A Race Change costs $25 USD per character, bought from the Battle.net Shop or the in-game Shop under Services. Other regions are billed in local currency at Blizzard's own rate, so check the shop page while logged in. The fee is per use, per character, and it keeps you inside your current faction — switching sides is the separate, pricier Faction Change.
Quick facts
| Price | $25 USD per character (local currency elsewhere; Blizzard sets regional rates) |
| Where to buy | Battle.net Shop → Services, or the in-game Shop → Services |
| Scope | Same faction only. Alliance → Alliance, Horde → Horde |
| Requirements | Character logged out, no pending mail or live auction listings, target race unlocked on your account (Allied Races need their unlock done), class legal for the new race |
| Delivery | Usually applied within a few minutes; you pick the new race and full customization in the service window |
| Bundled | A Faction Change includes a race swap — don't buy both |
How to buy one
- Log the character out (stay at character select or close the game).
- Open the Battle.net Shop and go to Services, or use the in-game Shop.
- Pick Race Change, choose the character, and pay.
- Log back in to character select and complete the service — you choose the new race and redo appearance customization there.
Does a race change also switch my faction?
No. A Race Change only moves you between races already on your side. If you want to cross from Horde to Alliance or back, that's a Faction Change, which costs more and folds a race swap into it.
Pandaren are the exception worth knowing: they exist on both sides, so a Pandaren Race Change can put you in a slightly odd spot. Read the confirmation screen carefully before you pay.
What do I keep, and what do I lose?
You keep everything that matters: level, gear, gold, bags, professions, achievements, mounts, pets, transmog collection and your name (unless it's already taken on the realm, in which case you'll be asked for a new one).
What actually changes is race-specific: your racial traits, your spoken language, your starting-city reputations, and any race-locked cosmetics. Heritage Armor is the big one — it's tied to the race, so changing away means you can't wear the old set. Racials matter too: some races are quietly better for Mythic+ or raid throughput than others, so people usually make this swap for a reason.
Can I get a race change for free?
Sometimes, but not on demand. Blizzard occasionally grants free Race Changes when it reworks a race, removes customization options, or as compensation. Otherwise the shop price is the price.
Nobody else can legitimately sell you a Race Change. If a site advertises one cheaper than Blizzard's shop, it isn't a Blizzard service, and it's not worth the risk to your account.
Is a class change cheaper?
There is no paid class change in WoW — Blizzard has never sold one. Race, faction, name, appearance and realm transfers are the paid character services. If you want a different class, you level or boost a new character instead.
If the reason you're eyeing a race change is performance — better racials, faster keys, a cleaner raid parse — the race is rarely the bottleneck. If you'd rather have a vetted human player help you close the actual gap, PewPewShop does coaching and play-together runs with real people (no bots, no cheats, long zero-ban record), starting with things like a Magisters' Terrace Clear from EUR 14.99.