Skyborne Race in WoW Forever
The Skyborne are the new playable race in World of Warcraft: Forever, an elven people from Zephras Isle who share one ancestry but disagree about the future. Every Skyborne picks a faction at character creation, and the choice decides one class and one racial. Watch Blizzard's Skyborne short.
Blizzard published every race’s classes and racial traits on September 23, 2026. Every racial here, including the Priest race spells, is checked against the beta client (build 1.60.1.70450). Last reviewed: .
High Order and Windshaper Skyborne
High Order Skyborne Alliance
Pursue the arcane legacy of their ancestors and can be Mages.
Both can also be Warriors, Hunters, Rogues and Druids, and Skyborne Druids get shapeshift forms made for the race. Skyborne can't be Paladins, Priests or Warlocks.
Skyborne racials
| Racial | High Order | Windshaper | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
Walk on Air Walk on Air Glide down through the air for 10 sec, steering as you go; 90 sec cooldown (2 min until October 15) | ✓ | ✓ | Glide down through the air for 10 sec, steering as you go; 90 sec cooldown (2 min until October 15) |
Wind Blessed passive Wind Blessed +2% spell, melee and ranged Haste (3% from October 15 until October 26; 1% before that) | ✓ | ✓ | +2% spell, melee and ranged Haste (3% from October 15 until October 26; 1% before that) |
Elemental Insight passive Elemental Insight +5% damage against Elementals | ✓ | ✓ | +5% damage against Elementals |
Read Leyline Read Leyline +50% Health and Mana regeneration for 15 sec; 2 min cooldown; cannot be used while Innervate is active (Innervate replaces it as the stronger effect). Using it at a Ley Line also grants Attuned for 1 hour: while Attuned the bonus is +100%, and Attuned persists through death and is removed when you enter a raid. Could be cast while moving since October 15; until October 26 it was +100% for 15 min at a leyline or 30 sec elsewhere | ✓ | +50% Health and Mana regeneration for 15 sec; 2 min cooldown; cannot be used while Innervate is active (Innervate replaces it as the stronger effect). Using it at a Ley Line also grants Attuned for 1 hour: while Attuned the bonus is +100%, and Attuned persists through death and is removed when you enter a raid. Could be cast while moving since October 15; until October 26 it was +100% for 15 min at a leyline or 30 sec elsewhere | |
Skysight Skysight +15% movement speed for 15 sec; 2 min cooldown. Using it at an elemental convergence also grants Charged for 1 hour: while Charged the bonus is +30% movement speed, and Charged persists through death and is removed when you enter a raid. Could be cast while moving since October 15; until October 26 it was +10% movement and mounted speed for 15 min at a convergence or 30 sec elsewhere | ✓ | +15% movement speed for 15 sec; 2 min cooldown. Using it at an elemental convergence also grants Charged for 1 hour: while Charged the bonus is +30% movement speed, and Charged persists through death and is removed when you enter a raid. Could be cast while moving since October 15; until October 26 it was +10% movement and mounted speed for 15 min at a convergence or 30 sec elsewhere |
Skyborne appearance options
What Blizzard listed on September 23. Skyborne Druids also get shapeshift forms made for the race.
Both body types: 10 faces · 9 skin colors, from sky blue through light peach to darker tones · 3 ear lengths · 9 eye colors · 4 eyebrow styles · eyesight choices · feather colors, worn in the hair · face tattoos in 2 colors · the Zephyr and Wayfinder body tattoos, each in 2 colors
| Option | Body Type 1 | Body Type 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Hairstyles | 21 | 25 |
| Hair colors | 11 | 10 |
| Facial hair | 13 options | None listed |
| Face tattoos | 4 designs | Colors only |
| Earrings | None listed | 6 styles |
| Jewelry colors | None listed | Silver or gold |
Blizzard counts thousands of combinations in all. A barber shop in the cities changes them later for gold.
How to unlock the Skyborne
Forever itself is included with a WoW subscription or Game Time, so the eight Classic races need no extra purchase. The Skyborne race comes with any of these editions:
- Skyborne Heroic Pack ($29.99): the Skyborne race, the Zephras Isle starting experience, early name reservation, the Cerulean Prideclaw mount and cosmetic extras.
