Race · Confirmed

Skyborne in WoW Forever: Classes, Lore, Faction & Unlock

Check WoW Forever Skyborne unlock packs, Horde and Alliance classes, racials and Zephras Isle. Separate launch access from archived beta forms and mounts.

By WoW Forever Wiki TeamOctober 26, 20269 min readLaunch unlocks · Archived beta observations

Skyborne are the new playable race introduced with World of Warcraft: Forever. At character creation, you choose whether your Skyborne joins the Horde or the Alliance, and that faction choice changes at least one class option: Horde-aligned Skyborne can be Shamans, while Alliance-aligned Skyborne can be Mages.

Both factions can also play Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, and Druid. Records from the completed beta document racial abilities, Galestrider mounts, customization categories and several unique Druid forms alongside Blizzard's official lore and unlock rules.

The beta closed on October 23. For launch, check the eligible upgrade below; a subscription alone does not unlock Skyborne. Use name reservation for the October 27 regional openings. Beta observations here are not a release-client test.

Skyborne at a glance

Detail	Current information
Other name	Shen'dorei, the "Hidden People"
Factions	Horde or Alliance, chosen at character creation
Shared classes	Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid
Faction classes	Shaman for Horde; Mage for Alliance
Starting zone	Zephras Isle, levels 1–12
Shared racials	Walk on Air, Wind Blessed, Elemental Insight
Faction racial	Skysight for Horde; Read Ley Line for Alliance
Unlock	Skyborne Heroic Pack, Epic Pack, or Warcraft Forever Collection

Confirmed Skyborne class access

Skyborne alignment	Confirmed classes
Both factions	Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, Druid
Horde-aligned	Shaman plus the shared classes
Alliance-aligned	Mage plus the shared classes

For the wider set of new race/class combinations, see Race/Class Combinations & Racials.

Skyborne lore: the Shen'dorei

The Found Photos panel gives the first substantial official origin story. Skyborne are also known as the Shen'dorei, described as the "Hidden People." Their history begins with rebels who fled Eldre'Thalas after the War of the Ancients. They eventually found refuge in Skywall, where wind spirits anchored their island home in the elemental plane.

When Forever begins, that sanctuary is failing: the elemental benefactors who protected them have vanished, the pylons holding Zephras together are breaking down, and parts of the island are falling into ruin and darkness.

Blizzard names the Windshapers, High Order, and Al'aketh among the groups competing for influence as the crisis deepens.

The detailed island story belongs on the Zephras Isle guide; this page keeps the race-focused summary.

Where do Skyborne start?

Skyborne begin on Zephras Isle, an elemental skybound starting experience for levels 1 through 12. Blizzard describes the zone as combining Classic Warcraft aesthetics with architecture inspired by Skywall.

The completed beta provided a usable map, named hubs and a partial quest route. The Zephras Isle map, quest and location guide preserves that route and identifies what still needs release verification.

How do you unlock Skyborne?

Blizzard currently includes Skyborne access with the optional Skyborne Heroic Pack, Skyborne Epic Pack, and Warcraft Forever Collection.

The distinction between unlocking the race and entering the beta matters:

At launch: all three upgrade options include Skyborne and the Zephras Isle starting experience.
Historical beta access: the Skyborne Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection included access to the now-closed test. The Heroic Pack did not list it; buying any pack now cannot reopen beta.
Base Forever access: World of Warcraft: Forever is included with a WoW Subscription or Game Time, but the optional upgrade is still required for Skyborne and their starting experience.

The Heroic Pack description includes:

access to the Skyborne race;
the Zephras Isle starting experience;
Early Name Reservation;
the Cerulean Prideclaw ground mount;
cosmetic items and housing decor;
one Invite-A-Friend Launch Code.

The Epic Pack and Collection include the same Skyborne access plus additional benefits. For the complete comparison, use WoW Forever Editions.

Can Skyborne choose either faction?

Yes. Blizzard explicitly says that at character creation you choose whether the Skyborne joins the Horde or the Alliance.

The choice is not just a cosmetic label because Shaman is tied to Horde-aligned Skyborne and Mage to Alliance-aligned Skyborne.

What are the Skyborne racials?

Blizzard published the core effects on September 22: each alignment has two active abilities and two passives. Three abilities are shared, while the second active ability changes with faction. Durations and location behavior beyond the published values below come from archived Patch 1.60.1 beta records and still need release-client testing.

Alignment	Racial	Type	Published effect and beta detail
Both	Walk on Air	Active	Glide downward for 10 seconds while controlling your direction; October 15 notes reduce the cooldown to 90 seconds
Horde · Windshaper	Skysight	Active	Increase movement speed by 10%; October 15 notes allow casting while moving
Alliance · High Order	Read Ley Line	Active	Increase Health and Mana regeneration by 100%; October 15 notes allow casting while moving and give a minimum duration of 30 seconds
Both	Wind Blessed	Passive	Increase spellcasting, melee, and ranged Haste by 3% after the October 15 update
Both	Elemental Insight	Passive	Increase damage dealt to Elementals by 5%

The October 15 official notes supersede the old 1% Haste and shorter Read Ley Line duration. Nearby-power extensions and dungeon or battleground behavior still need repeatable client testing; the table does not verify those conditions.

Skyborne Druid forms

Skyborne Druids have race-specific forms with an avian and elemental visual theme. Current published beta previews document:

a feathered Bear Form with a pronounced beak;
a bird-like Cat Form similar in silhouette to an owlcat;
a Travel Form that appears as a bird but does not grant unrestricted flying.

Earlier presentation material also showed additional Druid visuals. This page will wait for a complete in-client form set before calling the roster final.

Skyborne mounts and customization

The Skyborne racial mounts are Galestriders. Current beta records list four level-40 variants—Empyrean, Regal, Stormy, and Umber Galestrider—with Swift versions at level 60.

The separate Cerulean Prideclaw is an upgrade-pack reward, not the racial Galestrider. Blizzard notes that players still need the appropriate riding skill to use it.

The beta character creator included skin tone, face, eye color, eyebrows, ear length, hair style and color, feather color, tattoos and face tattoos. Depending on body type, it also exposed facial hair, earrings or feather styles. The final option set and labels still need release-client verification.

What still needs release verification

The test has ended. Keep the following checks open until the release client is available:

racial cooldowns, nearby-power detection, and instanced behavior;
whether any racial values change between builds;
the complete character-creation option counts;
faction-specific visual or voice differences, if any;
the complete Druid form roster and SD/HD presentation;
the exact Zephras Isle quest and exit flow;
the roles and locations of Windshapers, High Order, and Al'aketh;
whether non-Skyborne characters can visit Zephras Isle and under what conditions;
any restrictions tied to Early Name Reservation, upgrade ownership, or invited beta accounts.

Why Skyborne is already a major search topic

Skyborne combines a new race, faction choice, class access, dedicated starting zone, new lore, and an optional paid unlock path. That is why this page owns the broad Skyborne search intent. We will not create separate thin pages for "Skyborne classes," "Skyborne racials," "Skyborne lore," and "how to unlock Skyborne" unless those subtopics grow large enough to require independent guides.

Source boundary: the Shen'dorei origin, Zephras crisis, faction choice, class list, upgrade access and core racial values come from Blizzard. Extra timing details, mount lists, customization and Druid forms reflect the completed beta, not verified release behavior.