WoW Forever Races and Racials: Every Combination and the Best Race per Class

WoW Forever adds six new race and class combinations and a new race, the Skyborne, and Blizzard rebuilt most racials during the beta. For leveling, your class matters far more than your race, but a few racials do save time: Orc Command (+5% pet damage) for Hunters and Warlocks, Troll Beast Slaying and Berserking, Dwarf Artisan's Precision (+1% hit), Undead Cannibalize for less downtime, and the movement racials of the Tauren and Skyborne for travel.

This page lists every playable combination, every racial as of Blizzard's November 2 notes, and our leveling pick per class. Racials can still change, so check the tooltips at character creation.

Sources: Wowhead's new race and class combinations guide (updated 31 October), Wowhead's racial tuning pass report, Blizzard's Meet the Skyborne article and November 2 development notes. Checked 4 November 2026, launch day.

Race and class combinations

New combinations are in bold.

Race	Faction	Classes
Human	Alliance	Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Mage, Warlock
Dwarf	Alliance	Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Shaman
Night Elf	Alliance	Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Druid
Gnome	Alliance	Warrior, Rogue, Priest, Mage, Warlock
Orc	Horde	Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Mage, Warlock
Undead	Horde	Warrior, Paladin, Rogue, Priest, Mage, Warlock
Tauren	Horde	Warrior, Hunter, Shaman, Druid
Troll	Horde	Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Shaman, Mage, Warlock
Skyborne (High Order)	Alliance	Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid, Mage
Skyborne (Windshaper)	Horde	Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid, Shaman

With Dwarf Shamans and Undead Paladins, both factions now have both hybrid classes. Our class changes overview covers what changed for each class, and Horde or Alliance helps you pick a side.

Every racial in WoW Forever

As listed by Wowhead (31 October) with Blizzard's November 2 changes applied.

Race	Racials	Leveling value
Human	Will to Survive (breaks stuns, 3-minute cooldown), Perception, Ruthless (+1% crit since 2 November, was 2%), Human Spirit (+10% Spirit)	Steady, no standout
Dwarf	Find Treasure, Big Game Hunter (+5% damage to Beasts), Artisan's Precision (+1% hit, replaced Earth Fury on 2 November), Stoneform (−10% physical damage taken for 8 seconds)	Strong: hit and Beast damage both help on the way up
Night Elf	Elune's Light (+10% crit for 15 seconds), Wisp Spirit, Quickness (+1% dodge, +2% movement speed), Shadowmeld	Good: permanent speed and a crit cooldown
Gnome	Eureka!, Expansive Mind, Engineering Specialization, Escape Artist	Wowhead's descriptions are still vague; check tooltips
Orc	Command (+5% Hunter and Warlock pet damage, back since 2 November), Blood Fury (+10% attack and spell power for 15 seconds, 2-minute cooldown), Shatter Curse, Hardiness (−20% stun duration)	Strong for pet classes
Undead	Cannibalize (restores 7% health and mana every 2 seconds for 10 seconds), Touch of the Grave (15-second internal cooldown), Underwater Breathing, Will of the Forsaken	Strong: Cannibalize cuts downtime
Tauren	Cultivation, Endurance (+5% health), Plainsrunning (2% movement speed per stack, up to 60%, not while mounted), War Stomp (stuns up to 5 targets for 2 seconds, 1.5-minute cooldown)	Good: fast travel before your mount
Troll	Beast Slaying (+5% damage to Beasts), Berserking (+10% for 15 seconds), Regeneration (+20% health regeneration, 20% in combat), Rapid Regeneration (heals 50% health over time)	Strong: Beasts are everywhere while leveling
Skyborne (both)	Walk on Air (glide for 10 seconds, 1.5-minute cooldown), Wind-Blessed (+2% haste since 2 November), Elemental Insight (+5% damage to Elementals)	Good: gliding saves travel
Skyborne, Windshaper (Horde)	Skysight: +15% movement speed for 15 seconds, or 30% for an hour after you use it at an elemental convergence	Travel
Skyborne, High Order (Alliance)	Read Leyline: +50% regeneration for 15 seconds, or 100% for an hour after you use it at a Ley Line; not usable with Innervate	Less drinking

Blizzard's November 2 notes also corrected race base stats, for example a Tauren Warrior now starts with 5 more Strength than a Human Warrior. Wowhead notes that its racial data "may change", and Blizzard kept tuning racials until launch.

