Guide ·
WoW Forever Class Combos by Race: Who Can Be What
In World of Warcraft: Forever (WoW Forever), race decides which classes you can play, and Blizzard's list gives Human and Troll seven classes each, Tauren four, and Paladin only three races. The list below is Blizzard's September 22 announcement, cross-checked against Method and Warcraft Tavern on November 5, 2026, after the game launched on November 4.
Quick answer: Warrior is open to every race, Rogue to all but Tauren, and Paladin only to Human, Dwarf and Undead. Both factions can play all nine classes. The six new combinations are Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Gnome Priest, Orc Mage, Undead Paladin and Troll Warlock. Skyborne needs the Heroic Pack or higher.
Counts below are my own arithmetic on Blizzard's list, counting each Skyborne branch as its own entry. This page is the lookup by race; the full matrix guide has racial traits and choosing tips.
Key facts
- Alliance races: Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Skyborne (High Order)
- Horde races: Orc, Undead, Tauren, Troll, Skyborne (Windshaper)
- Pairings: 56 in total, by my count of Blizzard's list
- New in Forever: the six combinations above, plus the Skyborne race (Blizzard)
- Skyborne access: requires a Heroic Pack or higher (Battle.net Shop)
Which classes can each race be?
Alliance
- Human (7): Hunter, Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Warrior
- Dwarf (6): Hunter, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior
- Night Elf (5): Druid, Hunter, Priest, Rogue, Warrior
- Gnome (5): Mage, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Warrior
- Skyborne, High Order (5): Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Warrior
Horde
- Orc (6): Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior
- Undead (6): Mage, Paladin, Priest, Rogue, Warlock, Warrior
- Tauren (4): Druid, Hunter, Shaman, Warrior
- Troll (7): Hunter, Mage, Priest, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, Warrior
- Skyborne, Windshaper (5): Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior
Which races can be each class?
- Warrior (10): every race entry
- Rogue (9): all except Tauren
- Hunter (8): all except Gnome and Undead
- Mage (6): Human, Gnome, High Order Skyborne, Orc, Undead, Troll
- Priest (6): Human, Dwarf, Night Elf, Gnome, Undead, Troll
- Shaman (5): Dwarf, Orc, Tauren, Troll, Windshaper Skyborne
- Warlock (5): Human, Gnome, Orc, Undead, Troll
- Druid (4): Night Elf, Tauren, and both Skyborne branches
- Paladin (3): Human, Dwarf, Undead
Because Druid needs Night Elf or Tauren, an Alliance or Horde Druid without the Skyborne pack has exactly one race choice. The same is true of Alliance Shaman: Dwarf only. Blizzard calls Dwarf Shaman and Undead Paladin new; the Shop page now calls the latter "Forsaken Paladin," the same race.
Does faction change which classes I get?
Not in class count. Counting the list, each faction can play all nine classes. What a faction changes is the race choice per class. On the PvP ruleset, Blizzard says you can only create characters for one faction, so that choice also fixes your race list. Blizzard does not say whether that applies to Roleplay-PvP. See Alliance vs Horde and the rulesets guide.
Do Skyborne need a purchase?
Yes. Blizzard's Shop page says access to the Skyborne race or the Zephras Isle starting questline requires the Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher. See Skyborne classes by faction and race unlocks.
What is not confirmed yet
- Whether any pairing changed after September 22; Method (September 27) and Warcraft Tavern's class pages match Blizzard's list, but I did not open the launch character creation screen.
- Total character slots per account or ruleset; Blizzard's ruleset post mentions no limit.
- Racial trait values; those changed during the beta, see racials explained.
How can the Lore Forever add-on and Willo help with this?
The free Lore Forever add-on tells the story of each starting area and quest as you play, with narrators that are generated voices; it has no internet access and covers the first year of WoW. Willo is a separate companion app, free to start with 50 answers a day: ask her whether your race and class pair suits you. She can be wrong and is not official; check Blizzard's list above. Willo's page lists a Windows 10 or 11 download and an Apple Silicon Mac download (macOS 12 or later), and her FAQ and the Lore Forever FAQ say Windows and Mac, though CurseForge still calls her a Windows app. Both are fan-made and not affiliated with Blizzard.
Frequently asked questions
Which classes can each race be in WoW Forever?
See the race lists above; Human and Troll have seven, Tauren four.
Can Gnomes be Priests?
Yes. Gnome Priest is one of the six new combinations.
Can the Horde play Paladin and the Alliance play Shaman?
Yes. Undead can be Paladins and Dwarves can be Shamans.
Which race can play the most classes?
Human and Troll, with seven each, by my count of Blizzard's list.
Which class is open to every race?
Warrior, including both Skyborne branches.
Sources
Reviewed November 5, 2026. Lore Forever and Willo are fan-made and are not affiliated with Blizzard Entertainment.