differs. Both parts are checked together, so splitting a restricted word across them does not help. If a name is taken or refused, pick another pair or use the random name button. You can hide the second name over characters in the world under Options, Nameplates, My Secondary Name. It still shows in chat (name article (opens in a new tab)).
Not confirmed
Blizzard does not state name length limits, which countries make up each region, what happens to names nobody reserved, or whether names from the beta or Stress Test carry over. The Stress Test wipe deletes names made there, see the Stress Test guide. One Blizzard footnote mentions a Collector’s Edition, but no page says what it includes, so we do not list it as qualifying.
More
See the last week of the beta and the beta and launch dates.