WoW Forever Races and Racials (Updated November 2026)

Best race for each class

Editorial pick by the racial abilities in the beta client, one race for PvE and one for PvP on each faction. For priests the priest spells available only to one race are counted too.

• Warrior

  Alliance

  PvE HumanRuthless permanently adds 2% critical strike chance to all attacks, a steady bonus with no cooldown.

  PvP HumanWill to Survive instantly removes all stuns, and stuns are the warrior's biggest problem in PvP.

  Close alternative High Order Skyborne

  Horde

  PvE OrcBlood Fury adds 10% attack power for 15 sec and permanently adds 1% critical strike chance.

  PvP OrcHardiness shortens every stun on the warrior by 20%, and against fear the warrior already has its own answer.

  Close alternative Troll Tauren

• Paladin

  Alliance

  PvE HumanRuthless adds 2% critical strike chance to both spells and attacks, which helps damage and critical heals alike.

  PvP HumanWill to Survive breaks stuns, which the paladin cannot remove on its own.

  Close alternative Dwarf

  Horde

  PvE UndeadUndead is the only Horde race that can be a paladin, and Touch of the Grave drains a little health on spells and attacks.

  PvP UndeadWill of the Forsaken removes fear, charm and sleep, so warlocks and priests cannot lock this paladin out of the fight.

• Hunter

  Alliance

  PvE HumanRuthless permanently adds 2% critical strike chance to all shots, a steady bonus with no cooldown.

  PvP Night ElfShadowmeld lets the hunter drop out of sight and Elune's Light adds 10% critical strike chance for 15 sec, a burst window at range.

  Horde

  PvE OrcBlood Fury adds 10% attack power for 15 sec and permanently adds 1% critical strike chance.

  PvP TaurenWar Stomp stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yards for 2 sec, which pushes melee off the hunter, and Endurance adds 5% health.

  Close alternative Troll

• Rogue

  Alliance

  PvE HumanRuthless permanently adds 2% critical strike chance to all attacks, a steady bonus with no cooldown.

  PvP GnomeEscape Artist breaks slows and roots and gives 3 sec of immunity to them, so a target cannot kite this rogue.

  Horde

  PvE OrcBlood Fury adds 10% attack power for 15 sec and permanently adds 1% critical strike chance.

  PvP UndeadWill of the Forsaken removes fear, charm and sleep, the control a rogue cannot escape with its own abilities.

  Close alternative Troll

• Priest

  Alliance

  PvE HumanThe Human Spirit adds 5% Spirit for mana, and only human priests get Divine Grace, an instant heal for an ally below half health.

  PvP DwarfStoneform removes bleeds and poisons and cuts physical damage, and only dwarf priests get Desperate Prayer, an instant self heal, and Chastise, a short root.

  Horde

  PvE TrollBerserking speeds up casting by 10% for 10 sec, the only Horde racial that adds both healing and damage for a priest.

  PvP UndeadWill of the Forsaken removes the fears that enemy priests and warlocks rely on, and only undead priests get Touch of Weakness for protection against melee attacks.

• Shaman

  Alliance

  PvE DwarfDwarf is the only Alliance race that can be a shaman, and Artisan's Precision adds 2% to critical damage and healing.

  PvP DwarfStoneform removes bleeds, poisons and diseases and cuts physical damage taken by 10% for 8 sec.

  Horde

  PvE OrcBlood Fury raises both attack power and spell power by 10% for 15 sec, so it suits all three shaman trees.

  PvP TaurenWar Stomp gives the shaman a stun on up to 5 enemies and Endurance adds 5% health, and the shaman has no other stun of its own.

  Close alternative Troll

• Mage

  Alliance

  PvE GnomeEureka! gives non periodic spells like the main bolts 10% more damage for 8 sec and Expansive Mind adds 5% maximum mana.

  PvP GnomeEscape Artist breaks slows and roots, so melee cannot pin the mage down even when its own escape is on cooldown.

  Close alternative High Order Skyborne

  Horde

  PvE OrcBlood Fury permanently adds 1% critical strike chance and adds 10% spell power for 15 sec.

  PvP UndeadWill of the Forsaken removes fear, charm and sleep, the control a mage cannot escape with its own abilities.

  Close alternative Troll

• Warlock

  Alliance

  PvE HumanRuthless adds 2% critical strike chance to spells and The Human Spirit adds 5% Spirit, which helps mana between fights.

  PvP HumanWill to Survive breaks the stuns that rogues and warriors open on warlocks with.

  Close alternative Gnome

  Horde

  PvE OrcBlood Fury adds 10% spell power for 15 sec and permanently adds 1% critical strike chance.

  PvP UndeadWill of the Forsaken removes the fears that enemy warlocks and priests use on each other.

  Close alternative Troll

• Druid

  Alliance

  PvE High Order SkyborneWind Blessed permanently adds 3% haste to spells and attacks and Read Leyline doubles health and mana regeneration between fights.

  PvP Night ElfQuickness adds dodge and speed and makes a stealthed druid harder to spot, and Shadowmeld lets the druid drop out of sight.

  Horde

  PvE Windshaper SkyborneWind Blessed permanently adds 3% haste to spells and attacks, the best steady bonus for every druid tree.

  PvP TaurenWar Stomp stuns up to 5 enemies for 2 sec, a stun no other Horde druid race has.