All races in WoW Forever
Blizzard offers 9 peoples, but the Skyborne come in two versions, one per faction. That is why Icy Veins counts "10 races and 9 classes". Races from later expansions (such as Draenei or Blood Elf) are not available.
| Race | Faction | Starting zone | Number of classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orc | Horde | Durotar | 6 |
| Undead | Horde | Tirisfal Glades | 6 |
| Tauren | Horde | Mulgore | 4 |
| Troll | Horde | Durotar | 7 |
| Windshaper Skyborne | Horde | Zephras Isle | 5 |
| Human | Alliance | Elwynn Forest | 7 |
| Dwarf | Alliance | Dun Morogh | 6 |
| Night Elf | Alliance | Teldrassil | 5 |
| Gnome | Alliance | Dun Morogh | 5 |
| High Order Skyborne | Alliance | Zephras Isle | 5 |
Starting zones according to Warcraft Tavern; Zephras Isle covers levels 1–12 (Blizzard).
Race × class table (class race combinations)
Blizzard's official tables from September 22, 2026. "new" marks a combination that did not exist in Classic.
| Race | Druid | Hunter | Mage | Paladin | Priest | Rogue | Shaman | Warlock | Warrior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orc | ✓ | ✓ new | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Tauren | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||||
| Troll | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ new | ✓ | ||
| Undead | ✓ | ✓ new | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Windshaper Skyborne | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Dwarf | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ new | ✓ | |||
| Gnome | ✓ | ✓ new | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Human | ✓ new | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Night Elf | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| High Order Skyborne | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
The six new combinations are Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, Undead Paladin, Human Hunter, Gnome Priest and Dwarf Shaman. On top of that come the Skyborne. Blizzard says more combinations are planned for future updates. The Undead Paladin even has its own Forsaken mounts (Wowhead, beta screenshots).
Tauren and Night Elves got no new class, and Tauren have only 4, the fewest of any race. In comments, players most often complain about the missing Tauren Priest and Paladin, Gnome Hunter and Paladin, Undead Hunter, and Skyborne Priest and Paladin.
Racials in Forever: what changed on October 16, 2026
Every race has 4 racials: 2 active and 2 passive. One active is usually a combat cooldown, the other is more of a utility (Icy Veins). Blizzard reworked them to fit the new class combinations better and to give each race a stronger identity.
The biggest change came in the October 16, 2026 beta build: weapon specializations are gone. Humans got Ruthless instead of Sword Specialization, Orcs got Savage instead of Axe Specialization, and Dwarves got Earth Fury instead of Mace Specialization. The new passives work with any weapon.
Blizzard's September 22, 2026 article and many guides show the state before October 16. The values below come from the beta development notes (Kaivax, Blizzard forums) and may still change before launch on November 4, 2026.
What is gone from Classic: Command for Orcs (now Shatter Curse), Nature Resistance for Tauren (Plainsrunning), Bow and Throwing Specialization for Trolls (Rapid Regeneration), Diplomacy for Humans, Gun Specialization and Frost Resistance for Dwarves, Arcane Resistance for Gnomes (Eureka!). According to players, Night Elves lost Nature Resistance.
Horde racials
| Race | Ability | Type | What it does (after 16.10.2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orc | Blood Fury | active | +10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15 sec; 3 min cooldown (was 2 min) |
| Orc | Shatter Curse | active | removes Curses and Banes, magic damage taken −5% for 8 sec (was −15%); DISPUTED |
| Orc | Savage | passive | +1% critical strike chance |
| Orc | Hardiness | passive | stun duration reduced by 20% |
| Undead | Will of the Forsaken | active | removes Charm, Fear and Sleep; unusable under Scatter Shot, no immunity after use |
| Undead | Cannibalize | active | from a Humanoid or Undead corpse (within 5 yd) 7% health and 7% mana every 2 sec for 10 sec; movement or damage interrupts it |
| Undead | Underwater Breathing | passive | breath lasts 300% longer underwater |
| Undead | Touch of the Grave | passive, new | attacks sometimes drain health: 30% chance for casters, 20% for Paladin, Rogue and Warrior; 25 sec internal cooldown |
| Tauren | War Stomp | active | stuns nearby enemies for 2 sec; 90 sec cooldown (was 2 min) |
| Tauren | Cultivation | active | plants extra herbs you can gather without Herbalism; 15 min cooldown (was 60 min) |
| Tauren | Plainsrunning | passive | speed builds the longer you run (Icy Veins: up to 30%), +3% while mounted; stutter-stepping no longer counts |
| Tauren | Endurance | passive | +5% health and +2% critical damage and healing; DISPUTED |
| Troll | Berserking | active | +10% attack and casting speed for 10 sec |
| Troll | Rapid Regeneration | active, new | restores 50% of max health over time |
| Troll | Beast Slaying | passive | +5% damage against Beasts |
| Troll | Regeneration | passive | 20% of health regeneration continues in combat (was 10%) |
The Windshaper Skyborne racials are covered below, in the Skyborne section.
