THE GAME
WoW Forever census: what people play and want to play
What the beta censuses said about races, classes and faction, and two public votes on what people want to play. Every figure has its method and date next to it.
SNAPSHOT TAKEN 26 Sept 2026
Two different things on this page
What was played in the beta: censuses made with addons that read the online-player list. These are characters seen in the game, with limits we spell out below. Censuses of the live game will come once those addons have data from the new realms.
How to read this data
What people want to play: the Forever Mains and StrawPoll votes. That is declared intent: people saying what they would like to play on November 4, not characters created.
When you see figures elsewhere headlined “most played”, check which of the two they come from.
What was played in the beta
Censuses exist now: addons that sweep the online-player list (the /who command) and tally what they see. We took the two that publish their counts and they do not agree, so we show both, each as a share of its own sample, and work out where they say the same thing.
Where they agree and where they don't
Faction: they disagree. MarketLens sees more Alliance and ClassicPlus more Horde.
Horde: both have the same combo on top, Undead (Forsaken) Paladin.
Alliance: the top combo is Dwarf Shaman on MarketLens and Human Paladin on ClassicPlus.
Class: the most seen in both is Hunter.
Why they disagree: they count differently. MarketLens counts unique characters seen by its addon; ClassicPlus adds up everything sampled since the beta opened and does not say whether it removes repeats. And each one sees what its users scan: their realms, their hours and their levels.
MarketLens (solid bar)ClassicPlus (striped bar)
Faction
- AllianceMarketLens: 53.7 %ClassicPlus: 49.8 %
- HordeMarketLens: 46.3 %ClassicPlus: 50.2 %
Classes
HunterMarketLens: 14.9 %ClassicPlus: 15.5 %
WarriorMarketLens: 13.4 %ClassicPlus: 12.2 %
ShamanMarketLens: 12.5 %ClassicPlus: 11.3 %
DruidMarketLens: 11.5 %ClassicPlus: 11.4 %
PaladinMarketLens: 10.6 %ClassicPlus: 11.8 %
MageMarketLens: 9.6 %ClassicPlus: 9.7 %
RogueMarketLens: 9.5 %ClassicPlus: 9.7 %
PriestMarketLens: 9.4 %ClassicPlus: 9.2 %
WarlockMarketLens: 8.6 %ClassicPlus: 9.2 %
Races
HumanMarketLens: 15.1 %ClassicPlus: 16.1 %
Undead (Forsaken)MarketLens: 13.6 %ClassicPlus: 16.8 %
Skyborne (High Order)MarketLens: 10.5 %ClassicPlus: 9.3 %
Night ElfMarketLens: 9.9 %ClassicPlus: 8.8 %
Skyborne (Windshapers)MarketLens: 8.8 %ClassicPlus: 9.4 %
OrcMarketLens: 8.6 %ClassicPlus: 9.6 %
DwarfMarketLens: 9.7 %ClassicPlus: 8.1 %
GnomeMarketLens: 8.3 %ClassicPlus: 7.5 %
TaurenMarketLens: 7.9 %ClassicPlus: 7.6 %
TrollMarketLens: 7.4 %ClassicPlus: 6.8 %
The most seen combos
MarketLens only publishes the top combo per faction; the full race and class breakdown comes from ClassicPlus. Share of its 1,072,409 characters sampled.
| # | Combo | Of the sample | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undead (Forsaken) PaladinNew in Forever | 5.9 % | 63,492 |
| 2 | Human Paladin | 4.5 % | 47,834 |
| 3 | Dwarf ShamanNew in Forever | 4.3 % | 45,633 |
| 4 | Skyborne (High Order) DruidNew in Forever | 3.1 % | 32,845 |
| 5 | Undead (Forsaken) Priest | 3.0 % | 32,446 |
| 6 | Skyborne (Windshapers) DruidNew in Forever | 2.9 % | 30,917 |
| 7 | Tauren Druid | 2.8 % | 30,542 |
| 8 | Night Elf Hunter | 2.7 % | 28,733 |
| 9 | Night Elf Druid | 2.6 % | 28,313 |
| 10 | Human Warrior | 2.6 % | 28,150 |
| 11 | Undead (Forsaken) Warlock | 2.6 % | 28,072 |
| 12 | Human HunterNew in Forever | 2.4 % | 26,229 |
What they say versus what they play: the combo with the highest Elo on Forever Mains is Undead (Forsaken) Paladin, and on ClassicPlus it is number 1 most seen.
The two censuses
- MarketLens — WoW Forever census
Unique characters (name + realm) seen in an addon's /who queries, in its «All» window (up to each realm's latest scan; it also offers 7 days and 24 hours). A character seen several times counts once.
121,590 unique characters
Data from 16 Oct 2026 - ClassicPlus.io — World of Warcraft: Forever Census
Characters sampled since the beta opened, from scans uploaded to the site. It does not say whether a character seen several times counts once, so its figure may include repeats.
