Vanilla rules fidelity
How strongly original combat, classes and friction constrain new design.
Reinvent freelyChange surgically
Living Era92
92
Discovery Evolved48
48
Forked Chronicle66
66
Classic Plus archive: older content may reflect the period before Forever was announced. Find current facts, classes and zones in the new codex. Explore WoW Forever →
DESIGN-TRADE-OFF DOSSIER · THREE EDITORIAL MODELS
Classic+ is not one idea. It is three competing futures.
Players often agree that original Azeroth deserves more. They disagree on the hard part: preserve level 60, restart the experiment, or continue into an alternate sequel.
THREE DESIGN DOCTRINES
Each future protects something—and sacrifices something
Select a model to inspect its shipped precedent, hypothetical leap, ideal audience, promises and structural risks.
What Blizzard has already shipped
Classic Era proves a non-progressing home can coexist with progression realms. Season of Discovery proves Blizzard can produce new original-world instances.
The unannounced leap
Combine Era permanence with a continuing pipeline of new level-60 content. Blizzard has never announced that combination as this project.
Best aligned with
Players who value realm history, old-world relevance, social continuity and restrained class changes.
What it promises
- Existing world and level-60 identity remain central
- Horizontal zones, raids, professions and reputations
- Old content can stay relevant for longer
What it risks
- Permanent economies accumulate distortions
- Horizontal rewards can still create hidden power creep
- New design is constrained by twenty-year-old systems
TRADE-OFF MATRIX
The same six questions produce very different games
Scores describe the editorial archetypes on a 0–100 comparison scale. They are not probabilities, quality ratings or Blizzard data.
Living Era
Discovery Evolved
Forked Chronicle
Character permanence
How strongly the model protects one durable character history.
Temporary journeyLong-term home
Living Era96
96
Discovery Evolved38
38
Forked Chronicle76
76
Mechanical experimentation
How much class roles, progression and encounters may depart from Vanilla.
Known grammarBold systems lab
Living Era34
34
Discovery Evolved98
98
Forked Chronicle64
64
New-content ceiling
The implied appetite for new zones, campaigns, dungeons and raids.
Mostly remixedMajor new production
Living Era78
78
Discovery Evolved86
86
Forked Chronicle98
98
Forward progression
Whether power and story remain around level 60 or advance into a sequel arc.
Expand sidewaysMove the timeline
Living Era22
22
Discovery Evolved62
62
Forked Chronicle96
96
Fresh-start dependence
How much the design relies on new characters and a clean economy.
Preserve the realmReset to begin
Living Era12
12
Discovery Evolved88
88
Forked Chronicle44
44
AZEROTH FUTURES COMPASS
Which Classic+ future are you actually asking for?
Answer six design choices. Your result measures preference alignment only—not what Blizzard is likely to announce.
FAST ANSWERS
Three-futures FAQ
No. They are editorial archetypes. Each combines real shipped Classic precedents with a clearly labelled hypothetical step Blizzard has not announced.
FIRST-PARTY PRECEDENTS
The official source register
Every Blizzard source below proves only a shipped ingredient or the unnamed project statement. The three combinations remain ours.
Blizzard Forums · Update from the WoW Classic Team
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/update-from-the-wow-classic-team/2110944
2025-05-27
Blizzard · Classic Era and Burning Crusade realm choice
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/23625676/world-of-warcraft-classic-and-burning-crusade-classic-characters-and-realms
2021-02-19
Blizzard · Season of Discovery announced
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24023090
2023-11-03
Blizzard · WoW Classic 20th Anniversary Edition
https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24156594/relive-your-adventure-with-the-wow-classic-20th-anniversary-edition
2024-11-13
Blizzard · Season of Discovery Phase 7
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24171906
2025-02-06
Blizzard · Burning Crusade Classic Anniversary now live
https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24257263
2026-02-06
EDITORIAL METHOD
No model is ranked by likelihood. The dossier keeps observed precedent, editorial combination and player preference in separate layers.