Realm, Name, and Legacy Changes

Normal is the baseline experience, where player-versus-player combat requires mutual consent. PvP makes every trip into contested territory more dangerous. Roleplaying gathers players who want to lean into the fantasy of Azeroth. Hardcore arrives after launch.

Each ruleset works like its own large ecosystem. You group, run dungeons, and raid with players on the same ruleset, cross-ruleset grouping is not supported, and Horde and Alliance still cannot group together. You can set a language preference to meet players who share it, and the PvP ruleset includes faction balance systems similar to Season of Discovery.

Hardcore is the ruleset for players seeking the ultimate challenge, where every decision matters and death has lasting consequences. It launches after the main game, in the winter window of the roadmap.

Hardcore characters play only with each other. If a Hardcore character dies, it can transfer to another ruleset, including PvP. Collections and progress earned in Hardcore can become available in other rulesets, while progress from other rulesets does not flow back into Hardcore.

Characters use two-part names, similar to a first name and a last name, such as "Ana Forever". Names are unique per region.

The extra part gives you far more room to find an original name that stays recognizable across the larger connected world.

You earn Legacy Points by completing Legacy Challenges, such as leveling a specific class or reaching a skill milestone. Points are shared across all your characters, while each character spends them separately in the Adventure, Professions, and Resourcefulness trees.

At launch each character can spend up to 16 points, and you can earn up to 65. Points beyond what you spend still count toward the Legacy Reward Track, which unlocks cosmetic rewards such as the Spectral Bear Cub. Perks include Well Rested for rested experience, Bountiful Harvest for gathering, and Reagent Economy, which removes vendor reagents from class abilities.