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A racial can help you break a stun, deal more burst damage or recover between pulls. Its value depends on your class and how you play: a PvP escape tool may do little for your raid damage, while a passive bonus needs no extra keybind.
No race is best at everything. Choose for the content you enjoy, and check the current values and available class combinations in the latest data snapshot. Both can change during beta.
For the full rankings with exact beta values, see the racials tier list.
| Goal | Alliance starting points | Horde starting points |
|---|---|---|
| Answer crowd control in PvP | Gnome for roots and snares; Dwarf for poison, disease and bleeds | Orc for stuns; Undead for fear, sleep and charm |
| Improve burst windows | Compare your class with Human utility and current beta options | Troll for attack or cast speed; Orc for Blood Fury |
| Leveling utility | Human for stun removal; Night Elf for stealth utility | Troll for regeneration; Undead for Cannibalize; Tauren for health and War Stomp |
| Play a flexible first character | Human, Dwarf or Gnome depending on the class | Orc, Tauren or Undead depending on the role |
Racial effects: Ruthless +2% crit with all spells and attacks, The Human Spirit +5% Spirit, Perception boosts stealth detection for 20s (3m CD), Will to Survive clears all stuns (3m CD).
A flexible choice for players who value 2% critical strike chance and an active stun removal. It is a practical all-rounder rather than a requirement for any one class.
Racial effects: Stoneform clears and grants immunity to Bleed, Poison and Disease, and cuts physical damage 10% for 8s (3m CD); Earth Fury +2% crit damage and healing, Big Game Hunter +5% damage vs Beasts, Find Treasure.
Stoneform gives you a reliable answer to poison, disease and bleed effects, with 10% less Physical damage taken while active. It is especially useful when you expect physical damage or those debuffs in PvP and tanking content.
Racial effects: Shadowmeld stealth until cancelled or moving (10s CD, 2m if used in combat), Elune's Light +10% crit for 15s (3m CD), Quickness +1% dodge and +2% speed; Night Elf Rogues and Druids are harder to detect in Stealth as if 1 level higher, Wisp Spirit +75% ghost speed.
Shadowmeld rewards patience: you can wait for a patrol, avoid a bad pull or set up an ambush. The dodge bonus also makes Night Elf appealing to players who want defensive value and extra utility.
Racial effects: Escape Artist breaks movement-impairing effects with 3s immunity (2m CD), Eureka! 8s buff making non-periodic abilities cost 10% less and hit 10% harder (also boosts Priest shields, 2m CD), Expansive Mind +5% max Mana, Rage or Energy.
Escape Artist is a simple answer to roots and snares. The maximum-resource and Engineering bonuses make Gnome a natural starting point for many caster and utility-focused builds.
Racial effects: Walk on Air 10s glide (90s CD), Read Ley Line doubles Health and Mana regen for at least 30s (castable while moving, 2m CD), Wind Blessed +3% spell, melee and ranged Haste, Elemental Insight +5% damage vs Elementals.
Racial effects: Blood Fury +10% Attack Power and Spell Power for 15s (3m CD), Hardiness cuts stun duration 20%, Savage +1% crit with all spells and attacks, Shatter Curse clears Curses and Banes and cuts magic damage 5% for 8s (3m CD).
Hardiness helps against stuns, Blood Fury supports burst windows and Savage adds 1% critical strike chance to spells and abilities. Orc is a strong starting point when PvP control and short damage cooldowns matter to you.
Racial effects: Will of the Forsaken clears Charm, Fear and Sleep (2m CD), Cannibalize regenerates 7% Health and 7% Mana per 2s for 10s from corpses (2m CD), Touch of the Grave drains up to 5% max Health on hit (30% casters; 20% for Paladins, Rogues and Warriors; 25s internal CD).
Will of the Forsaken helps against fear, sleep and charm effects, while Cannibalize can reduce downtime during leveling. Undead is a straightforward PvP and solo-play choice.
Racial effects: War Stomp stuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yds for 2s (90s CD), Endurance +5% Health and +2% crit damage and healing, Cultivation grows a duplicate herb without Herbalism (15m CD), Plainsrunning up to +30% move speed plus +3% mounted speed.
War Stomp gives you an area stun for interrupts, escapes and setup. The health bonus is useful in every activity, with extra value for players who spend time in melee or tanking roles.
Racial effects: Berserking +10% attack and cast speed for 10s (3m CD), Rapid Regeneration restores 50% max Health over 6s channelled (3m CD), Beast Slaying +5% damage vs Beasts, Regeneration +20% health regen (20% continues in combat).
Berserking creates a short attack and casting speed window, while Regeneration and Beast Slaying help during ordinary leveling. Troll is worth comparing when you want a proactive damage cooldown.
Racial effects: Walk on Air 10s glide (90s CD), Skysight +10% movement and mounted speed for 30s (castable while moving, 2m CD), Wind Blessed +3% spell, melee and ranged Haste, Elemental Insight +5% damage vs Elementals.
Both Skyborne options have a glide and 3% spell, melee and ranged Haste. Their active utility differs:
Skyborne traits are provisional. Check the current beta build before choosing one for a particular bonus.
The pairings below suit different roles and activities. Check that your preferred race can play the class in the current beta before settling on a character.
| Class | Starting points | Why compare them |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Orc, Tauren, Human | Burst, War Stomp, health or general-purpose utility. |
| Paladin | Human, Dwarf | Flexible Alliance options; compare the current beta class and faction rules before choosing. |
| Hunter | Night Elf, Orc | Stealth utility, Blood Fury and PvP tools. |
| Rogue | Night Elf, Orc | Shadowmeld utility or stun resistance for PvP. |
| Priest | Gnome, Human, Undead | Escape Artist, Ruthless critical chance or fear removal. |
| Shaman | Orc, Tauren | Blood Fury, War Stomp and extra health. |
| Mage | Gnome, Human, Troll | Escape Artist, Ruthless critical chance or Berserking. |
| Warlock | Gnome, Human, Undead | Escape Artist, Ruthless critical chance or fear removal. |
| Druid | Tauren, Night Elf | War Stomp, health, Shadowmeld and dodge utility. |
There is no single best race for every class or activity. Choose the racial that matches your role: crowd-control protection for PvP, a damage cooldown for burst windows, or utility that helps you level and travel.
Orc and Undead offer strong Horde PvP tools through stun resistance and fear protection. Gnome and Dwarf offer useful Alliance answers through root breaking and poison, disease or bleed removal.
Troll, Human, Tauren and Undead are useful leveling choices for different reasons: regeneration, stun removal, extra health and War Stomp, or Cannibalize and fear protection.
Treat race as a character-creation decision and compare the available racials before you commit. Beta rules can change, so check the current game options before assuming a later race change will be available.
Both Skyborne options have Walk on Air and 3% spell, melee and ranged Haste from Wind Blessed. High Order adds Read Leyline regeneration; Windshaper adds Skysight movement speed.
Once you have a race in mind, use the class guide to compare roles, then plan your points in the WoW Forever talent calculator.