1. Know the announced dates
- October 23: Blizzard confirmed the five-week beta had ended.
- October 27: planned start of character creation/name reservation; review official eligibility and timing details before acting.
- November 4, 3:00 p.m. Pacific: announced global launch time on Blizzard’s Forever page.
2. Prepare character names
- Write down your first-choice name plus several backups.
- Check spelling, capitalization, and Blizzard’s naming rules.
- Confirm your account and edition meet the reservation requirements from official instructions.
- Do not assume a name is reserved until the official system confirms it.
3. Check account and access
- Sign in to the correct Battle.net account before the announced window.
- Review the official WoW: Forever page for current subscription/game-time requirements and any edition-specific benefits.
- Do not purchase an upgrade based solely on a third-party summary; compare the exact official benefits and eligibility first.
4. Treat beta findings carefully
- Beta balance and bug-fix notes are dated snapshots, not promises that every value ships unchanged.
- Do not assume beta characters, items, gold, or progression carry over unless Blizzard explicitly confirms it.
- For class or profession planning, keep a backup approach rather than relying on one beta build.
- For economy planning, use beta observations as hypotheses, not launch prices or guaranteed farming rates.
5. Follow the next official updates
The October 15 development notes are the latest full class/mechanics notes we found in this period. The October 21 public stress test focused on launch infrastructure, and the October 23 message confirmed beta closure and the team’s focus on high-priority issues and server preparation. Recheck official channels for late fixes or schedule changes.
Official sources: October 15 development notes; October stress-test announcement; Beta closure and next steps; Official WoW: Forever page.