WoW Forever — Master Plan

Overview Setup

Alliance Dwarf Shaman, Enhancement spec with a two-handed weapon, on the Normal (PvE) ruleset. This is the main character, leveled second: the Hunter goes to 40 first to build gold and Legacy points.

Confirmed game facts that shape the plan

• Level cap stays 60 permanently; no flying, no level scaling.
• No WoW Token and no paid boost.
• Legacy system: points earned account-wide, each character spends up to 16 at launch.
• Healing Potions moved from Alchemy to First Aid; First Aid also makes disease and poison cures.
• Crafted food grants stats plus a small XP bonus.
• Camping: Cooking builds the campfire; each profession adds one object; shared one-hour cooldown.
• Realmless: you pick a ruleset, not a server. Grouping only within your ruleset; battlegrounds cross rulesets.
• Addons work, with Midnight's combat-data restrictions; auction house is the retail-style one (likely commodity market).
• Bank is about 96 slots; a fifth bag slot takes a reagent bag.

Account roster Four characters

Every character is Alliance on the Normal ruleset. Between them they cover every profession except Blacksmithing, and each one supplies the others.

How materials flow

• Herbs: Hunter (later Druid) → Druid's Alchemy, or sold raw.
• Ore and stone: Hunter → sold raw or smelted at first; kept for Engineering later.
• Leather: Shaman → Leatherworking (quivers and ammo pouches for the Hunter, Armor Kits, gear).
• Cloth: everyone keeps enough for First Aid and mails the rest to the Rogue for Tailoring bags.
• Unwanted greens and lockboxes: everyone mails them to the Rogue to disenchant and open.

Leveling order

1. Hunter to 40: catches the launch-week herb and ore price spike and earns account-wide Legacy points.
2. Shaman: starts around late November or early December with gold, bags and Legacy perks, and levels Leatherworking on cheap post-crash leather.
3. Rogue and Druid: leveled slowly in between, with Well Rested from Legacy points.

Pre-launch timeline & to-dos Checklist

The gold tool build and the Wowhead quest research are the two big jobs before November 4.

• Now – October: build the gold tool core against retail WoW (see the separate Claude Code plan file)
• Now: research Forever gold, recipes and items on Wowhead's Forever database and guides
• Mid-October: compile the per-level quest checklist from Wowhead (bags, class items, profession items, dungeon quests, Ironforge reputation quests)
• Mid-October: copy the Wowhead containers list into chat so it can be sorted by level, slots and source
• October 27 – November 3: reserve names for every roster character on the Normal ruleset
• Before launch: install Auctionator and Questie (Forever version); check whether TSM has Forever support
• Before launch: set up keybinds and practice them on a retail character
• Before launch: finalize the gold tool's SKILL.md, goals.yaml and output format
• Launch day: play the Hunter first; start the Shaman at Hunter level 40
• Launch day: first full auction house scan the first time in a capital city; confirm auction house faction split and neutral auction houses
• Launch week: point the addon at the Forever client; load watchlists

Character: Dwarf Shaman Build

Enhancement with a two-handed mace; levels 1–20 are based on beta data, levels above 20 use Classic training levels and must be checked against the trainer.

Talents 10–20

Thundering Strikes 5, Mental Dexterity 3, Improved Ghost Wolf 2, Shamanistic Focus 1. After 20, work toward Stormstrike, Flurry and Maelstrom Weapon.

Training plan

Always buy every rank of core damage and survival spells. Skip or delay situational spells to protect the mount fund.

Keybinds (14 keys)

Totems on one key

Use Call of the Elements if it drops all totems at once in Forever; otherwise this macro on X:

#showtooltip
/castsequence reset=combat Strength of Earth Totem, Searing Totem, Healing Stream Totem

Save totems for elites and multi-mob pulls.

Rotations

• 1–10: Lightning Bolt pull, melee with Rockbiter, Earth Shock to finish or interrupt, heal between fights.
• 10–20: Lightning Shield up; pull with Flame Shock (or Lightning Bolt); melee; Earth Shock to finish or interrupt; totems only for elites or several mobs.
• 20–30: same, plus Frost Shock on runners, Ghost Wolf between quests, Lesser Healing Wave when low.
• 30–40: Windfury replaces Rockbiter; Lightning Bolt on Maelstrom procs; Flame Shock then Earth Shock; Chain Lightning on two-mob pulls.
• 40–60: Stormstrike on cooldown, Earth Shock right after, keep Flame Shock up, Lightning Bolt on procs, Lesser Healing Wave as needed.

PvP (battlegrounds or when you flag)

1. Stoneform (F) against Rogues and Hunters.
2. Earthbind Totem (E).
3. Frost Shock (Q).
4. Ghost Wolf (R) and run.
5. Lesser Healing Wave (6) once out of reach.

