'Warcraft III: Reforged' is introducing a brand-new campaign after more than 23 years. Blizzard unveiled the new campaign 'Forsaken Kingdom' at BlizzCon 2026. The story follows the people who reclaimed their free will from the Scourge after King Terenas Menethil II died at Arthas's hands and Lordaeron fell, establishing their new identity as the Forsaken. Bridging the roughly four-year gap between 'Warcraft III' and 'World of Warcraft', players can witness firsthand how the underground of Lordaeron transforms into the Undercity.
'Forsaken Kingdom' consists of a prologue and three acts, with a total play time exceeding 30 hours. In the prologue, players experience the moment Lordaeron falls to the Scourge, after which the living dead establish a stronghold beneath Lordaeron and face off against various factions, including the Scarlet Crusade and the Scourge. The narrative continues as players join Forsaken heroes, including Sylvanas Windrunner, to reclaim their homeland and defend a besieged Undercity.
The campaign features not only traditional large-scale RTS battles but also RPG-style gameplay focusing on characters and quests. The developers drew inspiration from the existing Rexxar campaign to portray the changes in Lordaeron through the eyes of city guards and ordinary residents, rather than figures at the forefront of history like kings or princes. Players explore the Alchemy Quarter led by Putress while moving between the upper and lower levels of Undercity, and complete quests assigned by the dreadlord Varimathras and Sylvanas. As the acts progress, the transformation of a city with lingering traces of humanity into the capital of the Forsaken is reflected directly in the game world.
A new neutral hero, the Forsaken Paladin, is also being added. In life, they were defenders of Lordaeron, and even in undeath, they remain bound to the oath they swore to Lordaeron and its people. The Forsaken Paladin is available to all 'Warcraft III' players regardless of whether they purchase 'Forsaken Kingdom'. The 3.0 update also includes the Definitive Edition graphics mode, which preserves the top-down isometric view while refining terrain, buildings, and units. Players can freely toggle between the classic and new graphics. The World Editor will also feature improved creator convenience, including updated lighting and terrain settings.
The development team is also closely watching the impact that changes such as the 24-unit selection limit and camera zoom could have on the ladder. Because even small changes can significantly affect match outcomes and balance, the plan is to communicate directly with professional players and continue adjusting based on test results. For new players, a Story Mode is provided to help them learn the game while following the narrative. For existing players, the difficulty will not be lowered excessively. Developer Brad Chan explained that even for players with experience in other RTS games, 'Warcraft III's Normal difficulty can be quite challenging.
Brad Chan, Senior Manager of Warcraft RTS and Project Lead for 'Warcraft III: Reforged – Forsaken Kingdom', participated in the interview. Brad Chan is also a former rank-one player on the 'Warcraft III' 2v2 Random Team ladder. He expressed that as long as players want to keep playing, the development team will continue creating new content.
How was 'Forsaken Kingdom' planned and conceptualized?
" Brad Chan, Senior Manager of Warcraft RTS: I joined the development team about two years after 'Warcraft III: Reforged' was released. We started with smaller yearly updates to improve the game and gradually increased the scale of those updates. Later, we launched Patch 2.0 and the remasters for 'Warcraft I' and 'Warcraft II', which achieved good results.
After that, we discussed what else we could do and whether we could undertake something larger. Personally, I was always curious about how the iconic throne room of Lordaeron turned into the Undercity. I also wanted to explore the four-year gap between 'Warcraft III' and 'World of Warcraft'. When I brought up this idea within the team, many members were interested, and that is how we began creating the new campaign.
Some reactions pointed out that the campaign feels closer to an RPG than previous campaigns, almost like playing 'World of Warcraft' through 'Warcraft III'. Was this intentional?
" Brad Chan, Senior Manager of Warcraft RTS: This campaign drew a lot of inspiration from the existing Rexxar campaign, which was played in an RPG format. However, the main reason we chose an RPG structure was the story we wanted to tell.
