Races FAQ

What races can you play in World of Warcraft?
The game features ten playable races, split between two factions: Horde and Alliance.
Alliance Races: Draenei, Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Gnomes
Horde Races: Blood Elves, Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, Undead

Are there male and female versions of all of the races?
Yes.

How does what race I choose affect how I play the game?
The most important way that race affects your experience in the game is what faction your chosen race is part of. In addition, your choice of race also affects what classes you can choose. Choosing a race will also determine your starting area, which may affect how you explore the world. Lastly, every race has unique racial traits which provide various bonuses.

What are racial traits?
Racial traits are special abilities that are unique to each particular race. Each race has several racial traits. Some traits are passive bonuses, such as Human's 10% bonus to reputation gains. Others are active abilities, such as Stoneform for Dwarves. You can learn more about racial traits at our Races page.

Do the races have different strengths and weaknesses?
Yes. The races have different starting attributes and attribute progression. Thus, a level 70 Tauren warrior will have different base attributes than a level 70 Gnome warrior. In addition, each race in the game has access to racial traits that set them apart from others.

Are there different starting locations for the races?
Most of the races have a unique starting location. The only races that do not are the Gnomes and Trolls, who share their starting location with the Dwarves and Orcs, respectively.

Are there any items restricted by race?
Some mounts are restricted to specific races.

Are there any classes that have different abilities based on what race they are?
In every Priest's arsenal are two special abilities that vary depending on what race they choose. Blood Elf Paladins also have several different abilities than their Alliance counterparts.

Why are the Undead allied with the Horde?
Led by the banshee-queen Sylvanas, the Forsaken are an Undead faction that split violently with the Scourge during the Third War. Knowing that no Human agency would ever give them shelter or aid against the Scourge, now their hated enemy, they turned to the savage Horde, based across the sea in the distant land of Kalimdor, for assistance. To convince the Horde to accept the Forsaken into its alliance, the Undead ambassadors claimed that they merely sought a cure for their degenerative condition, which they said only the powers of shamanism and the life-giving energies of the earth could provide. In exchange for this healing aid, the Forsaken vowed to support the Horde in all of its ventures throughout Lordaeron and Azeroth.

Having done battle with the Undead on many occasions, Orc warchief Thrall and Tauren chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof of the Horde were immediately suspicious of the Forsaken's motives. However, due to growing political tensions, the warriors acquiesced to a council of sages known as The Earthen Ring. The council argued that it was the Horde's duty to aid the Forsaken, who wrestled with inner demons just as the Orcs had for generations.

Though Thrall and Cairne secretly suspect the worst, it remains to be seen what Sylvanas and her fanatical Forsaken have planned....

What can you tell us about the Gnomes?
The eccentric, often-brilliant Gnomes, known throughout the world for their obsession with developing radical new technologies and constructing mind-bending marvels of engineering, served the alliance well during the Second War. However, during the recent invasion of the Burning Legion, the Gnomes refused to send any personnel to aid their allies. Though Gnomish designs helped turn the tide against the Legion, the Dwarves and Humans were shocked by the Gnomes' decision to withhold their courageous troops and pilots.

When the war ended, the Alliance discovered the reason behind the Gnomes' sudden withdrawal: an ancient, barbaric menace had emerged from the bowels of the earth and invaded the Gnomes' wondrous techno-city of Gnomeregan. Knowing that their allies' priority was defeating the Burning Legion, the Gnomes decided to make their stand alone. They fought valiantly, but Gnomeregan was lost, and nearly half of the Gnomish race was wiped out.

Those Gnomes who survived fled to the safety of the Dwarven stronghold Ironforge, where they recommitted themselves to the Alliance's cause and also to devising strategies and weapons that would help them retake their ravaged city and build a brighter future for their people.

Who are the Tauren?
The Tauren are a mighty race of nomadic tribesmen who live on the dusty plains of a faraway land. These noble, bull-like hunters have lived in harmony for countless generations and are threatened only by the periodic raids of marauding centaur herds.

Do different races see differently? For example, can Night Elves see better in the dark?
No, all races will see the world in the exact same way, although Gnomes may see more knees than the other races.

Will there be more playable races introduced, such as Ogres, Naga, Pandaren, Goblins, or High Elves?
There are no plans for additional playable races at this time.