Character Name Release Coming in 6.0.2
by JR Cook - 10 years ago show comments
Blizzard has announced that when the Warlords systems patch (6.0.2) is released, the names of inactive characters will be available for use once again. Blizzard tactfully uses the term “sidelined” here to refer to these characters, but let’s be honest: if you haven’t logged into a character since November 2008, you’re probably not playing the game at all. It was six years ago.
This is a pretty good change for taking more work off the backs of Game Masters, who currently take on requests to release old names. It’s possible that unlike some of the other GM-relief services that Blizzard has done lately (like the Item Restoration service) you’ll probably still be able to petition GMs to release a name.
Of course, the other edge of this is that if you’re a player who dropped the game before Wrath of the Lich King and was thinking about coming back in WoD, it likely won’t be a positive first impression if the first thing you see is “your character has been flagged for a name change.” At the same time, I feel like that might be a really small edge case.
Read the full release below.
With the upcoming Warlords of Draenor pre-patch (6.0.2), we will be releasing sidelined characters’ names back into the wild. Any characters that have not logged into the game since November 13, 2008 will have their names freed up, making them available to anyone creating a new character or using the paid Character Name Change service.
How Do I Preserve My Names?
You will need to log in to World of Warcraft and enter the game using each character whose name you wish to retain before patch 6.0.2 goes live. While it is possible no one will claim your recently released name and you might be able to snag it again, it is probably not worth the risk if you want to keep your names intact long-term.
Our goal with this great name liberation is to make sure new and returning players have a large and varied pool of names available to choose from—so log in now if you wish preserve your unused characters’ names for your journey intro Draenor.
