World of Warcraft: Forever adds surnames, and beta testers turn rude

World of Warcraft: Forever testers have found a new way to misbehave: the surname box.

Screenshots of rude character names have been shared online since the beta, an early test version open to players, began. The worst offenders risk losing their place in the test altogether, Eurogamer reported.

It is a small change with big consequences. In other versions of World of Warcraft, the long-running online fantasy game where thousands of players explore and quest together, characters use only a single name. In Forever, every character gets both a forename and a surname. A surname in this context works like a family name, shown after the character's first name in game and in chat. For readers new to the series, that name tag sits above the character and appears in chat, so other players see it constantly.

Players can type their own pairing or ask the game to suggest one. Those randomly generated options are matched to the character's race, so an orc name sounds like an orc name and an elf name sounds like an elf name. The new skyborn elves, newcomers to the roster, receive wind-themed surnames.

That second word has doubled the room for invention. Short lines work best here. It has also doubled the room for trouble.

Reddit user FarKiwi_4882 gathered some of the crudest examples seen so far, including "Hemorrhoid Man," "TBCisgone Forthisshit" and "Bigpeniss Cok." Other testers have posted their own finds separately, with screenshots circulating since the beta began.

Blizzard has not let it slide. Customer support representative Vrakthris confirmed that the standard World of Warcraft naming rules still apply inside the Forever beta. Players reported for especially crude names risk having their beta access removed.

What makes this stand out is the setting. Character creation, the quiet menu where players customise appearance and pick a name, rarely draws a crowd. This time the jokes left that menu and became a spectator sport for fans following the test from outside.

The beta period gives Blizzard a chance to test systems ahead of launch, with many players already involved. The beta, which began 17 September and is listed as running through 21 October, has attracted large numbers of players. Entry is by opting in for a chance to join testing or by buying eligible Forever bundles, according to Blizzard.

The full release is scheduled for November.