{"_note":"WoW Forever rulesets/realm tracker (build-realms.py -> site/wow-forever-realms.html). The WoW task updates 'status' rows from launch day (queues, faction-creation locks, layer counts, incidents) with a dated 'asof', and 'regions' launch times if Blizzard changes them.",
"asof":"2026-10-27","launch":"2026-11-04T15:00:00-08:00","nameres":{"start":"2026-10-27","end":"2026-11-03"},
"src":[["Blizzard: [Updated 10/22] Choose Your Ruleset in World of Warcraft: Forever","https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news/24302070/updated-1022-choose-your-ruleset-in-world-of-warcraft-forever"],["Icy Veins: Everything you need to know about realms (Sept 18, 2026)","https://www.icy-veins.com/wow-forever/realms"],["Blizzard: Claim your WoW Forever character names","https://worldofwarcraft.blizzard.com/en-us/news"]],
"rulesets":[
 {"id":"normal","name":"Normal","tag":"PvE","launch":"Nov 4","factions":"Both factions on one account","pvp":"Opt-in: you flag yourself, or get flagged by attacking","who":"Most players, guilds that want to level together without being camped, anyone unsure","notes":"The baseline experience. Grouping, mail, auction house and world events are shared with every Normal player in your region and faction. Legacy Points and collections are account-wide with PvP and RP."},
 {"id":"pvp","name":"PvP","tag":"Open world PvP","launch":"Nov 4","factions":"One faction only per account on this ruleset (your first character locks it)","pvp":"Always flagged in contested zones; faction balance enforced (new-character creation can be paused for the larger faction, as in Season of Discovery)","who":"Players who want Hillsbrad and Stranglethorn to be dangerous; premades and PvP guilds","notes":"Layers are faction-balanced. Cannot roll the other faction here later, so coordinate with your guild before anyone creates a character."},
 {"id":"rp","name":"Roleplaying","tag":"RP","launch":"Nov 4","factions":"Both factions","pvp":"Opt-in, as Normal","who":"Roleplayers; players who want a quieter, more in-character world","notes":"Naming and chat conventions apply. Same shared-ecosystem rules as Normal."},
 {"id":"rppvp","name":"Roleplaying-PvP","tag":"RP + open PvP","launch":"Nov 4 (added Oct 22)","factions":"Expected one faction per account, as PvP","pvp":"Always flagged in contested zones","who":"RP guilds that want the war to be real","notes":"Late addition announced in the Oct 22 update; available for Early Name Reservation from Oct 27. Details beyond the PvP rules are still thin."},
 {"id":"hardcore","name":"Hardcore","tag":"One life","launch":"After launch (Icy Veins expects early 2027)","factions":"Both factions","pvp":"None expected (Hardcore stays out of mixed battlegrounds)","who":"Players who want permanent consequences","notes":"Fully enclosed: progress and Legacy Points from other rulesets do not flow in, but Hardcore progress can flow out. A dead Hardcore character can transfer to any other ruleset, including PvP."}],
"facts":[
 "Launch: Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. PST (6:00 p.m. EST, 11:00 p.m. GMT, Thursday 10:00 a.m. AEDT). Included with an active WoW subscription or Game Time; no separate purchase.",
 "Early Name Reservation: October 27 to November 3 for pack buyers, first come, first served. Names are two-part (first + second) and must be unique within a region; each part can be shared. See the names and rulesets page for the rules.",
 "No realm list: you pick a ruleset, then a faction, and share one world with everyone in your region on that ruleset. Layers group you with guildmates and people you have played with.",
 "Cross-ruleset grouping is not supported for dungeons and raids. Battlegrounds can mix rulesets, except Hardcore.",
 "Factions stay separate: Horde and Alliance cannot group, trade or mail. Friends list cap is 600.",
 "Preferred Online Language: Options → Languages and Social → Preferred Online Language. Account-wide, 24-hour cooldown. You are layered with players who share it.",
 "Moving between rulesets: there are no transfers at launch. To play another ruleset, make a new character there. Collections and Legacy Points are account-wide (Hardcore excepted).",
 "Regions: Americas, Europe, Korea, Taiwan, China (NetEase) and Oceania as usual; each ruleset is one ecosystem per region. Blizzard has not published per-region realm names, because there are none."],
"status":[["Normal","Not yet open","—","Opens Nov 4, 3 p.m. PST"],["PvP","Not yet open","—","Faction-balance locks possible at launch"],["Roleplaying","Not yet open","—",""],["Roleplaying-PvP","Not yet open","—","Name reservation available from Oct 27"],["Hardcore","Not scheduled","—","After launch"]],
"statusNote":"From launch day this table carries queue times, faction-creation locks, layer counts and incidents by ruleset, updated each morning by the WoW desk task and more often during launch week. Source: Blizzard CS Twitter/X, the launch forum thread and the in-game login screen."}