World of Warcraft: Forever launched on November 4, and WoW Forever addons work: the live client loads them, and most of the big leveling addons have shipped Forever versions since the beta opened on September 17. The catch is that Forever is not a Classic client. It runs Blizzard’s modern addon system, so a Classic Era addon only works once its author releases a Forever build, and several things you used to install addons for are now part of the game.
We checked the addons players ask about against their release pages and source code on October 10 and again on November 5, the day after launch: which have a Forever version, which don’t, and what the base game already covers. Each status below carries its date and source. Our leveling setup and step-by-step install instructions follow the tables. Updated November 5: every addon rechecked against the live client, which is still version 1.60.1, so the interface number stays 16001. GatherMate2, GatherLite, Bagnon and BetterBags now have released Forever versions, Questie still has none of Forever’s new quests, Blizzard has confirmed the built-in damage meter, and addon managers look for the live game in a _forever_ folder. Updated November 3: Forever keeps Classic’s node spawns in the original zones, and the gathering tip below now says so.
Does WoW Forever Allow Addons?
Yes. The WoW Forever client (version 1.60.1, build 70790 at launch) loads addons whose .toc file declares interface 16001. The live client kept the beta’s version number, so nothing changed for addon authors at launch. Blizzard added a separate Forever game type to the addon system, with the file suffixes _Forever and _Camelot (Camelot is the internal name), according to Warcraft Wiki’s TOC format page. Questie’s developers recorded interface 16001 on beta builds 69893 and 69913.
Two details matter more than the number. First, Forever belongs to the same addon family as Retail and includes all of Retail’s addon API changes up to patch 12.1.5. Addons written for the Classic Era API need a Forever update, even though Forever plays in the original world. Second, that includes the Midnight-era combat restrictions, where some combat data reaches addons as “secret values” they can display but not read. Questie’s September 25 release notes list a fix for Lua error spam in Forever instances caused by them. The restrictions target combat information, so damage meters and aura trackers are hit hardest, while quest, bag and auction addons mostly work with data outside combat (our read of the release notes).
We found no Forever-specific addon statement from Blizzard. The usual line still applies: addons change the interface, they don’t play for you. Anything that automates gameplay, and any boost or bot service bundled with an addon, breaks Blizzard’s terms. Nothing in this guide does that.
What WoW Forever Already Does Without Addons
WoW Forever ships several features that used to need addons. Blizzard’s development notes and its November 3 overview confirm all of them.
| Built-in feature | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Quest markers and tracker | Objectives and turn-ins on the map; the tracker shows quest type and required level | Confirmed: October 8 notes add markers to more quests and the new tracker details |
| Cooldown Manager | Shows chosen cooldowns and buffs in a movable display. All classes, racials and trinkets since October 8, consumables later. Off by default: Options, Gameplay Enhancement | Confirmed: beta notes, September 24 and October 8 |
| Edit Mode | Move and resize interface frames; layouts saved per interface type | Confirmed: beta notes |
| Gamepad support | Controller play with its own action bars and map cursor | Confirmed: What’s Next panel recap, beta notes and Blizzard’s November 3 gamepad article (still in a beta state) |
| Profession window | Its own window (K) with search, filters and recipe tracking | Beta client |
| Group Finder | Post and find groups, with an in-game voice option since October 8 | Confirmed: October 8 notes |
| Damage meter and swing timer | A damage meter you switch on under the Advanced options, and a swing timer bar | Confirmed: Blizzard’s November 3 overview names the Damage Meter; the November 2 notes fix the Swing Timer bar |
What the base game doesn’t show is quests you haven’t picked up. A beta player on the official forums reported on October 3 that available quests only appear on the minimap, and only when you’re close. That gap is the main reason to still run Questie. The client also contains Retail’s on-screen pointer to your tracked quest (datamined; Blizzard hasn’t mentioned it).
