It can be hard to know which race to choose in World of Warcraft, especially with the latest addition to the game – but with our tier list, we’ve made the choice easy.
There are more races than ever in WoW, so how could you possibly know which is the best one to choose? This guide will break down the racial abilities of each race, and then put them into a tier list based on what we think is best for both the Horde and Alliance.
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Best Alliance race tier list for World of Warcraft
At a glance, here is a complete list of all the Alliance races in World of Warcraft, ranked in a simple tier list:
| Rank | Race |
| S Tier | Human |
| A Tier | Dark Iron Dwarves, Dwarf |
| B Tier | Night Elf, Draenei, Pandaren, Void Elf, Worgen |
| C Tier | Lightforged Draenei, Dracthyr, Mechagnome |
| D Tier | Kul Tiran |
The number one best Alliance race in World of Warcraft is without a doubt, Human. This is because of the racial passives they have. The “Will to Survive” is a fantastic active if you are a PvP player, as it allows you to free yourself from stuns and snares without having to take up a trinket slot. You can also gain a reputation with factions much faster than other races thanks to your Diplomacy passive. With just these two racial abilities alone, Humans are one of the best races to choose from.
Dark Iron Dwarves are a close second, as their racial grants them the ability to teleport with the Mole Machine. They also get a bonus for Blacksmithing, which, if you’re making a Dark Iron Dwarf, you might as well take advantage of the bonuses you get from their passives. Additionally, they get movement speed bonuses when indoors. What’s not to love?
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Best Horde race tier list for World of Warcraft
Here is a quick rundown of the best Horde race tier list in World of Warcraft, followed by an explainer of what makes these races tick.
| Rank | Race |
| S Tier | Blood Elf |
| A Tier | Troll, Nightborne, Goblin |
| B Tier | Zandalari Troll, Vulpera, Pandaren |
| C Tier | Undead, Mag’har Orc, Dracthyr |
| D Tier | Nightborne, Orc, Tauren |
The Blood Elf is one of the most commonly played races on the Horde side in World of Warcraft, but they also have some of the best racial abilities, too. Arcane Torrent is a free interrupt, so it’s hard not to see why they are so popular. They also have a wide range of classes to choose from compared to some of the other races, giving them more opportunities out of the gate.
If Blood Elves aren’t for you, maybe choosing a Troll is. They also have fantastic racial abilities to choose from, as Regeneration gives them 10% health regeneration, guaranteeing that they will have at least 10% regeneration in combat. Pretty nifty, right?
Not only that but if you want to grind for the levels quickly, Beast Slaying is a fantastic racial to have. It increases the amount of XP you get from beast kills, which would make Zandalar a great place to farm. Finally, they also get a movement speed buff from Da Voodoo Shuffle, and that minimises the duration of movement speed penalties they may have.
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All racial abilities in World of Warcraft
Racial abilities play a huge part in what race you decide to play in World of Warcraft. Racial abilities provide players with different benefits depending on which race they choose. Here are the racial abilities for each class:
| Race | Abilities |
| Dark Iron Dwarf | Mole Machine, Fire Blood, Dungeon Delver, Forged in Flames, Mass Production, Languages |
| Night Elf | Shadowmeld, Touch of Elune, Wisp Spirit, Nature Resistance |
| Blood Elf | Arcane Acuity, Arcane Affinity, Arcane Resistance, Arcane Torrent |
| Zandalari Troll | Pterrodax Swoop, Embrace of the Loa, City of Gold, Regeneratin’, Languages |
| Orc | Hardiness, Blood Fury |
| Troll | Berserking, Regeneration, Beast Slaying, Da Voodoo Shuffle |
| Dwarf | Stoneform, Might of the Mountain, Frost Resistance |
| Vulpera | Bag of Tricks, Rummage Your Bag, Nose for Trouble, Make Camp, Return to Camp, Alpaca Saddlebags, Languages, Fire Resistance |
| Mag’har Orc | Ancestral Call, Open Skies, Sympathetic Vigor, Savage Blood, Languages |
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| Race | Abilities |
| Void Elf | Spatial Rift, Entopic Embrace, Preternatural Calm, Ethereal Connection, Chill of Night, Languages |
| Draenei | Heroic Presence, Gemcutting, Shadow Resistance, Gift of the Naaru |
| Mechagnome | Combat Analysis, Mastercraft, Hyper Organic Light Orignator, Emergency Failsafe, Skeleton Pinkie, Languages |
| Undead | Touch of the Grave, Will of the Forsaken, Cannibalise, Shadow Resistance |
| Kul Tiran | Brush it Off, Haymaker, Jack of All Trades, Child of the Sea, Languages |
| Highmountain Tauren | Rugged Tenacity, Bull Rush, Waste Not, Want Not, Mountaineer, Rime of the Ancient Mariner |
| Human | Will to Survive, The Human Spirit, Diplomacy |
| Tauren | War Stomp, Endurance, Brawn, Cultivation, Nature Resistance |
| Lightforged Draenei | Light’s Judgement, Demonbane, Light’s Reckoning, Holy Resistance, Forge of Light |
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| Race | Ability |
| Gnome | Escape Artist, Nimble Fingers, Time is Money, Explosive Mind |
| Goblin | Best Deals Anywhere, Rocket Jump, Engineering Specialisation, Arcane Resistance, Rocket Barrage, Better Living Through Chemistry, Pack Hobgoblin |
| Worgen | Running Wild, Calm the Wolf, Darkflight, Two Forms, Viciousness, Aberration |
| Nightborne | Cantrips, Arcane Pulse, Magical Affinity, Ancient History, Languages, Arcane Resistance |
| Pandaren | Epicurean, Bouncy, Gourmand, Inner Peace, Languages, Quaking Palm |
| Dracthyr | Awakened, Discerning Eye, Familiar Skies, Glide, Soar, Surge Forward, Skyward Ascent, Visage, Tail Swipe, Wing Buffet |
For a full explanation of what each of these Racial abilities does, we recommend looking at the detailed page on Wowhead which breaks down every passive and active Racial ability. These can contribute heavily to what race you choose, especially depending on what class you want to play.
That’s everything you need to know about the best Alliance and Horde race tier lists in World of Warcraft.
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