WoW Forever Skyborne Race Guide

The Skyborne (shen'dorei) are WoW Forever's brand-new playable race, a people of wind-touched elves who return to Azeroth from a floating island in the elemental plane of Skywall. They are the only race that isn't locked to a faction. At character creation you join either the arcane-minded High Order (Alliance) or the elemental Windshapers (Horde). They are unlocked through a separate Forever Skyborne pack, not by the subscription alone.

Updated October 9, 2026 · WoW Forever beta

Who are the Skyborne?

The Skyborne trace their roots to the Highborne, the arcane elite of ancient Kaldorei society. One exiled branch, connected to the Shen'dralar scholars of Eldre'Thalas, made a pact with the spirits of the wind. For thousands of years it lived hidden in Skywall, the air elementals' domain, on the floating Zephras Isle.

Over the millennia, the Skyborne came to depend on their elemental patrons. The wind spirits kept the island aloft and protected it, and Skyborne magic grew around that relationship. That makes them distant cousins of the High Elves and Night Elves, but culturally they are their own people.

The story begins when the wind spirits suddenly vanish from Zephras Isle. Without them, the island's protections fail, its settlements are in danger, and a hostile cult called the Al'Aketh moves in. The crisis shows how dangerous their dependence has been and forces the Skyborne to look back toward Azeroth for allies and answers.

The race splits along a philosophical line, not a racial one. The High Order wants to reclaim the Highborne's lost arcane heritage and become self-reliant. The Windshapers want to deepen the bond with the elements. That disagreement sends one branch to the Alliance and the other to the Horde.

High Order vs Windshaper

Alliance

High Order

The High Order are the scholarly, arcane-focused branch, heirs to the Highborne researchers of Eldre'Thalas. They are led by Elaadrin Evengale and aligned with the Kirin Tor's outlook. They want to recover lost knowledge and free their people from depending on the elements. They speak Common and Darnassian and can be Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, or Warrior. Mage is exclusive to this side. Their faction racial is Read Ley Line, a regeneration boost that favours mana users. Their airship from Valanaar lands in Dalaran.

Classes

Racials: Walk on Air, Read Ley Line, Elemental Insight, Wind Blessed

Horde

Windshaper

The Windshapers are the spiritual, elementalist branch. They are led by Ayessa Dawnsinger, sympathetic to the Earthen Ring, and determined to keep faith with the elements of Skywall. They speak Orcish and Darnassian and can be Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, or Warrior. Shaman is exclusive to this side, with unique elven brazier-style totems and race-specific totem quests. Their faction racial is Skysight, a movement-speed boost. Their airship drops them near Thunder Bluff.

Classes

Racials: Walk on Air, Skysight, Elemental Insight, Wind Blessed

Skyborne racials explained

Walk on Air

Both factions

Instant, 2 min cooldown. Glide downward through the air for 10 sec while controlling your direction of travel.

Pure utility with no combat stats. In PvE, it lets you skip long paths by dropping off ledges safely, saves you from accidental falls, and makes routes through vertical zones faster. In PvP, it offers creative escapes and repositioning off high ground (bridges, cliffs, Alterac Valley terrain), and it's steerable, unlike Slow Fall. Even mages, who already have Slow Fall, gain directional control. It's fun more than powerful.

Skysight

Windshaper

0.5 sec cast, 2 min cooldown. Attempt to draw power from a convergence of elements and receive its blessing, increasing your movement and mounted movement speeds by 10%. Lasts 30 sec if no elemental convergence is nearby, and 15 min if one is found.

Windshaper only. It gives +10% run and mounted speed for a short window, or much longer near an elemental convergence. It's useful for travel and leveling, but guides note that it doesn't stack with Sprint or Ghost Wolf, which undercuts it for rogues and shamans. Its PvP value is limited because it's not a combat tool. Racial tier lists place it low.

Elemental Insight

Both factions

Damage dealt versus Elementals increased by 5%.

+5% damage against Elementals. It's strong on Zephras Isle and on elemental farming spots (e.g. elemental camps for Essences and Motes), plus any raid or dungeon bosses classified as elementals, such as Molten Core-style encounters. It has no value in PvP.

Wind Blessed

Both factions

Increases your spellcasting, melee, and ranged Haste by 1%.

Flat +1% haste to melee, ranged, and spells, always active. It's the most broadly useful Skyborne racial for both PvE and PvP because it helps every class and spec. It's still small, though, and doesn't compare with the strongest classic racials such as stat bonuses, weapon skill, or PvP escapes.

Read Ley Line

High Order

2 sec cast, 2 min cooldown. Attempt to tap into the power of a nearby ley line, increasing your Health and Mana regeneration by 100%. Lasts 15 sec if no ley line is nearby, and 15 min if one is found.

High Order only. It doubles health and mana regeneration for a short window, or much longer while standing near a ley line. It's a strong leveling racial for mana users (Mage, Druid, Hunter) because it reduces downtime between pulls. It's out-of-combat and open-world focused, so it adds little to raids or competitive PvP, and warriors and rogues gain little from it. One racial tier list rates it the best of the Skyborne kit.

Best classes for Skyborne

Skyborne DruidDruids are the headline pick. Skyborne gives druids a second race on each faction and comes with unique wind-themed forms. On the Alliance side, Read Ley Line smooths mana-heavy leveling, Walk on Air pairs with Travel Form exploration, and Wind Blessed haste helps every spec.

