Forever's roster changes cut two ways: six new combos on the classic side, and the new Skyborne race open to every class across its two faction variants — twelve new combinations in total. Read this before you commit a character; each entry covers exactly one thing: what the combo means in play.
Scope notes: combos and traits share a dataset with our races page (client snapshot); racial priest spells are officially confirmed (blue post, 10-01); anything unimplemented is labeled. Classic-trait reworks (orc's pet bonus removal and so on) are out of scope here — a dedicated update comes once the dataset is verified.
The six classic-side combos
Undead Paladin — the Horde's only paladin and the highest-value new combo: Horde players no longer envy the Alliance their paladins. Paladin is a "version answer" levelling candidate this beta (see the tier list post), and the undead cannibalize sustain happens to patch the class's early-game self-sufficiency.
Dwarf Shaman — Alliance's first shaman ever. The PvE pick: Stoneform's debuff purge is hard survivability in dungeons, stacked on the class with the highest group-acceptance rate in the game (4-6 per 20-man raid). Employment prospects: rock solid.
Orc Mage — Blood Fury's attack-power buff applies to spell power too (a double dip), giving a simple, brutal burst window; Hardiness's stun reduction is a time-tested PvP passive. For Horde-flavored casters, this is the highest-growth combo.
Gnome Priest — don't sleep on this one: the 10-1 blue post gave gnome priests racial spells — Dazzling Flash at 10 (dazes 5 enemies for 3 seconds, broken on damage) and Contingency Plan at 20 (auto-shield plus HoT when the target drops below 35%, stacking with Renew and Power Word: Shield). An escape-and-save kit, and with Eureka's burst damage the shadow spec has real PvP potential.
Human Hunter — the quietest new combo, but not weak: human escape control and spirit sustain are genuine levelling conveniences — just less "must-pick" than the entries above.
Troll Warlock — Berserking's attack speed pairs fine with warlock stability, and community testing singled the troll warlock's recovery as the best chassis for Destruction. Warlock is a post-20 class anyway; troll is one of its better foundations.
Skyborne: the every-class race
Skyborne splits into two faction variants with five classes each — High Order (Alliance): warrior, hunter, mage, rogue, druid; Windshaper (Horde): warrior, hunter, rogue, shaman, druid. Both share a mobility-and-regeneration kit: Skywalk (10 seconds of gliding), Ley Reading (+100% health/mana regeneration), Wind's Blessing (+1% haste), and Elemental Insight (+5% damage to elementals); the Windshaper adds Skybound Sight (+10% movement speed, unconfirmed).
Choosing a branch follows the class: mages are High Order only, shamans Windshaper only; for the shared classes, druids can go either way — community consensus sends cat/moonkin/resto to the Windshaper for the movement speed, while PvP druids still answer tauren. Unlock comes with the matching pre-purchase edition (see the roadmap for the edition naming; the official store governs).
One unimplemented perk: Windshaper Skyborne can pick up a quest at 5 in Shandaral Village for an early idol/totem (a relic slot item — late-game gear in classic 60). Community beta data; whether the live game keeps it is unconfirmed — free value if it ships.
How to choose, in three lines
- Horde paladin means undead; Alliance shaman means dwarf — those two "only paths" carry the most weight;
- Skyborne is not a stat stomp: its edge is mobility and sustain comfort plus every-class flexibility — pick it for novelty; classic combos still compete on raw strength;
- Race sets your comfort floor; class sets your ceiling — pick the class first (the classic-side comparisons live in post 21; the rework-era update follows once the dataset is verified).
The full combo and trait tables live on the races page; once the class is chosen, the talent chains are in the levelling talents post.