1,072,409 characters sampled
Data from 15 Oct 2026
Snapshot taken 16 Oct 2026. We re-read both censuses with every feed update and keep the history.
All 56 combos, from most wanted to least
Forever Mains shows you two race and class combos and asks which one you would main. Across 508,394 voted duels from 10,471 people, this is the order. The percentage is how many of its own duels each combo wins: 50% is the midpoint, not a score.
| Rank | Combo | Elo | Duels won | Duels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undead (Forsaken) Paladin | 1,352 | 68.0 % | 26,069 |
| 2 | Orc Shaman | 1,306 | 61.8 % | 21,690 |
| 3 | Dwarf Shaman | 1,292 | 61.3 % | 22,840 |
| 4 | Night Elf Druid | 1,277 | 59.5 % | 20,956 |
| 5 | Undead (Forsaken) Warlock | 1,272 | 58.1 % | 20,097 |
| 6 | Human Paladin | 1,271 | 58.8 % | 21,383 |
| 7 | Tauren Shaman | 1,271 | 58.0 % | 20,006 |
| 8 | Tauren Druid | 1,266 | 57.8 % | 19,636 |
| 9 | Orc Warrior | 1,259 | 56.3 % | 19,520 |
| 10 | Orc Warlock | 1,252 | 55.0 % | 19,279 |
| 11 | Undead (Forsaken) Rogue | 1,252 | 55.4 % | 19,573 |
| 12 | Undead (Forsaken) Priest | 1,251 | 55.6 % | 19,476 |
| 13 | Troll Warlock | 1,242 | 54.9 % | 20,513 |
| 14 | Troll Shaman | 1,241 | 54.0 % | 18,798 |
| 15 | Human Warrior | 1,234 | 53.6 % | 19,957 |
| 16 | Tauren Warrior | 1,233 | 53.5 % | 18,391 |
| 17 | Night Elf Hunter | 1,228 | 53.2 % | 19,165 |
| 18 | Dwarf Paladin | 1,227 | 52.6 % | 19,129 |
| 19 | Undead (Forsaken) Mage | 1,223 | 51.5 % | 18,434 |
| 20 | Gnome Warlock | 1,216 | 51.2 % | 17,455 |
| 21 | Gnome Mage | 1,214 | 50.9 % | 17,563 |
| 22 | Orc Hunter | 1,214 | 50.8 % | 18,330 |
| 23 | Human Priest | 1,209 | 50.3 % | 18,617 |
| 24 | Human Warlock | 1,205 | 50.0 % | 18,835 |
| 25 | Human Rogue | 1,202 | 49.8 % | 18,746 |
| 26 | Night Elf Rogue | 1,201 | 49.6 % | 18,087 |
| 27 | Gnome Priest | 1,198 | 49.7 % | 18,694 |
| 28 | Skyborne (Windshapers) Druid | 1,195 | 49.4 % | 19,700 |
| 29 | Orc Rogue | 1,194 | 48.4 % | 17,492 |
| 30 | Undead (Forsaken) Warrior | 1,194 | 48.4 % | 18,192 |
| 31 | Troll Hunter | 1,191 | 48.1 % | 17,009 |
| 32 | Skyborne (High Order) Druid | 1,190 | 48.6 % | 19,133 |
| 33 | Skyborne (Windshapers) Shaman | 1,189 | 48.5 % | 18,969 |
| 34 | Orc Mage | 1,186 | 47.4 % | 18,380 |
| 35 | Human Mage | 1,180 | 46.8 % | 18,033 |
| 36 | Dwarf Priest | 1,179 | 46.3 % | 17,424 |
| 37 | Dwarf Warrior | 1,177 | 46.0 % | 17,578 |
| 38 | Night Elf Priest | 1,177 | 46.9 % | 17,528 |
| 39 | Dwarf Hunter | 1,176 | 46.0 % | 17,149 |
| 40 | Human Hunter | 1,176 | 46.7 % | 18,668 |
| 41 | Night Elf Warrior | 1,169 | 46.0 % | 17,327 |
| 42 | Gnome Rogue | 1,168 | 45.0 % | 16,267 |
| 43 | Troll Priest | 1,165 | 44.7 % | 16,378 |
| 44 | Troll Mage | 1,164 | 43.9 % | 15,777 |
| 45 | Skyborne (High Order) Mage | 1,150 | 43.0 % | 17,202 |
| 46 | Tauren Hunter | 1,148 | 42.5 % | 15,879 |
| 47 | Troll Warrior | 1,148 | 42.8 % | 15,914 |
| 48 | Troll Rogue | 1,140 | 41.3 % | 15,423 |
| 49 | Skyborne (Windshapers) Hunter | 1,132 | 40.1 % | 15,105 |
| 50 | Gnome Warrior | 1,130 | 40.7 % | 15,514 |
| 51 | Skyborne (High Order) Hunter | 1,130 | 40.2 % | 15,178 |
| 52 | Dwarf Rogue | 1,128 | 39.9 % | 15,834 |
| 53 | Skyborne (Windshapers) Rogue | 1,115 | 38.0 % | 14,646 |
| 54 | Skyborne (Windshapers) Warrior | 1,113 | 38.3 % | 14,930 |
| 55 | Skyborne (High Order) Warrior | 1,096 | 36.2 % | 14,624 |
| 56 | Skyborne (High Order) Rogue | 1,090 | 35.1 % | 14,296 |
The order is Forever Mains’ own, which uses Elo: each duel counts for more or less depending on how wanted the combo it faced is. That is why the win rate does not fall in perfect order — winning 50% of your duels against the most wanted combos is worth more than winning 50% against the last ones.
