The Skyborne (they call themselves shen'dorei, "the hidden people") are WoW Forever's only new race and the most lore-heavy piece of the whole announcement. Here's what we know.
Where they come from
They're windswept elves, descendants of rebels who fled Eldre'Thalas after the War of the Ancients. According to Blizzard's official introduction on September 22, those Highborne exiles forged a pact with the elemental wind spirits and found refuge in Skywall, where wind spirits anchored their home — Zephras Isle — in the elemental plane.
When Forever begins, the isle is in crisis: its elemental benefactors have vanished and the pylons holding it together are failing. Three factions fight over its future: the Windshapers, keepers of elemental tradition; the High Order, heirs to an arcane legacy; and the Al'Aketh.
One race, two factions
Here's the big twist: Skyborne choose a faction at character creation.
| Skyborne side | Faction | Exclusive class |
|---|---|---|
| Windshapers | Horde | Shaman |
| High Order | Alliance | Mage |
Both can also be Warriors, Hunters, Rogues and Druids. Blizzard's official race and class table, published on September 22, confirms it — and matches ours cell by cell. Skyborne druids get their own forms: bear, cat, a bird travel form and moonkin. Every combination at a glance in the race and class matrix.
Racials
Like every Forever race, they get two active and two passive racials. The text now comes from the beta client, and Blizzard repeated it in its official article on September 22:
- Walk on Air (active, instant, 90 sec): glide downward for 10 seconds while steering. It isn't flight — you can't climb.
- Read Ley Line (active, High Order, 2 sec cast you can make while moving, 2 min): +100% health and mana regeneration; lasts 30 sec anywhere and 15 min near a ley line, and since October 15 there are more ley lines in most zones. October 26 tuning, for launch: it becomes +50% for 15 sec, can't be used while Innervate is active, and used at a ley line it also grants Attuned for 1 hour (100% regeneration) that persists through death and is removed upon entering a raid.
- Skysight (active, Windshapers, 0.5 sec cast you can make while moving, 2 min): an elemental blessing for 10% run speed; lasts 30 sec anywhere and 15 min near a convergence of elements, of which there are more zones since October 15. October 26 tuning, for launch: it becomes +15% for 15 sec, and at a convergence of elements it also grants Charged for 1 hour (30% speed) that persists through death and is removed upon entering a raid.
- Wind Blessed (passive): +3% (it was 1% until October 15) melee, ranged and spellcasting haste. October 26 tuning, for launch (not in the beta yet): it drops to 2%.
- Elemental Insight (passive): +5% damage against elementals.
Each racial's full text, with its numbers, is on each faction's page.
Customization
Blizzard gives the character creation numbers: 10 to 25 faces, 9 skin colors and 21 to 25 hairstyles, depending on body, plus hair and eye colors, ear length, eyebrows, facial hair, face and body tattoos, earrings and jewelry. They get their own /dance and several new emotes, and everything can be changed later at the barber shop (for in-game gold). Skyborne druids get their own forms.
Standard Definition models: today the Skyborne only exist in High Definition, which can clash next to Standard Definition characters. On October 7 Blizzard confirmed SD Skyborne models, Druid forms included, for early 2027, and it is revising their HD Druid forms in the meantime (less softness, more detailed fur, toned-down saturation).
How to get them
Forever comes with the subscription, but the race and its starting zone require the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition. Wowhead reports a $29.99 price. The Epic Pack and the Warcraft Forever Collection also include beta access, open since September 17.
What's missing
The racial text is now official and the class table is confirmed. Still missing: the full journey through Zephras Isle, the level 1-12 starting zone, and what happens with the Al'Aketh, the third faction. We'll update the High Order and Windshapers pages as soon as we know.