Which WoW Forever Addons Work (Status on November 5)
“Released” means a public download with a Forever file or Forever interface number exists. “In code” means the Forever version is in the author’s source code on GitHub, but we couldn’t confirm a public Forever download.
| Addon | Use while leveling | Forever status | Source, date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Questie | Quest givers, objectives and quest history on the map | Released; still none of Forever’s new quests in its data | GitHub release 12.6.1 with QuestieDB 1.0.11, November 5 |
| RestedXP Guides | Step-by-step leveling route | Released; free Forever routes still end at level 20 (Alliance) and 22 (Horde), plus Skyborne. Paid Forever guide on sale; its own 35 to 60 routes come after launch | GitHub release 4.11.32, November 4; kami-labs, October 2 |
| Guidelime | Framework for community guides | Released with Forever support; no Forever guide pack found | GitHub release 6.017, November 5 |
| Zygor | Paid leveling guide | Lists Forever guides among its newest guides; levels covered not stated on its homepage | Zygor homepage, November 5 |
| GatherMate2, GatherLite | Record the herb and ore nodes you find | Released for both | GatherMate2 1.52.4 lists WoW Forever on WowAce, November 2; GatherLite 8.2.0 on GitHub, October 18 |
| Auctionator | Auction house scanning and quick selling | Released | CurseForge Forever file, October 13 |
| Baganator (also Bagnon, BetterBags) | One searchable bag window | All three released | CurseForge Forever files for Baganator and Bagnon, November 5; BetterBags GitHub release 0.9.0, November 5 |
| Details! | Damage meter | Released; what it can read in Forever combat isn’t documented | CurseForge Forever file, October 6; Forever file still in its source, November 5 |
| WeakAuras | Custom aura and cooldown displays | No Forever version | GitHub: Classic flavors only in release 5.22.1 and the main branch, November 5 |
| AtlasLoot Classic | Loot tables | No Forever version; last update June 2024 | GitHub and CurseForge, November 5 |
| SkillUp Forever | Skill-up chances, costs and routes in the profession window | Released, Forever-only | CurseForge 1.0.17, November 5 |
| Forever Quest Tint | Tints the quest text of new Forever quests teal | Released, Forever-only | CurseForge 0.7.1, October 31 |
Questie in WoW Forever
Questie runs on the Forever client but doesn’t know Forever’s new quests yet. The Forever quest data in QuestieDB (checked October 10 and again on November 5 in version 1.0.11) holds 4,244 quests, all with Classic quest IDs. None of the new quests we searched for are in it: Important Heirlooms, Songblade Search, Light’s Justice and Changing Tastes all came up empty. A beta player on the official forums described the effect on October 8: new quests are missing and zone quest counts are wrong. Questie’s own Forever notes say content for new Forever entities is incomplete.
It still earns its place. Forever’s quest list still includes Classic quests next to more than a thousand new ones (the October 8 notes still fix Classic quests such as Lazy Peons and Echeyakee), and Questie shows where those Classic quests start. Since version 12.0.4 (October 6), its tracker reads Blizzard’s quest log, so new quests you accept still appear there.
RestedXP, Guidelime and Zygor
RestedXP is the only guide addon with Forever routes we could verify. The free addon’s current release (4.11.32, November 4) has the same Forever routes as in October: every start zone, Alliance 11 to 20, Horde 12 to 22 through the Barrens, Mage routes and a Skyborne route. The paid Forever guide went on sale on September 14. According to RestedXP’s product page as summarized on October 2 by kami-labs (a site RestedXP sponsors), it costs $30 per faction or $45 for both, and its Forever-specific routes for levels 35 to 60 arrive after launch, with the Classic Era routes covering that range until then. Guidelime loads on Forever but ships no guides of its own, and Zygor’s homepage lists Forever guides among its newest guides without saying which levels they cover. Past level 20, our WoW Forever leveling guide has the full route to 60.
WeakAuras Alternatives
WeakAuras has no Forever version. Its source on GitHub only carries files for the Classic flavors, and its team ended Retail support when the Midnight restrictions arrived (Icy Veins). Forever uses that same restricted API. The Cooldown Manager covers cooldowns and buffs for most leveling characters. If you want more, ForeverAuras is a third-party WeakAuras fork with about 437,000 downloads by November 5 (version 1.2.5), and TellMeWhen, a long-running alternative, supports Forever since its 12.1.5 release of October 12. Both can only use the combat data Blizzard still exposes.
Best WoW Forever Addons for Leveling: Our Setup
This is what we’d install for a new character now. Every pick has a released Forever version as of November 5.
- Questie: shows quest givers on the world map, which the base game doesn’t. Treat its quest counts as Classic-only until an update adds the new quests; the November 5 release still doesn’t.
