WoW Forever races and racials
One new playable race, six new class combinations on existing races, and a structural change underneath all of it: every race now has two active and two passive racials.
Every race
Each race has its own page with all four racials written out, the full class list, and which combinations are new in Forever.
The Skyborne
An elven people from Zephras Isle, a floating island carrying its own level 1–12 starting zone. They share one ancestry across both factions but choose a side at character creation, and that choice decides one class option and one active racial.
Windshaper (Horde)
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid, plus Shaman
Receive an Elemental Blessing increasing run speed by 10%.
High Order (Alliance)
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid, plus Mage
Draw power from a nearby ley line. 10% health and mana regeneration for 30 seconds if none is found, 15 minutes if one is.
Shared by both factions
- ActiveWalk on Air
Glide downward through the air for 10 seconds.
- PassiveWind Blessed
1% increased melee, ranged and spellcasting haste.
- PassiveElemental Insight
Damage against Elementals increased by 5%.
New race and class combinations
Six pairings that did not exist in Classic, on top of everything the Skyborne add.
| Race | New class | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Orc | Mage | Arcane magic in a culture that spent two expansions distrusting it. |
| Troll | Warlock | Fits the voodoo identity trolls already had. |
| Undead | Paladin | The combination nobody expected — Light wielded by the Forsaken. |
| Human | Hunter | Closes an odd gap: humans could never take the most beginner-friendly class. |
| Gnome | Priest | Brings two genuinely new racial spells with it, detailed in the Priest deep dive. |
| Dwarf | Shaman | Dwarven shamanism, previously lore-only. |
Confirmed racial changes
These come from Blizzard's race overview and the Priest Class Deep Dive. The complete two-active, two-passive list for every race has not been published yet, so this is what is confirmed rather than a full table.
- OrcShatter Curse
New racial — removes a curse from yourself.
- ForsakenTouch of the Grave
New racial granting a small amount of life-steal.
- GnomeConfounding Flash
Priest racial at level 10: confuses up to five enemies for 3 seconds. 0.5s cast, 2-minute cooldown.
- GnomeContingency Plan
Priest racial at level 20: a 30-second ward that fires an absorb shield and a heal-over-time if the target drops below 35% health.
- DwarfChastise
New Priest racial at level 20 — damages and immobilises humanoids for 2 seconds.
- HumanDivine Grace
New Priest racial at level 10 — heals a target below 50% health and removes Weakened Soul.
- Night ElfStarshards
Priest racial: damage increased substantially, now on a 30-second cooldown.
- Night ElfElune’s Grace
Priest racial: reduces incoming hit chance by 50% for 15 seconds or three missed attacks.
- UndeadDark Sacrifice
New Priest racial at level 20 — converts health to mana over time, scaling with Spirit.
WoW Forever races FAQ
What is the new race in WoW Forever?+
The Skyborne, an elven people from Zephras Isle — a floating island with its own level 1–12 starting zone. They pick a faction at character creation: Windshapers join the Horde and can be Shaman, High Order Skyborne join the Alliance and can be Mages. Both can play Warrior, Hunter, Rogue and Druid.
What new race and class combinations are in WoW Forever?+
Six on existing races: Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, Undead Paladin, Human Hunter, Gnome Priest and Dwarf Shaman. The Skyborne add their own list on top.
How many racial abilities does each race have?+
Every race in Forever has two active and two passive racials. That is a change from Classic, where the count and the mix varied by race.
Which race is best in WoW Forever?+
Blizzard has not published the complete racial list for every race, so any ranking right now is guesswork. What is confirmed: the Skyborne bring 1% haste and 5% damage against Elementals as passives, which is a broad and never-wasted pair.
Can I play Skyborne on both factions?+
Yes. They share one ancestry but choose a faction at creation, and that choice decides one class option and one active racial.
Class changes
Every ability and talent change, by spec.
Addons
What works, with versions.
Levelling
Market rates before launch.
Market check · 2 October 2026
Picked your race? Here is what the climb costs
Levelling 1–60 takes about 150 hours of play by community estimates, and Blizzard has announced no WoW Token and no paid boost for Forever. These are the prices other sellers are already taking pre-orders at.
Market prices: pre-order listings on lfcarry.com, wowvendor.com, skycoach.gg, kingboost.net and others, checked 2 October 2026. Our own rates go up when realms open — no one can deliver Forever gold before 4 November.