On a normal day, your Race in World of Warcraft: Forever decides your starting location and, if you’re a roleplayer, part of your lore in Azeroth after the devastation of the Third War. But if you want to up the ante and enhance your WoW experience, your choice of Race does come with Racial Abilities that can give you quite the unexpected advantage based on how you build your toon.
Granted, these Racial Abilities don’t necessarily make your character overpowered at the onset. But with the right combination of Class and approach to gameplay, these Racial Abilities can help you speedrun your way to Level 60 and the endgame.
Table of contents
Alliance Races
Human
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Alliance | As one of Azeroth’s youngest civilizations, Humans are known for their versatility, valor, and optimism. They are rebuilding their empire after the fall of Lordaeron |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Ruthless (Passive) | +1% Crit Chance with all spells and attacks |
| The Human Spirit (Passive) | +10% Spirit, which improves Health and Mana regeneration |
| Will to Survive | Instantly removes all stuns (3-minute cooldown) |
| Perception | Increases stealth detection range for 20 seconds (3-minute cooldown) |
Despite the debuff to their Crit Chance, Humans still getting that crit boost (Ruthless) makes a huge difference in fights, as it affects both spells and all weapons. Aside from that, Humans get a decent balance of active and passive utility. If you go Human, your additional Spirit (The Human Spirit) makes you extra viable for spellcasting Classes that would appreciate Mana regen, and the instant anti-stun (Will to Survive) can be a clutch in PvP.
- Paladin: Faster overall Health and Mana regen can help you access your spells faster, with the emergency anti-stun potentially getting you out of an annoying CC in PvP
- Priest, Mage: Will to Survive ensures you have a quick out if you’re blocked from dishing out a much-needed heal or AOE combo. The Human Spirit seems negligible at first, but the additional regen can be invaluable when these Classes need a ton of Mana to sustain their rotations
Dwarf
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Alliance | Previously known for their interest in the treasures beneath the earth, Dwarves have taken a more vested interest in the past after the discovery of an ancient force (the Titans) behind their creation. |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Artisan’s Precision (Passive) | +1% Hit Chance Bonus to spells and attacks |
| Big Game Hunter (Passive) | +5% damage to Beasts |
| Stoneform | Instantly removes and grants 8-second immunity to Bleeds, Poisons, and Diseases -10% Physical Damage taken for 8 seconds (3-minute cooldown) |
| Find Treasure | Tracks nearby treasure chests on the minimap Works concurrently with other tracking abilities |
Additional chance to hit on all attacks (Artisan’s Precision) and extra damage to Beasts (Big Game Hunter) give the Dwarf a decent push in the DPS department. However, the instant DoT removal and immunity (Stoneform) mean you’re better off building them as a tank. Not to mention, treasure tracking (Find Treasure) makes them a great gathering Class.
- Shaman: If you want to play an Allied Shaman, the Dwarf is pretty much your only choice. And being the only Race that can proc immunity to and DoT removal enhances your survivability in both PvE and PvP
- Paladin: Instant removal and temporary immunity to DoT effects can be important in both PvP and fighting against bosses who dish out these debuffs
Gnome
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Alliance | Despite the fall of their great kingdom of Gnomeregan, the Gnomes of Azeroth remained as the world’s foremost minds in all things magic and technology. They live among their Dwarven brethren, but they crave adventure and to make a new mark in history. |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Expansive Mind (Passive) | +5% Maximum Rage (Warrior), Energy (Rogue) or Mana (Priest, Mage, Warlock) |
| Engineering Specialization (Passive) | -20% chance of Engineering Devices failing or backfiring |
| Escape Artist | Instantly stop movement debuffs and get 3-second immunity from them (2-minute cooldown) |
| Eureka! | +10% more damage and healing on spells and abilities with 10% less Rage/Energy/Mana cost for 8 seconds (2-minute cooldown) |
Known for their intuition and ingenuity, it’s no surprise Gnomes are always associated with casters, especially now that they get more maximum resource (Expansive Mind), as well as more damage at a lower resource cost (Eureka!) even for a short duration. Higher maximum resource means you start with more attacks in both PvE and PvP, which is always good since more procs almost always means more damage.
