WoW Forever racials
Ask a Classic PvPer why they rolled Undead or Orc and you'll hear Will of the Forsaken or Hardiness, not the lore. Blizzard's September 22 lists cover all 40 Forever racials, four each for the eight returning races and both Skyborne factions, two unlabeled and two marked Passive. The September 24 beta notes then revised Eureka!, Will to Survive, Cultivation and Touch of the Grave, and this page shows both rounds.
Quick answer
Blizzard lists four racials for each race and Skyborne faction, with two unlabeled abilities and two passives; September 24 beta notes revise four traits.
- Published listsBlizzard's September 22 race article names all 40 racials across eight returning races and both Skyborne factions.Confirmed Blizzard · Create the Hero
- Ability patternEach list has two abilities without a type label and two marked Passive; this guide calls the unlabeled pair active.Confirmed Blizzard · Create the Hero
- Later beta changesBlizzard's September 24 notes address Eureka!, Will to Survive, Cultivation, and Touch of the Grave.Confirmed Community · Blizzard · Beta development notes
On this page
Which racials does each Horde race get?
Blizzard's September 22 racial lists supply every name below. “Active” is our shorthand for its two unlabeled entries; Blizzard explicitly marks the other two “Passive.” Follow a race link for each ability's published effect.
| Race | Active abilities | Passive abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Orc | Blood Fury; Shatter Curse | Axe Specialization; Hardiness |
| Forsaken (Blizzard: Undead) | Will of the Forsaken; Cannibalize | Underwater Breathing; Touch of the Grave |
| Tauren | War Stomp; Cultivation | Plainsrunning; Endurance |
| Troll | Berserking; Rapid Regeneration | Beast Slaying; Regeneration |
| Windshaper Skyborne | Walk on Air; Skysight | Wind Blessed; Elemental Insight |
Which racials does each Alliance race get?
The same Blizzard article lists these Alliance traits. The two Skyborne rows share three abilities; their faction-specific second ability differs.
| Race | Active abilities | Passive abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Will to Survive; Perception | Sword Specialization; The Human Spirit |
| Dwarf | Stoneform; Find Treasure | Mace Specialization; Big Game Hunter |
| Night Elf | Elune’s Light; Shadowmeld | Quickness; Wisp Spirit |
| Gnome | Escape Artist; Eureka! | Expansive Mind; Engineering Specialization |
| High Order Skyborne | Walk on Air; Read Ley Line | Wind Blessed; Elemental Insight |
How do the Skyborne faction traits differ?
Both Skyborne lists include Walk on Air, Wind Blessed, and Elemental Insight. Windshaper (Horde) gets Skysight, which Blizzard describes as an Elemental Blessing that increases run speed by 10%. High Order (Alliance) gets Read Ley Line, which activates a ley line for 100% increased Health and Mana regeneration. Blizzard gives Walk on Air a 10-second glide in both lists.
The two cards below restate each faction's four racials from Blizzard's article, in its published order.
For their available classes and starting area, use the Skyborne guide. The broader race guide compares race and class combinations; the tables here focus on abilities.
What changed in the September 24 beta notes?
The beta development notes change or clarify four entries after the September 22 lists. These are beta notes, so they do not establish final launch behavior.
| Racial | September 22 list (verbatim) | September 24 note |
|---|---|---|
| Gnome: Eureka! | “Reduced cost and 10% increased damage or healing on next 3 spells or abilities.” | “Changed Eureka on every class to a 10% discount on Mana, Rage, or Energy abilities.” |
| Human: Will to Survive | “Remove Stuns.” | “Changed the Will to Survive visual to match Dispel Magic instead of Will of the Forsaken.” No effect change is stated. |
| Tauren: Cultivation | “Grow bonus herbs that don’t require herbalism to gather.” | Every herb gets a player-level requirement: “the Herb’s level required to pick it divided by 5.” Herbs needing more than 300 Herbalism can be Cultivated at player level 60. |
| Forsaken: Touch of the Grave | “Sometimes drain health with your attacks.” | “Touch of the Grave no longer breaks CC or activates from spells and abilities that don't have a damage component to them.” |
Eureka! remains unresolved. The later note does not say whether the September 22 next-three limit or damage and healing bonus survives. Treat the 10% resource discount as the confirmed beta change, not as proof that the earlier effects remain.
Touch of the Grave has a source-label conflict. The September 24 post nests its change under “Tauren.” Blizzard's September 22 list identifies Touch of the Grave as an Undead racial. This guide assigns it to Forsaken while preserving the misplaced heading as part of the record.
Which effects matter when choosing a race?
The published text gives some concrete comparisons. Orc Blood Fury increases Attack Power and Spell Power by 10% for 15 seconds; Human Perception detects stealthed enemies for 20 seconds. Dwarf Stoneform names immunity to Bleeds, Poisons, and Diseases plus reduced Physical damage for 8 seconds, without stating the reduction amount.
More detailLess detailNight Elf Wisp Spirit increases run speed while dead by 75%. Blizzard's…2 paragraphs, 79 words
Night Elf Wisp Spirit increases run speed while dead by 75%. Blizzard's racial list is the source for each of those effects.
Those are different kinds of utility, not a damage ranking. Choose a faction and an allowed class using the race and class matrix, then compare the four traits on the relevant race page. A single tooltip cannot settle a best race for every class or activity, and the published list lacks cooldowns and several effect values.
When should you avoid a racial ranking?
Do not treat an unsourced “best race” list, an old Classic tooltip, or an unverified beta screenshot as a Forever performance result. Blizzard's published racial descriptions do not give every cooldown or numeric effect. The September 24 notes also show that beta text can change.
The honest comparison today is what each ability does on the published list, with the later changes attached.
WoW Forever racials FAQ
Are all WoW Forever racial abilities published?
Blizzard published four named abilities for each returning race and each Skyborne faction on September 22. The lists do not include every cooldown or effect value, and four traits received September 24 beta notes.
Do Horde and Alliance Skyborne have the same racials?
They share Walk on Air, Wind Blessed, and Elemental Insight. Horde Windshapers get Skysight; Alliance High Order Skyborne get Read Ley Line.
Is Eureka! still a damage and healing bonus?
Blizzard's September 22 text describes that bonus. Its September 24 beta note changes Eureka! to a 10% Mana, Rage, or Energy ability discount without resolving whether the earlier bonus remains.
Is Touch of the Grave a Tauren racial?
No. Blizzard's September 22 list places it under Undead, called Forsaken on this site. The September 24 beta note discusses it under a Tauren heading, an unresolved source-label error.
Every row carries its evidence tier: Confirmed, Planned, Reported, Unverified or Not announced. Where sources disagree, both stay on the page. How we verify