Can Your Chosen Race Play Your Class?
Both factions can play Paladin and Shaman in WoW Forever. Horde Paladins are Undead; Alliance Shaman are Dwarves. Skyborne have different class choices depending on their faction. This reference includes every combination in Blizzard’s announced matrix.
Find your class first, then read the faction column your friends are using. This avoids scanning a wide grid of empty cells on a phone. For combat styles and group roles, use our separate class selection guide.
Complete Race and Class List by Faction
This list transposes Blizzard’s race/class tables into a class-first lookup. Each name means that combination is listed as available; the order is not a performance ranking.
| Class | Alliance races | Horde races |
|---|---|---|
| Druid | Night Elf, Skyborne | Tauren, Skyborne |
| Hunter | Dwarf, Human, Night Elf, Skyborne | Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne |
| Mage | Gnome, Human, Skyborne | Orc, Troll, Undead |
| Paladin | Dwarf, Human | Undead |
| Priest | Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf | Troll, Undead |
| Rogue | Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf, Skyborne | Orc, Troll, Undead, Skyborne |
| Shaman | Dwarf | Orc, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne |
| Warlock | Gnome, Human | Orc, Troll, Undead |
| Warrior | Dwarf, Gnome, Human, Night Elf, Skyborne | Orc, Tauren, Troll, Undead, Skyborne |
Warrior is available to every listed race. Druid has Night Elf and Skyborne options on Alliance, and Tauren and Skyborne on Horde. Choosing either faction therefore leaves a Druid option without needing Skyborne access.
Six New Combinations Beyond Original Vanilla
These additions are useful when recreating an old character idea or covering a class in an existing faction group:
- Alliance: Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman and Gnome Priest.
- Horde: Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin.
The additions do not unlock every class for every race. A Dwarf Shaman does not imply a Human Shaman option, and an Undead Paladin does not imply an Orc Paladin option. Check the exact class row before reserving or creating the character.
Skyborne: Choose the Faction That Supports Your Class
Skyborne can be Druid, Hunter, Rogue or Warrior on either faction. Alliance High Order Skyborne can additionally be Mages; Horde Windshaper Skyborne can additionally be Shaman. Priest, Paladin and Warlock are absent from both Skyborne rows.
For example, a player wanting a Skyborne Mage must plan an Alliance character. If the regular group plays Horde, the Mage options in that faction are Orc, Troll and Undead instead. Resolve that mismatch before purchasing an upgrade for the race.
Skyborne access requires a Heroic Pack or higher digital upgrade, as stated in Blizzard’s starter guide. Both faction versions begin on Zephras Isle, a level 1–12 starting area. Our Skyborne guide covers the race separately.
Confirm the Group Before Committing the Character
Race eligibility and grouping eligibility answer different questions. Pick a valid race/class pair from the list, then confirm the same faction and ruleset as the people you want to party with. Having access to the same class does not make opposing factions compatible for an ordinary dungeon group.
Use our ruleset comparison for the community and PvP choice, or the name-reservation guide if you are creating an eligible character before launch. This eligibility reference does not assign a “best race” from unverified damage simulations.
Cover and Horde image: Blizzard’s official Forever race/class preview. © Blizzard Entertainment. Eligibility follows the published pre-launch matrix.