Of course, the damage boost for lower resource cost only lasts for eight seconds, so it’s not as impactful for DoT builds.
- Mage: Additional damage at a lower Mana cost on top of more maximum Mana can help Mages do more for a party in general, making the Class even more of a powerhouse utility-wise
- Rogue: More damage for fewer resources can make rotations particularly devastating in both PvP and PvE, especially since Gnomes can go nova in an opener and end fights particularly quickly. For targets that like to create distance, Escape Artist is a nifty reminder that the Gnome Rogue will always catch up
Night Elf
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Alliance | The Night Elves have been around for more than 10,000 years—much of which they spent in seclusion after the destruction of their great civilization. But as the Burning Legion returned, the Night Elves went out of hiding to help defend Azeroth once more. |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Quickness (Passive) | +1% Dodge Chance, +2% Movement Speed +1 Level higher against Stealth detection for Rogues and Druids |
| Wisp Spirit (Passive) | Becomes a wisp upon death, with +75% Movement Speed |
| Elune’s Light | +10% Critical Strike Chance with all spells and attacks for 15 seconds (3-minute cooldown) |
| Shadowmeld | Activate to slip into the shadows, reducing the chances of being detected. Lasts until canceled or upon moving (10-second cooldown) Using this ability in combat reduces threat, but increases the cooldown to 2 minutes. |
Night Elves use their connection to nature to get the upper hand in a fight, and their ability to slip into the darkness (Shadowmeld) is arguably their strongest asset. Even with a 2-minute cooldown in combat, getting an instant aggro drop is a godsend (Elune-send?) while leveling or in raids. Not to mention, +10% to Critical Strike Chance (Elune’s Light) can make for impressive novas with the right rotations.
Need to switch tank, healer getting jumped at, need to escape
- Druid: If Malfurion Stormrage is any indication, the Druid is easily the best fit for a Nelf toon. Higher crit chance means getting more combo points on Cat Form and Rage on Bear Form. Moreover, the Speed boost might seem low-key, but moving faster than everyone else could give an edge in PvP
- Rogue: Going Shadowmeld for stealth can get you out of sticky aggro situations, especially when a tank is there to take the hits for you
- Hunter, Warrior, Rogue: When built for crits, these Classes work great with Elune’s Light to deliver devastating 15-second combo windows. Even with the big cooldown, it should align with your major CDs as well
High Order Skyborne
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Alliance | Of the Skyborne who settled in the Elemental Plane of Air, the High Order Skyborne wanted to preserve their ancient Night Elf heritage. They are a reflection of the former glory of the Kaldorei Empire while having evolved separately to have a keen affinity with air. |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Wind Blessed (Passive) | +3% Haste |
| Elemental Insight (Passive) | +5% damage against all Elementals |
| Walk on Air | Glide downward through air while controlling your direction for 10 seconds (1.5-minute cooldown) |
| Read Leyline | x2 Health and Mana Regeneration (2-minute cooldown) Lasts for 30 seconds if there are no leylines nearby, and lasts for 15 minutes if there is a leyline |
If you’re going for a Skyborne, then High Order Skyborne of the Alliance is a more practical choice. Being able to get double regeneration (Read Leyline) even in combat improves survivability compared to the rather generic speed boost of their Horde counterparts. Extra Haste (Wind Blessed) and damage to Elementals (Elemental Insight) are nice touches, but not as relevant as the regen buff.
