Races · Matrix
WoW Forever Race/Class Combinations & Racials
See the complete official WoW Forever race and class matrix, six new combinations, the Skyborne faction split, racial traits and Forsaken Paladins.
Blizzard has now officially confirmed six new race/class combinations for WoW Forever: Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, and Undead Paladin. The Deep Dive also confirms a broader racial redesign in which each race has two active and two passive abilities, while keeping distinct utility instead of homogenizing every race.
Six new combinations confirmed
| Race | New class |
|---|---|
| Gnome | Priest |
| Human | Hunter |
| Dwarf | Shaman |
| Orc | Mage |
| Troll | Warlock |
| Undead | Paladin |
Blizzard says more combinations are planned for future updates, but the six above are the launch-era additions explicitly named so far.
Full race and class matrix confirmed by Blizzard
Blizzard published the complete launch-era race/class selection matrix on September 22. A check mark means the pair appears in that official table; it is not a beta balance recommendation.
Horde
| Race | Druid | Hunter | Mage | Paladin | Priest | Rogue | Shaman | Warlock | Warrior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orc | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tauren | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Troll | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Undead | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Skyborne | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
Alliance
| Race | Druid | Hunter | Mage | Paladin | Priest | Rogue | Shaman | Warlock | Warrior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Gnome | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Human | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Night Elf | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
| Skyborne | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
Character creation in the beta can still expose bugs or change before release; the table records Blizzard’s announced combinations, not independently tested access for every account.
Blizzard — complete race/class and racial-trait tables
Confirmed Skyborne matrix
| Race / alignment | Warrior | Hunter | Rogue | Druid | Shaman | Mage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skyborne — Horde | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — |
| Skyborne — Alliance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | — | Yes |
For unlocks, Zephras Isle, faction choice, and customization, use the dedicated Skyborne guide.
How racials are being redesigned
Blizzard says every race will have two active racials and two passive racials. The goal is to provide a similar amount of offensive power while preserving signature utility and situational advantages.
Dwarf examples
The Deep Dive gives several confirmed Dwarf changes:
- Stoneform still removes and protects against Bleeds, Poisons, and Diseases, but its defensive bonus becomes Physical damage reduction rather than Armor;
- Find Treasure can remain active with other tracking abilities;
- Earth Fury replaces Mace Specialization in the October 15 notes and grants 2% increased critical damage and healing;
- Big Game Hunter increases damage against Beasts.
Undead examples
Blizzard also details several Undead changes:
- Will of the Forsaken still removes Charm, Fear, and Sleep but no longer grants immunity afterward;
- Cannibalize restores Mana as well as Health;
- Underwater Breathing remains unchanged;
- Touch of the Grave gives attacks a chance to drain life from enemies.
Blizzard has now published the race-wide racial-trait table. The examples above highlight major changes; use the official source below for each race’s full list.
October 15 racial changes and Touch of the Dead
The official October 15 notes supersede the September numeric examples where they differ. Human Sword Specialization is replaced by Ruthless (2% critical strike chance), Orc Axe Specialization by Savage (1% critical strike chance), and Skyborne Wind Blessed now gives 3% Haste.
The Undead section uses both Touch of the Grave and Touch of the Dead. Under the latter name it lists a 30% caster / 20% Paladin, Rogue and Warrior activation chance with a 25-second internal cooldown. The notes do not explicitly explain the two names; this site does not silently treat them as two separate racials or a verified rename. Check the current client before making a numeric build comparison.
Use the patch tracker for the dated update and the Skyborne guide for faction-specific changes. The race/class availability matrix above is separate from racial balance.
Forsaken Paladins now have a confirmed story path
The Found Photos panel adds much more than the class-combination label. Blizzard says the Forsaken Paladin story follows directly from the Warcraft III: Reforged — Forsaken Kingdom campaign. These former paladins begin Forever deeply mistrusted by other Forsaken while learning what it means to channel the Light in undeath.
Bandarion Keep in the Whispering Wood of Tirisfal Glades is a key location for that class journey. Blizzard also confirms that Forsaken Paladins receive their own level 60 epic mount quest: Alliance Paladins ride in the name of Redemption, while the Forsaken ride in the name of Retribution.
This page keeps those facts with the race/class matrix for now. A separate Forsaken Paladin guide should only be created later if beta data and search demand support a distinct class-guide intent.
What remains for beta
Blizzard has published the full matrix. The remaining beta checks concern how the announced choices work in the live client:
- whether every announced race/class pair appears correctly in character creation;
- faction-specific restrictions;
- implementation details, cooldowns, and any values that change across beta builds;
- differences from preview builds;
- any unlock conditions;
- Forsaken Paladin class-quest steps and exact mount-quest requirements;
- whether additional combinations appear during beta.
Choosing a Rogue? The Rogue race-choice guide compares faction and PvP utility without claiming a final PvE DPS ranking. It uses this matrix and keeps the older talent snapshot separate from later racial changes.
Beta note: the six combinations, the two-active/two-passive racial framework, the Dwarf/Undead examples, and the Forsaken Paladin story and level-60 mount quest are official information. The full matrix is now official; client behavior, numerical tuning and detailed quest steps still need beta verification.