- Skyborne Epic Pack ($59.99): everything in the Heroic Pack plus beta access (September 17 to October 21), 30 days of Game Time from November 4 and more cosmetics.
- Warcraft Forever Collection ($79.99): the limited-time top edition, also with beta access and 30 days of Game Time.
Classes Skyborne can play in Forever
Each card opens what changes for that class in Forever. The icons are the Skyborne racials that apply to the class.
+2% spell, melee and ranged Haste (3% from October 15 until October 26; 1% before that)
+5% damage against Elementals
Wind Blessed Haste; Elemental Insight against Elementals. Warrior class changes → Hunter+2% spell, melee and ranged Haste (3% from October 15 until October 26; 1% before that)
+5% damage against Elementals
Wind Blessed Haste; Elemental Insight against Elementals. Hunter class changes → Rogue+2% spell, melee and ranged Haste (3% from October 15 until October 26; 1% before that)
Glide down through the air for 10 sec, steering as you go; 90 sec cooldown (2 min until October 15)
Wind Blessed Haste; Walk on Air. Windshaper Rogues train with Shenthul in Orgrimmar since the October 1 beta build. Rogue class changes → Mage+50% Health and Mana regeneration for 15 sec; 2 min cooldown; cannot be used while Innervate is active (Innervate replaces it as the stronger effect). Using it at a Ley Line also grants Attuned for 1 hour: while Attuned the bonus is +100%, and Attuned persists through death and is removed when you enter a raid. Could be cast while moving since October 15; until October 26 it was +100% for 15 min at a leyline or 30 sec elsewhere
+2% spell, melee and ranged Haste (3% from October 15 until October 26; 1% before that)
High Order only: Read Leyline for Health and Mana regeneration; Wind Blessed Haste. Mage class changes → Druid+2% spell, melee and ranged Haste (3% from October 15 until October 26; 1% before that)
Skyborne druid forms made for the race; Wind Blessed Haste. Druid class changes → Shaman+15% movement speed for 15 sec; 2 min cooldown. Using it at an elemental convergence also grants Charged for 1 hour: while Charged the bonus is +30% movement speed, and Charged persists through death and is removed when you enter a raid. Could be cast while moving since October 15; until October 26 it was +10% movement and mounted speed for 15 min at a convergence or 30 sec elsewhere
+2% spell, melee and ranged Haste (3% from October 15 until October 26; 1% before that)
Windshaper only: Skysight run speed; Wind Blessed Haste. Shaman class changes →Skyborne in Forever's new content
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Zephras Isle
Starting zone, levels 1–12
A floating island anchored in Skywall, the elemental plane of air. Skyborne start here in a crisis: their elemental patrons have vanished, the pylons holding the island together are failing, and the Windshapers, the High Order and the Al'Aketh are fighting over what's left. The zone needs the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition. Blizzard’s Skyborne video (October 5) adds the backstory: the Shen’dorei were exiled from Eldre’Thalas nearly 10,000 years ago, and the Spirit of the Four Winds lifted their mountain refuge into Skywall when their pursuers closed in. In the starting zone, Myriaal Mistwake teaches Walk on Air by having you step off a tower, and the race’s own mount, the Galestrider, is a crane (WoW Forever mounts).
Shen'dralas
New zone
The new zone between Mulgore and Desolace is named for the Shen'dralar of Eldre'Thalas (Dire Maul) — the same Highborne line the High Order Skyborne descend from, per Blizzard's September 23 article. You reach it through the Valley of Bones in southern Desolace.
Skyborne druid forms
Race feature
Blizzard says the Skyborne have shapeshift forms made for the race, so a Skyborne Druid does not borrow another race’s animal forms.
New emotes
Race feature
A set of Skyborne emotes, with a new /dance. Blizzard named /dance, /laugh, /flirt, /silly, /applaud, /bye, /hello, /cackle, /bow, /cry and /no, and says there are more.