Alliance racials
| Race | Ability | Type | What it does (after 16.10.2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human | Will to Survive | active, new | removes all stuns; 3 min cooldown (Icy Veins) |
| Human | Perception | active | reveals Stealthed enemies for 20 sec; 3 min cooldown |
| Human | Ruthless | passive | +2% critical strike chance |
| Human | The Human Spirit | passive | +5% Spirit |
| Dwarf | Stoneform | active | immunity to Bleeds, Poisons and Diseases plus −10% physical damage taken for 8 sec; 3 min cooldown |
| Dwarf | Find Treasure | active | tracks chests alongside other tracking; chance for extra items in most chests |
| Dwarf | Earth Fury | passive | +2% critical damage and healing; DISPUTED |
| Dwarf | Big Game Hunter | passive, new | +5% damage against Beasts |
| Night Elf | Elune's Light | active, new | +10% critical strike chance for 15 sec; 3 min cooldown |
| Night Elf | Shadowmeld | active | Stealth while standing still; 10 sec cooldown |
| Night Elf | Quickness | passive | +1% dodge (DISPUTED), +2% run speed; Rogues and Druids are harder to detect in Stealth |
| Night Elf | Wisp Spirit | passive | +75% speed after death |
| Gnome | Escape Artist | active | removes Roots and Snares and grants brief immunity; DISPUTED |
| Gnome | Eureka! | active, new | for 8 sec abilities cost 10% less (Mana, Rage or Energy) and, per the September 22, 2026 description, are 10% stronger; separate version for each class, 2 min cooldown |
| Gnome | Expansive Mind | passive | +5% max Mana, Rage or Energy |
| Gnome | Engineering Specialization | passive | engineering devices fail less often (databases: by 20%) |
Eureka! changed more often than any other racial during the beta. Until October 16, 2026 it affected your next 3 spells; now it is an 8-second buff with no charges. It also works on Power Word: Shield, does not affect periodic effects and cannot be used in Stealth.
Disputed values
Sources disagree on five abilities. We treat Blizzard's October 16, 2026 notes as current, but check the in-game tooltip.
| Ability | Blizzard beta notes | Other source |
|---|---|---|
| Shatter Curse (Orc) | removes Curses and Banes | Wowhead: grants immunity to Curses and Banes |
| Endurance (Tauren) | +2% critical damage and healing | Wowhead: +2% hit |
| Earth Fury (Dwarf) | +2% critical damage and healing (Icy Veins agrees) | Wowhead: +2% crit chance |
| Quickness (Night Elf) | +1% dodge | Icy Veins: +2% dodge |
| Escape Artist (Gnome) | brief immunity | Icy Veins: 5 sec, 1 min cooldown; Mobalytics: 3 sec, 2 min cooldown |
Priest racial spells
Priest also gets 2 spells that depend on race. Fear Ward and Devouring Plague now go to all Priests from level 20 (in Classic only Dwarves and Undead had them). Skyborne cannot be Priests.
| Race | Level 10 spell | Level 20 spell |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Divine Grace (new, instant heal) | Feedback |
| Dwarf | Desperate Prayer | Chastise (new, damage and a root) |
| Night Elf | Starshards (much stronger, 30 sec cooldown) | Elune's Grace |
| Gnome | Confounding Flash (new, disorients up to 5 enemies) | Contingency Plan (new, shield for a low-health target) |
| Undead | Touch of Weakness | Dark Sacrifice (new) |
| Troll | Hex of Weakness | Shadowguard |
According to Blizzard Watch (October 9, 2026) and Conquest Capped (October 16, 2026).
Skyborne: who they are
The Skyborne are wind elves. According to Blizzard, thousands of years ago a group of Highborne exiles made a pact with wind spirits and built a civilization in Skywall, one of the elemental planes. When you arrive, that civilization is in crisis: the air spirits have vanished, structures have started to fall and the Skyborne are divided about their future.
It is one people with a shared origin that split into two paths:
- Windshaper Skyborne (Horde) descend from the first shen'dorei, who received the gift of "elemental skysight" from the wind spirits. The new generation wants to find out why the elementals vanished and bring the wind spirits back. That is why they can be Shamans.
