Current Racial Rules
The race and class matrix is unchanged by the November 2 notes. Their racial section repeats October 26-27 tuning: Human Ruthless 1% and Spirit 10%; Dwarf Artisan’s Precision 1% spell/attack hit; Orc Command 5% Hunter/Warlock pet damage, no Savage, and Blood Fury 2 minutes; Troll Berserking 15 seconds. Skyborne have 2% Haste, Skysight 15% movement for 15 seconds or Read Leyline 50% regeneration for 15 seconds. See the current racial rules for Attuned, Charged and Innervate restrictions.Source: Blizzard, November 2 beta notes, post 9, Races; racial tuning was previously announced in October 26–27 posts 7–8, verified Nov 3, 2026.
What Changed From Classic
You get six pairings that Classic did not allow, while Tauren and Night Elf gain no class. Blizzard's September 22 article lists them: Human Hunter, Gnome Priest, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin. It calls them "new ways to build your character".Blizzard: Create the Hero You Want to Be in World of Warcraft: Forever, checked Sep 25, 2026.
Blizzard's article uses Undead where this site says Forsaken, so the table's Forsaken row is Blizzard's Undead row.
Skyborne is the one new race, and the only one on both factions. High Order Skyborne (Alliance) can be a Mage, and Windshaper Skyborne (Horde) can be a Shaman. Both can play the other four classes. Skyborne racials are on the Skyborne race page, and every other race's racials are on its own page in the races guide.
After You Pick
Click any class name in the table to open that class guide and its talent calculator. Once you've picked a pairing, the leveling guide covers the level 60 cap and the zone ranges. The RestedXP guide explains what its Forever routes cover, if you want one to follow.
How Blizzard Built the New Matrix
Two Actives and Two Passives, Every Race
Whichever row you pick carries two actives and two passives. Blizzard's Deep Dive recap says they are "tuned to provide a similar amount of offensive power while preserving signature utility."Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap, checked Sep 28, 2026.
Orc's Blood Fury and Troll's Berserking are offensive actives. Dwarf's Stoneform and Forsaken's Will of the Forsaken are defensive ones.
Racials are still moving in the beta. The October 15 notes make Eureka! an 8-second buff with no charges, retaining the preceding build's damage and ability-cost effect and adding Power Word: Shield. The note does not restate numeric magnitudes.Sources: Blizzard, September 22 racial list for unchanged baseline effects; October 15 beta development notes, post 6, for the stated changes; retained capture Oct 18, 2026. Official wording; realm behavior not tested.
What the Beta Client Confirms
Per the client data, every Classic race and class choice is still there, and the build hides nothing beyond Blizzard's published tables. The beta client's race and class table (build 1.60.1.70009) adds rows for exactly the six new pairings and the ten Skyborne combinations. It drops no pairing the Classic Era client allowed. Reported from client data.
Paladin and Shaman Cross the Faction Line
A Horde player who wants a Paladin must roll Forsaken, and an Alliance player who wants a Shaman must roll Dwarf. In Classic Era, Paladin was Alliance-only and Shaman was Horde-only. Forever breaks both walls with a single race each. Mage, Warlock, Priest, and Hunter already existed on both factions, so their new pairings add choices without changing which side can play them.
Why Tauren and Night Elf Sit This Round Out
Tauren and Night Elf gain no new class: Tauren keeps its four Classic classes and Night Elf its five. Blizzard's article doesn't say why those two races gained nothing. The Deep Dive recap only says more combinations are "planned for future updates,"
and it names none.Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive Panel Recap, checked Sep 28, 2026.
The Six New Pairings, One at a Time
Human Hunter
Human keeps its six Classic classes and adds Hunter, for seven classes, tying Troll. The October 15 notes replace Sword Specialization with Ruthless, initially 2% increased critical strike chance, with no sword condition stated. Ruthless now gives 1% critical chance and The Human Spirit 10% Spirit. Will to Survive and Perception are separate published traits. See the Human race page and Hunter class guide.Sources: Blizzard, September 22 racial list for unchanged baseline effects; October 15 beta development notes, post 6, for the stated changes; retained capture Oct 18, 2026. Official wording; realm behavior not tested.
