Meet the Skyborne: WoW Forever’s new race and its Zephras Isle starting zone

· ForeverDB

The Skyborne, or shen’dorei, are Forever’s new playable race. They start on Zephras Isle (levels 1–12) and choose Horde or Alliance at character creation, which decides whether they can be Shaman or Mages.

The Skyborne, also known as the shen’dorei or “hidden people”, are the new playable race in World of Warcraft: Forever. Blizzard’s Meet the New Skyborne article explains where they come from, which classes they can play and how you can customise them.

Quick facts

  • Starting zone: Zephras Isle, levels 1–12.
  • Faction: you choose at character creation. Horde Skyborne are the Windshapers, Alliance Skyborne are the High Order.
  • Windshaper classes: Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman, Warrior.
  • High Order classes: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Warrior.
  • Extras: new druid forms made for the race, plus new racials, customisation options, voices, dances and visual options.

A people in crisis

Thousands of years ago, a group of Highborne exiles made a pact with elemental wind spirits and built a civilization inside Skywall, one of the elemental planes. The BlizzCon Found Photos panel recap adds that their history begins with rebels who fled Eldre’Thalas after the War of the Ancients.

By the time you arrive, that civilization is in trouble. The air spirits that protected the island have vanished, ancient structures are starting to fail, communities are becoming isolated and the Skyborne are divided over what to do next. The panel recap says the pylons that hold Zephras together are failing and parts of the island are falling into ruin and darkness. Several groups are competing for control of the island, including the Windshapers, the High Order and the Al’Aketh.

Zephras Isle is intended as a surprising but self-contained experience—unexpected, but added with care and restraint. Blizzard Entertainment, World of Warcraft: Forever Found Photos Panel Recap

Blizzard describes the zone as a blend of classic Warcraft aesthetics and elemental architecture.

One people, two paths

Windshapers (Horde) descend from the first shen’dorei high elves to receive the wind spirits’ gift of elemental skysight. They embrace elemental traditions, which is why they can be Shaman. A new generation comes to Azeroth to find out what happened to their missing elemental mentors and to restore the wind spirits.

The High Order (Alliance) descends from the ancient Highborne scholars of Eldre’Thalas. When the wind spirits disappeared, they realised how dangerously dependent the Skyborne had become on their elemental patrons. Their new generation returns to Azeroth to reclaim lost arcane knowledge, which is why they can be Mages.

At character creation, you’ll choose whether your Skyborne joins the Horde or the Alliance, reflecting a people with shared ancestry but different visions for the future. Blizzard Entertainment, WoW: Forever Meet the New Skyborne

Racial abilities

Both Skyborne factions share three racials:

Each faction also gets one active ability of its own:

  • Windshaper: Skysight grants an Elemental Blessing that increases run speed by 10%.
  • High Order: Read Ley Line activates a ley line for 100% increased Health and Mana regeneration.

Customisation

Body Type 1 has ten faces, nine skin colours (from sky blue to light peach to darker tones), 21 hair styles, 11 hair colours, three ear lengths, nine eye colours and four eyebrow styles. It also has 13 facial hair options, eyesight choices, feather colours (with the option of feathers in the hair), four face tattoos in two colours, and two body tattoos, Zephyr and Wayfinder, each in two colours.

Body Type 2 has ten faces, the same skin colours, 25 hair styles, ten hair colours, nine eye colours, three ear lengths and four eyebrow styles. It adds six earring styles in silver or gold, eyesight options, feather colours, two face tattoo colours and the same two body tattoos in two colours.

Blizzard says this adds up to thousands of combinations. You can change your look later at a barber shop in the cities for a small fee. Skyborne also get their own /dance, and the article suggests trying emotes such as /laugh, /flirt, /silly, /applaud and /cackle.

How to play one

In the beta, the Skyborne and Zephras Isle were part of the Week 1 content. For launch, the Carve a New Path announcement lists access to the Skyborne race and the Zephras Isle starting experience as part of the optional Skyborne Heroic Pack. The Skyborne Epic Pack and the limited-time Warcraft Forever Collection include everything in that pack.

Based on Blizzard’s pre-launch articles and the beta. Details can change before World of Warcraft: Forever launches on November 4, 2026.

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