Choosing a unique and powerful race-class combo can set you up for success when picking up World of Warcraft for the first time. The character creation options in WoW are vast, offering something to suit players of every style and preference.
While it’s important to build a character with your own preferences in mind, there are some race-class combos that stand out as the best options—whether that’s for high-end PvE content, PvP battles, or simply quality-of-life in end-game content.
Here’s a guide to the best race for each class in WoW: The War Within, looking at everything from racial traits to movement styles to help you build the best character possible. Evokers are not in this list as this class is still a Dracthyr exclusive.
Table of contents
Death Knight – Troll
While aesthetically they don’t match each other, Trolls have amazing racial abilities that make Death Knights incredibly powerful.
Berserking increases Haste by 15 percent for 10 seconds, making Frost Death Knights in particular a powerhouse in The War Within endgame content. Alongside this, Tanks get an extra boost with Regeneration, which increases Health regeneration rate by 10 percent.
To top everything off, Da Voodoo Shuffle reduces all movement duration impairing effects by 20 percent, giving Death Knights the mobility they naturally lack.
Demon Hunter – Blood Elf
Demon Hunters can either be Night Elves or Blood Elves, and picking between them can be quite tricky if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Both are viable to an extent, but Blood Elves are the natural pick, as they offer a one percent Crit boost and Arcane Torrent, which helps with removing beneficial effects from enemies. Both add to the Demon Hunter toolkit perfectly.
This doesn’t make Night Elves bad; they are still powerful in Mythic+ dungeons thanks to their Shadowmeld ability, but Blood Elves simply offer a bit more as Demon Hunters.
Druid – Worgen
Worgens are natural shapeshifters and so are Druids, which makes them a perfect pair. This intriguing race has a number of abilities that match the Druid playstyle perfectly.
Aberration reduces Shadow and Nature damage taken by one percent, while Viciousness increases Crit by one percent. Darkflight and Running Wild add extra movement speed alongside this, making Worgen Druids unstoppable in end-game content like Nerub-ar Palace.
If you’re a lore nerd, Worgen Druids are a must-have combo for your collection of characters, too. Worgens are cursed—which can be seen in their dark, gritty starting zone—and making them Druids gives them a chance to experience a new side of shapeshifting.
Hunter – Night Elf
Night Elves have always been one of the most iconic and popular race picks for Hunters. While they look incredible and perform well in both PvE and PvE content, make sure you’re ready for a slew of Legolas jokes, as they’re also one of the most heavily memed combinations in the game.
Both Hunters and Night Elves spend a lot of time in nature, meaning their aesthetics and narrative backgrounds work perfectly together. The Night Elf starting zone has some great pet options, too.
On top of this, Night Elves having access to Shadowmeld—allowing for an easy Stealth at any given moment—makes them a lethal option for players who want to get the upper hand when dealing with hard-hitting enemies.
Mage – Blood Elf
Lore-wise, a Blood Elf Mage is a fascinating pick. Blood Elves have had a turbulent relationship with mana throughout their history, so pairing them with a mana-dependent class like a Mage creates a unique spin on a classic fantasy caster.
In terms of abilities and racials, Blood Elves having access to Arcane Torrent is incredibly handy for Mage combat, stripping enemies of beneficial buffs.
On top of this, they have a small boost to Crit and the Enchanting skill, alongside a damage reduction for Arcane attacks in particular. These small factors add up to create a Mage that feels cohesive and well put together.
Monk – Pandaren
You probably saw it coming, but this one is a no-brainer. Pandaren is the best race for the Monk class for many reasons; they have an entire expansion dedicated to them, after all. Mists of Pandaria introduced Pandarens and Monks into WoW and besides the lore and aesthetics, they complete each other in terms of racial abilities and gameplay.
Pandarens have traits like Quaking Palm and Bouncy, which make their attacks faster and reduce fall damage. That’s too perfect for the Monk class, which is all about versatility, movement, and lightning-fast attacks.
Paladin – Lightforged Draenei
While there are plenty of races that fit the Paladin playstyle, Lightforged Draenei feels like the most obvious pick thanks to their incredible racial abilities.
Paladins are light-infused warriors who use their holy powers to bring justice, and Lightforged Draenei have access to Holy-specific abilities. They have a demon-specific buff, access to a Forge, and Holy attacks in the form of Light’s Judgement and Light’s Reckoning.
Priest – Dracthyr
While races like Void Elves can feel like natural picks for Priests, Dracthyrs are another worthwhile consideration. This new race was given access to a larger pool of classes in The War Within and their racial abilities fit the class of the cloth perfectly.
Dracthyrs have exceptional movement and flexibility, with their abilities including Glide, Soar, Tail Swipe, and Wing Buffet.
The first two allow the player to move around quickly with ease and the latter two allow the player to knock back their enemies if they get too close, which can come in handy in PvP battles. Priests aren’t known for exceptional movement, so Dracthyr racial abilities fill in the gaps perfectly.
Rogue – Night Elf
Although Night Elves are more thematically suited for Hunters and Druids because of their nature-like lore, they can also be the best Rogues.
The sneaky Rogue class is all about stealth and assassin-like playstyle, and that’s precisely why Night Elves are the best race for Rogues. Thanks to the Shadowmeld racial ability, Night Elf Rogues have a secondary Stealth which lends itself to PvP combat perfectly.
If that wasn’t enough, Night Elf Rogues also get increased dodge chance and movement during the night, making this combination even more fitting.
Shaman – Orc
While plenty of races fit the Shaman class well enough, the Orcs match the Shaman playstyle perfectly and work well in terms of lore, too.
Not only do Orcs fit Shamans perfectly in terms of aesthetics and narrative background, they also provide useful racial spells. Admittedly, this does mainly apply to damage-dealing Shamans instead of Healers, although Restoration Shaman Orcs are still worth considering.
Blood Fury is exceptional for Shaman DPS because it increases attack power for 15 seconds, and Hardiness reduces Stun effects by 20 percent, making Shaman Tanks strong and hard to beat.
Warlock – Orc
Are you interested in lore-driven characters? If so, you need to make an Orc Warlock for your next character in The War Within.
As an Orc Warlock, you have everything covered in terms of lore, aesthetics, and most importantly, gameplay. Blood Fury is useful in terms of damage, but Command is unbeaten in terms of value and utility in a PvE setting, with a one percent pet damage output increase.
One percent might not seem like much, but this can add up significantly in end-game Raids and Dungeons.
Warrior – Gnome
Playing as a melee DPS or as a Tank means that you need to take any advantage in battle that you can get—even if it means playing as a Gnome. Undoubtedly one of the least-popular races in World of Warcraft, Gnomes are a surprisingly natural fit for the Warrior class.
The main selling point here is the racial trait Escape Artist. This ability allows the user to escape any movement-based ability or snare, like a Stun, which can be immensely helpful in both PvP and PvE content.
While you’re considering which class and race to pick for your next toon in WoW, make sure to check out our tier list of the best DPS classes and specs to help stay ahead of the curve. The War Within‘s most recent patch has shaken up the competitive meta significantly.
