World of Warcraft: Forever is adding an entirely new playable race, the Skyborne, revealed during the World of Warcraft: Forever What’s Next panel at BlizzCon 2026. They are the people of Zephras Isle, the new level 1 to 12 starting zone, and they descend from Highborne exiles who made a pact with the elemental wind spirits of Skywall.
The Skyborne are not a neutral race. At character creation players choose whether their Skyborne joins the Horde or the Alliance, and the presenter said that while both sides share a common ancestry, “they no longer share a common vision for the future”. Horde-aligned Skyborne embrace elemental traditions and work alongside the Earthen Ring, which grants access to the Shaman class. Alliance Skyborne pursue the arcane legacy of their ancestors alongside the Kirin Tor, which grants access to the Mage class.
Both factions can also play Warriors, Hunters, Rogues, and Druids, including new Skyborne druid forms created specifically for the race. The race also gets new customizations, voices, dances, and visual options.
The classes slide showed two tall, elf-like figures with pointed ears and glowing eyes, one in blue and gold robes under the Horde banner and one in red and gold under the Alliance banner. A character creation screen showed blue and dark red skin variants. “The Skyborne represent exactly the kind of story we want to tell in WoW Forever,” the presenter said. “Something new, something exciting, and something that feels like it belongs in Azeroth.”