World of Warcraft: Forever will restrict combat add-ons

Blizzard has confirmed that World of Warcraft: Forever will restrict some combat add-ons when it launches on November 4, 2026. The rules will target add-ons that calculate combat information or automatically handle tasks such as marking targets and sending instructions to other players.

The decision brings part of modern World of Warcraft’s add-on policy into Blizzard’s new version of original Azeroth. Blizzard has not said that all add-ons will be blocked, and full details of Forever’s add-on support have not yet been announced.

Lead Classic Designer Tim Jones and Lead Encounter Designer Mike Nuthals discussed the system following BlizzCon 2026. Nuthals said Blizzard plans to bring over the in-combat restrictions already used in modern World of Warcraft.

Those limits are designed to stop add-ons from performing calculations that effectively solve parts of combat for players. Tools will also be restricted from automatically handling tasks such as marking targets or sharing certain information during fights.

Blizzard has not published the complete add-on API rules for Forever. It is therefore still unclear exactly how individual tools such as WeakAuras, Deadly Boss Mods, and other popular combat add-ons will function.

The restrictions do not mean World of Warcraft: Forever will launch without add-on support. Blizzard still sees add-ons as a way for players to customize the game’s interface and other parts of the experience.

Its recent approach in modern World of Warcraft has focused on limiting what add-ons can calculate or automate during combat rather than blocking them entirely. Forever is expected to follow a similar direction, although Blizzard has not confirmed whether every current restriction will carry over unchanged.

Blizzard says combat in World of Warcraft: Forever is intended to keep the slower feel of the original game. Dungeon groups will need to pay closer attention to threat, crowd control, and target selection.

Classes will also keep clearer strengths and weaknesses instead of being given similar tools. 

Abilities such as Polymorph, Fear, Root, and Banish are meant to remain useful when groups need to control difficult pulls. Restricting computational add-ons supports that approach by leaving more combat decisions to players rather than external tools.

World of Warcraft: Forever launches globally on November 4, with beta access beginning September 17. The game adds new regions, more than 1,000 quests, revised classes and items, new raids, and systems such as Camping and Legacy progression while keeping players at level 60. Blizzard is expected to share more technical details about add-on support before launch, including exactly which combat functions developers will be able to access.