Which WoW Forever race should you play?
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.
All ten races
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Human
Alliance
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Priest, Warlock, Paladin
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Dwarf
Alliance
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Paladin, Shaman
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Night Elf
Alliance
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Druid
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Gnome
Alliance
Classes: Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Priest, Warlock
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Skyborne (High Order)
Skyborne (choice)
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Druid
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Orc
Horde
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Warlock, Shaman
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Undead
Horde
Classes: Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Priest, Warlock, Paladin
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Tauren
Horde
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Druid, Shaman
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Troll
Horde
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Priest, Warlock, Shaman
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Skyborne (Windshaper)
Skyborne (choice)
Classes: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid, Shaman
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 |
| Shaman | Dwarf, Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne (Windshaper) |
| Hunter | Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Skyborne (High Order), Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne (Windshaper) |
| Druid | Night Elf, Skyborne (High Order), Tauren, Skyborne (Windshaper) |
| 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.