'Forsaken Kingdom' is not a story about great heroes, kings, or princes. It focuses on relatively ordinary figures in history, like city guards. We determined that an RPG format was best suited to telling a character-driven story. If we tackle a larger-scale narrative in the future, we will actively utilize RTS elements to match that story.
You had to implement the conflict between the Scarlet Crusade, the Forsaken, and the Scourge in 'Warcraft III' using existing 'World of Warcraft' lore and assets. What challenges did that present?
" Brad Chan, Senior Manager of Warcraft RTS: We referenced a lot of material from 'World of Warcraft' to maintain lore continuity. However, we didn't just bring those elements over as they were. We tried to re-interpret every element to fit the visual style of 'Warcraft III'.
Since 'Warcraft III' is a top-down isometric RTS, information must be easily readable from that perspective. We needed to accurately reflect the lore while keeping things clear from the RTS camera view and preserving that distinct 'Warcraft III' style. Balancing those two requirements was critical.
Changes such as the Forsaken Paladin, the 24-unit selection limit, and camera zoom can significantly impact ladder balance. How is the development team evaluating these?
" Brad Chan, Senior Manager of Warcraft RTS: Changes like a new hero, the 24-unit selection limit, and camera zoom can have a major impact on the overall game. We are fully aware of that.
We are making changes based on player feedback and putting them through actual testing. If we identify areas that need improvement or readjustment, we will continue to modify them. We are also communicating directly with several professional players. We intend to actively listen to their feedback and incorporate it into development.
In this campaign, players can witness the creation of the Undercity firsthand. What did you pay special attention to when building the spaces and the world?
" Brad Chan, Senior Manager of Warcraft RTS: What we particularly wanted to emphasize in the campaign were the scale of the spaces and vertical structure. Players can explore the city by moving directly between the upper and lower levels of Undercity. They can inspect the Alchemy Quarter associated with Putress and complete quests for the dreadlord Varimathras and Sylvanas.
I can't reveal every detail, but as you transition from Act 1 to Act 2, the city's appearance actually changes. At first, many traces of the human city remain, but as you progress through the campaign, it transforms into a true Forsaken and Undead city. Through gameplay, players can see the birth of the Undercity.
Recently, the Warcraft franchise has been expanding its story by filling in gaps in existing lore rather than moving forward in time. Will this direction continue?
" Brad Chan, Senior Manager of Warcraft RTS: Warcraft has so many stories. There are various narratives not just in 'World of Warcraft', but across multiple media like books and novels.
We will continue discussing internally what stories to cover next. We plan to determine our direction after considering both the stories our development team finds important and the ones players are excited about and want to learn more about.
You are creating a new 'Warcraft III' campaign after over 20 years. How do you feel about this at a time when single-player RTS campaigns have become rare?
" Brad Chan, Senior Manager of Warcraft RTS: I'm truly thrilled and excited to be able to do this. Personally, it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. I love 'Warcraft III' and have continued playing it for the past 20 years. I was even ranked number one on the 2v2 Random Team ladder in the past.
I want to play this game for another 20 years and beyond. As long as players continue to play 'Warcraft III' and want new content, we will keep making it.
What preparations have you made so that both existing players and those new to RTS can get into the game?
" Brad Chan, Senior Manager of Warcraft RTS: New players are always welcome. In particular, we want to provide a great entry point for players who want to learn more about the Warcraft story. Creating an environment where people interested in the story can follow the campaign without pressure is an important way to welcome new players.
In terms of gameplay, we wanted to fully respect existing 'Warcraft III' players. They should feel that this is still their game. We didn't want to make the challenges that existing players enjoy overly easy just to cater to new players.
That's why we offer multiple difficulty levels. If you're new to the game and want to follow the story, you can select Story Mode. Normal difficulty is tuned for existing 'Warcraft III' players. Even if you're good at 'StarCraft', if you're playing 'Warcraft III' for the first time, Normal difficulty might feel a bit tough. I think RTS players generally enjoy a challenge. I hope you give it a try.
