Racials and the best race for every class in WoW Forever

The full list, with the numbers you will play with on Nov 4. Cooldowns are in brackets.

Human
- Will to Survive
  Breaks every stun on you (3 min).
- Perception
  Sees stealthed enemies much farther away for 20 seconds (3 min).
- Ruthless
  +1% crit chance with spells and attacks.
- The Human Spirit
  +10% Spirit.
Dwarf
- Stoneform
  Clears and blocks bleeds, poisons and diseases, and cuts physical damage taken by 10% for 8 seconds (3 min).
- Find Treasure
  Shows treasure on the minimap, and chests sometimes hold extra items.
- Artisan's Precision
Night Elf
- Elune's Light
  +10% crit chance with spells and attacks for 15 seconds (3 min).
- Shadowmeld
  Hides you while you stand still (10 s). Used in combat, enemies stop attacking you, and the cooldown becomes 2 minutes.
Gnome
- Expansive Mind
  +5% maximum mana; Rogues get 5% more Energy and Warriors 5% more Rage.
- Eureka!
  For 8 seconds your damaging abilities cost 10% less and hit 10% harder; Priests get it on heals and Power Word: Shield too (2 min).
- Escape Artist
High Order SkyborneNew
- Walk on Air
  Glide down for 10 seconds, steering as you go (90 s).
- Read Leyline
  +50% health and mana regeneration for 15 seconds, +100% while Attuned (2 min).
Orc
- Command
  Hunter and Warlock pets deal 5% more damage.
- Blood Fury
  +10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15 seconds (2 min).
- Shatter Curse
Undead
- Will of the Forsaken
  Breaks charm, fear and sleep (2 min).
- Cannibalize
  Eat a Humanoid or Undead corpse for 7% health and mana every 2 seconds over 10 seconds (2 min).
- Underwater Breathing
Tauren
- War Stomp
  Stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yards for 2 seconds (90 s).
- Cultivation
  Grows a copy of a nearby herb that you can pick without Herbalism (15 min).
Troll
- Berserking
  +10% casting and attack speed for 15 seconds (3 min).
- Rapid Regeneration
  Channel to restore 50% of your health over 6 seconds; moving, acting or taking damage stops it (3 min).
Windshaper SkyborneNew
- Walk on Air
  The same glide as the High Order.
- Skysight
  +15% movement speed for 15 seconds, +30% while Charged (2 min).

Read Ley Line and Skysight both have a 0.5-second cast you can do on the move. Used at a ley line or an elemental convergence they also give an hour-long state, Attuned or Charged, that doubles the racial wherever you use it; the Skyborne guide explains both.

Priest racial spells

Priests also learn two spells tied to their race, one at 10 and one at 20, from the class trainer.

Race	Racial spells
Human	Divine Grace instantly heals an ally under 50% health and clears Weakened Soul (not on yourself). Feedback burns the mana of anyone who casts at you.
Dwarf	Desperate Prayer is an instant self-heal. Chastise deals Holy damage and roots a Humanoid for up to 2 seconds.
Night Elf	is Arcane damage over 6 seconds. halves the chance melee and ranged attacks hit you for 15 seconds or three misses.

Who can play what

Every class has at least four races to choose from. Six classic races gained a class, and the Skyborne add ten pairings of their own. New pairings are in bold.

Class	Alliance · Horde
Warrior	Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, High Order Skyborne. Horde: Orc, Undead, Tauren, Troll, Windshaper Skyborne.
Paladin	Alliance: Human, Dwarf. Horde: Undead.
Hunter	Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, High Order Skyborne. Horde: Orc, Tauren, Troll, Windshaper Skyborne.
Rogue	Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, High Order Skyborne. Horde: Orc, Undead, Troll, Windshaper Skyborne.
Priest	Alliance: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome. Horde: Undead, Troll.
Shaman	Alliance: Dwarf. Horde: Orc, Tauren, Troll, Windshaper Skyborne.
Mage	Alliance: Human, Gnome, High Order Skyborne. Horde: Orc, Undead, Troll.
Warlock	Alliance: Human, Gnome. Horde: Orc, Undead, Troll.
Druid	Alliance: Night Elf, High Order Skyborne. Horde: Tauren, Windshaper Skyborne.

Paladins and Shamans are no longer locked to one faction: Undead Paladins start in Deathknell with their own quest line (Undead Paladin class quests), and Dwarf Shamans get their own totem quests, starting in Dun Morogh (Dwarf Shaman totems). To browse the pairings by race or class, use the race and class explorer.