Figures from 26 Sept 2026, pulled from the public interface of Forever Mains.
Which class people plan to play
A separate vote, 25,591 votes and one per connection, asks about the class alone. Paladin and Shaman lead — the two that were faction-locked in Classic and belong to both sides in Forever. Mage comes last.
- Shaman15.3 %3,917 votes
- Paladin15.1 %3,869 votes
- Druid12.5 %3,206 votes
- Warlock11.4 %2,926 votes
- Priest11.2 %2,875 votes
- Warrior10.5 %2,693 votes
- Hunter9.0 %2,309 votes
- Rogue8.0 %2,045 votes
- Mage6.8 %1,751 votes
Votes from 14 Sept 2026 to 26 Sept 2026, pulled from the public interface of the class poll on StrawPoll.
And the race?
There is a race poll too, but it only has 579 votes: forty times fewer than the class one. At that size thirty votes reorder it, so it goes here as a note and without a chart. Undead leads it for now.
- Undead (Forsaken)117 votes
- Dwarf70 votes
- Human67 votes
- Gnome57 votes
- Night Elf57 votes
- Tauren47 votes
- Skyborne (High Order)46 votes
- Orc43 votes
- Skyborne (Windshapers)43 votes
- Troll32 votes
Votes up to the day of the snapshot, pulled from the race poll on StrawPoll.
What has moved since 20 Sept 2026
Between the 20 Sept 2026 snapshot and today’s, Forever Mains has gone from 408,611 to 508,394 duels. This is how the order of the combos has changed.
Rising
- Gnome Priest4 placesnow #27 (was #31)
- Night Elf Rogue3 placesnow #26 (was #29)
- Orc Rogue3 placesnow #29 (was #32)
- Troll Hunter2 placesnow #31 (was #33)
- Dwarf Warrior2 placesnow #37 (was #39)
Falling
- Skyborne (High Order) Druid5 placesnow #32 (was #27)
- Skyborne (Windshapers) Shaman5 placesnow #33 (was #28)
- Tauren Shaman2 placesnow #7 (was #5)
- Skyborne (Windshapers) Druid2 placesnow #28 (was #26)
- Human Hunter2 placesnow #40 (was #38)
In the class poll, against that date: Shaman +0.1 · Paladin -0.3 · Druid -0.2 · Warlock +0.2 · Priest -0.1 · Warrior -0.1 · Hunter +0.1 · Rogue 0.0 · Mage +0.1
Adding the combos up
The same Forever Mains duels, added up by faction, by class and by race: of every duel in which a combo from that group appeared, how many it won. This is our own sum over their data, not a figure they publish. 50% is the midpoint, not a pass mark.
By faction
- Horde51.3 %513,606 duels
- Alliance48.6 %503,182 duels
By class
- Paladin60.6 %66,581 duels
- Shaman57.0 %102,303 duels
- Warlock54.0 %96,179 duels
- Druid53.9 %79,425 duels
- Priest49.1 %108,117 duels
- Mage47.4 %105,389 duels
- Warrior46.8 %171,947 duels
- Hunter46.3 %136,483 duels
- Rogue45.4 %150,364 duels
By race
- Undead (Forsaken)56.9 %121,841 duels
- Orc53.6 %114,691 duels
- Tauren53.5 %73,912 duels
- Night Elf51.4 %93,063 duels
- Human51.1 %134,239 duels
- Dwarf49.5 %109,954 duels
- Gnome47.7 %85,493 duels
- Troll47.6 %119,812 duels
- Skyborne (Windshapers)43.5 %83,350 duels
- Skyborne (High Order)41.2 %80,433 duels
And what wow4ever visitors vote
Two polls of our own, open to anyone who drops by: one per browser, with a cap per network. They are wow4ever visitors, not a head-count of the game. You can vote right here.
Horde or Alliance?
679 votes
Which ruleset are you picking?
Nobody has voted yet. Be the first.
The wow4ever Discord
To talk Forever with more people: questions in a forum with answers, groups and guilds, the site's news as soon as it's out, and a forum to ask for what you want to see on wow4ever, where every idea gets voted. In Spanish, with an English channel.