How players reacted
Selling a race while the base game comes with a subscription drew the loudest criticism of the reveal. Players also call the Skyborne "blue elves", ask why High Elves weren't added instead, and question the Alliance Mage and Horde Shaman split. Others like the new starting zone and a fresh race in a Classic-style world, and an EU forum thread in its favor passed 100 replies. Blizzard answered the High Elf question in the September 17 Live Q&A. Asked why not Thalassian high elves, the team said "why not both?" and that it will return to Quel'Thalas in the future. It said its ambition for Quel'Thalas was too big for a low-level zone, and that Forever's launch isn't the right time to go there; starting high elves in Northshire Abbey didn't feel right either. On the WoW Forever Podcast episode 2 (October 1), Josh Greenfield said the team is discussing the feedback on Skyborne character models and Druid forms, with nothing to announce yet. In episode 1 of the podcast (September 24), Tim Jones said Chris Metzen pushed the team not to play it safe with the new race, and Greenfield said the blue elves were shown more than he had meant; asked about Skyborne Priests for the Horde, his answer was “never say never”. On October 7 Blizzard answered the complaints about the models: SD Skyborne player characters and SD Druid forms are in development for early 2027, and the HD Skyborne Druid forms are being reworked (Classic mode and HD or SD models).
Skyborne FAQ
Is the Skyborne race free in WoW Forever?
No. It comes with the Skyborne Heroic Pack ($29.99) or a higher edition. The eight Classic races only need a subscription or Game Time.
Which classes can Skyborne play?
Warrior, Hunter, Rogue and Druid on both factions, plus Mage for the Alliance (High Order) or Shaman for the Horde (Windshaper). Skyborne can't be Paladins, Priests or Warlocks.
What's the difference between High Order and Windshaper Skyborne?
Faction, one class and one racial. High Order is Alliance, can be a Mage and has Read Leyline; Windshaper is Horde, can be a Shaman and has Skysight. Both share Walk on Air, Wind Blessed and Elemental Insight.
Where do Skyborne start?
On Zephras Isle, a starting zone for levels 1 through 12.
Are the Skyborne related to blood elves?
By descent, yes. Blizzard wrote on its Warcraft account on X on September 21: “Although their cultures are suffused with different types of magic, the Skyborne elves and Sin’dorei share a common lineage.”
Who are the Skyborne in Warcraft lore?
Blizzard's Found Photos recap calls them the shen'dorei, or hidden people: descendants of rebels who fled Eldre'Thalas after the War of the Ancients and found refuge in Skywall, where wind spirits anchored their island in the elemental plane. In the September 17 Live Q&A, Blizzard added that with no Sunwell, they suffused themselves with elemental magic.
What do Skyborne Druid forms look like?
Wowhead describes bird hybrids: a feathered Bear Form with a beak, a Cat Form close to the Owlcats of modern WoW, and a bird Travel Form, even though Forever has no flying.
Still unconfirmed
- Skyborne druid form names
- Whether Skyborne can later be unlocked without a purchase
- Who the Al'Aketh are
Sources
- Forever beta client, build 1.60.1.70450: SkillLineAbility table (wago.tools), the racials and Priest race spells
- Blizzard: WoW Forever Beta Development Notes – Updated October 26 (racial changes)
- Blizzard: WoW Forever Beta Development Notes – Updated October 15 (racial changes)
- Blizzard: WoW Forever Beta Development Notes – Updated September 24 (racial changes)
- Wowhead: Gnome racial heavily nerfed in the latest WoW Forever beta build (old and new Eureka! values)
- Blizzard: Create the Hero You Want to Be in World of Warcraft: Forever (September 23, 2026 — every race, its classes and its racial traits)
- Blizzard: WoW: Forever — Meet the New Skyborne (September 23, 2026)
- Blizzard: Skyborne Lore & Abilities (video, October 5, 2026)
- Blizzard: The Future of Skyborne Visual Updates (October 7, 2026)
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever What's Next panel recap
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever Deep Dive panel recap
- Blizzard: World of Warcraft: Forever Found Photos panel recap
- Blizzard: Pre-purchase World of Warcraft: Forever upgrades
- Wowhead: Racials for Skyborne in Forever and racial changes
- Wowhead: liveblog of the September 17, 2026 World of Warcraft Live Q&A (Midnight and Forever)
- Warcraft on X (September 21, 2026): the Skyborne and the Sin’dorei share a common lineage
- Warcraft Tavern: All racial abilities in World of Warcraft Forever (hands-on list)
- Warcraft Tavern: Priest racials in World of Warcraft Forever (hands-on list)
- BlizzCon 2026 demo footage (Twitch VOD)
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