- Forever Quest Tint: tells you at a glance which quests are new, which are exactly the ones Questie can’t show yet.
- RestedXP Guides for levels 1 to 20: the only route in addon form built for Forever’s start zones. Switch to a written route after that.
- GatherMate2 or GatherLite if you take a gathering profession: they record every node you find, which helps most in the new zones, where no node data is public yet. In the original zones Forever keeps Classic’s node spawns, and our herbalism and mining guides map them.
- Baganator: one searchable window for all bags, useful with Forever’s extra reagent bag slot.
- Auctionator: faster posting of herbs, ore and leather, the usual gold source while leveling.
- SkillUp Forever, only if you level a crafting profession: shows which recipe still gives skill and what it costs, taken from Forever’s own recipe data. Our WoW Forever professions guide covers which professions to pick.
Skip WeakAuras and AtlasLoot Classic, which have no Forever versions. Details! is optional while leveling: the client already contains Blizzard’s own meter, and how much Details can show in Forever combat isn’t documented.
How to Install Addons for WoW Forever
- Download the Forever file. On the addon’s CurseForge page, pick the file listed under WoW Forever, not Classic or Classic Era. If you use the CurseForge app, point it at the Forever folder from step 2.
- Find your Forever folder. In the Battle.net app, select the Forever version of the game, click the gear next to Play and choose Show in Explorer. The addon managers WowUp and CurseBreaker look for the live client in
World of Warcraft\_forever_(their source code, November 5), so addons go intoWorld of Warcraft\_forever_\Interface\AddOns. Blizzard hasn’t documented the folder, so let Show in Explorer confirm it. During the beta, addons went intoWorld of Warcraft\_classic_beta_\Interface\AddOns(Icy Veins, September 24). - Create the folders if needed. If Interface or AddOns doesn’t exist yet, create it.
- Extract the zip into AddOns. Each addon’s folder must sit directly inside AddOns, for example
AddOns\Questiewith its .toc files in it. A folder nested one level too deep won’t load. - Copy both Questie folders. Since 12.0.1, Questie needs the separate QuestieDB addon. Current downloads bundle both (Questie 12.6.1 with QuestieDB 1.0.11 on November 5).
- Check the AddOns list. Restart the game, click AddOns at character select and make sure everything is enabled. An addon marked out of date has no Forever version: replace it instead of forcing it to load.
- Coming from the beta: nothing carries over on its own. If you set up addons in the beta folder, copy its AddOns folder and the WTF folder (it holds your addon settings) into the live Forever folder.
FAQ
Will WoW Forever have quest markers?
Yes. WoW Forever marks quest objectives and turn-ins on the map without addons, and Blizzard’s October 8 beta notes added markers to more quests. It doesn’t show quests you haven’t accepted beyond nearby ones on the minimap, according to a beta player’s report; Questie fills that gap for Classic quests.
Does Questie work in WoW Forever?
Yes. Questie has supported the Forever client since version 12.0.1 on September 25, and 12.6.1 is the current release (November 5). Its database still doesn’t include Forever’s new quests.
Why are my WoW Forever addon settings not saving?
Possibly a client bug rather than your addon. Questie’s developers reproduced it on build 69913 with a bare test addon: settings that were saved on disk didn’t load after a client restart. They didn’t find the cause, and Blizzard’s notes, the launch notes of November 2 included, don’t mention a fix. We haven’t seen reports of it from the live game yet.
Is there WeakAuras for WoW Forever?
Not from the WeakAuras team. Forever uses Retail’s restricted addon API, which WeakAuras no longer supports. ForeverAuras is a third-party fork, and Blizzard’s Cooldown Manager is the built-in option.
Sources: Blizzard’s beta development notes (September 24, October 1, October 8) and What’s Next panel recap; beta player reports on the official forums (quest markers, Forever addons); the CurseForge pages for SkillUp Forever and Forever Quest Tint. Addon status comes from each addon’s own GitHub, CurseForge and WowAce release pages, checked October 10 and November 5, and the folder name from the source code of the WowUp and CurseBreaker addon managers. Also used: Warcraft Wiki (TOC format), the wow-ui-source mirror of the Forever client’s interface files (builds 70338 and 70790), Icy Veins, and kami-labs on the RestedXP Forever guide (sponsored by RestedXP). Screenshot: Blizzard Entertainment.