Against casters: Earth Shock interrupts; Grounding Totem absorbs one spell.

Leveling route Zones

Normal (PvE) ruleset: world PvP only happens when both players opt in, so take the fastest zones, not the safest. Zone ranges are Classic-based; Forever's new quests may shift them, so follow RestedXP or Journey where they differ.

Leveling habits

• Run each dungeon once, with its quests; Forever cut dungeon mob XP and raised dungeon quest XP.
• Eat crafted food for the XP bonus; log out in inns for rested XP; use campfires and the Cozy Sleeping Bag.
• Launch week is crowded: group up for kill quests instead of competing for the same mobs.
• Grind beasts between quests: XP, leather and meat at once, and Big Game Hunter adds 5% damage against them.

Priorities for levels 1–40 Order of operations

XP comes first; everything else rides along with it or pays for the mount.

1. Leveling pace: quest-led; each dungeon once for its quests; use food XP buffs, rested XP, campfires, Cozy Sleeping Bag.
2. Class quests: Earth (about 4), Fire (about 10), Water (about 20), Air (about 30) totem quests.
3. Two-handed weapon access: Classic Shamans needed an Enhancement talent to use two-handed maces. Check Forever's tree before planning around a 2H mace.
4. Weapon upgrades: dungeon quest rewards first (Hall of Thanes, Ruins of Lordaeron, Deadmines, Stockade, Gnomeregan, Uldaman).
5. Flight paths: grab every Alliance flight path you pass.
6. Legacy milestones: class milestones at 25 and 45 (BlizzCon build); pick up challenges on your route.
7. Professions: Skinning at about 5× level; level Leatherworking right away on your own and cheap post-crash leather; First Aid with own cloth; Fishing to 100+ before the Sunday event.
8. Gold: mount fund milestones (20% at 30, 50% at 35, 100% at 40).
9. Ironforge reputation: incidental from quests; helps the epic mount discount later.

Stranglethorn Fishing Extravaganza Weekly event

Sundays 2:00–4:00 PM server time; catch 40 Speckled Tastyfish from coastal pools (not Booty Bay) and turn in to Riggle Bassbait in Booty Bay.

• Forever changes (one source, verify): the first 50 players to finish win, not just one. Prize: Arcanite Fishing Rod plus an Extravaganza Coin for a new Fishing Derby shop; winner gets the Master Angler title for one week.
• Skill: at least 100 recommended so you can learn Find Fish (shows pools on the minimap). Aim higher to avoid fish getting away.
• Ruleset: on Normal it's a race against other fishers, not a fight. Go once you can handle Stranglethorn mobs (about level 35+) and have a mount for moving between pools.
• Prep: Expert Fishing book (Booty Bay in Classic), lures, Find Fish, a route along the coast.

Levels 40–60 plan Mid–late game

Quest-led through the Riverglades tail, the Classic 45–60 zones and Hyjal; with the mount bought, trading capital becomes the main use of gold.

Zones

Riverglades to mid-40s, Krol'dok Stronghold (40–45), Feralas, Hinterlands, Azshara, Un'Goro (new Shaper's Terrace content), Felwood, Winterspring, Western/Eastern Plaguelands, Burning Steppes, then Hyjal via Darkwhisper Gorge.

Dungeons

Once each for quests; a developer said dungeon mob XP is cut and dungeon quest XP raised. New: Alcaz Prison (level range unconfirmed).

Shaman

Stormstrike at 40, rotation from the Character section; Legacy class milestone at 45.

Professions

Thick then Rugged leather; catch Leatherworking up and make own gear; Artisan Fishing (Nat Pagle, Dustwallow, in Classic), Artisan Cooking (Tanaris, in Classic), First Aid to max.

Gold

Rebuild a trading buffer after the mount; follow the velocity rules; start the epic mount fund.

At level 60 End game

Phase by what's scarce: gear and reputation first, then a steady gold engine, then the epic mount and alts.

• Leatherworking to 300: earns an account-wide certification title; Blueprints drop from dungeon bosses; reputation recipes.
• Reputations: only grind factions whose rewards you'll use (recipes, gear, Legacy challenges), plus Ironforge for the mount discount.

Professions and sell/craft/hold timeline Economy

The Shaman starts after the Hunter reaches 40, so it misses the launch leather spike and arrives when leather is cheap. Level Leatherworking fast on bought leather, sell Armor Kits, and hold high-end supplies for raid demand.

Leather price pattern (Classic launches, moderate confidence)

• Days 1 to about 10: high prices → sell.
• Weeks 2–4: crash as skinners catch up → buy for Leatherworking.
• Steady state: higher tiers and special leathers hold value; low tiers settle near a floor.

