Can You Go Home Again?

When Classic WoW launched in 2019, I asked myself a simple question: Can you go home again? For a brief moment, I thought the answer was yes.

I created Darkbrew. I hit “Enter” and was slowly immersed in Earl Boen’s sonorous narration.

“…in these perilous times, the defense of the mountain kingdoms falls to brave dwarves like you. The spirits of the ancient kings watch over you, and the very mountains are your strength. The future of your people is in your hands.”

There I was — axe in hand, no pet at my side, and, more importantly, no old friends waiting in Coldridge Valley. Instead of stepping out of a time machine, it felt like Peter Pan returned to take me back to Neverland, but I was all grown up. The answer was no.

When Burning Crusade Classic launched, I asked again. No. When Wrath of the Lich King Classic launched — my all-time favorite expansion — I wanted the answer to be yes so badly. I tried. I really tried. But without Euripides, Frostheim, and the rest of the crew who made that expansion special, Northrend was just a frigid ball of ice.

Cataclysm Classic came and went. Mists of Pandaria Classic — another favorite — is winding down, and the answer is still no.

Now, Blizzard has me asking this question again. And if ever there was a chance for the answer to flip to yes, it’s World of Warcraft: Forever.

Azeroth 2004, but with roads not taken? A modern take on the old game? A Dwarf Hunter and his pet as the showcase class, battling, as BigRedKitty famously labeled them, a cockroach Paladin!?

The answer to the question, can you go home again, must be yes!

Beta starts this week. The game launches November 4th.