WoW: Forever — Horde or Alliance? Skyborne Sides, New Combos, Faction Dungeons

There is no wrong pick: World of Warcraft: Forever gives both factions the new Skyborne race and one brand-new class combo each. Choose Horde for Windshaper Skyborne (Shaman, +10% run speed) and Forsaken Paladins; choose Alliance for High Order Skyborne (Mage, faster health and mana regeneration) and Dwarf Shamans. Beyond that, pick the side your friends play on — Forever is a level-60-forever game, and your group matters more than a racial.

Horde vs Alliance in Forever at a glance

Shared by both Skyborne variants: Walk on Air (glide downward for 10 seconds), Wind Blessed (+1% haste) and Elemental Insight (+5% damage to Elementals). Both sides start on Zephras Isle, the floating 1–12 zone, and both need the Skyborne Heroic Pack (€29.99 on the EU Battle.net shop) or a higher edition to unlock the race.

Is Skyborne a neutral race like Pandaren?

No. Skyborne are a new elven race from Zephras Isle, and they are faction-locked at creation: Windshaper on the Horde, High Order on the Alliance. The two variants share most racials and the sky-blue druid forms, but the fifth class differs — Horde Skyborne can roll Shaman, Alliance Skyborne can roll Mage. If you want a Skyborne Shaman, you are Horde; a Skyborne Mage means Alliance.

Which faction has the better new class combo?

It comes down to what you want to play. Forsaken Paladin is the flashier one — an Undead holy knight, which was never possible in the original game. Paladins in Forever also get a real tanking seal, more group healing and a full Retribution kit, so the combo is not just a novelty. Dwarf Shaman gives the Alliance a totem class for the first time in a classic-era setting; if your guild has always been short on shamans, that gap closes.

Both combos are level 1–60 like everything else; PewPewShop's Forsaken Paladin Leveling 1–60 and Dwarf Shaman Leveling 1–60 pre-orders both start from EUR 25 if you want one ready without the grind.

Can Horde and Alliance run each other's faction dungeons?

Yes, with a catch. Hall of Thanes sits under Ironforge and is an Alliance dungeon by design, but Horde players can enter it; Ruins of Lordaeron is the Horde mirror, and Alliance can enter it too. So neither faction is locked out of the new low-level dungeons — the difference is convenience. Getting a Horde group to Ironforge's basement means a run through Alliance territory, and the same applies in reverse for Lordaeron. The other seven new dungeons and both raids (Barrow Deeps and Hyjal Summit, unlocking December 9, 2026) have no faction tag.

Does faction matter for leveling zones in Forever?

Less than you might expect. The Riverglades (30–45, Eastern Kingdoms) is a shared zone with a neutral goblin port and new reputations, and Mount Hyjal is the endgame hub for everyone. Zephras Isle is Skyborne-only regardless of faction. Below 30, your race decides the start zone as it always did, and Forever has no level scaling, so the classic Horde and Alliance leveling routes are back as they were.

How to decide, in three steps

1. Check where your friends or guild are landing. Forever has 10- and 20-player raids and a 15v15 battleground (The Darkspear Islands); a group matters more than any racial.
2. Pick the class you actually want at 60. Skyborne Shaman or Forsaken Paladin → Horde. Skyborne Mage or Dwarf Shaman → Alliance. Any other class works on both sides.
3. Reserve names early. Name reservation runs October 27 – November 3, 2026, up to three characters with any upgrade pack. Launch is November 4, 3 p.m. Pacific, and rolling an alt on the other faction later costs you nothing but time.

If you would rather have a vetted human player handle the early grind while you decide, PewPewShop's Forever pre-orders cover Skyborne Start: Zephras Isle 1–12 from EUR 15 and full 1–60 leveling from EUR 25 — coaching, play-together and progression help by real players with a long zero-ban record, quoted at two to three weeks for a full 1–60 at launch.