Skyborne MageHigh Order only. Mages benefit most from Read Ley Line's mana regeneration during leveling and farming. Elemental Insight is useful for elemental farm spots, and Walk on Air adds steering on top of Slow Fall. This is the strongest Alliance Skyborne pairing in most guides.

Skyborne ShamanWindshaper only. Shaman is the lore-perfect fit, with exclusive elven totems and race-specific totem quests. Haste helps enhancement and casters alike, and Elemental Insight suits elemental-heavy farming. Skysight overlaps with Ghost Wolf, though, so take it for flavour more than raw racial power.

Skyborne HunterHunter is solid on either faction. Wind Blessed haste applies to ranged attacks, Read Ley Line (Alliance) cuts mana downtime while leveling, and Walk on Air makes ledge-kiting and repositioning easier. It's rated B tier alongside druid and mage.

Skyborne WarriorWarrior is playable but not optimal. Walk on Air and Windshaper Skysight give open-world mobility for chasing or escaping, but other races have much stronger warrior racials. Pick Skyborne warrior mainly for the look.

Skyborne RogueRogue is the weakest Skyborne fit. Rogues don't use mana, so Read Ley Line is mostly health regeneration, and Skysight doesn't stack with Sprint. Haste and Walk on Air are its only real gains.

Skyborne starting zone

Zephras Isle, a floating island in Skywall covering roughly levels 1-12/13. Both factions start in Thendal Village, phased apart, and work outward to Valanaar, the Skyborne capital. Valanaar has a bank, Auction House, class and profession trainers, Fairweather Stables (Galestrider mounts), and a sky harbour. From the harbour, Skycutter airships carry High Order players to Dalaran and Windshapers to Thunder Bluff. You can leave at any time. Tornadoes around the island grant a temporary speed buff (Blessing of Zephras).

This is a new race, and the only one you choose a faction for at creation. Both sides share one starting island and capital, phased by faction.
Walk on Air is a steerable glide that also cancels fall damage. It brings real verticality to cliffs, bridges, and Zephras Isle's floating terrain, but it can only descend, not climb.
Druids get race-specific forms with a bird-and-wind theme, including Bear, Cat, an avian Travel Form, and Moonkin. Bear and Cat forms offered multiple colour palettes in the beta (blue/white, purple/blue, burgundy/white, sky blue/white). This was a major selling point, since Skyborne is a second druid race option for each faction.
Customization uses two body types with faces, skin tones (not just blue), hair, eyes, ears, eyebrows, feathers, tattoos, and jewelry. You can change most options later at the barber in Valanaar. Sources disagree on whether classic-style SD models exist at launch. Some say HD only for now, with SD planned for early 2027.
Both factions speak Darnassian, so Skyborne characters on opposite factions can understand each other, as can other elves who know the language.
The race has its own mount, the Galestrider, bought at Fairweather Stables in normal and Swift variants. Skyborne get discounts from faction reputation. Other races can buy Galestriders once they reach Exalted with the High Order or the Windshapers.
Skyborne have unique /dance and emotes, plus an Elemental-themed starting story with the Al'Aketh cult as antagonists.

Skyborne FAQ

Can Skyborne be paladins?

No. At launch, Skyborne can be Druid, Hunter, Rogue, or Warrior on either faction, plus Mage (Alliance only) or Shaman (Horde only). Paladin, Priest, and Warlock aren't available.

Is Skyborne a new race or a reskin of High Elves?

It's a brand-new race created for WoW Forever, with its own lore, starting zone, capital, racials, mounts, and druid forms. Skyborne are distant Highborne-descended cousins of the High and Night Elves, not the same people.

Which faction should I pick, High Order or Windshaper?

Pick by class first. You need High Order for a Skyborne Mage and Windshaper for a Skyborne Shaman. For other classes, High Order's Read Ley Line is generally the stronger racial, especially for mana users, while Windshaper's Skysight is a travel convenience. Your friends' faction and server population often matter more than either racial.

Do I need to buy something to play Skyborne?

Yes. Skyborne and Zephras Isle come with the WoW Forever Skyborne packs (Heroic Pack, Epic Pack, or the Warcraft Forever Collection). A regular subscription alone doesn't unlock the race.

Where do Skyborne start, and how do I reach the mainland?

Skyborne start in Thendal Village on Zephras Isle (levels 1 to about 12). From Valanaar's sky harbour, Skycutter airships take High Order players to Dalaran and Windshapers to Thunder Bluff, and you can leave whenever you like.

What racials do Skyborne get?

Skyborne have Walk on Air (a steerable glide that cancels fall damage), Wind Blessed (+1% haste) and Elemental Insight (+5% damage against Elementals), plus a faction racial: Read Ley Line (faster health and mana regeneration) for the High Order or Skysight (+10% run and mounted speed for a short time) for the Windshapers.

What is the best class for a Skyborne?

Druid is the headline pick, followed by Mage (High Order only) and Shaman (Windshaper only). Hunter is solid on either faction, while Warrior and Rogue are playable but have weaker racial synergy.

Can Skyborne druids fly?

No. WoW Forever has no flying mounts or flight form. Skyborne druids get their own bird-themed forms, and every Skyborne can glide down with Walk on Air, but nobody can gain altitude.