Not by choice, as of November 5. Blizzard sells a Name Change service for modern World of Warcraft, but it has not announced one for World of Warcraft: Forever, so the name you gave a character at creation, or during the name reservation week, is the name it keeps. The one way a WoW Forever name changes today is a forced rename, when Blizzard flags a name that breaks its naming rules.
That makes the name worth getting right the first time. Below: how forced renames work, what you can do about a secondary name you have gone off, why deleting and starting over is a gamble, and how to pick a name that will last. Checked against Blizzard’s naming post, its starter guide and its staff forum posts as of November 5, the day after launch.
Is There a Name Change Service?
Not for WoW Forever, as of November 5. Blizzard’s shop sells name changes for modern WoW, and its Classic games have their own, but Blizzard has not announced a paid name change for WoW Forever in its posts about the game, from the launch post to its new player’s starter guide.
Blizzard has not said whether one will come later either. Until it does, treat every name as permanent.
Forced Renames: When Blizzard Changes It for You
A name that breaks Blizzard’s naming policy gets flagged, and a flagged character shows “Flagged for Rename” at character select. It has to be given a new name, and the new one has to pass the same checks.
Blizzard has been enforcing this since the beta. In September, Blizzard’s WoW developer Fwoibles said on the official forums that the team was “in the process of issuing forced name changes to characters found to be in violation of our character naming policies,” that some testers lost beta access for names “far outside of our Code of Conduct,” and that “our system for enforcing naming standards will be coming online very shortly.” The same post says Customer Service “cannot and will not assist with any appeals” of those actions, and asks players not to “test” the system.
Two things follow:
- A forced rename is not a way to get a name change. Picking a borderline name in the hope of a free rename risks more than a rename: Blizzard removed beta access for the worst cases.
- Reserving a name does not exempt it. Blizzard’s naming rules apply to every character, including those made during the name reservation week.
Blizzard’s Code of Conduct is the rulebook for what is allowed.
If It Is Your Secondary Name You Regret
Every WoW Forever character has a main name and a secondary name, and you cannot remove the second one. What you can do is hide it: press Escape, open Options, then Nameplates, and use the “My Secondary Name” setting. Blizzard notes it still appears in chat. Our guide to hiding your last name covers what that setting does and does not hide.
Deleting and Starting Over
If you are early enough in a character that losing the progress does not matter, the only real way to a different name is a new character. Two things to know first:
- Your old name may not come back to you. Blizzard says WoW Forever names are first come, first served, and it has not said when a deleted character’s name becomes available again. Do not delete a character expecting to remake it with the same name.
- On a PvP ruleset, your faction is fixed by your characters there. Blizzard says players on PvP rulesets are restricted to one faction, so a new character there joins the same side, as our guide to playing Alliance and Horde explains.
Changing your look is another story: that is a barber shop job, as our guide to changing your appearance covers.
How to Pick a Name That Lasts
Blizzard’s naming post sets the rules:
- The full name must be unique within your region, across every ruleset. If your favorite first name is taken, keep it and change the secondary name.
- Both names are checked together, so splitting a restricted word across the two names “will not necessarily make it valid.”
- Some names are restricted on purpose, such as major Warcraft lore characters. Blizzard fixed a bug in late October that refused valid names containing “c-o-n.”
- Roleplay rulesets have strict naming conventions, per Blizzard’s ruleset descriptions. If you play on one, pick a name that fits the world.
Stuck for ideas? Blizzard points to the in-game random name generator. Our name reservation guide explains how the two-part system works, and if a name refuses to go through at creation, our guide to fixing character creation errors covers every message. Every other guide is on our World of Warcraft hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you change your name in WoW Forever? Not by choice, as of November 5. Blizzard has not announced a name change service for WoW Forever. Names only change when Blizzard forces a rename for a name that breaks its policy.
Can you change your name later in WoW Forever? Blizzard has not said whether a name change service will come. For now, plan on keeping the name you choose.
What does “Flagged for Rename” mean? Blizzard has flagged the character’s name as against its naming policy. The character has to be given a new name that passes the same checks.
Can I remove my secondary name? No. Every character has one, but you can hide it from nameplates in the options. It still appears in chat.
If I delete my character, can I reuse the name? Blizzard has not said when a deleted character’s name becomes available again, and names are first come, first served, so do not count on it.