- Druid: Getting a flat Haste buff means faster casting, which is always good for proccing heals over time. Plus, doubling regens acts like a mini-Innervate, which is good self-sustain and reserves Mana for healing other allies
- Hunter, Mage: Bonus to Haste gets your rotations faster, and the double regen can make for decent recovery in between encounters. This makes your Hunter recover more consistently at long range, and gives the Mage more chances of survival in combat at large
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Horde Races
Orc
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Horde | Refugees from the doomed world of Draenor, the Orcs were once a peaceful Race enslaved by the corrupting blood of the Burning Legion. Now freed from their control, the Orcs strive to coexist in a foreign land that hates them. |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Command (Passive) | +5% Damage done by Hunter and Warlock Pets |
| Hardiness (Passive) | -20% duration of all Stun effects |
| Blood Fury | +10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15 seconds (2-minute cooldown) |
| Shatter Curse | Instantly removes all Curses and Banes, -5% Magical Damage for 8 seconds (3-minute cooldown) |
Orc losing their critical strike chance bonus (Savage) is a massive nerf for the Horde Race, but their pets do more damage (Command) in exchange. That makes the Orc more ideal for Hunter and Warlock builds. Not to mention, +10% Spell Power and Attack Power (Blood Fury) and instant Curse/Bane removal (Shatter Curse) make Orcs decent spellcasters (or at least, hybrid casters) in both PvP and PvE setups.
- Warrior: This is the safest pick for your Warrior, since you can open with Blood Fury and secure the aggro while everyone follows with their hits. You can stack Blood Fury with Death Wish (Talent) for even more damage, plus immunity to Fear.
- Shaman: The buff to Attack Power and Spell Power makes for a decent Enhancement Shaman build, especially with a maxed Maelstrom Weapon (Talent), which gives a free instant Lightning Bolt. This is on top of the spec, letting you dish out decent damage without relying too much on Mana
- Hunter, Warlock: That extra damage for Pets is a lifetime’s worth of buffs for both these Classes, particularly the Beast Master (Hunter) and Demonologist (Warlock)
Undead
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Horde | The Undead rally as the Forsaken, led by the Banshee Queen Sylvanas in the ruins of Lordaeron as they all celebrate their liberation from the Lich King’s grasp. But with the Alliance seeking to exterminate all traces of the Scourge – including the Undead – the Forsaken have decided to join the Horde. |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Underwater Breathing (Passive) | Breathe underwater for 300% longer |
| Touch of the Grave (Passive) | Spells and attacks have a 20% (Warrior, Paladin, Rogue) or 30% (Priest, Mage, Warlock) chance to drain Health from the target, up to 5% of your maximum Health |
| Cannibalize | Consume a nearby Humanoid or Undead corpse to heal 35% of total Health and Mana over 10 seconds Cancels upon movement or interruption (2-minute cooldown) |
| Will of the Forsaken | Removes all Charm, Fear, and Sleep effects (2-minute cooldown) |
It’s no surprise that the Undead can eat corpses for regen (Cannibalize) and even get some of that healing action in combat (Touch of the Grave). If you start as part of the Forsaken, you’re all set to survive tough PvE encounters. Then anti-Charm/Fear/Sleep (Will of the Forsaken) becomes a standout in PvP, especially when these debuffs are the go-to of a lot of your competition.
- Rogue: Will of the Forsaken is a nightmare against those who often use Charm/Fear/Sleep effects (Priests, Warlocks, to name a few), which should give you enough room to ruin their rotation and secure a good (and devastating) counterattack
- Paladin: The Undead can finally be Paladins in Forever, and the anti-Charm/Fear/Sleep adds decent debuff defense for a tank build. Plus, a guaranteed heal post-pulls can make raids and leveling faster
- Warlock: 8 seconds of breaking some of the strongest CCs in the game can ruin enemy rotations in PvP. And potential passive healing on hit is something Warlocks don’t really have, which significantly boosts their survivability as they level up
- Priest: The Undead can make the Priest less of a pain to level up with that decent lifesteal chance on hit and healing without spending precious Mana
Tauren
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Horde | None have a connection to nature as deep as the Tauren, and they owe their lives to the Orcs after the latter helped them fend off the violent centaur from their lands. |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Plainsrunning (Passive) | +1% increased Movement Speed every 5 seconds spent moving, up to +30% (reduced on attack or standing still) +3% Mounted Movement Speed |
| Endurance (Passive) | +5% total Health |
| War Stomp | Stuns up to 5 enemies in an 8-yard radius for 2 seconds (1.5-minute cooldown) |
| Cultivation | Cultivate a nearby herb to create a duplicate you can harvest without Herbalism Works only once per herb |
Being a Tauren means you can run faster and faster as you move around the map (Plainsrunning), and you get free herb duplicates, too (Cultivation). These alone make Tauren the go-to alt for gathering. Sadly, your buff to total Health (Endurance) is barely serviceable in PvP, but better than nothing. And your 5-enemy Stun (War Stomp) can provide an emergency escape or make tanking partially workable, but the 1.5-minute cooldown between uses can kill momentum in combat.