Profession notes

• First Aid is the strongest money secondary now: healing potions, bandages, disease and poison cures; steady demand from levelers.
• Cooking: food XP bonus speeds leveling; a campfire in a contested zone may draw attention.
• Fishing is the weakest early (standing still = easy target). Luremaster Legacy perk only once fishing is real income.
• Crafted armor may be Bind on Pickup (unconfirmed); if so, Leatherworking money comes from Armor Kits, quivers, ammo pouches and bags.
• Human Hunter is new, so Alliance may have more hunters buying quivers and ammo pouches.
• Legacy points: Adventure (leveling speed) first; Bountiful Harvest once selling leather at volume; skip For Great Honor.

Gold priorities Spending order

Spend in this order: core spells, bags, profession training, mount fund, then market investment, with small fast trades allowed before 40 only from gold beyond the mount milestone.

1. Core spell ranks every trainer visit; skip situational spells.
2. Bags early and continuously; compare by price per slot; don't buy in the first few days.
3. Profession training as needed: Skinning current; Cooking, Fishing, First Aid as you go; delay Leatherworking costs until leveling it; expert books when ready to use.
4. Mount fund from level 30.
5. Market investment: small before 40, main use of gold after 40.

Level 40 mount fund (riding cost not announced; Classic was about 90g, placeholder)

Below the milestone: cut optional spending. Above it: that surplus is trading capital.

Epic mount (after 60 — cost not announced; Classic was about 1,000g: ~900g training + 100g mount)

Buy when gold ≥ mount cost + trading capital + 4 × weekly raid supply spend + repair buffer

• Replaces the flat "2× the cost" rule; likely lands near 2× but tracks real needs.
• Classic reputation discounts: about 5% Friendly, 10% Honored, 15% Revered, 20% Exalted (Ironforge sets the Dwarf discount). Unknown whether Forever keeps it.
• Runecloth turn-ins raise Ironforge reputation; compare runecloth auction value against the discount it earns.
• Once past the threshold, buy it: faster travel means more gathering per hour.

Bags and inventory Storage

Free and cheap bags should cover most needs before level 20; make a reagent bag the first purchase so leather and ingredients stay out of the main bags.

• Targets: 10-slot bags by about 20, larger by 30.
• Regular bags keep their original sizes until higher levels.
• Bank about 96 slots: hold leather and fish through price crashes instead of selling low.
• Cozy Sleeping Bag gives up to 3% XP; sources disagree on the Student Fodder count and buff details. Verify in-game.

Gold-making strategy Economy

Sell to other levelers, not raiders: Forever keeps paying people to level alts, so leveling supplies should have steady buyers while raid consumables get crowded.

Market phases

Food demand

• XP and stat food for levelers: steady; main market.
• Raid food: weekly spikes before reset; almost no market before December 9.
• PvP food: a small market from battleground players.

Alt roster (later)

Five characters cover all nine primary professions: main (Skinning/Leatherworking), Herbalist/Alchemist, Tailor/Enchanter, plus gathering or crafting slots to fill the gaps. Everyone takes Cooking and First Aid.

Rules

• Don't auto-undercut; compare sale speed, fees and how long you can wait.
• Treat your ruleset and faction auction house as your only market until proven otherwise.
• Never buy gold.

Launch play: quivers and ammo pouches (only if the Shaman plays in week 1)

Farm Light Leather in busy Dun Morogh areas (including skinning other players' looted kills), level Leatherworking to 30, and sell small batches of quivers and ammo pouches before other leatherworkers flood the market.

• Window: days 1–7 at most; other leatherworkers leveling through skill 30 will flood these.
• Demand: Alliance hunters only (Human Hunter is new); one purchase each, soon upgraded. Vendor quivers and pouches cap the price.
• Break-even per quiver: (4 × Light Leather price + 2 × thread) ÷ 0.95 + minimum profit. Below that, sell the leather raw.
• Post 3–5 of each, watch sell-through, restock only what sells.
• Pair with Light Armor Kits (bigger market: every melee leveler).

Pricing and velocity framework Trading math

Judge every trade by daily return on the gold tied up, cap purchases at 2–3 days of sales, and price from medians and percentiles, not averages.

Baselines

• From daily lows over a trailing window: P25 (cheap), median (normal), P75 (expensive).
• Window: days 1–14 → 3 days; days 15–45 → 7 days; after → 14 days.
• Launch prices are not baselines; early spikes would anchor long averages too high.

