WoW Forever Race and Class Combinations: Full Lists and Restrictions

World of Warcraft: Forever opens six new race and class combinations for the eight familiar Classic races. Dwarf Shaman and Undead Paladin are the most important changes for faction planning: Alliance gains a Shaman option and Horde gains a Paladin option. Together with the existing choices, both factions can field all nine original classes.

Skyborne adds another set of choices, with different class availability on each faction. Do not read a combined Skyborne class list as permission to create every listed class on either side. The faction is chosen at character creation, and it determines whether Mage or Shaman is available.

This guide was checked on October 18, 2026, while Forever remains in beta. The announced global launch is November 4 at 3:00 p.m. PST, equivalent to November 5 at 02:00 Moscow time. The tables describe confirmed Forever character options, not a change to the Classic Era character-creation list.

The six additions for existing races

These are new combinations relative to Classic Era. They are not six new classes, and several have appeared in other versions of World of Warcraft before.

The additions belong to the base Forever experience. They do not require the optional Skyborne race upgrade. An active WoW subscription or game time is still required for ordinary access at launch; “included” does not mean that the whole game is free to play.

Night Elves and Tauren receive no additional class choices in this announced list. That does not mean their racials, class talents or other gameplay details remain unchanged. Character availability and combat tuning are separate subjects.

The six new combinations grouped by faction

Why the faction additions matter

You can now plan an Alliance group around a Dwarf Shaman or a Horde group around an Undead Paladin without choosing Skyborne. This expands the class tools available within each faction, but it does not allow Horde and Alliance characters to join an ordinary party together.

Blizzard connects Forsaken Paladins with the Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom story. That narrative connection should not be mistaken for a requirement to buy and finish a separate strategy-game campaign before creating an Undead Paladin in Forever.

Alliance race and class options

The following lists include the six additions where relevant. A class absent from a race's row is not part of that race's confirmed selection. Skyborne requires its separate race unlock.

For an Alliance Shaman, the base-race choice is Dwarf. Alliance Skyborne does not add another Shaman option: its faction-specific caster is Mage. For an Alliance Druid, Night Elf remains available and Skyborne supplies the additional paid-race choice.

Do not import a modern WoW race list into this table. Familiar combinations such as a Night Elf Mage are not automatically part of Forever just because they exist elsewhere. Start with the list for this version, then choose the appearance and racial toolkit you prefer.

Horde race and class options

Undead is the confirmed Horde Paladin choice. Neither Tauren nor Horde Skyborne gains Paladin in this roster. Horde players looking for a Mage can choose Orc, Troll or Undead; selecting Horde Skyborne does not provide Mage.

Tauren's four-class list is unchanged from Classic Era, while Orcs and Trolls gain their new caster options. Choose the class before comparing race-specific advantages: a strong racial on a race that cannot play your desired class is irrelevant to that character.

Skyborne has five choices per faction

Skyborne shares four classes across both affiliations: Warrior, Hunter, Rogue and Druid. Alliance adds Mage; Horde adds Shaman. That makes five choices on either faction, even though the combined list contains six class names.

High Order is the Alliance-aligned variant and Windshaper is the Horde-aligned variant. Neither offers Priest, Paladin or Warlock in the confirmed roster. The character-creation faction choice is therefore part of your class decision, not simply a cosmetic preference.

Skyborne class choices compared by faction

The Skyborne Heroic Pack unlocks the race and its Zephras Isle starting experience. The Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection include those benefits as higher editions. You do not need Skyborne merely to play a Shaman on Alliance or a Paladin on Horde: the six base-race additions already provide those routes.

Beta eligibility is a different question. Epic Pack and Warcraft Forever Collection include beta access, while Blizzard also invites selected opted-in players. Buying the Heroic Pack for the race is not the same as buying a bundle that grants beta access. Check the actual edition contents before paying for a specific benefit.

Read class access separately from racial strength

An availability table answers whether a character can be created. It does not rank damage, healing, tanking performance or PvP strength. A legal combination can be appealing for its appearance, story, utility or preferred class without being the strongest choice in every encounter.

Forever reworks racial abilities around two active and two passive abilities per race. That broad structure does not mean every race has identical benefits. It also does not make an early numerical ranking permanent while beta tuning continues.

The October 15 beta update provides a useful warning. Human Sword Specialization was replaced with Ruthless, Orc Axe Specialization with Savage, and Dwarf Mace Specialization with Earth Fury. Those older weapon-based assumptions should not determine your Forever race choice without checking the current descriptions.

Class changes matter too. A race/class pairing returning from another WoW version does not automatically reproduce that version's talents, spells or item priorities. Evaluate the Forever class you intend to play, rather than treating a familiar combination as a complete build recommendation.

For a practical shortlist, identify the activity and role first. Then compare the racials that are actually useful there, alongside appearance, animations and the community you will join. Avoid choosing around a tiny theoretical advantage if it means spending the entire leveling journey on a character you do not enjoy.

Coordinate character creation with friends

Class coverage on both factions is not cross-faction grouping. Ordinary parties, dungeons and raids still require the same faction and ruleset. Two Skyborne characters on opposing sides cannot bypass that restriction because they share a race.

Normal, PvP and Roleplaying are the announced launch rulesets; Hardcore is planned afterward. Pick the same ordinary ruleset as your friends before leveling. To play under a different ruleset, plan another character rather than assuming free movement between them.

The PvP ruleset also restricts character creation to one faction. Creating Alliance there prevents creating Horde there, and vice versa. On Normal and Roleplaying, characters from both factions can be created, but that still does not make them eligible for the same ordinary party.

If a character option is unavailable, check three separate things: whether that race supports the class, whether the selected faction permits it, and whether the account has the required Skyborne unlock. A table showing the combination somewhere in the game does not establish that every account and faction can create it.

Three checks before creating a character

Common character-planning questions

Can Alliance play Shaman without buying Skyborne

Yes. Dwarf Shaman is one of the six additions to the base race roster. Alliance Skyborne is not a Shaman option.

Can Horde play Paladin as Skyborne or Tauren

Not in the confirmed Forever list. Undead provides the Horde Paladin option; neither Skyborne affiliation nor Tauren includes Paladin.

Can Skyborne play every class across both factions

No. Its combined six-class list still excludes Priest, Paladin and Warlock, and Mage and Shaman remain split by faction.

Does every race now have every class

No. Both factions collectively cover all nine classes, but individual races retain restrictions. The tables above are the relevant check for a specific character.

Will more combinations arrive later

Blizzard has said more combinations are planned. That is not confirmation of a particular additional pairing or release date. Plan your launch character around the currently confirmed selection.

What should I verify immediately before launch

Confirm your friends' faction and ruleset, your chosen race's class list, the required account unlock and the latest Forever racial descriptions. Keep the distinction between launch access and beta eligibility, then choose a class you want to learn throughout the level 1-60 journey.