World of Warcraft: Forever stress test moves to October 21, open to all

Blizzard has pushed the World of Warcraft: Forever server stress test back by two days. In an update dated October 16 on its official news site, the company said the test now takes place on October 21 instead of October 19, and that anyone can join without a subscription, Game Time, an invitation or beta access.

When it runs

Blizzard lists these local start times for the test:

• North America: 2:00 p.m. PDT on October 21
• Korea: 06:00 KST on October 22
• Taiwan: 05:00 CST on October 22

The window could close early or stay open longer depending on how the servers hold up. Blizzard also plans to take the existing beta offline shortly before the test and bring it back shortly afterward.

How to join

Participation runs through the Battle.net desktop app. After updating the app and selecting World of Warcraft, players open the Game Version menu, pick the WoW: Forever Stress Test entry listed under In Development and install it. Once the test is live, they press Play, pick one of the available test realms and make a new character. Blizzard also recommends updating graphics drivers first.

What happens afterward

Everything made during the test is temporary: characters, names and guilds on the stress test servers will be wiped when it ends. Blizzard says the wipe clears the way for name reservations, which open on October 27.

Early name reservation is tied to purchases. Players who pre-purchase the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack or the limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection get early access to reserve names from October 27 to November 3. Names are handed out first come, first served, so a specific name is not guaranteed.