The Skyborne: new race, starting zone and class combinations

Who are the Skyborne?

The Skyborne, also known as the shen'dorei or hidden people, descend from rebels who fled Eldre'Thalas after the War of the Ancients and found refuge in Skywall, where wind spirits anchored their island home in the elemental plane. Blizzard describes them as a new race of windswept elves.

When you meet them in Forever they are in crisis: their elemental benefactors have vanished, the pylons that hold Zephras Isle together are failing, and parts of the island are falling into ruin. Three groups vie for control as the crisis deepens: the Windshapers, the High Order and the Al'Aketh.

Are the Skyborne Horde or Alliance?

Both, but you choose. At character creation you decide whether your Skyborne joins the Horde or the Alliance, and the choice is permanent for that character. Horde-aligned Skyborne follow the Windshaper path and embrace elemental traditions, which gives them the Shaman class. Alliance-aligned Skyborne follow the High Order and pursue the arcane legacy of their ancestors, which gives them the Mage class.

Skyborne druids get forms created specifically for the race. The race also comes with new racials, customizations, voices, dances and visual options. Wowhead notes that Skyborne racials vary slightly by faction, and that the racial mounts are Galestriders, at level 40 and level 60.

What is Zephras Isle like?

Zephras Isle is the Skyborne starting zone, covering levels 1 to 12. Blizzard calls it an elemental skybound starting experience that blends Classic Warcraft aesthetics with architecture inspired by Skywall. It was designed as a surprising but self-contained addition, and it was available from the first week of the beta.

Access to the zone comes with the race: the Zephras Isle questline requires the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition. Wowhead points out that the Skyborne are not a neutral race in play; you pick Horde or Alliance from level 1 on the isle.

What are the Skyborne racial abilities?

Every race in Forever has two active and two passive racials. Icy Veins lists the Skyborne set below from the beta client. Wowhead adds that the second active ability differs between Horde and Alliance Skyborne. Beta values can change before launch.

Customization, per Wowhead's overview of the beta: skin tones, faces, eye colour, eyebrows, ear lengths, hair styles and colours, feather styles and colours, body and face tattoos, plus facial hair for one body type and earrings for the other.

How do I unlock the Skyborne?

Buy the Skyborne Heroic Pack or a higher edition (Skyborne Epic Pack or Warcraft Forever Collection). Wowhead lists the Heroic Pack at $29.99. The unlock applies to the specific WoW account it was purchased on. The release date guide compares the three editions.

The Heroic Pack also includes the Cerulean Prideclaw ground mount (you still buy the riding skill in-game), the Shen'dorei Skyseer's Garb transmog set, the Shen'dorei Windwell toy and Skyborne housing decor for modern WoW.

Which other new race and class combinations are there?

Alongside the Skyborne, Forever adds six combinations that did not exist in Classic, with more planned: Gnome Priest, Human Hunter, Dwarf Shaman, Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Undead Paladin. The Forsaken Paladin story begins at Bandarion Keep in Tirisfal Glades and rolls out of the Warcraft III Reforged: Forsaken Kingdom campaign.