WoW Forever map changes

Forever Build 1.60.1.70630

A new game built on the 2004 world: vanilla Azeroth kept at level 60 and extended with new zones and quests.

• Riverglades, a new mid-level zone in the Eastern Kingdoms between Redridge, the Burning Steppes, the Badlands and the Swamp of Sorrows.
• Shen'dralas, ancient ruins south of Desolace, reached through the Valley of Bones.
• Mount Hyjal, closed off in Classic, opens as a zone between Felwood and Winterspring.
• Zephras Isle, the Skyborne starting zone, lies apart from both continents and is not on this map.

Classic Era Build 1.15.9.70576

The original world as it stood at the end of vanilla, kept unchanged on its own realms. It is the baseline for the other two.

• The Barrens is one zone, and Thousand Needles is a dry canyon of mesas.
• Quel'Thalas is not on the map, and Gilneas stays shut behind its wall.

Retail Build 12.1.5.70448

The live game in its current expansion. The old continents look as Cataclysm reshaped them in 2010, with later additions on top.

• The Barrens splits into Northern and Southern Barrens, and Stranglethorn into Northern Stranglethorn and the Cape of Stranglethorn.
• Thousand Needles is flooded, and Darkshore's coast is shattered.
• New zones: Twilight Highlands, Gilneas, Mount Hyjal, Uldum and the underwater Vashj'ir.
• Quel'Thalas sits north of the Plaguelands: Eversong Woods, Silvermoon, Zul'Aman and the Isle of Quel'Danas.

About the data

• Each map is cut from the minimaps in the game client of the build shown next to its name.
• Forever comes from its beta before the 4 November 2026 launch, so its terrain may still change.
• Forever's map covers only the world Forever players can reach, so Quel'Thalas shows up in Retail alone.
• Retail shows one phase of areas that change with the story.

Comparing tips

• In “Single map”, press two of the keys 1, 2 and 3 in turn to flip between versions at the same spot.
• “Swipe” drags a divider across one spot, while “Side by side” keeps both maps whole and moving together.
• Turn on the center mark to pin a landmark, then switch versions around it.
• “Go to zone” jumps to a zone by name, such as Riverglades or Thousand Needles.
• Press F to show the maps full screen; Esc leaves it.