WoW: Forever Beta Breaks Records While Midnight Struggles

Have you ever seen two versions of the same game go in completely opposite directions? That's exactly what's happening with World of Warcraft right now. WoW: Forever, the new Classic-inspired version, is riding high on a record-breaking beta, while retail's Midnight expansion feels like it's stuck in crisis mode.

Let's start with the good news. WoW: Forever is killing it. Blizzard developers have commented that the beta is breaking records, and the team has been more communicative than ever—weekly podcasts, forum posts addressing issues, and frequent balance and bug fixes. It's a level of engagement players have been begging for. Meanwhile, Midnight's latest content update, patch 12.1.5, launched on October 13 and immediately ran into trouble.

The patch added new story quests, a single-boss raid, and a long-teased mega delve called a labyrinth—a solo-focused experience that's almost raid-like. Sounds cool, right? Unfortunately, it launched in a bug-riddled state. The Kindo'jan labyrinth, the patch's biggest feature, was a mess. Players didn't get credit for boss kills, couldn't collect rewards, and one nasty bug had them falling through the floor of the final boss arena, making it impossible to complete. Valeera, the delve companion, also had issues—dying too quickly or failing mechanics. A hotfix on October 16 fixed some of the worst bugs, but labyrinths still have a major problem: no save points.

When Blizzard first detailed labyrinths, it said players could tackle them "piece by piece over time, progressing at your own pace." That's not true right now. There are no checkpoints, so you have to finish in one session—and they take at least an hour. Combined with the bugs, it's been incredibly frustrating. Is the lack of checkpoints a bug, an unannounced change, or an oversight? Nobody knows, but it's a rough debut for Midnight's newest feature.

And the bugs are just part of why patch 12.1.5 is unpopular. The story is catching flak too, specifically the death of Liadrin, a major blood elf paladin. She dies after the new raid against Kithix, seemingly from exhaustion after wielding the Light too strongly. Her last words: "Darkness will never prevail." Unlike Varian Wrynn's epic death in Legion, Liadrin's feels anticlimactic—and it happens in a .5 patch that feels disconnected from the larger narrative. It also reinforces a trend of old faction rivalries being easily reconciled, as her death brings blood elves and Amani trolls together (though Blizzard emphasizes they're not allies).

This isn't the first time a .5 patch has flopped. Back in April, patch 12.0.5 launched buggy, and Blizzard issued a public apology, promising to "do better." Six months later, it feels like déjà vu. Meanwhile, Blizzard barely talked about modern WoW at BlizzCon 2026, focusing almost entirely on WoW: Forever, which launches November 4. Midnight's final patch will see players confront Xal'atath, but details on The Last Titan are scarce despite its planned release next year.

So, what do you think? Are you more excited for WoW: Forever, or are you sticking with Midnight despite the bumps? Let us know in the comments!