Best race for each class (leveling)

These are our picks for leveling speed, based on the racials above. They are judgment calls, not measurements, and every race levels fine. Pick the race you'll enjoy at 60.

Class	Alliance pick	Horde pick	Why
Hunter	Dwarf	Orc	Artisan's Precision and Big Game Hunter; Command adds 5% pet damage
Warlock	Human or Gnome	Orc	Command boosts your demon; Blood Fury adds spell power
Warrior	Dwarf	Tauren or Orc	+1% hit and Stoneform; Tauren's extra Strength and War Stomp, or Blood Fury
Mage	Skyborne (High Order), Gnome or Human	Undead or Troll	Read Leyline, Cannibalize and Berserking all cut downtime; check the Gnome tooltips at creation
Rogue	Night Elf or Dwarf	Troll or Orc	Elune's Light and speed, or Beast Slaying and Berserking
Priest	Dwarf or Human	Undead or Troll	Hit, Stoneform; Cannibalize or Berserking
Paladin	Dwarf or Human	Undead (new)	Hit and Big Game Hunter; Undead is the only Horde Paladin
Shaman	Dwarf (new)	Orc, Troll or Tauren	Dwarf is the only Alliance Shaman race; Blood Fury, Berserking or Plainsrunning
Druid	Night Elf	Tauren	Quickness and Shadowmeld, or Plainsrunning and War Stomp

Skyborne is a fine pick for any of its classes if travel matters to you: Walk on Air glides you off cliffs, and Skysight (Horde) is a strong movement racial before your level 40 mount. Our Skyborne starting zone guide covers its first levels.

Racials that matter most while leveling

• Pet damage. Orc Command is a flat 5% on a pet that does a large share of a Hunter's or Warlock's damage. See our Hunter pets guide.
• Hit. Dwarf Artisan's Precision gives 1% hit. Early on you have almost no hit from gear, so fewer misses mean shorter fights.
• Beast damage. Troll Beast Slaying and Dwarf Big Game Hunter add 5% against Beasts, a large share of leveling mobs.
• Downtime. Undead Cannibalize and High Order Read Leyline cut eating and drinking.
• Travel. Tauren Plainsrunning, Night Elf Quickness, Skyborne Walk on Air and Skysight. Travel is one of the biggest time sinks before 40; see our leveling time guide.

Frequently asked questions

What are the new race and class combinations in WoW Forever?

Six: Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Gnome Priest, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin. The new Skyborne race can be a Warrior, Hunter, Rogue or Druid on both factions, plus Mage on the Alliance (High Order) side or Shaman on the Horde (Windshaper) side.

What is the best race for leveling in WoW Forever?

The race matters much less than the class. For leveling, look for racials that save time: Orc Command (+5% pet damage) for Hunters and Warlocks, Troll Beast Slaying and Berserking, Dwarf Artisan's Precision (+1% hit), Undead Cannibalize for less downtime, and Skyborne or Tauren movement racials for travel.

What changed for racials on November 2?

Blizzard's November 2 notes removed Dwarf Earth Fury and added Artisan's Precision (+1% hit), cut Human Ruthless to 1% crit, set Human Spirit to 10% Spirit, replaced Orc Savage with Command and set Blood Fury to a 2-minute cooldown, changed Tauren Plainsrunning to 2% per stack up to 60% and Endurance to 5% health, set Berserking to 15 seconds and Wind-Blessed to 2% haste.

Which classes can the Skyborne play?

Warrior, Hunter, Rogue and Druid on both factions. Alliance Skyborne (High Order) can also be Mages, and Horde Skyborne (Windshaper) can also be Shamans. Each faction's Skyborne has a different racial: Read Leyline for the High Order and Skysight for the Windshapers.

Are WoW Forever racials final?

No. Blizzard tuned racials through the beta, most recently in the November 2 development notes, and Wowhead's racial guide warns that the information may change. Check the racial tooltips in game at character creation.