World of Warcraft: Forever Skyborne guide: Horde or Alliance, classes and racials
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The Skyborne, a playable race new to World of Warcraft: Forever, get one class that depends on the side you pick. Blizzard's post of 22 September says Horde Skyborne get the Shaman and Alliance Skyborne get the Mage. Both sides share the other four classes and three of their four racials, the abilities that come with the race, and both start on Zephras Isle, a new starting area and their home.
Zephras Isle covers levels 1 to 12. In Blizzard's story, exiled Highborne, an ancient line of elves, made a pact with wind spirits and built a civilization in Skywall, one of the elemental planes. The spirits have vanished, and you arrive to find that civilization in crisis.
Horde or Alliance compared: the two Skyborne side by side
| Windshaper Skyborne | High Order Skyborne | |
|---|---|---|
| Side | Horde | Alliance |
| Class only this side gets | Shaman | Mage |
| Classes both sides get | Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Warrior | Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Warrior |
| Racial only this side gets | Skysight: 10% more run speed | Read Ley Line: 100% more Health and Mana regeneration |
| Racials both sides get | Walk on Air, Wind Blessed, Elemental Insight | Walk on Air, Wind Blessed, Elemental Insight |
| Where you start | Zephras Isle, levels 1 to 12 | Zephras Isle, levels 1 to 12 |
Blizzard frames the split as two outlooks. Windshapers keep the elemental traditions. The High Order wants back the arcane knowledge their people lost, so they don't depend on the spirits.
Picking by class? Planning a Shaman or a Mage, our talent calculator has both. Planning a Hunter, our hunter pet reference lists the pet families. Skyborne Druids get new forms made just for the race.
Every Skyborne racial
Racials are abilities that come with a race. Here are all five, in Blizzard's own numbers.
| Racial | Who gets it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Walk on Air | Both sides | Glide downward through the air for 10 seconds |
| Wind Blessed (passive) | Both sides | 1% more melee, ranged and spellcasting Haste |
| Elemental Insight (passive) | Both sides | 5% more damage to Elementals |
| Skysight | Horde only | An Elemental Blessing that adds 10% run speed |
| Read Ley Line | Alliance only | Activate a ley line for 100% more Health and Mana regeneration |
Passive means it's always on. Haste makes attacks and spells come faster. Elementals are a kind of creature in the game.
What you can change about how they look
Two body types, each with 10 faces and the same nine skin colours, from sky blue to light peach to darker tones.
Body Type 1 has 21 hair styles and 13 facial hair options. Body Type 2 has 25 hair styles and six earring styles, in silver or gold. Both can wear feathers in their hair, face tattoos and a choice of two body tattoos, Zephyr and Wayfinder. A barber shop in the cities lets you change things later, for a little in-game coin.
Skyborne also get their own /dance, the emote your character does when you type it.
Our take: a small edge, and one open question
Our reading is that the stat racials are modest: 1% Haste and 5% more damage to one kind of creature won't decide who wins a fight. Pick the side for the class you want.
The open question is access. Our release date piece covers what Forever's paid upgrade packs include and what the Blizzard posts we've read don't say about playing a Skyborne without one.
Common questions
Should my Skyborne be Horde or Alliance in World of Warcraft: Forever?
The Skyborne are a new playable race, and you pick their side when you make the character. Pick Horde if you want a Shaman: only Horde Skyborne, the Windshapers, get that class. Pick Alliance if you want a Mage: only Alliance Skyborne, the High Order, get that one. Druid, Hunter, Rogue and Warrior are open on both sides.
What are the Skyborne racials in World of Warcraft: Forever?
Racials are abilities that come with a race. Both Skyborne sides share three: Walk on Air, a 10-second glide downward; Wind Blessed, 1% more melee, ranged and spellcasting Haste, which makes attacks and spells come faster; and Elemental Insight, 5% more damage to Elementals. Horde Skyborne add Skysight, 10% more run speed. Alliance Skyborne add Read Ley Line, 100% more Health and Mana regeneration from a ley line.
Where do the Skyborne start in World of Warcraft: Forever?
On Zephras Isle, a new starting area and the Skyborne's home. Blizzard says it covers levels 1 to 12, and it's where you start whichever side you pick.
Written by 0hp from the publisher's own announcement, linked above, and every specific in it was checked against that page by a second pass before it published. Independent, and not affiliated with the publisher. Dates are announced or labelled as estimates. How this site is written, and how to correct it.
