Every race in World of Warcraft: Forever gets exactly two active and two passive racial abilities, and nearly all of them have changed from vanilla. Blizzard reworked them again in the October 15 beta update: the old weapon specializations are gone, replaced by flat critical strike bonuses, and most races had at least one ability retuned. This page covers what Blizzard has officially confirmed, race by race.
For the full announcement roundup, see our WoW Classic Plus / Forever hub.
The New Rule: Two Active, Two Passive
Blizzard’s stated goal is giving every race a similar overall offensive budget while keeping each one’s signature utility intact — no race should feel strictly better than another, but each should still feel distinct. One casualty of this rework: the old flat resistance racials (Shadow Resistance for Undead, Nature Resistance for Tauren and Night Elf, Frost Resistance for Dwarf, Arcane Resistance for Gnome) are gone entirely.
Officially Confirmed: Dwarf and Undead
Undead keep 
Will of the Forsaken, which still removes Charm, Fear, and Sleep but no longer grants immunity to them, and it can’t be used while you’re under 
Scatter Shot. 
Cannibalize now restores Mana as well as Health. The October 15 update also retuned Touch of the Grave’s proc chance and cooldown so it pays off more consistently, and Touch of the Dead now has a 30% chance to trigger for casters and a 20% chance for Paladins, Rogues, and Warriors, with a 25-second internal cooldown. It no longer scales with Shadow damage increases, and it no longer loses power when you use a lower spell rank.
The October 15 Racial Update
These are the changes Blizzard listed for the other races in its October 15 beta development notes.
The New Skyborne Race
Skyborne racials include 
Wind Blessed, a haste bonus that the October 15 update raised from 1% to 3%, and 
Walk on Air, a slow fall whose cooldown dropped to 90 seconds. 
Skysight and 
Read Leyline can now be cast while moving, and Read Leyline lasts at least 30 seconds. Faction-specific class access is covered in our Race and Class Combinations guide.
Tips & Tricks
Re-check any race you picked for a weapon type. Human, Orc, and Dwarf no longer get weapon skill bonuses, so their passives now help every weapon equally.
Look at Tauren again for damage and healing. 
Endurance now adds critical damage and healing on top of its health bonus, and 
War Stomp comes back every 90 seconds.
Don’t count on Will of the Forsaken against Hunters. It can’t be used while you’re under Scatter Shot.
Related Reading
- WoW Classic Plus / Forever Announcement Roundup — the full reveal and headline facts
- Every Class Change in WoW Forever — the changes that affect every class, and the headline changes for all nine
- Race and Class Combinations — every new class option, including Skyborne’s faction split
- Zephras Isle Guide — the Skyborne starting zone, map, and quests