- Shaman: The stun-on-stomp gives enough room to cast much-needed Healing Wave or Chain Lightning, but the long cooldown does mean they work best in emergencies. With Plainsrunning, the Shaman can grab Skinning and Leatherworking to craft their own gear end-to-end and alternate to Herbalism thanks to Cultivation
- Druid: Again, War Stomp gives room to change Forms and do some additional healing on the side. Tanking in Bear Form could use the boost to total Health
Troll
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Horde | The Trolls of the Horde were largely from the Darkspear Tribe, and were pushed out of their home in Stranglethorn Vale by warring factions. They found a new home in the Horde, where they can practice the shadowy arts of their people. |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Beast Slaying (Passive) | +5% Damage to Beasts |
| Regeneration (Passive) | +20% Health Regeneration rate, and +20% of Health Regeneration will continue in combat |
| Rapid Regeneration | Regenerate 50% of maximum Health over 6 seconds (3-minute cooldown) Cancels on any movement, action, or damage |
| Berserking | +10% Spellcasting Speed and Attack Speed for 10 seconds (3-minute cooldown) |
Trolls have become kings of self-healing with better Health regen in and out of combat (Regeneration). Getting half Health filled over six seconds (Rapid Regeneration) can get you out of sticky situations, but the 3-minute cooldown makes it barely usable except to get instant healing before the next fight. The same could be said once you get your combat speed bonus (Berserking), as theoretically this sets you up for decent bursts, but it’s just the one burst before a long cooldown.
- Warlock: The casting and speed buff lets the Troll dish out more damage much faster with Pandemic, Drain Soul, and Decimation, and the additional self-recovery makes it easier to take on more foes without needing to lose momentum in combat
- Shaman: The casting buff is especially useful in getting heals to allies much faster, and the self-heal gives them much-needed survivability
- Rogue: Having an attack speed boost can make a Troll Rogue generate even more DPS, while self-healing means they’re less reliant on healers
Windshaper Skyborne
| Faction | Lore |
|---|---|
| Horde | Among the Night Elf survivors of the Sundering, the Windshaper Skyborne have grown to appreciate their newfound connection with the winds. Their attachment to the elements makes them free spirits, something they also saw with the Horde. |
| Racial | Description |
|---|---|
| Wind Blessed (Passive) | +3% Haste |
| Elemental Insight (Passive) | +5% damage against all Elementals |
| Walk on Air | Glide downward through the air while controlling your direction for 10 seconds (1.5-minute cooldown) |
| Skysight | +10% Movement Speed and Mounted Movement Speed (2-minute cooldown) Lasts for 30 seconds if there are no elemental convergences nearby, and lasts for 15 minutes if there is one |
Windshaper Skyborne have it worse than their Alliance counterparts, at least buffs-wise. Additional movement and mounted speed (Skysight) could be useful for gathering and escaping fights, making this benefit more of a PvE perk than anything else. At least they have buffs to Haste (Wind Blessed) and damage against Elementals (Elemental Insight).
- Hunter, Shaman: The flat Haste boost can give the Windshaper more opportunities to do their rotations, and the speed boost with Skysight can help them off-combat by facilitating faster gathering runs. This is perfect, as both Classes could benefit from Skinning and Leathercrafting for their gear.
