Want the best for your character? Check out what race is best for your class!
With Blizzard going back to World of Warcraft‘s roots with WoW: Classic, it’s easy to forget how much the game has evolved since it released back in 2004. Abilities and racial traits have seen some amending for each race, and classes have been simplified to help with the new player base has grown since then.
As you consider your first character, you may feel it’s more important to get the best out of your class than it perhaps is to stick to what the lore of the game would dictate. Our guide helps you make the best choice for your play. Here is a substantial break down of the best races for each of the classes in WoW: Classic.
Druid
Alliance – Night Elf
Horde – Tauren
Sadly, no options for this one. You have one choice if you want to play a Druid on each respective faction.
Hunter
Alliance – Night Elves
While Dwarves get a skill increase while using Guns, it’s not so helpful in the late game content, though it’ll certainly be useful when leveling. The only other class that can take Hunter is the Night Elves, who have a much higher base stat for Agility, a Hunter’s primary stat so this will suit you best.
Horde – Troll
While Orcs will have extra damage from pets, Berzerking is one of the most potent racial traits in the game as it boosts your Attack or Spell Casting speed by between 10-30% for 10 seconds on a short cooldown, and that extra attack speed will be invaluable to your DPS.
Mage
Alliance – Gnome
While Humans have strong base stats all-round, Gnomes racial Expansive Mind adds an extra 5% to Intelligence, which is very powerful in the late game.
Horde – Troll
Berserking is excellent here too as it will boost your output of spell casting enough to elevate you above the other races.
Paladin (Alliance Only)
Alliance – Human
The extra damage from swords and maces, as well as the extra Spirit for Holy Priests, gives Humans the edge for this class.
Priest
Alliance – Human
Human’s get an extra 5% to the Spirit stat, which not only helps with mana regeneration but provides synergy with the ability Spiritual Guidance, which increases Spell Damage and Healing by up to 25% of your Spirit stat for Holy Priests.
Horde – Troll
Once again, the ability Berzerking makes this a natural choice for any Horde who take on the Priest class.
Rogue
Alliance – Human
The specialization of Swords and Maces make for an excellent combination for Rogue, maxing DPS on the Alliance side.
Horde – Orc
Orc racial Bloody Fury, which increases base melee Attack Power by 25% for 15 seconds makes the Orc a natural choice for Rogues, though be careful with the added healing debuff from the ability.
Shaman (Horde Only)
Horde – Troll (Restoration & Elemental) / Orc (Enhancement)
Shaman is unique in that it’s different specializations will be benefited by different classes. If you’re a spell caster, Troll is the way to go with Berzerking, but if you want to hit things with melee, Orc’s Blood Fury will work out better for you.
Warlock
Alliance – Gnome
The Expansive Mind racial for extra Intelligence tips the scales in the Gnomes favor.
Horde – Orc
There’s not a massive amount between Orcs and Undead here. You should consider the latter choice only if you feel that you may struggle without the racial healing that Undead get. Otherwise, the slight increase to Pet damage will win out here.
Warrior
Alliance – Human
Similar to the reasons for Paladin and Rogue, the extra damage from swords and maces gives Humans the edge for this class.
Horde – Multiple
Due to traits and abilities, you can be flexible here. Orc is the strong choice if you intend on going for DPS, and both Troll (Berzerking helps with threat build-up) and Tauren (very powerful AOE stun) are great options for tanking. Go for the one that you think suits your play the best.
