World of Warcraft Race tier list: Best Alliance & Horde races

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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