WoW Forever: first and second names, reservation from 27 October

On 21 September Blizzard explained how character names will work in World of Warcraft: Forever. Instead of a single name tied to a realm, every character gets a first name and a second name, which Blizzard compares to a surname. Forever is built without realms, so the full name has to be unique across the whole region rather than on a single realm. For players in Europe, that means the EU region. Blizzard says the aim is for names to stay recognisable over time, so that someone you met in a dungeon or on the road can be remembered.

What counts is the complete pair. If another character already has the first name you want, you may still be able to use it, as long as your second name makes the full combination different. Blizzard's own example is Asha Brightvale, Thalen Brightvale and Mira Brightvale, who share a family-style second name but each have a different first name. Blizzard says a second name can suggest a family, a place, a reputation or something like a title, and that a guild or adventuring group could use a shared naming theme, as long as each full name is still free in the region.

If you prefer a simpler look, you can hide your second name in the game world: open the Game Menu with Escape, select Options, then Nameplates, and click the checkbox for “My Secondary Name”. The second name then no longer shows in the world, but it still appears in chat. The usual naming rules still apply. Blizzard says some names, words, spellings and patterns of repeated characters may be restricted, including names that could cause confusion or impersonate Blizzard or the World of Warcraft team. The system can also judge both parts together, so splitting a restricted word across them will not necessarily get it accepted. Players replying to Blizzard's post say the filter already turns down some names they tried: one says Beer Wolf was blocked by a filter for mature content. Blizzard has not commented on these cases.

Blizzard says a wanted name cannot be guaranteed. Early Name Reservation runs from 27 October to 3 November 2026 for eligible upgrade purchases, and names are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. In its pre-purchase post of 12 September, Blizzard said reservation is included with any upgrade purchase, such as the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack or the Warcraft Forever Collection, and that you can create and customise up to 3 characters in that window. These editions are optional: Forever itself is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or game time. Blizzard gives the reservation dates in US Pacific time and has not named start or end hours. The window opens after the beta ends on 21 October and closes before launch. Forever launches at 23:00 UK time on 4 November, which is midnight on 5 November in Central Europe.

If the full name you want is already taken or breaks the rules, Blizzard says you will need to choose another pair or try the in-game random name generator. Blizzard's post does not say whether names can be changed after launch, or how both names are typed when you send mail or a whisper to another player.