After Turtle WoW and Ascension
What happened to Project Ascension?
Short answer
Project Ascension closed its World of Warcraft realms on 4 and 5 September 2026 after a lawsuit from Blizzard filed on 12 June 2026 ended in an agreement between both sides. Its team moved on to an original game under the Ascension name. Players who want the classic world with its original classes can start fresh on realms such as Keldurn.
Key facts
| Lawsuit filed | 12 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Outcome | Agreement between Blizzard and the team |
| Realms offline | 4 September 2026 (US evening) / 5 September (Europe) |
| What's next for the team | An original game under the Ascension name |
| Characters | Not transferable to other WoW realms |
| Keldurn | Original 1.12 classes, x1, free, in a browser |
Why the classless system will not come back elsewhere
Ascension's classless design was its own work, so other realms do not offer it. Blizzlike realms keep the nine original classes and their talent trees.
For many players the transition is easier than expected: the roles are the same, only the toolkit is fixed by class.
What to look for in your next realm
Check whether the realm is blizzlike or custom, its rates, whether it is PvP or PvE and how easy it is to bring friends. A realm that runs in a browser removes the launcher step for everyone in your group.
Keldurn offers the complete 1.12 content at x1 on one PvP realm, and friends can join from a phone, a Mac or a Chromebook as well as Windows.
What Ascension players often miss first
Many players miss the freedom of mixing abilities from different classes. On a classic realm that freedom moves to talents and professions: a talent tree that fits your role and two complementary professions recover much of the feeling of building your own character.
Questions players ask
Do my Ascension characters carry over anywhere?
Not to other WoW realms. The Ascension team said existing accounts carry over to its new original game, which is a different product.
Is there a classless vanilla realm now?
Not on blizzlike realms. If you want the original game, pick a class that matches the role you enjoyed most.
Sources
Updated September 29, 2026. Keldurn is an independent project compatible with the 1.12.1 era. It is not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.