Who are the Skyborne?
The Skyborne, or shen'dorei, are the new playable race in WoW Forever. They descend from Highborne elves who fled Eldre'Thalas long ago and built a life on Zephras Isle under the protection of air spirits. When WoW Forever begins, those spirits have vanished, the ancient structures holding the island together are failing, and the Skyborne are divided over what comes next.
The Skyborne are the only race in WoW Forever that can join either faction. You choose at character creation: the Horde version is the Windshaper Skyborne, and the Alliance version is the High Order Skyborne.
Windshaper or High Order: which faction?
Windshaper Skyborne (Horde) stay close to the elemental traditions of their people. They are the only Skyborne who can be Shamans.
High Order Skyborne (Alliance) descend from the scholars of Eldre'Thalas and want to reclaim the arcane knowledge their people lost. They are the only Skyborne who can be Mages.
If you already know you want a Skyborne Shaman, you must go Horde. If you want a Skyborne Mage, you must go Alliance. For the four shared classes, pick the faction your friends or guild are on — that matters far more over the long run than the small racial differences.
Skyborne classes
Windshaper Skyborne (Horde) can be Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, or Warrior.
High Order Skyborne (Alliance) can be Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, or Warrior.
Druid is a notable option: in Classic, only Night Elves and Tauren could be Druids, so the Skyborne give both factions a third Druid race. If you care most about leveling speed, Hunter remains the fastest solo leveler — the 1-60 leveling guide explains why.
Skyborne racial abilities
Both factions share three racials. Walk on Air lets you glide downward through the air for 10 seconds — handy for jumping off cliffs and ledges to shortcut around long paths. Wind Blessed is a passive 1% increase to melee, ranged, and spell haste. Elemental Insight is a passive 5% damage increase against elementals.
Windshaper Skyborne (Horde) also get Skysight, an elemental blessing that increases run speed by 10%.
High Order Skyborne (Alliance) instead get Read Ley Line, which activates a ley line for 100% increased health and mana regeneration — useful for cutting down rest time between fights.
These are the values Blizzard announced before launch. Players on the official forums have called the racials modest, and numbers can change during tuning, so recheck them on launch day before you base a decision on a single percentage.
Zephras Isle: the Skyborne starting zone
Every Skyborne starts on Zephras Isle, a brand-new starting zone for levels 1-12. It blends classic Warcraft style with elemental architecture, and its story follows the Skyborne as they deal with the loss of their air spirits.
Zephras Isle runs two levels longer than the standard 1-10 starting zones. After it, Skyborne head into the regular Azeroth leveling route for their faction. On launch night it may also be less crowded than the classic starting zones, which makes the first levels faster.
How to get access to the Skyborne
The Skyborne are tied to the optional Skyborne packs on the Battle.net Shop: the Skyborne Heroic Pack, the Skyborne Epic Pack, and the Warcraft Forever Collection. The base game itself is included with a World of Warcraft subscription or Game Time. Check the shop listing for exactly what each pack includes before you buy. The launch day checklist covers the rest of what you need for November 4.
Leveling a Skyborne alt
Many players will level their main on a race they already know and try a Skyborne as an alt. If that second run to 60 is the part you would rather skip, WowForeverBot can level characters for you, including Skyborne Hunters, Druids, Mages, and Shamans. Read the safety guide first so you understand the risks.
Quick answers
What classes can Skyborne play in WoW Forever?
Horde (Windshaper) Skyborne can be Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, or Warrior. Alliance (High Order) Skyborne can be Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, or Warrior.
Are the Skyborne Horde or Alliance?
Both. You choose at character creation: Windshaper Skyborne join the Horde and High Order Skyborne join the Alliance.
Where do Skyborne start?
All Skyborne start on Zephras Isle, a new starting zone for levels 1-12.
What are the Skyborne racials?
Shared: Walk on Air (10-second glide), Wind Blessed (1% haste), and Elemental Insight (5% damage against elementals). Horde also get Skysight (10% run speed); Alliance get Read Ley Line (100% health and mana regeneration).