I can not restore my deleted Characters atm the button is Grayed out, I am not at character max as i can create new ones and i am unsure what to do.
1 Like
The character restoration service is currently disabled. Blizzard is working to restore it, but there is not an ETA available at this time.
5 Likes
Please be mindful of what you post. The Character Restoration has been disabled due to the implementation of the Warbands system when the pre-patch live and is being worked on. It isn’t something that the development doesn’t want to keep disabled any longer than needs to be, but it is proving tricky for them to work on to get it back to work with the Warbands. As been posted multiple times, there is no ETA on when it will be back, but it will be eventually back up for anyone to restore deleted characters.
2 Likes
Why does the Warband system affect Character Restoration?
What about characters that may fall out of the restoration window during the time period that the service has been deactivated? For example, a level 10-29 character deleted in July (whether by the player or erroneously by the system) will no longer be recoverable in October. Similarly, a level 30-49 character will no longer be recoverable in November. Of course we all hope that the system gets reactivated before then, but if it does not, has Blizzard considered those situations?
#dfmb
1 Like
That’s simply what we’ve been told by Blizzard posts.
You know full well this is a player help player forum. We know as much as what Blizzard has told us in response to earlier threads.
I’m sure the devs will be looking closely at that and will make decisions when the time comes. It would be very naive to think the dev team isn’t.
4 Likes
Yes… we know that they’ve suggested it’s related to Warbands, but does anyone know WHY Warbands would impact Character Restorations?
Well… I hope you’re right. Personally, I’d prefer they look at that situation now, rather than “when the time comes” and it’s potentially too late to address it.
I guess one option might be to offer a free character boost and gear upgrade for each character affected. It wouldn’t really cost Blizzard anything and it would at least get those players back on a race/class they loved. It’s not perfect and likely wouldn’t get all their possessions back, but at least it’d be something.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the issue.
#dfmb
1 Like
Because the entire database structure and architecture changed to support Warbands functionality. They did a big database migration too, I think.
Nothing about restoring the data into the new system is the same. Hence the tools for it were taken offline before the patch because they no longer worked.
When they finish updating the char restore to work with the new database structures it will return. That has ALWAYS been the intent - to bring the service back online when it was updated. They said as much in July when they published the information about taking the service down.
Players deleted their OWN characters - well after the notice that the char restoration service would not be available. If you delete something it is intended to be gone. Not into some sort of ghost storage.
There are some exceptions that seem to be accidental, where the player deleted the wrong char, but that is not Blizzard’s fault. They will get their character back if it is of a high enough level to restore.
4 Likes
Gotcha. Thanks for this. I misunderstood that this was an unexpected issue. But if they knew it was going to be a problem, why not make sure to have everything functional before releasing the expansion? 
What about characters that were deleted before the announcement? 
Actually, I’m referring to the characters that were erroneously deleted by Blizzard when players tried to delete a low level character. 
Surely that can’t be blamed on the customer.
#dfmb
1 Like
This article was posted on the forums and the website July 2nd. It was disabled before the release of Warband functionality.
Forum post
For those who would like to restore a previously deleted character, it is advised that you do so before the pre-expansion content update goes live. After the pre-expansion content update goes live, restoration of characters on your World of Warcraft account will be unavailable for a few weeks.
4 Likes
Most definitely blizzards fault for the character list UI bug causing the wrong character to be deleted….
2 Likes
Yep… that would definitely be fair warning for those who had chosen to delete characters prior to the launch of the pre-expansion content. Thanks for sharing that. But what about those players who intended to delete a low level character, but the system glitched and deleted their mains?
Also…
… a few weeks? I think we’re up to 8 at this point. 
#dfmb
I agree with that, yes. Those were the exceptions I was talking about. I think most of those were mains that were removed though so should be eligible for restoration later.
I just think it is horrible that there was an issue with the UI causing wrong ones to be deleted. Imagine trying to clear out old low level alts to make room for an Earthen only to find that you deleted your main! Ugh. Horrible.
Mains are going to be high level enough to get back though once they finish the updated char restore function.
4 Likes
And trolling here won’t help anyone Kareil - unless your aim is to lose your posting ability.
4 Likes
So why are you here? Why continue to play their games or support the company?
No, just proves that you are trolling. But I’m sure you’ll make it into some conspiracy thing.
Really sounds like you can do better and make a better game. Go forth and make billions!!
5 Likes
It is your opinion that Blizzard is lazy. That is not a “fact”. You are certainly entitled to that opinion of course, but don’t pretend it is anything other than your opinion.
Blizzard has many faults, but lazy is not one I would accuse them of. Character delete, and character restore are basic game functions that are high priority. They most certainly are working on getting the tools updated to work with the new database structure and code supporting Warbands.
You may be frustrated that they are not done yet, but it is not fair to call hard working staff “lazy” for not having results in a timeline you have decided is acceptable.
The scope of the problem is not small and the effort to change the tools is not small.
7 Likes
Because our characters are now based around the Warband System, and along with that, came a whole heap of changes with how that system is structured now than how it was structured previously prior to the Warband system.
It is what we’ve been told this entire time.
Warbands are on the way to World of Warcraft®: The War Within™! In order to prepare all characters for the transition to the new system, which will occur during the pre-expansion content update, we will temporarily be disabling character restoration.
Basic facts are not, “oh blizzard is lazy, or blizzard isn’t doing anything”, that is just trolling behaviour.
The real fact is we do not know what is really happening. We don’t have a full incite into the work Blizzard is doing to try and bring the Character Restoration to the Warband system. All we know is what we have been told, that it is being worked on and will be back as soon as possible.
6 Likes
A few weeks can be any number of weeks though. And yes, even the weeks can spread into months. They haven’t given us an exact number of weeks this will take to be worked on. And even so, things do not always work out when trying to get something back.
5 Likes