BattleTag A BattleTag is a nickname with an associated profile that will be displayed for users of Blizz ard forums , games and web sites ( Battle . net ) . It appears to have been introduced as an alternative to Real ID for users with privacy concerns . BattleTags will be required to play " Diablo III " . Initially this feature was only available for " Diablo III " beta players , but was enabled in " World of Warcraft " with Patch 5 . 0 . 4 . FAQ . From Battle . net Support : BattleTag Basics . What is a BattleTag™ ? A BattleTag™ nickname is a player - chosen handle that will identify you on Battle . net® – in Blizzard Entertainment games , on our websites , in our community forums , and more . Similar to Real ID , BattleTag nicknames will give players on Battle . net a new way to find and chat with friends they ' ve met in - game , form friendships , form groups , and stay connected across multiple Blizzard Entertainment games . BattleTag will also provide a new way to display public profiles . Diablo® III players will be required to create a BattleTag before they can play the game ; BattleTags will be used to publically identify players in groups or when chatting in - game , as well as on the Diablo III forums . We ’ re in the process of integrating BattleTag features into other Blizzard games and services as well , including World of Warcraft® and StarCraft® II . Some BattleTag communication features are already available in these games ; we ’ ll have information on additional features as development progresses . Will my BattleTag be unique ? A player ' s BattleTag is not unique , so you won ' t need to worry about whether your preferred name is available . You can use any name you wish , as long as it adheres to the BattleTag Naming Policy . Only one BattleTag can be associated with each Battle . net account . If my BattleTag isn ' t unique , what makes me uniquely identifiable ? How will I know I ' m adding the right friend to my friends list ? Each BattleTag is automatically assigned a numeric BattleTag code , which combines with your chosen name to create a unique identifier ( e . g . FallenSlayer # 3592 ) . Your BattleTag and code are viewable when you log in to Battle . net Account Management and within the Diablo III game client ’ s “ Social ” interface , and can be shared with other players who wish to send you a friend request manually . You will also be able to send BattleTag friend requests list within the context of a without knowing their BattleTag code - - by clicking a person ’ s BattleTag when they send you a message or group with you , for example . In either case , both players must agree to become BattleTag friends before either of you will be added to friends lists . Can I choose a BattleTag now , even if I ’ m not playing Diablo III ? Sure ! You can pick your BattleTag now through Battle . net Account Management , regardless of whether you ' re playing Diablo III . Simply visit the BattleTag creation page to get started . Make sure to choose a handle that follows our BattleTag Naming Policy and that you will be happy with in the long term . Is it possible to change my BattleTag once I ’ ve chosen one ? Every Battle . net account automatically receives one free BattleTag nickname change , to be used at the player ’ s discretion . However , once you ’ ve used your one free BattleTag name change , you will not be able to change it again - - so make sure you ’ re choosing a nickname you ’ ll be happy with in the long run . To change your BattleTag after it ’ s been selected , log in to Battle . net Account Management , go to the Summary page , and click Change in the BattleTag section . Where will my BattleTag be seen ? Your BattleTag will be seen a variety of places , and will be used to publicly identify you in the Diablo III game client ( including in public chat and in groups with other players ) , as well as on the Diablo III forums . You can also find your BattleTag in Battle . net Account Management . Your BattleTag will also be displayed to your BattleTag friends playing StarCraft II and World of Warcraft ; in the future , your BattleTag will be usable in StarCraft II public chat or when making posts on additional Blizzard Entertainment forums . Remember that BattleTags are visible to others in certain places whether you ’ re BattleTag friends or not ( such as in Diablo III and on the Diablo III forums ) , so keep that in mind when picking your handle . In the future , we ' ll have further details on how and where your BattleTag will be displayed in other ways . Do I need to choose my BattleTag now ? Diablo III players are required to create a BattleTag before they can play the game . Players must also create a BattleTag to use a Diablo III - related identity on the Diablo III forums . You will still be able to post on these forums using a World of Warcraft or StarCraft II character name if you wish . BattleTag In - Game . How will this affect World of Warcraft and StarCraft II ? Currently , players can send and accept BattleTag - based friend requests only in Diablo III . Once two players agree to become BattleTag friends this way , they will be able to participate in BattleTag - based cross - game chat whenever they ’ re logged in to World of Warcraft , StarCraft II , or Diablo III . We ’ ll be adding the ability to send and accept BattleTag friend requests in World of Warcraft and StarCraft II - - as well as additional BattleTag features - - in the future . We ’ ll have more details to share as development progresses . Will I still be able to display my character on my profile or Armory page ? Armory profiles will be unaffected by the introduction of BattleTag . We ' ll have more information on how BattleTag will be integrated into other games in the future . How will this affect my existing Real ID friendships ? Your Real ID friendships will continue to exist ; you ’ ll still be able to establish Real ID friendships with people you know in real life , and all of the features and benefits of Real ID will remain available to you . BattleTag will simply give players another way to connect and communicate across Blizzard games . Note that Real ID friends are automatically also considered BattleTag friends . Real ID friends in Diablo III will see both a friend ’ s BattleTag and real name in their in - game friends list , along with information about what character their friend is currently playing . For example , a Real ID friend in Diablo III would show up as “ FallenSlayer ( John Smith ) , Playing Barbabos , Level 6 Barbarian , in a Public Game ” in your friends list , while a BattleTag friend would show up as “ FallenSlayer , Playing Barbaros , Level 6 Barbarian , in a Public Game ” . In World of Warcraft or StarCraft II , you will see only a player ’ s Real ID name or their BattleTag , not both . Will this affect my World of Warcraft or StarCraft II character names in any way ? Your World of Warcraft character names will continue to exist and work as they currently do . We ' re still determining how we will handle StarCraft II character names once BattleTag is fully integrated into the game . How do I add a BattleTag friend in Diablo III ? To add a friend via their BattleTag manually in Diablo III , type their BattleTag and code ( e . g . DemonStomper # 1537 ) into the Send Friend Request field in the Add Friend interface . This will send the player a BattleTag friend request ; if the other player accepts your request , your BattleTag will appear on each other ' s friend lists . You can find your BattleTag identifier code in Battle . net Account Management ( on the Account > Summary page ) or in the Diablo III client when you view your character profile . You can also send BattleTag friend requests by right - clicking a player ’ s BattleTag in the Diablo III game interface .