WoW Forever Beta New Races Lore and History

New races in WoW Forever beta include Skyborne and 8 others. This guide covers lore, history, and culture of each.

For broader content, see our Skyborne Heritage, Best Race-Class, and Best Race for Each Class articles.

Quick summary: Total races: 9 (8 original + 1 new). New: Skyborne. Best race: Skyborne (universal Haste).

All races in WoW Forever

Race list (9 total)

Race	Faction	Status
Human	Alliance	Original
Night Elf	Alliance	Original
Dwarf	Alliance	Original
Gnome	Alliance	Original
Skyborne	Alliance	New
Orc	Horde	Original
Undead	Horde	Original
Tauren	Horde	Original
Troll	Horde	Original

Skyborne (new race)

Origin

Skyborne are descendants of ancient druids who were transformed by the Sky Titan into winged humanoids. They live in floating sky cities.

Culture

Aspect	Detail
Religion	Sky Titan (ancient god)
Language	Common + Druidic
Capital	Skyreach
Style	Arcane + nature
Symbol	Wings + circle

Racial traits

Trait	Effect
Walk on Air	Slow fall
Read Ley Line	+100% HP/Mana regen (15 sec)
Wind Blessed	+1.5% universal Haste
Elemental Insight	+3% damage vs elementals

Lore highlight

Skyborne have no Horde equivalent — they are an Alliance-exclusive race in WoW Forever beta.

Human lore

Origin

Humans settled in Eastern Kingdoms thousands of years ago. They formed Stormwind as their capital.

Culture

Aspect	Detail
Religion	Holy Light
Language	Common
Capital	Stormwind
Style	Kingdom + order
Symbol	Lion

Racial traits

Trait	Effect
+5% Spirit	Scaling spirit
Will to Survive	Remove stuns (45 sec)
Sword Spec	+5% sword crit
Mace Spec	+5% mace crit

Night Elf lore

Origin

Night Elves have lived in Ashenvale + Feralas for 10,000 years. They are immortal (until sacrificed immortality).

Culture

Aspect	Detail
Religion	Elune (moon goddess)
Language	Common + Darnassian
Capital	Darnassus
Style	Nature + arcane
Symbol	Moon

Racial traits

Trait	Effect
Shadowmeld	Stealth + 1 min CD
Quickness	+5% dodge
Wisp Form	Anti-death escape
Nature Resistance	+10 nature resist

Dwarf lore

Origin

Dwarves live in Khaz Modan mountains. They are short and stout with strong warrior culture.

Culture

Aspect	Detail
Religion	Holy Light
Language	Common + Dwarvish
Capital	Ironforge
Style	Mountain + forge
Symbol	Anvil + hammer

Racial traits

Trait	Effect
Stoneform	Anti-CC (8 sec, 3 min CD)
Mace Spec	+5% mace crit
Troll Regeneration	2% HP regen
Cold Blood	+1% damage vs undead/demon

Gnome lore

Origin

Gnomes are small and intelligent. They live in Gnomeregan (now under attack).

Culture

Aspect	Detail
Religion	Holy Light
Language	Common + Gnomish
Capital	Gnomeregan
Style	Tech + arcane
Symbol	Gear

Racial traits

Trait	Effect
Escape Artist	Root/snare break (1.5 min CD)
Expansive Mind	+5% max mana
Arcane Resistance	+10 arcane resist
Engineering Specialization	+15 Engineering

Orc lore

Origin

Orcs came from Draenor (Outland) during the Dark Portal opening. They settled in Durotar.

Culture

Aspect	Detail
Religion	Shamanism
Language	Orcish
Capital	Orgrimmar
Style	Warrior + honor
Symbol	Crossed axes

Racial traits

Trait	Effect
Blood Fury	+AP (15 sec, 2 min CD)
Hardiness	Stun resist
Axe Specialization	+5% axe crit
Command	Pet +5% damage

Undead lore

Origin

Undead are Forsaken raised by the Lich King, then freed. They live in Undercity.

Culture

Aspect	Detail
Religion	Forgotten Shadow
Language	Common + Gutterspeak
Capital	Undercity
Style	Dark + vengeance
Symbol	Royal crest

Racial traits

Trait	Effect
Will of the Forsaken	Immune to Charm/Fear/Sleep
Touch of the Grave	+5% healing from damage
Cannibalize	Eat corpses (no food needed)
Underwater Breathing	+183% breath

Tauren lore

Origin

Tauren are large bovine humanoids living on Mulgore plains. They are shamanistic and earth-connected.

Culture

Aspect	Detail
Religion	Earth Mother
Language	Common + Taur-ahe
Capital	Thunder Bluff
Style	Nature + earth
Symbol	Totem

Racial traits

Trait	Effect
War Stomp	AoE stun (2 sec, 2 min CD)
Endurance	+5% HP
Cultivation	+15% Herbalism
Nature Resistance	+10 nature resist

Troll lore

Origin

Trolls are tall and agile with voodoo culture. They live in Darkspear Isle (after losing Gurubashi).

Culture

Aspect	Detail
Religion	Voodoo / Loa
Language	Common + Zandali
Capital	Darkspear Isle
Style	Jungle + voodoo
Symbol	Tribal mask

Racial traits

Trait	Effect
Berserking	+10% cast speed (10 sec, 3 min CD)
Beast Slaying	+5% damage vs beasts
Regeneration	+10% HP regen (active)
Da Voodoo Shuffle	+15% movement speed

Race comparison

Race	Faction	PvE	PvP	Leveling
Skyborne	Alliance	S	A	S
Human	Alliance	A	B	A
Night Elf	Alliance	A	S	A
Dwarf	Alliance	A	A	A
Gnome	Alliance	B	B	A
Orc	Horde	A	A	B
Undead	Horde	A	S	A
Tauren	Horde	B	A	B
Troll	Horde	A	B	A

New race future predictions

Possible new races

Race	Predicted	Note
Vulpera	Possible	Fox race
Mechagnome	Possible	Gnome variant
Dracthyr	Possible	Dragon

FAQ

How many races in WoW Forever?

9 races (8 original + 1 new Skyborne).

What’s the new race?

Skyborne (Alliance exclusive).

Best race for PvE?

Skyborne (Wind Blessed).

Final verdict

New race: Skyborne. Total: 9 races. Best race: Skyborne (PvE + leveling).

Whatever you choose, Skyborne is universal.

For more content, see our Skyborne Heritage, Best Race-Class, Best Race for Each Class, and Best Addons articles.