Best race for each class in WoW The War Within

Choosing a unique and powerful combination of class and race is one of the first and most important things you do when playing WoW The War Within.

World of Warcraft offers immersive and rich character creation with a ton of options for you to pick. Of course you can always create a character to your personal taste, but there are some class and race combos that stand out as the best and strongest.

So, here’s our full guide to help you choose the best race for each class in The War Within.

The best race for each class in WoW The War Within

Before we jump into our list, note that Evoker class and Earthen race are excluded from this list. This is because the Evoker class is limited only to the Dracthyr race, and since the Earthen race is relatively new, you have to play the new expansion and complete the entire Khaz Algar campaign to unlock them.

Below you can find our top picks of best races for each class in The War Within.

Death Knight – Troll

While aesthetically they don’t match each other, Trolls have amazing racial abilities that make Death Knights incredibly powerful.

Berserking ability increases Haste by 15 percent for 10 seconds, making Frost Death Knights one of the best DPS classes in The War Within. Regeneration is an incredible ability which increases Health regeneration rate by 10 percent, which is amazing for Tank Death Knights. 

To top everything off, Da Voodoo Shuffle reduces all movement duration impairing effects by 20 percent, giving Death Knights the mobility they already lack. 

Demon Hunter – Blood Elf

Demon Hunters have access to either Night Elves or Blood Elves.

Both races are disciples of Illidan Stormrage and they both look aesthetically amazing as Demon Hunters, but Blood Elves are slightly better. They offer one percent Crit and Arcane Torrent, which helps with Fury.

This doesn’t make Night Elves bad; they are still powerful in Mythic+ dungeons thanks to their Shadowmeld spell, but Blood Elves simply offer a bit more as Demon Hunters.

Druid – Worgen

As a cursed race of Gilneas, Worgens are shapeshifters and so are Druids, which makes them a perfect pair. 

All of Worgen’s racial abilities are very useful for Druids in The War Within. While Aberration reduces Shadow and Nature damage taken by one percent, the Viciousness ability increases critical strike by one percent, which is great for both tank and DPS Druids. But the best part about this combo is the increased mobility Druids get thanks to Running Wild and Darkflight abilities.

Although mobility is never an issue for Druids, additional mobility can certainly come in handy in the Nerub-ar Palace Raid, and that makes Worgens the best race for Druids.

Hunter – Night Elf

Ever since Classic WoW up until The War Within, Night Elves have always been one of the most iconic and popular race picks for Hunters.

Both Hunters and Night Elves spend a lot of time in nature, and aesthetically they simply go hand in hand with one another. Not only are they a perfect pair lore-wise, but the Shadowmeld ability of Night Elves makes Hunters one of the best classes for solo content like Delves and leveling.

All of that combined with their pets, Night Elf Hunters are one of the deadliest combinations you can do.

Mage – Void Elf

Although many consider Blood Elves to be a fitting pick for Mages lore-wise, Void Elves are the best race for Mages in terms of aesthetics and power.

Void Elves have unique racial abilities that reduce Shadow damage taken by one percent, and the Entropic Embrace empowers Mage’s abilities and healing by an extra five percent. But what makes this race-class combo so strong is the Preternatural Calm. This ability doesn’t delay Mage’s spell casts when taking damage, which is huge in both PvP and PvE content.

Monk – Pandaren

You probably saw it coming, but this one is a no-brainer. Pandaren is the best race for the Monk class for many reasons—they have an entire expansion dedicated only to them, after all.

Both class and race were introduced in the Mists of Pandaria and besides the lore and aesthetics, they also complete each other in terms of racial abilities and gameplay. Pandaren race offers a ton of traits like Quaking Palm and Bouncy which make their attacks faster and reduces the fall damage. That’s too perfect for the Monk class, which is all about versatility and lightning-fast playstyle.

Paladin – Lightforged Draenei

If there’s the most iconic race-class combo you can play in The War Within, it’s the Lightforged Draenei Paladin.

Paladins are holy warriors who use their holy powers to bring justice, and Lightforged Draenei are an allied race with additional Holy racial traits. This race increases the Holy damage you deal as a Paladin against all opponents, and you gain an extra 20 percent experience whenever you kill Demons. 

Additionally, your resistance to Holy damage increases by one percent and whenever you die, you deal AoE Holy damage and heal allies nearby. 

Priest – Human

Priests are one of the best, if not the best, healers and decent damage dealers in The War Within. Since they want extra sustain and protection, the Human race is the best one for Priests.

Humans are the best race for Priests because their racial traits provide everything a Priest wants. Will to Survive is a racial ability which removes all stun effects, making Priests extremely powerful in both PvP and PvE. To make things even better, The Human Spirit is another racial trait which increases Priest’s secondary stats by two percent, making this race-class combo outstanding. 

Rogue – Night Elf

Although Night Elves are more thematically suited for Hunters and Druids because of their nature-like lore, they can also be the best Rogues.

The sneaky Rogue class is all about stealth and assassin-like playstyle, and that’s precisely why Night Elves are the best race for Rogues. Thanks to the Shadowmeld racial ability, Night Elf Rogues basically have a secondary stealth, which practically makes them invisible most of the time.

If that wasn’t enough, Night Elf Rogues also get increased dodge chance and movement during the night, making this combination even more fitting. 

Shaman – Orc

Shamans are perhaps the most difficult class to determine which race suits them the best because there are many good options.

However, if you’re looking to choose the best race which works well as any Shaman spec, then it has to be the Orc race. Not only do Orcs fit Shamans perfectly in terms of aesthetics and lore background, they also provide useful racial spells. Blood Fury is really good for Shaman DPS because it increases their attack power for 15 seconds, and Hardiness reduces Stun effects by 20 percent, making Shaman tanks strong.

Warlock – Orc

If you’re a fan of WoW lore and you want to play Warlock in The War Within, then you have to choose an Orc.

As an Orc Warlock, you have everything covered in terms of lore, aesthetics, and most importantly, gameplay. Orcs are the best race for Warlocks because of their racial traits align perfectly with the Warlock playstyle: The Blood Fury trait increases their attack power, and Command increases your pet’s damage by one percent, which is really good.

Although it doesn’t seem like a lot, the damage adds up in tricky fights during dungeons and raids.

Warrior – Dwarf

Dwarves of Azeroth are very stubborn, persistent, and they never give up. Simply put, they are everything the Warrior class stands for.

Small in size but with big hearts, Dwarf Warriors always charge into the battle no matter the odds. Thanks to their racial traits, Dwarf Warriors can remove all poison, curse, disease, magic, and bleed effects. They also deal bigger damage thanks to Might of the Mountain trait, which increases their critical strike bonus by two percent, making Dwarves the best race for Warriors.