Two Announcements, One Story
Blizzard’s article on Warcraft III: Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom, published 12 September 2026, sits deliberately close to the World of Warcraft: Forever announcement material. That is not a coincidence of scheduling. The article states plainly that the campaign’s ending connects to WoW: Forever, and that Forever picks up the events after the campaign, set in a reconstructed original Azeroth, with a planned release date of 4 November 2026.
For players, this is the most useful context available before entering Forever, because the undead storyline that runs through the new game does not begin inside the game. It begins in a Warcraft III campaign. Understanding the campaign removes a lot of the confusion that otherwise greets you in Tirisfal Glades.
What the Campaign Is About
The story begins after the fall of Lordaeron, with the undead breaking free of the Scourge’s control and fighting over what their future will be. You play as a newly risen member of the undead, fighting underground in a broken homeland, facing both familiar and entirely new enemies, and establishing a foothold in the Undercity.
Two structural elements stand out. First, the campaign contains “hard-won choices” whose consequences carry into later eras — the kind of decision-making that makes a campaign feel like a story rather than a sequence of skirmishes. Second, the article describes the content as a prologue, three campaign acts, and a hero unit from a neutral faction called the Forsaken Temple Knights, all of it tying the fall of Lordaeron to a new age for Azeroth.
At the time of the article the campaign was already available in the Battle.net shop, and no specific release date for the article itself was given. It requires Warcraft III: Reforged, an internet connection, a Battle.net account and the desktop application. This is an independent fan site with no endorsement from Blizzard, and World of Warcraft: Forever was still in beta when the campaign was written about, so details can change.
Where the Campaign Lands in Forever
Forever’s undead thread is the Forsaken Paladins story, described in the Found Photos panel recap. The Forsaken Paladins are the undead who are learning to wield holy light while being mistrusted by other undead — an awkward position no other faction in the setting occupies. Their experience centres on Bandarion Keep, in the Whispering Wood of the Tirisfal Glades, and the story around it is about acceptance, identity and purpose.
Undead characters who reach level 60 unlock their own epic mount quest through this storyline. There is also a naming distinction worth carrying into the game: the Forsaken call their paladin path Retribution, while the Alliance path is called Redemption.
Why Retribution Is Not Just a Label
The two names carry different implications, and the difference is not cosmetic. Redemption describes a paladin who has atoned and been forgiven — the Alliance framing is about restoring a state that was lost. Retribution, for the Forsaken, is about what they do next: a judgement dealt by people who were themselves victims. The gameplay systems reflect the same split. Undead paladins are one of six new class-and-race combinations, and every race in the game now carries two active and two passive abilities. The deep dive panel guide covers what those abilities and talent milestones do.
The Bigger Undead Picture
The Forsaken story does not live alone. Forever’s world content also adds Shen’dralas in a new Valley of Bones area south of Desolace, connecting to the characters and stories of Eldre’Thalas, and the Skyborne of Zephras Isle are their own people with their own abandonment history — their ancestors fled to the Skywall after ancient wars, and by the time players arrive the wind spirits are gone and the pylons have failed. The Found Photos design retrospective sets out how these zones were categorised and why.
The pattern worth noticing is that Forever leans on the character drama of the original games rather than on new lore bolted on top of it. The Forsaken Paladins, the Shen’dralas and the Skyborne all read as continuations of unfinished business rather than inventions.
Reading the Campaign Before You Play
Editorial advice: if the undead storyline drew you to Forever, play the Warcraft III campaign first, before 4 November. Coming in without it means meeting the Forsaken story mid-arc with no idea who Bandarion Keep’s occupants are or why they are distrusted. If you already know it, the payoff is that the campaign’s “hard-won choices” are not decorative — they feed directly into the world you are about to walk into.
The campaign needs Warcraft III: Reforged, an internet connection, a Battle.net account and the Battle.net desktop application. Blizzard has also offered a time-limited “Warcraft Forever Collection” bundle running to 11 January 2027 that includes the campaign, Warcraft III: Reforged, WoW: Forever-related packs and decorative items.
Check the Battle.net store directly for current bundle contents and price — the store page is the authoritative source, and no article, including this one, should be trusted for a number. The launch logistics are in our stress test and launch guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Warcraft III: Reforged to play the Forsaken Kingdom campaign?
Yes. Blizzard lists Warcraft III: Reforged as a requirement, along with an internet connection, a Battle.net account and the Battle.net desktop application.
Is the Forsaken Kingdom campaign connected to WoW: Forever?
Yes. The campaign’s ending connects to World of Warcraft: Forever, and Forever follows the events that come after it, set in a reconstructed original Azeroth.
What is the Forsaken Paladin storyline in Forever?
It follows the undead who are learning to use holy light while mistrusted by other undead, centred on Bandarion Keep in the Whispering Wood of the Tirisfal Glades, with an epic mount quest for undead characters at level 60.
Is the Forsaken Kingdom campaign free?
Blizzard did not state a price in the article, only that it was on sale in the Battle.net shop at the time of publication. The store listing is the authoritative source for current pricing.
[…] Professions integrate with this: an Alchemist can place an Alchemy Lab, a Leatherworker a Tanning Rack, and a Cook can unlock an upgraded camp supporting five or ten items. The total across professions is more than 600 new recipes, and food can give small experience and stat bonuses. The undead story behind the new content is in our Forsaken Kingdom guide. […]