Blizzard has announced the early name reservation dates for owners of the Heroic and Epic Skyborne editions, one week before release. A "name + surname" pair counts as unique, and there's a side effect in the mail system: letters to characters with a surname don't go through.

Blizzard has opened early name reservation in WoW: Forever: owners of the Heroic and Epic Skyborne editions will be able to claim a unique "name + surname" pair from October 27 to November 3, 2026 — one day before the general launch. At the same time, players have already noticed a side effect in the game: mail cannot be sent to characters with a surname, because the recipient field doesn't accept a two-word combination in the form the client displays it.

Dates and eligibility. Early name reservation runs from October 27 to November 3, 2026 and is available only to owners of the Heroic and Epic Skyborne editions. The principle is the same as usual: first come, first served. The general launch of WoW: Forever is November 4 at 23:00 UTC (November 5 at 02:00 MSK), so the reservation window closes exactly one day before release. Blizzard hasn't clarified who gets the pair if it was claimed one minute before you.

Rules for the "name + surname" pair. The whole pair is unique, not the name or surname separately: two characters in the same region can share the same first name, and likewise share the same surname, as long as the second part differs. You can hide the surname in settings: Escape → Settings → Nameplate Settings; it will remain in chat, but disappear in the open world. Blizzard has specifically noted that a banned word cannot be circumvented by splitting it between name and surname — both parts are checked individually and the combination as a whole. The old rules are also still in effect: decency and no impersonating Blizzard staff. The game has a random name generator.

What Blizzard didn't say. The rules don't mention whether reservation will be available to those who bought the Heroic or Epic edition after October 27, nor what to do if your pair was reserved right under your nose. There's nothing about a queue or how disputes will be resolved.

In practice.

• If you have a Heroic or Epic Skyborne edition — decide on your pair in advance: the window is only a week, and the surname counts too.
• If you don't need a surname — you can hide it in Settings → Nameplate Settings, but it will still show in chat.
• If you plan to send things by mail — keep the current bug with two-word names in mind: until it's fixed, handing items over in person is more reliable.