Best Race for Every Class

Summary table

Beta data (level 30, builds up to Oct 15). There were no battlegrounds in the beta, so PvP is judged by duels and world PvP. “Or” means the sources disagree and there is no single winner.

By class

1. 1
   Warrior

   Human: Ruthless gives +2% crit with any weapon, Will to Survive removes stuns. Night Elf: Elune’s Light, +10% crit for 15 sec. The sources are almost evenly split. For a tank, take Dwarf: Stoneform cuts physical damage by 10% and removes bleeds. On the Horde side every source puts Orc first: Blood Fury (+10% attack power for 15 sec), Savage (+1% crit), Hardiness (stuns 20% shorter). For a tank, take Tauren: Endurance (+5% health) and War Stomp.

2. 2
   Paladin

   Human: Ruthless boosts both strikes and spells, Will to Survive removes stuns. For Protection, take Dwarf: Stoneform and Earth Fury (+2% crit damage). In PvP one source out of four picks Dwarf. On the Horde side only Undead can be a paladin; this is a new Forever combination. Cannibalize restores mana, Will of the Forsaken removes fear.

3. 3
   Hunter

   The human hunter is a new Forever combination: Ruthless gives +2% crit, and the pet inherits the crit. Night Elf answers with Elune’s Light and Shadowmeld. One recent source (Oct 24) puts Dwarf first for its Big Game Hunter: +5% damage against beasts. On the Horde side it is Orc (Blood Fury, Savage) or Troll (Beast Slaying, +5% against beasts). In PvP, War Stomp helps Tauren.

4. 4
   Rogue

   Night Elf: Shadowmeld now lowers threat in combat too, plus Elune’s Light and Quickness. Human: crit with any weapon, and Perception reveals enemy rogues. In Alliance PvP there is no single answer: Gnome breaks roots and slows with Escape Artist. On the Horde side it is Orc in PvE. In PvP it is more often Undead: Will of the Forsaken removes fear from priests and warlocks.

5. 5
   Priest

   The gnome priest is a new Forever combination and the pick of every source in PvE: Eureka! also boosts Power Word: Shield, Expansive Mind gives +5% mana, and the gnome has two spells of its own (Confounding Flash, Contingency Plan). For Shadow, one source takes Night Elf. On the Horde side it is Undead or Troll. Undead is stronger in PvP: Will of the Forsaken removes fear, sleep and charm.

6. 6
   Shaman

   On the Alliance side only Dwarf can be a shaman; this is a new Forever combination: Stoneform and Earth Fury (+2% crit damage). On the Horde side it is Orc: Blood Fury gives both attack power and spell power, so it suits Elemental and Enhancement alike. For a healer one source recommends Troll for Berserking. In PvP three sources give three different answers: Orc, Tauren, Troll.

7. 7
   Mage

   Gnome: Eureka! for 8 sec, Expansive Mind (+5% mana), Escape Artist against roots. One source puts High Order Skyborne first for +3% spell speed; the others don’t. The orc mage is a new Forever combination: Blood Fury now gives spell power. In PvP it is Undead: Will of the Forsaken removes fear, sleep and charm.

8. 8
   Warlock

   Gnome (Eureka!, Expansive Mind) or Human: damage over time can crit in Forever, and Ruthless gives +2% crit. In PvP Human is the more common pick: Will to Survive removes stuns. On the Horde side it is Orc in PvE (Blood Fury gives spell power) and Undead in PvP. The troll warlock is a new combination but does not make the lead.

9. 9
   Druid

   Night Elf: Elune’s Light (+10% crit) and Quickness. Tauren: Endurance (+5% health and +2% crit damage), and War Stomp works in forms too. The Skyborne druid is a new Forever combination: Wind Blessed gives +3% spell and melee speed in cat form. Some sources put it first for Feral and Balance, others in the middle. Skyborne needs the paid Heroic Pack.

What changed from Classic

Old Classic race guides are out of date: weapon specializations and resistances are gone from the races, and some abilities were replaced.

New combinations: human hunter, dwarf shaman, gnome priest, undead paladin, orc mage, troll warlock, Skyborne druid.

Where the sources disagree

1. 1
   Alliance Warrior and Hunter

   Human or Night Elf, the votes are almost evenly split. For Hunter one source recommends Dwarf.

2. 2
   Alliance Warlock

   Gnome or Human.

3. 3
   Horde Shaman in PvP

   three sources, three answers.

4. 4
   Skyborne druid and Skyborne mage

   from “best race” to “worst in PvP” depending on the list.

5. 5
   PvP as a whole

   there were no battlegrounds in the beta and nobody has tested levels 31–60. We’ll update after the Nov 4 launch.

Common questions

See also

ClassesWhich class to pick, comparedRacesAll races compared