- High Order Skyborne (Alliance) descend from Highborne scholars of Eldre'Thalas. They decided that relying on the elements left them defenseless and return to Azeroth for lost arcane knowledge. That is why they can be Mages.
Icy Veins expands on the story: rebels led by Shal'nan opposed summoning the demon Immol'thar in Eldre'Thalas (today Dire Maul), and the elementals lifted their land into Skywall. Some Skyborne are born with blue skin.
The Skyborne have their own voices, dance, feathers in the hair and their own Druid forms (Bear, Cat, Travel).
Skyborne racials
| Ability | Type | Windshaper (Horde) | High Order (Alliance) | After 16.10.2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walk on Air | active | yes | yes | glide down for 10 sec; 90 sec cooldown (was 2 min) |
| Skysight | active | yes | no | Elemental Blessing buff: +10% run speed; can be cast while moving |
| Read Ley Line | active | no | yes | boosted health and mana regeneration (Blizzard: +100%); can be cast while moving, buff lasts at least 30 sec |
| Wind Blessed | passive | yes | yes | +3% Haste (melee, ranged, spell; was 1%) |
| Elemental Insight | passive | yes | yes | +5% damage against Elementals |
How it works in practice (Icy Veins): Skysight looks for a "convergence of elements", Read Ley Line for a Leyline. Without one nearby the buff lasts 30 sec; next to one it lasts 15 min. On October 16, 2026 Blizzard added more Elemental Convergence and Leyline spawn points in most Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor zones.
Players in Wowhead comments argue about whether the Horde got the worse deal (speed instead of regeneration). The Skyborne have no separate racial talents, because talents in Forever are class-based.
Skyborne classes
| Version | Classes |
|---|---|
| Windshaper Skyborne (Horde) | Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior |
| High Order Skyborne (Alliance) | Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Warrior |
Neither side can play Paladin, Priest or Warlock.
How to unlock Skyborne and how much it costs
WoW Forever itself is included in your WoW subscription. The Skyborne cost extra.
- Buy the Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher. According to Blizzard, without it you cannot play Skyborne or see Zephras Isle. You can upgrade the pack later, but not downgrade it (Wowhead).
- The race only applies to the WoW account you bought the pack for.
- In character creation, pick Skyborne and a faction: Windshaper (Horde) or High Order (Alliance).
- Complete Zephras Isle (levels 1–12), then head out into your faction's world. Horde Skyborne land on Skywatcher Plateau above Thunder Bluff, and in the beta the quest "Exploring the Horde" ends with a talk with Lady Sylvanas Windrunner in Undercity. Blizzard has not described exactly where the Alliance goes.
| Pack | Europe | USA | United Kingdom | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skyborne Heroic Pack | €29.99 | $29.99 | £25.99 | Skyborne race and Zephras Isle, Cerulean Prideclaw mount, Shen'dorei Skyseer's Garb, Early Name Reservation |
| Skyborne Epic Pack | €59.99 | $59.99 | £51.99 | everything in Heroic, plus beta access and 30 days of game time |
| Warcraft Forever Collection | €79.99 | $79.99 | £69.99 | everything in Epic, plus Warcraft III: Reforged and Forsaken Kingdom |
The Cerulean Prideclaw mount requires buying the riding skill in game. The Polish Battle.net store page shows prices in euros. Full pack contents: release date, price and editions.
Best race for each class
There is no official "best race", and the rankings were made before the October 16, 2026 changes. The most complete overview is the Icy Veins table from September 17, 2026, made before the beta ("will likely change"):
| Class | Alliance | Horde |
|---|---|---|
| Druid | Night Elf | Tauren |
| Hunter | Human | Troll |
| Mage | Gnome | Orc |
| Paladin | Human | Undead |
| Priest | Gnome | Undead |
| Rogue | Night Elf | Troll |
| Shaman | Dwarf | Orc |
| Warlock | Gnome | Undead |
| Warrior | Night Elf (Dwarf for tanking) | Orc or Tauren |
Mobalytics rates the racials themselves (a beta tier list, still using values from before October 16, 2026). At the top, in S tier, are Blood Fury (Orc) and Berserking (Troll). A tier holds Elune's Light, War Stomp, Eureka!, Shatter Curse and Will to Survive, and the lowest (C) is Cannibalize. Since then Blood Fury got a longer cooldown (3 min) and Shatter Curse a weaker damage reduction.
Wowhead gives no recommendation yet. For Priests, Conquest Capped has a separate ranking (October 16, 2026).
Advice like "Human with a sword" or "Orc with an axe" is out of date: since October 16, 2026 weapon-type bonuses no longer exist. Treat the tables above as a rough guide and check the rankings again after launch. We compare classes in which class to play.
