CHARACTER HANDBOOK
Choose your class.
Compare nine classes, confirmed new race choices and reported changes. Save a shortlist of the characters you want to explore.
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Faction and race are useful decisions now.
Skyborne can be Warriors, Hunters, Rogues and Druids on either faction. Skyborne Mage is Alliance only; Skyborne Shaman is Horde only. Blizzard also confirms Forsaken Paladin and Dwarf Shaman.
Blizzard announcement ↗Blizzard panel recap ↗WHICH CLASS IS STRONGEST?
What Blizzard has said about balance.
Blizzard’s stated goal is that no spec is a dead end. Lead game designer Tim Jones told Windows Central that all 27 talent trees are now viable for all content, though not equal: each has strengths and weaknesses.
For raw boss damage, principal designer Kris Zierhut said on the official podcast that Rogues are meant to top single-target damage in stand-still fights (Wowhead report). These are design goals; nobody has measured launch performance yet. The beta closed October 23, and Blizzard published further racial tuning on October 26–27.
Expect tuning after launch. Blizzard told TechRadar that beta class changes land in batches, and it plans frequent balance passes for the first six months, initially once a week. It wants very few design changes once the game is live. The classes aren’t being modernized, though specs the team found too simple in Classic gained a few mechanics.
Blizzard: October 26–27 racial tuning ↗Blizzard beta closed, character creation Oct 27 ↗Windows Central developer interview ↗Wowhead report of the official podcast ↗TechRadar interview · classes and re-specs ↗THE CLASS DIRECTORY
Find your character.
Druid
Skyborne Druids, faction choices and the new forms shown for Forever.
Explore Druid ↗Hunter
Official Human and Skyborne Hunter choices, with pet and build details still to verify.
Explore Hunter ↗Mage
Official Orc Mage and Alliance Skyborne choices, with current class designs and beta changes.
Explore Mage ↗Paladin
Holy healing interactions, Protection taunts and mana, and Retribution Seal choices from Blizzard’s Deep Dive.
Explore Paladin ↗Priest
Official Gnome Priest access and the distinction from the Skyborne class list.
Explore Priest ↗Rogue
Skyborne Rogue choices, official racial effects and Blizzard’s Rogue class designs.
Explore Rogue ↗Shaman
Dwarf Shaman for Alliance and Windshaper Skyborne Shaman for Horde.
Explore Shaman ↗Warlock
Official Troll Warlock access, Skyborne limits, Banes and current class designs.
Explore Warlock ↗Warrior
Skyborne choices and official Arms, Fury and Protection descriptions, with the October 1 Fury changes.
Explore Warrior ↗YOUR CHARACTER OPTIONS
Keep a class shortlist.
Choose up to three classes to compare their confirmed new race choices and current evidence. Save the comparison here or take a copy with you.
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CONFIRMED CHOICES
New races and faction options
This table records the combinations Blizzard has specifically named. It is not a complete race/class matrix. “Not listed” means the class is absent from Blizzard’s announced Skyborne selection.
Scroll sideways to compare every column.
| Class | Skyborne | Other named new choice |
|---|---|---|
| Druid | Both factions | No additional example verified here |
| Hunter | Both factions | Human · Alliance |
| Mage | Alliance only | Orc · Horde |
| Paladin | Not listed | Forsaken · Horde |
| Priest | Not listed | Gnome · Alliance |
| Rogue | Both factions | No additional example verified here |
| Shaman | Horde only | Dwarf · Alliance |
| Warlock | Not listed | Troll · Horde |
| Warrior | Both factions | No additional example verified here |
See every sourced race and class combination in the matrix ↗
What can we say about builds and roles?
Blizzard has announced revamps to every class and specialization. Wowhead’s panel coverage reports a new Paladin tanking seal, more group healing and Retribution changes. Third-party Mage, Paladin and Warrior calculators now offer incomplete previews. These lack build provenance and do not establish tested rotations or class rankings.
Blizzard announcement ↗Wowhead panel coverage ↗Mage talent preview ↗Paladin talent preview ↗Warrior talent preview ↗The profiles focus on supported character decisions. Build advice, gear rankings and role changes will need Forever-specific evidence, including the build being tested. A familiar class name does not establish that its Classic or Season of Discovery mechanics carry over.
TALENT PREVIEWS
Official designs and historical talent previews.
Third-party calculators currently provide class-specific previews for Mage, Paladin and Warrior. They are useful as historical test questions, but their provenance, rank text and tuning are not enough to recommend a rotation or a best specialization. Blizzard now provides September 30 and October 7 class deep dives for the other six classes. These official descriptions do not establish optimized allocations or independently tested builds.