What races can I play in WoW Forever?

Ten preview races were available in the beta: the nine Classic races plus the new Skyborne, which splits into a Horde Windshaper and an Alliance High Order variant.

How does the Skyborne faction choice work?

The Skyborne start on Zephras Isle (level 1–12). At character creation you choose whether your Skyborne joins the Horde (Windshaper) or the Alliance (High Order) — shared ancestry, different leanings.

Does race matter for performance in WoW Forever?

Racials were revised in Forever, so the gap between races is smaller than in Classic for some abilities, but a few racials still carry real weight. Pick a race you like first; the racial list on /racials/ shows the numbers.

WoW Forever races & race/class combinations

Forever keeps the nine Classic races and adds the Skyborne, who choose a faction at character creation. Below is every race, exactly which classes it can be, and the honest answer to "does race matter?" For the mechanics of each racial, see the racials reference.

Observed 60.1.700 · beta preview

All ten races

Human

Alliance

Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Priest, Warlock, Paladin

See 4 racials →
Dwarf

Alliance

Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Paladin, Shaman

See 4 racials →
Night Elf

Alliance

Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Druid

See 4 racials →
Gnome

Alliance

Classes: Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Priest, Warlock

See 4 racials →
Skyborne (High Order)

Skyborne (choice)

Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Druid

See 4 racials →
Orc

Horde

Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Warlock, Shaman

See 4 racials →
Undead

Horde

Classes: Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Priest, Warlock, Paladin

See 4 racials →
Tauren

Horde

Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Druid, Shaman

See 4 racials →
Troll

Horde

Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Priest, Warlock, Shaman

See 4 racials →
Skyborne (Windshaper)

Skyborne (choice)

Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid, Shaman

See 4 racials →

Race/class combinations by class

Every race that can play each class. Some Forever combinations are new vs Classic.

Class	Available races
Warrior	Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Skyborne (High Order), Orc, Undead, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne (Windshaper)
Paladin	Human, Dwarf, Undead
Mage	Human, Gnome, Skyborne (High Order), Orc, Undead, Troll

Which race should you pick?

Pick the race you want to look at first — cosmetic taste matters more in Forever than the racial gap. Then check the racials reference for the specific class you play. A few notes that help:

New player: any race is fine. If you want a strong, simple racial, look at the passive weapon- or stat-racials rather than active cooldowns you might forget.
Hardcore / self-found: defensive and escape racials (damage reduction, snare/root breaks, stealth detection) are worth more than a small damage bonus.
Skyborne: the only race that chooses its faction. If you want to play Skyborne alongside friends, confirm which faction they are on first — the choice is at creation.
PvP: stun breaks and stealth detection remain the highest-value racials.