The short answer
The best race depends on what you will spend most of your time on. This is our recommendation with the beta racials: Analysis: Our reading of official mechanics. Not tested in game.
| Situation | Alliance | Horde | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leveling | Skyborne · Gnome | Undead · Troll | Less downtime: Read Ley Line and Cannibalize restore mana, Expansive Mind adds mana and Beast Slaying hits Beasts harder. |
| Dungeons and raids | Gnome · Human | Troll · Orc | Damage bursts (Eureka!, Berserking, Blood Fury) and, with a sword, the crit from Sword Specialization. |
| PvP and duels | Gnome · Human | Undead · Orc | Breaking control: Escape Artist, Will to Survive, Will of the Forsaken, Hardiness and Shatter Curse. |
| AoE farming | Gnome | Undead | Escape Artist breaks roots and slows while you kite packs, and Cannibalize shortens breaks. |
If you are not chasing every last bit of performance, pick the race you like: the gap between races is small compared to playing well.
Alliance
Human
Will to SurviveActiveValue for a Mage: High
Instantly removes all stun effects. 3 min cooldown.
Breaking a stun wins duels against Rogues, Warriors and Paladins.
PerceptionActiveValue for a Mage: Medium
Greatly increases stealth detection for 20 sec. 3 min cooldown.
Useful in PvP to spot Rogues and Druids coming.
The Human SpiritPassiveValue for a Mage: Medium
Spirit increased by 5%.
Spirit regenerates mana, and in Forever Mage Armor and Arcane Meditation make better use of it.
Sword SpecializationPassiveValue for a Mage: Medium
2% more critical strike chance with spells and attacks while wielding a sword.
Mages can wield one-handed swords. Strong if there are good caster swords at your level.
Gnome
Eureka!ActiveValue for a Mage: High
Your next 3 damaging abilities cost 10% less mana and deal 10% more damage. 2 min cooldown.
A small damage burst every 2 minutes, useful everywhere.
Escape ArtistActiveValue for a Mage: High
Escapes any movement-impairing effect and grants immunity to them for 3 sec. 2 min cooldown.
Breaking a root or snare is vital for a Mage, who lives on distance.
Expansive MindPassiveValue for a Mage: Medium
Maximum mana increased by 5%.
More mana means longer casting before you drink.
Engineering SpecializationPassiveValue for a Mage: Low
Engineering devices fail 20% less often.
Only matters if you are an engineer.
Skyborne (High Order)
New Forever race. Requires the Skyborne Heroic Pack or higher, and only High Order Skyborne (Alliance) can be Mages.
Read Ley LineActiveValue for a Mage: High
2 sec cast: doubles your health and mana regeneration for 15 sec, or 15 min if a ley line is nearby. 2 min cooldown.
If it stays like this, it cuts leveling downtime a lot.
Wind BlessedPassiveValue for a Mage: Medium
Spellcasting and attack haste increased by 1%.
A little extra damage, always on.
Walk on AirActiveValue for a Mage: Low
Glide downward while controlling your direction for 10 sec. 2 min cooldown.
Travel convenience; Mages already have Slow Fall.
Elemental InsightPassiveValue for a Mage: Low
Damage against Elementals increased by 5%.
Only against Elementals.
Horde
Orc
Blood FuryActiveValue for a Mage: Medium
Attack Power and Spell Power increased by 10% for 15 sec. 2 min cooldown.
Scales with your spell power: small at low level, strong at 60 with good gear.
Shatter CurseActiveValue for a Mage: High
Removes and grants immunity to curses, and reduces magic damage taken by 15% for 8 sec. 3 min cooldown.
Very strong in PvP against Warlocks, Mages and Shamans.
HardinessPassiveValue for a Mage: Medium
Stun effects on you last 20% less.
Helps against Rogues and Warriors.
Axe SpecializationPassiveValue for a Mage: None
1% more critical strike chance while wielding an axe.
Classic Mages cannot use axes; unless Forever changes that, it does nothing.
Undead
Will of the ForsakenActiveValue for a Mage: High
Instantly removes Charm, Fear and Sleep effects. 2 min cooldown. No longer grants immunity afterwards.
The best PvP racial against Warlocks, Priests and Warriors, who rely on fear.
CannibalizeActiveValue for a Mage: Medium
Regenerate 7% of health and mana every 2 sec for 10 sec next to a Humanoid or Undead corpse. Cancelled by moving or taking damage. 2 min cooldown.
Saves downtime while leveling against Humanoids.
Touch of the GravePassiveValue for a Mage: Low
Your spells and attacks can drain health from the target, up to 5% of your maximum health. The tooltip says a 5% chance; some guides list 10% for casters.
Some free healing, but unreliable.
Underwater BreathingPassiveValue for a Mage: None
Underwater breath lasts 300% longer.
Convenience, no combat effect.
Troll
BerserkingActiveValue for a Mage: High
Spellcasting and attack speed increased by 10% for 10 sec. 3 min cooldown.
A damage burst for dungeons, raids and PvP.
Beast SlayingPassiveValue for a Mage: Medium
Damage against Beasts increased by 5%.
You fight a lot of Beasts while leveling.
Rapid RegenerationActiveValue for a Mage: Low
Channel for 6 sec to regenerate 50% of your maximum health. Cancelled by moving, acting or taking damage. 3 min cooldown.
Out of combat only, and it does not restore mana.
RegenerationPassiveValue for a Mage: Low
Health regeneration increased by 10%, and 10% continues in combat.
Small effect for a Mage.
How we rate racials
- Effect: what each racial does according to the beta data, as collected by community guides and the Wowhead calculator. That is why they carry the “Community” badge. Community: Published by the community or press; we have not read the official original.
- Value for a Mage: our rating (High, Medium, Low or None) of how much it helps a Mage, and why. It is analysis, not an official fact. Analysis: Our reading of official mechanics. Not tested in game.
Planned changes
On the official podcast of 8 October, Blizzard said the Orc and Troll active racials may be a little too strong, and that it is also deciding whether to keep or replace the weapon racials. Changes could arrive from the week of 13 October. Community: Published by the community or press; we have not read the official original.
Not documented yet
- Why it is missing
- Racials are still under review during the beta.
- What we will do
- We will review this page with every beta build and after the 4 November launch, and move the racials to “Official” or “Tested in game” when we can.