What level are WoW Forever's new zones?

Four new regions sit inside the familiar level 1 to 60 map of Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor. Blizzard's 12 September 2026 What's Next panel named them: Zephras Isle, Riverglades, Shen'dralas, and Mount Hyjal.

Zephras Isle is the clearest one. It runs levels 1 through 12, an elemental skybound start in the Plane of Air built for the new Skyborne race. You choose Horde or Alliance when you create the character, before you set foot on the isle.

Riverglades sits higher. Blizzard calls it "mid-30s to mid-40s." Icy Veins, reporting on 21 September 2026, puts a number on that: levels 35 to 45, between Redridge Mountains and Burning Steppes. More than 150 quests fill that band.

Shen'dralas and Mount Hyjal do not have a published level yet. Icy Veins describes Mount Hyjal as an endgame zone for level 60 players, reached by heading south from Winterspring through Darkwhisper Gorge. Blizzard's own post gives it no number, so treat 60 as a secondary-source claim, not an official one.

The two sources also disagree on where Shen'dralas sits. Blizzard places it between Mulgore and Desolace. Icy Veins places it between Desolace and Feralas, tied to quests for Maraudon and Razorfen Downs. Nothing published settles which is right.

Dee the knight on a Redridge Mountains ridge beside a blank stone marker, looking down a road toward Burning Steppes and the open Riverglades frontier.
The road out of Redridge keeps going. Riverglades picks up around level 35.

No flying, no scaling: the level stays put

World of Warcraft: Forever ships with no flying mounts and no level scaling, two choices Blizzard ties to the classic design principles guiding the game. A zone's level band does not shift to match your character.

That cuts the same way for Alliance and Horde. You ride or walk to Riverglades, Shen'dralas, or Mount Hyjal, not fly there in a few clicks. The zone will not shrink to match your level once you arrive, and outleveling an old zone does not make the road to a new one any easier.

It also means a zone's listed level is worth writing down. Riverglades at 35-45 and Zephras Isle at 1-12 are not guesses that will move once you arrive. Treat them as planning numbers for either faction.

How far beta testing has leveled so far

On 1 October 2026, Forever's beta raised its level cap from 20 to 30, Blizzard's development notes confirm. That opened more of the familiar 20-30 range, Hillsbrad Foothills, Stonetalon Mountains, and the Wetlands among them, plus one new dungeon.

That dungeon, Excavation Site: Wetlands, sits at levels 26 to 31 in Blizzard's 1 October notes. Blizzard's own 15 September 2026 announcement had put it at 24 to 29; the 1 October 2026 beta notes updated it to 26-31, the current official number. Razorfen Downs (25+) and Uldaman (30+) opened on the same build.

Icy Veins reported that same build already lets you walk into Shen'dralas or Riverglades early, even capped at 30. The ground is open. Their later quests are simply out of reach until you are higher level.

Where Alliance and Horde still start

Skyborne is the one new starting option, and it is faction-locked at creation: Horde-aligned Skyborne get the Shaman class, Alliance-aligned Skyborne get Mage, and both sides can be Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, or Druid.

Every other race keeps its old start. Blizzard's 24 September 2026 beta notes patch early areas including Elwynn Forest, Dun Morogh, Durotar, Mulgore and Teldrassil, as well as Undercity. Forever adds new regions on top of that map. It does not move the beginning of it.

Wowdee will build a leveling route that lines up a zone's level against your character's level, from Zephras Isle through Riverglades and beyond, so you know which new region is actually worth the ride before you take it.

Still to come

Not yet settled by our sources or tested in game:

  • The confirmed level range for Shen'dralas.
  • Whether Shen'dralas sits by Mulgore or by Feralas, since Blizzard and Icy Veins disagree.
  • An official level number for Mount Hyjal, beyond Icy Veins' level 60 claim.
  • Whether the beta's level cap rises again before testing closes.

Sources

Beta notes are dated because Forever is still changing.

  • Blizzard: What's Next panel recap, 12 September 2026No flying, no level scaling, 1,000+ new quests across levels 1-60, Zephras Isle 1-12, Riverglades mid-30s to mid-40s, and the Mount Hyjal and Shen'dralas descriptions.
  • Blizzard beta development notes, updated 1 October 2026Beta level cap raised 20 to 30 and Excavation Site: Wetlands opened at 26-31 on 1 October, Razorfen Downs 25+ and Uldaman 30+ opened, and quest fixes in the starting zones across both the 24 September and 1 October updates.
  • Icy Veins, 21 September 2026Mount Hyjal as a level 60 endgame zone, Riverglades at levels 35-45 between Redridge and Burning Steppes, and Shen'dralas placed between Desolace and Feralas.
  • Icy Veins, 1 October 2026Beta Phase 2 cap increase to 30, the 20-30 zone range opened, the 24-29 Excavation Site: Wetlands estimate, and confirmation Shen'dralas and Riverglades are already walkable at that cap.