Playing WoW Forever at launch needs nothing beyond a standard subscription or equivalent game time, with one exception: the Skyborne race, which is locked behind one of three optional purchases — the $29.99 Skyborne Heroic Pack, the $59.99 Skyborne Epic Pack, or the $79.99 Warcraft Forever Collection. Only the two more expensive packs include beta access; the cheapest one does not.
What is free with the subscription
Everything Blizzard announced for Forever other than the Skyborne race ships as part of a normal subscription: all four new zones, all nine new dungeons, both new raids once they unlock, all six new race and class combinations, and the reworked talent trees for all nine classes. Warcraft Wiki's overview of Forever confirms this directly, stating no additional purchase is required beyond standard game time, with the Skyborne packs described as "optional editions." If you do not care about playing a Skyborne character, none of the three packs below are necessary at all.
Heroic Pack (29.99 USD)
The Skyborne Heroic Pack unlocks the Skyborne race and its Zephras Isle Zephras Isle starting experience, plus early name reservation and one Invite-A-Friend launch code. Warcraft Wiki lists its cosmetic contents as a Cerulean Prideclaw Cerulean Prideclaw mount, an Ensemble: Shen'dorei Skyseer's Garb transmog set, a Veteran Adventurer's Rucksack Veteran Adventurer's Rucksack transmog piece, and a Shen'dorei Windwell toy, alongside several housing decor items. It does not include beta access — Warcraft Tavern's editions coverage is explicit that the Heroic Pack is the one tier that excludes it.
Epic Pack (59.99 USD, includes beta access)
The Skyborne Epic Pack includes everything in the Heroic Pack plus the one feature that actually matters right now: beta access, active since September 17, 2026. It also adds 30 days of game time, two more Invite-A-Friend codes for three total, a Veteran Adventurer's Loyal Companion Veteran Adventurer's Loyal Companion mount, an Ensemble: Veteran Adventurer's Outdoor Wear Ensemble: Veteran Adventurer's Outdoor Wear transmog set, tabards for both the Lordaeron and Shen'dorei themes — including a Lordaeron Forever Tabard Lordaeron Forever Tabard confirmed in the local item database — and four pets: Zergling, Panda Cub, Mini Diablo and Pachimari.
Forever Collection
The Warcraft Forever Collection includes everything in the Epic Pack, at the same beta access and game-time terms, and adds Warcraft III: Reforged along with its Forsaken Kingdom campaign content. It is the only one of the three packs that reaches outside World of Warcraft entirely, bundling in a separate real-time strategy game and campaign rather than additional Forever-specific items.
| Pack | Price | Skyborne race | Beta access | Notable extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skyborne Heroic Pack | $29.99 | Yes | No | Cerulean Prideclaw mount, Shen'dorei Skyseer's Garb, housing decor, 1 Invite-A-Friend code |
| Skyborne Epic Pack | $59.99 | Yes | Yes | 30 days of game time, Loyal Companion mount, Lordaeron and Shen'dorei tabards, 4 pets, 3 Invite-A-Friend codes |
| Warcraft Forever Collection | $79.99 | Yes | Yes | Everything in Epic Pack, plus Warcraft III: Reforged and the Forsaken Kingdom campaign |
A note on prices
All three prices above are listed in US dollars, matching how Blizzard and Warcraft Wiki both present them; Blizzard has not published separate regional pricing for other currencies as of this beta build, so treat any conversion you see elsewhere as an estimate rather than an official number.
A note on naming
Blizzard and Warcraft Wiki both refer to the two smaller packs as the "Skyborne Heroic Pack" and "Skyborne Epic Pack" — naming them after the race they unlock rather than after WoW Forever itself. Only the top tier carries the game's own name, as the "Warcraft Forever Collection." If you see any of these three referred to by a different name elsewhere, treat that as the same product under informal phrasing rather than a fourth, separate edition; Blizzard's panel recap and Warcraft Wiki's dedicated pages for each pack are consistent on there being exactly three tiers.
Which pack is worth it
If you only want to play a Skyborne character starting November 4, 2026, and have no interest in testing before then, the $29.99 Heroic Pack is the cheapest way to get there — you are paying for the race, the starting zone, and a handful of cosmetics, nothing more. If you want to play the beta now, on build 1.60.1.69893, you have to spend at least $59.99 on the Epic Pack, since the Heroic Pack's exclusion of beta access is confirmed rather than an oversight. The $20 gap between Heroic and Epic also buys 30 days of game time, which by itself is worth a meaningful chunk of a standard subscription, on top of the extra mounts, pets and tabards — making the Epic Pack reasonable value even for a player who is on the fence about beta testing. The Forever Collection only makes sense if you specifically want Warcraft III: Reforged and its Forsaken Kingdom campaign; if RTS games hold no interest for you, the extra $20 over the Epic Pack buys nothing you would use. None of the three packs are required forever: Blizzard has not said whether the Skyborne race will ever get a free unlock path, so treat that possibility as not yet announced rather than assume it. Full date and access details live on the release date and beta guide.
One more thing worth flagging before you buy: none of the three packs affect anything else about the base game. The zones, dungeons, raids, race and class combinations, and reworked talent trees listed at the top of this page ship for everyone with a subscription regardless of which pack, if any, you buy. Paying more only ever buys you the Skyborne race sooner, cosmetics, or Warcraft III: Reforged — never a gameplay advantage over a subscriber who skips all three packs entirely and levels a standard race and class combination instead.