WoW Forever Classes and Races: Every Race-Class Combo at Launch (Full Table)

Quick answer: WoW Forever has 9 classes and 10 race options (4 per faction plus the Skyborne on each side), for 56 race and class combinations in total. Six are new to the Classic roster: Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, Undead Paladin, Human Hunter, Gnome Priest and Dwarf Shaman. The Skyborne can be Druid, Hunter, Rogue or Warrior on either faction, plus Shaman as a Horde Windshaper or Mage as an Alliance High Order. The six new Classic combos come with your subscription. Skyborne needs the $29.99 Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition. Launch is November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST (23:00 UTC).

Last verified: Nov 3, 2026, 11:30 UTC, against Blizzard's Create the Hero table (article 24304075), the Skyborne race page and the November 2 development notes.

Forever goes live tomorrow, and the last thing to settle before you log in is what to roll. This page is the full map: every race and class combination Blizzard has published, what each class actually does, and the racial kit each race ships with after the final pre-launch racial passes. If you already know your class and only want the best race for it, our best race for each class guide goes deeper on that one question.

Which race and class combinations exist in WoW Forever?

Blizzard's Create the Hero article publishes one table per faction. Here they are merged, with the six new Classic combos marked and the Skyborne split by faction.

Class	Horde races	Alliance races	Total combos
Warrior	Orc, Tauren, Troll, Undead, Skyborne (Windshaper)	Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Skyborne (High Order)	10
Rogue	Orc, Troll, Undead, Skyborne (Windshaper)	Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Skyborne (High Order)	9
Hunter	Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne (Windshaper)	Dwarf, Night Elf, Human (new), Skyborne (High Order)	8
Mage	Troll, Undead, Orc (new)	Human, Gnome, Skyborne (High Order)	6
Priest	Troll, Undead	Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome (new)	6
Shaman	Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne (Windshaper)	Dwarf (new)	5
Warlock	Orc, Undead, Troll (new)	Human, Gnome	5
Druid	Tauren, Skyborne (Windshaper)	Night Elf, Skyborne (High Order)	4
Paladin	Undead (new)	Human, Dwarf	3

That is 28 combinations per faction, 56 in total, up from 40 in original 2004 Vanilla. The six new Classic combos add 6 and the two Skyborne subraces add 10.

Reading it the other way, by race:

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

Two consequences matter more than the raw count. Paladin and Shaman are no longer faction-locked. The Horde gets Paladins only through the Undead, and the Alliance gets Shaman through the Dwarf (and nowhere else). Druid is no longer limited to two races: both Skyborne subraces can be Druids, with druid forms Blizzard built for the race.

What can the Skyborne be?

The Skyborne, also called the shen'dorei, start on Zephras Isle at levels 1 to 12 and pick their faction at character creation. Blizzard's Skyborne race page is explicit about the split: "Horde-aligned Skyborne embrace elemental traditions and gain access to the Shaman class, while Alliance-aligned Skyborne pursue the arcane legacy of their ancestors and gain access to the Mage class."

• Windshaper Skyborne (Horde): Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior.
• High Order Skyborne (Alliance): Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Warrior.

So a Skyborne can never be a Paladin, Priest or Warlock, and the Shaman and Mage options are faction-exclusive. Watch out for one line in Blizzard's own launch post: it only says Windshapers "can become Shaman" and the High Order "can become Mages". That is the headline difference, not the full list. The full class lists above come from the same Create the Hero tables.

The Skyborne is the one paid piece of the roster. The Battle.net Shop states that "Access to Skyborne Race or the Zephras Isle starting experience questline requires purchase of Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher edition" (Battle.net Shop). The Heroic Pack is $29.99. Whether that is worth it is covered in is the Skyborne race worth $29.99, and the zone itself in our Zephras Isle 1-12 guide.

What role does each WoW Forever class play?

Every class keeps three talent trees. Talents open at level 10, the 11, 21 and 31-point milestones stay, a new 16-point milestone is added, and Dual Specialization unlocks at level 40, per Blizzard's class deep dives. One line per class, using Blizzard's tree names:

Class	Talent trees	Role in one line
Warrior	Arms, Fury, Protection	Melee damage or the main tank, built on Rage and stances
Paladin	Holy, Protection, Retribution	Healer, tank or melee hybrid, built on Seals and Judgements
Hunter	Beast Mastery, Marksmanship, Survival	Ranged damage with a pet; Aimed Shot is now baseline at 20
Rogue	Assassination, Combat, Subtlety	Stealth melee damage; can now use one-handed axes
Priest	Discipline, Holy, Shadow	Healer, or Shadow damage caster
Shaman	Elemental Combat, Enhancement, Restoration	Caster, melee or healer, with party-wide totems
Mage	Arcane, Fire, Frost	Ranged and area damage plus Polymorph crowd control
Warlock	Affliction, Demonology, Destruction	Damage-over-time caster with demon pets that scale with your stats
Druid	Balance, Feral Combat, Restoration	Shapeshifting hybrid: caster, melee, tank or healer

Sources for the trees and the one-line roles: Hunter and Druid, Priest and Warrior, Paladin, Mage and Shaman and Rogue and Warlock.

Two launch-week facts from the November 2 development notes (Blizzard forums) apply to every class: training from 1 to 60 now costs between 206 and 207 gold for all classes (Warlock costs are reduced by the expected cost of pet Grimoires), and Blizzard wrote that "we've raised damage on classes across the game, and have increased the health of higher level creatures to compensate." Which class levels fastest after that pass is in our best class to level tier list. For battlegrounds, see the PvP class tier list.

