Perhaps you are like me and have been World of Warcraft free for many, many years. Kudos to you if that is the case. It is a hard habit to kick. But I do sometimes feel a pang of regret, like I am forgetting my friends. After all, we had so many adventures together.
World of Warcraft Patch 6.0.2 Revised Notes
In preparation for the upcoming 6.0.2 patch, Blizzard is releasing the names of all characters who have not logged on since November 13, 2008; or roughly the 4 year anniversary of World of Warcraft. It's essentially the 'use it, or lose it' theory of gameplay: your character's name will become available to anyone on the server to use after the new patch goes live.
So, if you're the jerk who had DaBuj, while I do not wish you any ill will or health, I hope you have been on top of a mountain for the past six years and have not logged into your account.
Lords Of War, Part 3 Features Durotan, Warchief Of The Frostwolves
The goal, as stated on the official announcement page, is to "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 to preserve your unused characters' names for your journey intro Draenor." To prevent losing a name, just log into World of Warcraft with each character whose name you wish to keep and you're all set. But you have to do it beforehand.
It has been 10 years and millions of players. The Great Name Liberation of 2014 will be a historic event, long remembered by our ancestors and named descendants. While my character Derrenginar should be safe (I quit the habit in about 2011), if you see him rolling around the Magtheridon server: destroy him.
