Warcraft III has a new campaign · Forsaken Kingdom is playable now

If Warcraft III has been sitting on your drive waiting for a reason to return, this was an unusually unexpected one. Forsaken Kingdom was announced and released at BlizzCon on September 12. It is a new Reforged campaign, not simply a visual refresh of existing missions. PC Gamer’s pre-briefing report.

Warcraft III’s previous new campaign arrived with The Frozen Throne in 2003, 23 years ago. That makes this relevant even to WoW players who know Lordaeron primarily as a map rather than a whole tragedy.

September 18 update · PTR fixes and a save-file warning

Blizzard released PTR build 24281 on September 17. Its fixes cover an item-related Naxxramas crash and Undercity’s permanent health-regeneration reduction bug. Ambient Occlusion returns to the options. These are test-realm changes, not an announcement that the fix package is live. Official PTR notes.

When the patch goes live, previous save files will no longer work. Campaign progress between Chapters and Acts is retained. Blizzard estimates 1–2 weeks of PTR testing; that is not a confirmed release date.

Finishing an ongoing mission before updating is therefore worth considering. Backing up a save should not be mistaken for a guarantee that it will work in the new version. The original article below covers the campaign and 3.0 update released on September 12.

The ruins become a home

The story begins with The Last Days of Lordaeron prologue before Forsaken Kingdom turns towards Undercity. PC Gamer’s preview identifies Arthas, Sylvanas, Putress and the Scarlet Crusade. The campaign’s starting point.

For us, the hook is simple: Undercity is not just somewhere your character arrives to run errands. Someone had to make it a home. We would like to see lost lives, free will and the building of a new community explored beyond speeches by its famous leaders.

That is an expectation, not a verdict. We have not played through the campaign for this article, so we are not promising a particular mission quality or declaring that one launch has solved Reforged’s earlier problems. A new campaign deserves to be judged on its own merits.

The campaign costs extra; the update is separate

Forsaken Kingdom is a paid addition, released alongside the free 3.0 update. PC Gamer’s launch details. Blizzard also offers the campaign in a Reforged combo and the Warcraft Forever Collection. Blizzard’s announcement and purchase overview.

Our first step would be to check what the account already owns. Downloading an update does not itself mean you own the new campaign. Compare the contents of bundles, not just the largest advertised discount. We are not quoting an unverified regional price or assuming that a WoW subscription unlocks Warcraft III’s paid content.

A 3.0 change worth checking before game night

Kaivax’s patch notes confirm Definitive Edition graphics, 24-unit selection groups and a Forsaken Paladin Tavern hero. New server locations include Hamina, Finland. There is also an important restriction: the Reforged client requires an internet connection and loses its LAN mode; offline and LAN play remain available through the Classic client. Official version 3.0.0 notes.

Anyone planning to play while travelling, at a remote cabin or during a local-network event should check that before buying and installing. A Classic graphics option should not automatically be confused with a separate Classic client. Likewise, an additional server location is not a guarantee of a particular ping or where every match will connect.

Where does Forever fit in?

Blizzard places Forsaken Kingdom’s story on the road towards WoW’s early days, with choices that echo into World of Warcraft: Forever. The official story connection.

That makes this a natural companion to our Forever announcement article. We can explore how a familiar world took shape before considering where its alternate future might go. The campaign is not, however, being presented here as a mandatory entry requirement for Forever.

For someone interested in Warcraft’s story but not currently looking for modern WoW’s weekly routine, this is a development worth investigating. Before making a firm purchase recommendation, we would still want to know how the campaign plays, rather than just how exciting the return looks in a trailer.