When you die, click Release Spirit. You appear as a ghost at the nearest graveyard. Then either run back to your body and click Resurrect, which is free, or talk to the spirit healer at the graveyard and come back on the spot with Resurrection Sickness. On a Hardcore character, death is final. That ruleset comes after launch.
Option 1: the corpse run
This is the one to use almost every time.
- Click Release Spirit. You appear at the graveyard as a ghost.
- Follow the corpse marker on your minimap, or open the map (M), back to your body. Ghosts move faster than the living.
- When you're close, a Resurrect button appears. Pick a safe moment, because the monsters that killed you may still be there.
You come back with only part of your health and mana. Eat and drink before you fight again. If your health doesn't come back between fights, see health not regenerating.
Option 2: the spirit healer
The angel at the graveyard can bring you back right there. The cost is Resurrection Sickness. Forever's game files set it to cut your attributes, your damage, and your armor and resistances by 75%. In Forever's own game files its timer grows by 1 minute per level and stops at 10 minutes. In Classic, characters up to level 10 didn't get it at all, and from level 20 it always lasted 10 minutes. We haven't checked the low levels in Forever yet.
Use it when your body is somewhere you can't safely reach, such as deep in a cave full of monsters.
Your gear wears down
Each death damages your equipment, and the spirit healer takes extra on top. In Classic that was 10% per death and another 25% at the spirit healer. We haven't measured it in Forever yet. Blizzard's starter guide confirms the spirit healer costs durability. Repair at any vendor with an anvil icon, see repairing gear. Red items on your character screen are broken and give no stats until repaired.
A friend can bring you back
Priests, Paladins and Shamans can resurrect a dead player, and Druids can do it in combat with Rebirth. If one is in your group, wait instead of releasing. You keep your spot and take no sickness.
Hardcore is different
On Hardcore, a death ends that character's Hardcore run. Blizzard says it can then move to another ruleset. Hardcore isn't open yet, and we'll cover it when it is.
Dying less
- Fight one monster at a time. Watch for patrols before you pull.
- Don't fight monsters with red level numbers.
- Pick a sturdy class to start, see best class for beginners.