You can’t see your friend in World of Warcraft: Forever because you are in different copies of the world, which Blizzard calls world instances and most people call layers, even when you are standing on the same spot. Group up, then click the blue message at the lower right of your screen and choose Refresh Now, and you move into your friend’s copy.
The catch is that the message is easy to miss and does not always show. Below is the fix step by step, what to try when no message appears, and how to stay together afterward. Blizzard has not posted a permanent fix, and nothing below is guaranteed, but its November 6 hotfix notes did add “some improvements to the visibility of other players and their targets across relatively large distances,” checked November 8.
How to Get Into the Same World
- Go to the same zone first. Copies are per zone, so a friend on another continent cannot be pulled to you. Meet up in the same zone, somewhere safe.
- Have your friend lead and invite you. Blizzard’s notes say party leaders “should no longer be transferred when creating or updating party composition,” so the person whose copy you want to join sends the invite.
- Accept the invite. The invite window warns: “Accepting this invitation may cause the world to refresh around you.” It is what we saw in our own recording.
- Look at the lower right of your screen for a blue message. Blizzard’s community manager pointed to it on November 5. It reads like a countdown to a world refresh, not like a button.
- Click the message. A pop-up opens.
- Click Refresh Now. The players and creatures around you change, and your friend should be there.
You do not have to wait out the timer. Blizzard has not published its length, and at launch it has run about 30 minutes, which is a long time to stand around when one click does the job.
You need to be out of combat. Blizzard’s notes say players “can no longer accept the ‘refresh world’ prompt while in combat.”
If No Blue Message Appears
The message does not show every time, and Blizzard asked about it in that same forum thread without posting a fix. Try these in order, from quickest to slowest:
- Swap who leads. Disband and re-form the group with the other person inviting. The message is for the person who was invited, so re-forming gives it a fresh chance to appear.
- Log out and back in. The person who needs to move relogs after the group is formed. Go fully to the login, not just
/reload. - Cross a zone line together. Walk into the next zone and back while grouped. Tirisfal Glades to Silverpine Forest and back did the job in one case on launch night. Going into a capital city did not.
- Re-form the group after any boat or zeppelin. A trip can leave one of you behind in another copy, so regroup when you land and look for the message again.
- Give it a little time. Stay grouped and keep playing in the same zone, then repeat the steps above if you are still apart.
Our layers guide explains what else moves you between copies.
How to Tell It Is a Layer Problem
- You see your friend’s name in your party frames and a dot on your map, but no character. You are grouped and in different copies. The fix above applies.
- Your friend vanished when one of you crossed a zone line or stepped off a boat. Same cause.
- Nearby mobs and players look different to each of you. Same cause, since each copy has its own.
- You cannot group at all. That is a different problem. Our guide to why you can’t invite a friend to a group goes through it.
When No Refresh Can Help
No refresh will fix these, because the game will not let you group in the first place:
- Different rulesets. Normal, PvP, Roleplaying and Roleplay-PvP are separate, and Hardcore is sealed off. Our guide to grouping across rulesets has the full table.
- Different factions. Horde and Alliance can never group, so one cannot pull the other onto a layer. Our guide to how Alliance and Horde work covers the rest.
- Different regions. Our guide to how many servers there are lists them.
How to Stay Together
- Stay grouped. Leaving the group is a party change, and Blizzard’s notes say a party change can move you to another copy.
- Refresh somewhere safe. A move can drop you beside fresh enemy spawns, so do it in town or at a cleared camp. On Hardcore, this matters even more.
- Loot first. Anything still on the ground stays behind in the old copy.
- Travel as a party. Expect to re-form the group after a long trip.
Press O to open your friends list if you need to check that your friend is online. Every Forever guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I see my friend in WoW Forever? You are in different copies of the world. Group up, click the blue message at the lower right of your screen, and choose Refresh Now.
Where is the Refresh Now button? It is in a pop-up that opens when you click the blue message at the lower right after joining a party.
Why don’t I get the refresh message? It does not always appear. Re-form the group with the other person inviting, log out and back in, or cross a zone line together and come back.
Who should invite who? The person whose copy of the world you want to join should lead and send the invite, since Blizzard says leaders are no longer transferred when a party forms.
Do I have to wait for the timer to run out? No. Clicking the message and choosing Refresh Now moves you right away.
Can I do it during a fight? No. Blizzard blocked accepting the refresh prompt while you are in combat.
Why can I see my friend’s dot but not their character? You are grouped, so the party map shows them, but you are in different copies. Use the Refresh Now steps above.