What are the racials for each race in WoW Forever?

Racials changed three times in the last three weeks: the October 15 build removed weapon specializations, the October 26 and 27 posts rolled several replacements back, and the November 2 notes restated the final set. This is the launch picture. Every number below is from Blizzard's development notes thread; only the changes are listed, so each race also keeps the rest of its kit. For how each racial changes the best pick per class, use the best race for each class guide rather than this summary.

Alliance

• Human: Ruthless is now +1% crit chance and Human Spirit +10% Spirit. Will to Survive stays.
• Dwarf: Earth Fury is gone. Artisan's Precision gives +1% hit with spells and attacks. Find Treasure stays and can now also find extra items in most chests.
• Night Elf: unchanged since October 15, when Quickness was changed to stack with other movement speed increases.
• Gnome: unchanged since October 15, when Eureka! became an 8-second buff with no charges that also benefits Power Word: Shield.
• High Order Skyborne: Wind-Blessed haste is 2% (it was 3%). Read Leyline gives +50% Mana and Health regeneration for 15 seconds, and using it at a Ley Line grants Attuned for 1 hour, which raises it to 100%. Shares Walk on Air and Elemental Insight (+5% damage to Elementals).

Horde

• Orc: Savage is gone and Command is back (+5% Warlock and Hunter pet damage). Blood Fury is back to a 2-minute cooldown (it was 3). Shatter Curse now dispels Curses and Banes.
• Undead: Touch of the Grave's internal cooldown dropped to 15 seconds (was 25), and Cannibalize can once again be used while immune to Physical damage. Will of the Forsaken stays.
• Tauren: Endurance is now +5% Health only. Plainsrunning gives 2% per stack up to 60%, but no longer affects mounted speed. War Stomp has a 90-second cooldown.
• Troll: Berserking now lasts 15 seconds (was 10), and the Regeneration health bonus is 20%.
• Windshaper Skyborne: same 2% haste as the High Order. Skysight gives +15% run speed for 15 seconds, and using it at an elemental convergence grants Charged for 1 hour, which raises it to 30%. Attuned and Charged persist through death but are removed when you enter a raid.

The Skyborne subraces do not share their active abilities: Read Leyline is High Order only and Skysight is Windshaper only. Player reaction to the late Horde changes was loud on the official forums. Several threads argued the final Alliance racials are the stronger set, which is opinion, not a Blizzard statement.

Which combo should you roll first on November 4?

These are timesaver.gg editorial picks for a launch-night main, not simulation results:

• You want a new combo that changes faction politics: Undead Paladin (the only Horde Paladin) or Dwarf Shaman (the only Alliance Shaman). Both fill a class your faction has never had in Classic, so groups will want them.
• You want the safest solo leveler: a Hunter. Eight races can play one, including the new Human Hunter, and Aimed Shot is baseline at 20.
• You want to see new content from level 1: Skyborne, which starts on Zephras Isle instead of a Classic starting zone. Remember it needs the Heroic Pack.
• You want to heal and always find a group: Priest, now available to Gnomes, or a Druid, now available to both Skyborne.

The least-picked combos may also be the easiest to find groups for. An unofficial volunteer scan of beta characters, posted to r/wow on October 24, found the Skyborne (both factions combined) the most-played race and the Orc Mage the least-played of the six new combos. That is a community census, not Blizzard data, and beta numbers will not match launch.

Before you commit, check two choices you cannot easily undo: faction on the PvP ruleset (one faction per account there) and ruleset itself. Our Horde or Alliance guide and character creation guide cover both. Leveling a second class also pays off through the Legacy system, which awards points for leveling different classes.

Picked your class but short on evenings? Every combo above starts at level 1 on November 4. timesaver.gg runs WoW Forever leveling and gold services so you reach the content you rolled for faster.

• WoW Forever Powerleveling: push a new main or alt toward 60 on your schedule.
• WoW Forever Gold: covers the 206 to 207 gold of class training and your first mount.
• All WoW Forever services: dungeons, raids and more on the Forever hub.

FAQ

How many classes are in WoW Forever? Nine: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock and Warrior. There is no new class at launch. The new options are race and class combinations, plus the Skyborne race.

How many races are in WoW Forever? Nine races, ten if you count the two Skyborne subraces separately. Each faction has its four Classic races plus a Skyborne subrace: Windshaper for the Horde and High Order for the Alliance.

What are the 6 new race and class combos in WoW Forever? Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, Undead Paladin, Human Hunter, Gnome Priest and Dwarf Shaman, all confirmed in Blizzard's Create the Hero article. They are included with a subscription or Game Time and need no pack.

Can Skyborne be Paladins or Priests? No. Windshaper Skyborne can be Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman or Warrior. High Order Skyborne can be Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue or Warrior. Paladin, Priest and Warlock are not available to either subrace.

Can the Horde play Paladin in WoW Forever? Yes, but only as Undead. Undead Paladin is one of the six new combos. Human and Dwarf remain the Alliance Paladin races.

Do I have to pay for the new races and classes? The six new Classic combos come with any active subscription or Game Time. Only the Skyborne race and Zephras Isle need the $29.99 Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition.

When can I create these characters? Characters reserved during Early Name Reservation (October 27 to November 3) already exist at level 1. Everyone else can create characters when Forever launches on November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST, which is 23:00 UTC.