WoW Forever First Week Checklist: From Install to Level 20 Without Wasted Evenings

Launch week on a brand-new world rewards a little planning. Choices made in the first hour, such as the ruleset, stay with the character for good, and small habits, like grouping in crowded zones, save whole evenings. This WoW Forever first week checklist walks through it in order: what to sort out before you log in, the first login, the settings and addons worth an hour, levels 1 to 20, and the gold and account traps that catch new players every launch. Each step links to a longer guide where one exists. Checked on 8 November 2026 for WoW Forever 1.60.1.

Short answer

• Agree on region, ruleset and faction with friends before anyone creates a character; rulesets cannot be changed later.
• Pick the Enhanced preset if you are unsure, and keep addons to a handful from CurseForge or Wago.
• Learn two gathering professions or one gathering and one crafting, plus Cooking, First Aid and Fishing.
• Group with nearby players for kill and drop quests; crowded layers are slow alone.
• Do not buy gold: Blizzard bans buyers and can freeze trade, mail and the auction house.

Before you log in

1. Check access. WoW Forever needs an active WoW subscription or Game Time. The Skyborne race needs the Heroic Pack or higher.
2. Redeem an Invite-A-Friend code in time. Launch codes give a friend access without a subscription from 4 to 11 November 2026 only. The level 10 cap bug for invited players was hotfixed on 5 November.
3. Install. In the Battle.net app, select WoW: Forever, choose it in the Game Version menu, then Install and Play. Update your graphics drivers first.
4. Agree with friends. Region, ruleset and faction must match to group at all. The rulesets and faction lock guide explains Normal, PvP and the Roleplay options.
5. Have a fallback faction. On PvP rulesets the larger faction, mostly Horde in launch week, can be locked for hours.

First login and character

6. Choose the Experience Preset. It appears once, before the ruleset. Enhanced turns on quest markers, one-bag view and transmog; Classic keeps the original look. Switch later under Options, System, Preset; see the Classic vs Enhanced guide.
7. Choose the ruleset. Normal if in doubt. There are no transfers between rulesets.
8. Pick HD or SD models. This is per character and appearance only; change it later in Options or at a Barbershop.
9. Pick a two-part name. The first and second name together must be unique in your region, so a taken first name works with a different second name.
10. If the faction is locked, retry every few minutes rather than spamming the button, or take your fallback.

Settings and addons in the first hour

11. Open Options with Escape and set the basics: controls, action bars, nameplates and graphics. The interface and keybind setup guide lists what to change first.
12. Install addons from known sources only. Use CurseForge or Wago, pick the Forever version and prefer known authors; copycat uploads appeared after the beta. Classic Era addons do not load. The addon install guide covers the details.
13. Keep it small. A quest helper, a bag addon and a map addon cover most of the first week; one addon per job avoids clashes.
14. Back up settings once you like them. Copy the _forever_\WTF folder somewhere safe.

Levels 1 to 20

15. Read your quest log with L and the map with M. A question mark over a character means a quest is ready to hand in.
16. Choose professions early. Each character can learn two primary professions and all three secondary ones; press K to open them. Two gathering skills are the usual pick for gold.
17. Manage bag space. Sell grey items at every vendor; if you sell something by mistake, use the Buyback tab before you walk away. Bank materials you plan to keep.
18. Use campsites. Sitting or crafting at a shared campfire for at least a minute grants its benefits; how much rested experience camping gives is reported differently between sources. The camping and rested XP guide has the details.
19. Group in crowded layers. Invite the players waiting on the same spawns; the layering guide explains how to join a friend's copy of the world with Refresh Now.
20. Use the Looking For Group board for dungeons. There is no automatic dungeon finder; you list yourself or browse groups, then travel to the entrance together.
21. Spend Legacy points as you earn them. They are account-wide, and each character can spend up to 16 at launch, so a single main can unlock everything.

First gold and account safety

Your first gold comes from grey items, gathering and quest rewards; raw ore, herbs and leather sell better on the auction house than at a vendor while everyone levels professions. The beginner auction house guide covers posting without losing money.

Two things to avoid. First, do not buy gold or accept large gifts from strangers. Blizzard has stated that accounts involved in buying or receiving illicit gold face gold removal, suspension or permanent closure, and since 13 October suspected accounts can be put on a Temporary Economy Hold that blocks trade, mail, the guild bank and the auction house while Blizzard investigates. Second, treat free Invite-A-Friend code offers in public channels with suspicion, and never enter your Battle.net details on a site that promises codes.

Common problems

Problem	What helps
Faction unavailable on PvP	Retry every few minutes, roll the other faction, or choose Normal
Friend in party but invisible	Click the blue refresh message, then Refresh Now out of combat
Invite-A-Friend player stuck at level 10	Log out and back in to pick up the 5 November hotfix
Addon says incompatible	You installed the wrong flavour; download the Forever file
Bags full after every quest hub	Sell grey items, bank materials, buy or craft bigger bags
Install button greyed out	Check the WoW account selected in the Battle.net dropdown

Tips

• Write your ruleset, faction and character names in your group chat so latecomers land in the right place.
• Pick up First Aid early, because bandages cut the time you spend sitting between pulls.
• Visit your class trainer whenever you pass through a town, so new ranks do not wait for weeks.
• Stay out of combat and away from caves before pressing Refresh Now.
• Keep a short session goal, such as two levels or one profession step, so launch-week queues and crowds do not drain the evening.
• Check Blizzard's hotfix posts on the forums before reporting a bug that may already be fixed.

ForeverBot and this setup

If you plan to try ForeverBot later, the first week is the time to keep things simple: default UI scale, a few well-known addons, free bag space and stable keybinds. The ForeverBot first-run setup lists what it expects. Know the risk before you start: automation breaks Blizzard's rules, and Blizzard bans accounts for it.

FAQ

What should I do first in WoW Forever?

Agree on region, ruleset and faction with anyone you plan to play with, because those cannot be changed later. Then choose the preset, create the character and set a few options. Addons can wait; the default interface with Enhanced quest markers is enough to reach level 10.

When does the Invite-A-Friend access end?

Launch codes give access from 4 to 11 November 2026. After that the friend needs a WoW subscription or Game Time to keep playing. If the code was redeemed and the character is stuck at level 10, logging out and back in picks up the 5 November hotfix.

Which professions should I take in the first week?

For gold, two gathering professions, because launch-week demand for ore, herbs and leather is high. If you want to craft your own gear or bags, pair one gathering skill with the crafting skill that uses it, such as Mining with Blacksmithing or Skinning with Leatherworking. Add Cooking, First Aid and Fishing on every character.

Is it safe to buy gold in WoW Forever?

No. Blizzard actions accounts that buy or knowingly receive illicit gold, with penalties from gold removal to permanent closure, and the Temporary Economy Hold can freeze trade, mail and the auction house during an investigation.