Best race for every class

How we pick. For PvE we look at what adds damage or healing over a raid night (a passive like hit or crit, an active that lines up with your other cooldowns) and at survival tools for tanks. For PvP the deciding question is what gets you out of the control your opponents use most: stuns (Human, Orc), fears and charms (Undead), roots and snares (Gnome), and what lets you lock someone down yourself (Tauren).

Class	Our picks
Warrior	Alliance: Human for damage and PvP, Dwarf to tank. Horde: Orc for damage and PvP, Tauren to tank.
Paladin	Alliance: Human for Holy, Retribution and PvP, Dwarf for Protection. Horde: Undead.
Hunter	Alliance: Dwarf for PvE, Night Elf or Human for PvP. Horde: Orc for PvE and PvP.
Rogue	Alliance: Human for PvE and PvP. Horde: Orc for PvE, Undead for PvP.
Priest	Alliance: Human to heal, Gnome for Shadow, Dwarf or Night Elf for PvP. Horde: Troll for PvE, Undead for PvP.
Shaman	Alliance: Dwarf. Horde: Orc for Elemental and Enhancement, Troll for Restoration, Tauren or Orc for PvP.
Mage	Alliance: Gnome for PvE and PvP, Human close behind. Horde: Orc or Troll for PvE, Undead for PvP.
Warlock	Alliance: Gnome for PvE, Human for PvP. Horde: Orc for PvE, Undead for PvP.
Druid	Alliance: Night Elf, High Order Skyborne for casters. Horde: Tauren, Windshaper Skyborne for casters.

Warrior

Human
AllianceAlliance damage and PvP
- Will to Survive
- Perception
Ruthless adds a point of crit, which feeds Flurry and Deep Wounds for Arms and Fury. Will to Survive is the best PvP racial a Warrior can have: every Rogue opener, Hammer of Justice and Charge stun becomes optional. Night Elf is a fine damage alternative, as lines up with Recklessness or Death Wish for a big burst.

Paladin

Human
AllianceAlliance Holy, Retribution, PvP
- Will to Survive
- The Human Spirit
Ruthless adds crit to both your heals and your Seals, and helps your mana between fights. Will to Survive gets you out of stuns so you can heal or close in.

Hunter

Dwarf
AllianceAlliance PvE
- Big Game Hunter
Artisan's Precision's extra hit matters most early in raids, and Big Game Hunter adds 5% against the Beasts you kill all the way to 60.
Night Elf
Alliance

Rogue

Human
AllianceAlliance PvE and PvP
- Will to Survive
- Perception
Ruthless means more crits, more combo points and more Relentless Strikes procs. In PvP, Will to Survive breaks stuns and Perception finds the other Rogue first. Gnome's is the PvP alternative for slippery players.

Priest

Human
AllianceAlliance healing
- The Human Spirit
The extra Spirit is the best mana racial a healer can have, and Divine Grace is an instant emergency heal for someone else. Ruthless adds crit to your heals.

Shaman

Dwarf
AllianceAlliance, the only choice
- Stoneform
Dwarf Shamans are new and the only Alliance Shamans. Stoneform and Artisan's Precision both suit Enhancement, and Stoneform shrugs off Rogue poisons in PvP.
Orc
HordeHorde Elemental and Enhancement

Mage

Gnome
AllianceAlliance PvE and PvP
- Escape Artist
- Expansive Mind
Eureka! adds damage and saves mana on your burst, and Expansive Mind adds 5% mana. In PvP, Escape Artist breaks a Frost Nova or Hamstring so you can keep your distance. Human comes close: Ruthless helps Ignite for Fire, and Will to Survive is the better break against Rogues.

Warlock

Gnome
AllianceAlliance PvE
- Expansive Mind
Eureka! fits Shadow Bolt burst and Expansive Mind adds 5% mana for Life Tap to refill. Escape Artist helps in PvP.
Human
AllianceAlliance PvP

Druid

Night Elf
AllianceAlliance Feral and PvP

At a glance

Every racial at launch

Priest racial spells

Who can play what

Best race for every class

Warrior

Human

Paladin

Human

Hunter

Dwarf

Night Elf

Rogue

Human

Priest

Human

Shaman

Dwarf

Orc

Mage

Gnome

Warlock

Gnome

Human

Druid

Night Elf

Racials that help while leveling

Dwarf

Orc

Tauren

Dwarf

Undead

Orc

Orc

Undead

Gnome

Troll

Undead

Troll

Tauren

Orc

Undead

Orc

Undead

High Order Skyborne

Tauren

Windshaper Skyborne