Gnome Priest
A Gnome Priest gets Expansive Mind, which adds 5% to maximum Mana and suits a healer. Gnome had Warrior, Rogue, Mage, and Warlock in Classic; Priest is the fifth. Blizzard's September 24 notes also list Gnome-only Priest spells, Contingency Plan and Confounding Flash. See the Gnome race page and the Priest class guide.
Dwarf Shaman
Dwarf is the only Alliance Shaman, and Stoneform gives a melee Shaman a defensive button. Dwarf had Warrior, Hunter, Paladin, Priest, and Rogue in Classic; Shaman is the sixth. Stoneform grants immunity to Bleeds, Poisons, and Diseases and cuts Physical damage taken for 8 seconds. Details on the Dwarf race page and the Shaman class guide.
Orc Mage
Orc adds Mage to Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman and Warlock. Blood Fury raises Attack Power and Spell Power in Blizzard's published list. Historically, the October 15 notes set its cooldown to 3 minutes and replaced Axe Specialization with Savage. The later update restores Blood Fury’s 2-minute cooldown, removes Savage and returns Command with 5% Hunter/Warlock pet damage. The October 15 notes also make Shatter Curse dispel Curses and Banes with 5% less Magic damage taken, instead of granting immunity. See the Orc race page and Mage class guide.Sources: Blizzard, September 22 racial list for unchanged baseline effects; October 15 beta development notes, post 6, for the stated changes; retained capture Oct 18, 2026. Official wording; realm behavior not tested.
Troll Warlock
A Troll Warlock gets Berserking, which speeds up casting and attacks by 10% for 15 seconds. Troll had Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Mage, and Shaman in Classic; Warlock makes seven, tying Human for the most. Beast Slaying adds 5% damage to Beasts. More on the Troll race page and the Warlock class guide.
Forsaken Paladin
Forsaken is the only Horde Paladin, and Cannibalize is useful for a mana class between pulls. Blizzard calls Forsaken Undead in its table. Paladin joins Mage, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, and Warrior. Will of the Forsaken clears Charm, Fear, and Sleep. Cannibalize restores 35% Health and Mana over time from a corpse. The Forsaken race page and Paladin class guide have more.
Choosing a Skyborne Faction
You pick your Skyborne faction at character creation, which is why Skyborne gets two rows. Both Skyborne factions start on Zephras Isle, which Blizzard lists for levels 1 to 12.Source: WoW: Forever Meet the New Skyborne, checked Sep 28, 2026.
Windshaper Skyborne Fights for the Horde
Windshaper Skyborne can be a Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, or Warrior. Blizzard says the Horde group embraces "elemental traditions,"
which fits Shaman.Blizzard: WoW: Forever Meet the New Skyborne, checked Sep 28, 2026. Its unique active, Skysight, now grants 15% movement for 15 seconds, or 30% while Charged; the September 10% blessing is historical.
High Order Skyborne Stands With the Alliance
Pick High Order Skyborne if you want a Skyborne Mage. It shares Druid, Hunter, Rogue, and Warrior with Windshaper but trades Shaman for Mage, following what Blizzard calls the "arcane legacy"
of its ancestors.Blizzard: WoW: Forever Meet the New Skyborne, checked Sep 28, 2026. Its unique active, Read Ley Line, gives 50% Health/Mana regeneration for 15 seconds, or 100% while Attuned. It cannot be used during Innervate and is replaced by it. Both factions share Walk on Air, Wind Blessed, and Elemental Insight.
Picking a Race by How Many Classes It Opens
The class you want sets how many races you can choose from: nine for Warrior, down to three for Paladin or Druid. Warrior is open to all nine races, counting Skyborne once. Rogue follows at eight, Hunter at seven, Priest and Mage at six, and Warlock and Shaman at five. Paladin and Druid are the narrowest at three each: Human, Dwarf, and Forsaken for Paladin; Night Elf, Tauren, and Skyborne for Druid.
Faction changes the picture for some classes. Mage splits evenly, with Orc, Troll, and Forsaken on the Horde and Gnome, Human, and High Order Skyborne on the Alliance. Priest leans Alliance, four races to two. Warlock leans Horde, three races to two.
How much the filters help depends on that spread. A Warrior player chooses on racials and faction alone, while a Paladin or Druid player picks from a short fixed list. Once you've set a class, the talent calculator is the next step, and the racials guide has every race's traits in one place.