Skyborne detailed: Zephras Isle start, faction-split racials and full customization list

Blizzard has published its full introduction to the Skyborne, the new playable race in WoW: Forever. They are also called the shen'dorei, or hidden people. It confirms the details beta testers have been piecing together: a level 1 to 12 starting zone on Zephras Isle, a faction choice made at character creation, a class list that differs by one slot between the two sides, and racials that are identical except for one active ability.

The news post on the forums is short and points to the full article, which we cover in detail below.

A civilization in Skywall, and a crisis on Zephras Isle

The backstory goes back thousands of years. A group of Highborne exiles made a pact with elemental wind spirits and built a civilization inside Skywall, one of the elemental planes. By the time your character arrives on Zephras Isle, things are falling apart. The air spirits that protected the island have vanished, the ancient structures are starting to fail, communities are cut off from one another, and the Skyborne cannot agree on what to do next.

Blizzard describes the zone as a mix of classic Warcraft aesthetics and elemental architecture, and it covers levels 1 to 12. That is a slightly longer runway than the usual starting areas, which suits a race with a whole island of its own story to get through before it reaches the rest of Azeroth.

Horde or Alliance, decided at character creation

Every Skyborne shares the same ancestry. The split comes from their different visions of the future, and you pick a side when you create the character:

• Horde: Windshaper Skyborne embrace elemental tradition. Classes: Druid, Hunter, Rogue, Shaman and Warrior.
• Alliance: High Order Skyborne pursue the arcane legacy of their ancestors. Classes: Druid, Hunter, Mage, Rogue and Warrior.

So the only class difference is Shaman for the Horde versus Mage for the Alliance. Neither side gets Priest, Paladin or Warlock. Both factions also get new druid forms made specifically for the Skyborne. With a Highborne-descended race, Druid is probably where many players will look first.

Racial abilities

The two factions share three of their four racials. The difference is one active ability: the Horde gets a speed buff and the Alliance gets a regeneration buff. The article does not give cooldowns, and apart from Walk on Air it gives no durations either, so check the spell pages for the numbers in the current beta build.

Windshaper Skyborne (Horde)

The Windshapers descend from the first shen'dorei high elves to receive the wind spirits' gift of elemental skysight. A new generation is called from Skywall to Azeroth to find out what happened to their missing elemental mentors, and they will stop at nothing to restore the wind spirits and preserve their way of life.

• Walk on Air: Glide downward through the air for 10 seconds.
• Skysight: Receive an Elemental Blessing that increases run speed by 10%.
• Wind Blessed (passive): 1% increased melee, ranged and spellcasting haste.
• Elemental Insight (passive): Damage to Elementals increased by 5%.

High Order Skyborne (Alliance)

The High Order descend from the ancient Highborne scholars of Eldre'Thalas. When the wind spirits disappeared, they saw that the Skyborne's total dependence on their elemental patrons had left them dangerously vulnerable. Their new generation returns to Azeroth to reclaim lost arcane knowledge and use it so the shen'dorei can survive on their own.

• Walk on Air: Glide downward through the air for 10 seconds.
• Read Ley Line: Activate a ley line to gain 100% increased health and mana regeneration.
• Wind Blessed (passive): 1% increased melee, ranged and spellcasting haste.
• Elemental Insight (passive): Damage to Elementals increased by 5%.

Wind Blessed is the racial that matters for every spec, since 1% haste on all three attack types helps casters and melee alike. Elemental Insight depends far more on where you are. It is a small bonus in most places, but Molten Core is full of elementals, so it will count there. Walk on Air is the fun one: ten seconds of gliding from any ledge changes how you travel, especially in a world built around falling to your death. Read Ley Line's wording ("activate a ley line") suggests it may need a ley line nearby rather than working anywhere, but the article does not say.

Customization options

Blizzard listed the character creation options for both body types.

Body Type 1

• Faces: 10 options.
• Skin colors: 9, from shades of sky blue to light peach to darker tones.
• Hair styles: 21.
• Hair colors: 11.
• Ear lengths: 3.
• Eye colors: 9.
• Eyebrow styles: 4.
• Facial hair: 13 options.
• Eyesight: several choices.
• Feathers: feather colors, with the option to add feathers to the hair.
• Face tattoos: 4 options in 2 colors.
• Body tattoos: 2 options (Zephyr and Wayfinder), each in 2 colors.

Body Type 2

• Faces: 10 options.
• Skin colors: the same 9 as Body Type 1.
• Hair styles: 25.
• Hair colors: 10.
• Eye colors: 9.
• Ear lengths: 3.
• Eyebrow styles: 4.
• Earrings: 6 styles, in 2 jewelry colors (silver or gold).
• Eyesight: several options.
• Feathers: feather colors, if you add them to the hair.
• Face tattoos: 2 colors.
• Body tattoos: 2 options (Zephyr and Wayfinder), each in 2 colors.

Blizzard says this adds up to thousands of combinations. The Skyborne also get their own voices. If you change your mind later, barber shops in the cities can restyle your character for a fee.

Dance and emotes

The Skyborne get their own /dance, along with a full set of emotes. Blizzard named these as examples:

• /dance
• /laugh
• /flirt
• /silly
• /applaud
• /bye
• /hello
• /cackle
• /bow
• /cry
• /no

The article says there are many more beyond that list. It closes with "Don't forget to look up", which seems fitting for a race that starts the game gliding off cliffs.