Description
Players pick a ruleset instead of a realm. Each ruleset works as one large ecosystem rather than a traditional realm.
Details
Blizzard text: 'Rather than choosing from a long list of realms, players will choose a ruleset that matches how they want to experience Azeroth' Four rulesets: Normal, PvP, Roleplaying, and Hardcore (Hardcore arrives after launch) Blizzard text: 'Each ruleset functions more like its own large ecosystem than a single traditional realm.' Players cannot group across rulesets, and Horde and Alliance still cannot group together Blizzard text: 'Hardcore will remain a fully enclosed ecosystem, but if a Hardcore character dies, that character can transfer to another ruleset, including PvP.' Blizzard text: 'Progress, collections, and rewards earned in Hardcore can become available in other rulesets, but progress from other rulesets will not flow back into Hardcore.' Characters have two-part names ('first name' and 'last name'). Out of Games: first names can repeat, the second name makes each character unique, and the second name's display can be toggled Players can set a language preference and are mostly placed with others who share it. Out of Games reports a 1-day cooldown on changing it Faction balance for PvP is still a consideration. The Deep Dive summary compares the approach to Season of Discovery Layering (reported by Out of Games): builds on Classic's megaserver and layering tech. Players get a layer at login and stay on it except when grouping or changing guilds, and guild members share a layer automatically Out of Games: auctions and mail stay faction-separated
Confidence note
confirmed_official (rulesets, names, language, Hardcore rules); reported (layering and guild-layer details)