Buy rule (ingredients, leather)

Buy only when the price is at or below P25 and under break-even:

Max ingredient price = (sale price × 0.95 − other reagent costs − min profit) / quantity needed

Sell rule (food, products)

• Floor: never below max(cost × 1.2, P25).
• Target: median.
• If the lowest price is under your floor, don't list; wait.

Market depth (commodity auction house)

• No stacks: you list a quantity at a unit price; cheapest units sell first.
• Before listing, check units listed below your target. If that exceeds daily sales, wait, or buy them out if under P25 and relist at median.
• Listing duration: the shortest that covers expected time to sell; longer means bigger deposits. If time to sell exceeds the longest duration, list less or hold. Retail durations are 12/24/48 hours; Forever's are unconfirmed.

Velocity

Daily return = (net profit / gold invested) / days until sold

Net profit = (sale price × 0.95) − total cost − deposits lost.

• Days to clear = your quantity ÷ units sold per day; buy only enough to clear in 2–3 days.
• Estimating sales per day: own sale log first; then drop in listed quantity between scans (noisy); new items get a small test buy first.
• Minimum daily return: the rate your best fast item earns; anything below it loses to that item.
• Which constraint binds: at launch gold is scarce (velocity rules). Later, if gold piles up, playtime binds, and a slow high-margin low-effort item can win.

Pre-buy checklist

1. How many units sell per day?
2. How many days will my quantity take to sell?
3. What's the daily return?
4. Is it above my minimum?
5. Is there a faster item for this gold?

Tooling Addons & resources

The gold tool runs in Claude Code on the gaming PC: a small addon scans and exports, a local SQLite database keeps history, and a skill turns each scan into a buy/craft/sell plan. Full build plan is in the separate markdown file.

• TSM: Forever support unconfirmed (site lists Midnight, MoP Classic, Classic Era). Midnight's addon restrictions target combat data, not the auction house; the real risk is porting and TSM's cloud data.
• Auctionator: fallback; runs on the modern auction house.
• Questie: has a Forever release.
• Loop: scan → /reload → skill reads saved variables (or pasted export) → scripts compute → plan → you click every buy and post.
• Account safety: no automated input, no memory reading; the addon advises, you click.
• Build against retail now: Forever shares retail's 12.1.5 API, so the scanner and scripts can be tested on retail's auction house before launch.

Leveling guide addon

• RestedXP vs Journey: try both free tiers at launch (RestedXP 1–20, Journey 1–30), then buy one, Alliance-only. RestedXP has Forever routes for 1–35 and falls back on Classic routes for 35–60 at launch; Journey is new and publishes its Forever routes at launch. Buy whichever has real Forever routes past 35.
• Alternative: Zygor (subscription). Forever guides planned for November 2026; covers leveling plus gear, dungeons and gold. Re-evaluate after launch reviews.
• Free backup: Questie (Forever support in its official releases, but the 1,000+ new Forever quests may be missing at first). The game also shows its own quest markers.
• Security: install addons only from CurseForge, GitHub or the developer's own site; avoid "pre-patched" downloads from third-party sites.

Resources

Maps

• Avoid wowforevermap.com: its own disclaimer says data comes from private Classic servers and will be inaccurate for Forever.
• All maps are built from beta data; recheck after launch.
• In game: Leatrix Maps has a Forever build.

Addon list

Fishing and gathering addons

• Fishing Buddy (Forever): has a Forever version on CurseForge (by crediar). Tracks catches per zone, shows skill and session time, one-click fishing outfit swap, auto-applies lures.
• GatherWise Forever + Databank: chosen over GatherMate2. Records only nodes you actually gather, shares one database across your characters, optional Wowhead Forever data (not Classic), and import/export to swap maps with friends. No auto-routes.
• Skinning: no node addon needed; plan beast routes from Wowhead NPC spawn maps.
• Bobber splash volume: Leatrix Plus option.
• Avoid: fishing bots or anything that automates casting or looting (bannable).

Open questions to verify at launch Unresolved

• Riding (level 40) and epic riding costs
• Whether reputation discounts apply to riding training
• Crafted leather armor: Bind on Pickup or Bind on Equip?
• Whether dungeon Blueprints can be traded
• Size of the food XP bonus
• Auction house: shared across factions or split? Neutral auction houses and their cut? Commodity market for leather, meat, fish, food?
• Auction house cut (assumed 5%) and listing durations
• Which items the reagent bag accepts
• TSM and Auctionator Forever support
• Call of the Elements: does it drop all totems at once?
• Shaman spell training levels above 20; totem quest levels
• Expert and Artisan book locations for Fishing, Cooking, First Aid
• Whether you can track herbs and minerals at the same time (Hunter)
• Whether dual wield exists for Enhancement
• Which upgrade pack includes the Skyborne race (Druid)