10 playable races
Eight of these are the familiar Classic roster. The other two are new, and Blizzard's announcement only ever described one of them.
| Race | Faction | Classes | Can be |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf | Alliance | 6 | Warrior · Paladin · Hunter · Priest · Rogue · Shaman |
| Gnome | Alliance | 5 | Warrior · Rogue · Mage · Warlock · Priest |
| High Order Skybornenew | — | 5 | Hunter · Rogue · Warrior · Mage · Druid |
| Human | Alliance | 7 | Warrior · Paladin · Rogue · Priest · Mage · Warlock · Hunter |
| Night Elf | Alliance | 5 | Warrior · Hunter · Rogue · Priest · Druid |
| Orc | Horde | 6 | Warrior · Hunter · Rogue · Shaman · Warlock · Mage |
| Tauren | Horde | 4 | Warrior · Hunter · Shaman · Druid |
| Troll | Horde | 7 | Warrior · Rogue · Hunter · Priest · Shaman · Mage · Warlock |
| Undead | Horde | 6 | Warrior · Rogue · Priest · Mage · Warlock · Paladin |
| Windshaper Skybornenew | — | 5 | Hunter · Rogue · Shaman · Warrior · Druid |
The Skyborne are two races
The client carries High Order Skyborne (race ID 95) andWindshaper Skyborne (race ID 96) as separate playable entries, each with its own class list. Blizzard's marketing described a single new race called the Skyborne. Whether the split shows up in the character creator at launch, or is just how the data is organised internally, hasn't been said either way.
The tight clubs
Paladin is the narrowest class in the game with three races — and one of them isUndead, which has never been possible before. Druid has four, and half of that list is Skyborne. Everything else sits at five or more.
See the full matrix →