WRITTEN ARTICLE · CHARACTER PLANNING
WoW Forever races and classes: every combination, Skyborne and racial traits
Every WoW Forever race and class combination from Blizzard’s official tables, Skyborne options by faction, and all ten races’ active and passive racial traits, with a character shortlist.
Skyborne class options depend on faction
Blizzard’s What’s Next recap says Skyborne choose Horde or Alliance at character creation. Both can be Warriors, Hunters, Rogues or Druids, with race-specific Druid forms. Horde Skyborne can additionally be Shamans; Alliance Skyborne can additionally be Mages.
| Faction | Additional Skyborne class |
|---|---|
| Horde | Shaman |
| Alliance | Mage |
In this article
Every race and class combination
Blizzard’s 22 September Create the Hero article publishes the complete class list for each race. The table below reproduces it. Skyborne appear as the Windshaper (Horde) and High Order (Alliance) and require the optional upgrade described further down.
| Faction | Race | Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Horde | Orc | Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior |
| Horde | Tauren | Druid, Hunter, Shaman, Warrior |
| Horde | Troll | Hunter, Mage, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior |
| Horde | Undead | Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Warrior |
| Horde | Skyborne (Windshaper) | Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior |
| Alliance | Dwarf | Hunter, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior |
| Alliance | Gnome | Mage, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Warrior |
| Alliance | Human | Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Warrior |
| Alliance | Night Elf | Druid, Hunter, Priest, Rogue, Warrior |
| Alliance | Skyborne (High Order) | Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Warrior |
Six new combinations for existing races
The Deep Dive confirms Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin. This list describes newly added options, not the entire character-creation roster.
Confirmed Dwarf and Undead racial changes
Blizzard describes two active and two passive abilities per race. These Dwarf and Undead examples include the October tuning. They are not a race ranking.
| Race | Ability | Announced update |
|---|---|---|
| Dwarf | Stoneform | Its defensive bonus reduces Physical damage taken. |
| Dwarf | Find Treasure | Can remain active alongside other tracking. |
| Dwarf | Artisan’s Precision | Adds 1% hit chance with attacks and spells after October 26 tuning. |
| Dwarf | Big Game Hunter | Bonus damage against Beasts. |
| Undead | Will of the Forsaken | Breaks its listed control effects without subsequent immunity. |
| Undead | Cannibalize | Restores Mana as well as Health. |
| Undead | Touch of the Grave | Attacks can drain enemy life. |
| Undead | Underwater Breathing | Remains unchanged. |
Racial traits for all ten races
These summaries combine Blizzard’s original race descriptions with the October 16, October 26 and October 27 updates. They describe announced abilities, not measured leveling performance.
| Race | Active abilities | Passive traits |
|---|---|---|
| Orc | Blood Fury: +10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15s, with a 2-minute cooldown. Shatter Curse: dispels Curses and Banes and reduces magic damage taken by 5%. | Command: +5% Hunter and Warlock pet damage. Hardiness: stun duration reduced by 20%. |
| Tauren | War Stomp: 2s stun. Cultivation: grow bonus herbs without Herbalism. | Plainsrunning: +2% speed per stack, up to 60%, without a mounted bonus. Endurance: +5% Health. |
| Troll | Berserking: +10% casting and attack speed for 15s. Rapid Regeneration: restore 50% of maximum health over time. | Beast Slaying: +5% damage against Beasts. Regeneration: +20% Health regeneration, with 20% continuing in combat. |
| Undead | Will of the Forsaken: removes Charm, Fear and Sleep. Cannibalize: restore 35% Health and Mana over time. | Underwater Breathing: 300% longer. Touch of the Grave: attacks sometimes drain health, with a 15-second internal cooldown. |
| Skyborne (Windshaper) | Walk on Air: glide for 10s. Skysight: +15% movement speed for 15s, or +30% while Charged. | Wind Blessed: +2% haste. Elemental Insight: +5% damage against Elementals. |
| Human | Will to Survive: removes stuns. Perception: detect stealth for 20s. | Ruthless: +1% critical chance. The Human Spirit: +10% Spirit. |
| Dwarf | Stoneform: immune to Bleeds, Poisons and Diseases and reduced physical damage for 8s. Find Treasure: track chests. | Artisan’s Precision: +1% hit with spells and attacks. Big Game Hunter: +5% damage against Beasts. |
| Night Elf | Elune’s Light: +10% critical chance for 15s. Shadowmeld: stealth while immobile. | Quickness: +1% dodge and +2% run speed. Wisp Spirit: +75% speed while dead. |
| Gnome | Escape Artist: brief immunity to roots and snares. Eureka!: reduced costs and increased damage or healing for 8s, with no charges. | Expansive Mind: +5% maximum Mana, Rage and Energy. Engineering Specialization: more reliable devices. |
| Skyborne (High Order) | Walk on Air: glide for 10s. Read Leyline: +50% Health and Mana regeneration for 15s, or +100% while Attuned. | Wind Blessed: +2% haste. Elemental Insight: +5% damage against Elementals. |
How should racials influence your character choice?
Our recommendation is to settle faction and class first, then compare racial utility within the options you actually want to play. Ask whether the ability helps during your ordinary sessions, whether you enjoy using it and whether it changes a group responsibility.
For a gathering-focused character, convenient tracking may be more noticeable than a damage bonus in a rare encounter. For a player interested in Paladin, the new Undead combination makes the class available on Horde, but the class toolkit and your friends’ faction are still central decisions.
The racial table includes the October 27 additions. Treat small numerical differences as a tie-breaker after faction, class and the kind of character you want to play.
Does the subscription include Skyborne?
Skyborne access is an optional upgrade benefit. Blizzard lists it in the Heroic Pack and the higher tiers that include Heroic benefits.
Our advice: make a two-character shortlist
Pick one character you would enjoy playing alone and one you would enjoy bringing to a regular group. Write a sentence explaining each choice. If both answers describe only a predicted damage ranking, add the everyday activities you actually want to spend time doing.
A helpful shortlist includes your preferred role, faction, session length and tolerance for downtime. If friends are involved, agree on those practical details early. A theoretically ideal class is little help when your group cannot meet at the same time.
What to check in the client
Try the basic combat loop before locking in a long-term plan. Test targeting, movement, recovery between fights and how easily you can follow objectives. Make notes about awkward moments as well as satisfying ones.
Keep initial impressions separate from balance claims. A few levels can tell you whether you enjoy the controls, but they cannot establish endgame performance. Revisit the shortlist after you have tried the role you expect to play, and keep equipment and level differences in mind when comparing characters.
Related reading and guides
Sources and review notes
- Blizzard: Create the Hero You Want to Be, 22 September
- Blizzard: Forever What’s Next panel recap
- Blizzard: Forever Deep Dive panel recap
- Blizzard: Forever upgrade editions and access dates
- Blizzard / Kaivax: racial tuning for launch, October 26
- Blizzard / Kaivax: beta development notes, October 16
- Blizzard: October 27 additions to the racial development notes
Racial summaries updated October 29, including Blizzard’s October 27 addendum. Class combinations retain the official September roster. Values are announced tuning, not Wisp performance measurements.
