Forever racial changes arrive just before name reservations

October 28 update: more racial changes and the Skyborne raid restriction

Blizzard added details on October 27: Orc Blood Fury’s cooldown falls from three to two minutes, Troll Berserking lasts 15 seconds instead of 10, and Undead Touch of the Grave’s internal cooldown falls from 25 to 15 seconds. Skyborne Attuned and Charged persist through death but are removed on entering a raid. Kaivax’s clarification. The original report below was published October 27.

Just ahead of name reservation, Blizzard is changing what a race choice means in Forever again. Tauren gain running speed, Orcs regain their pet bonus, and Skyborne have an extra reason to seek out special places in the world. Kaivax published the changes on October 26 as launch preparations continue. Original changes.

Blizzard’s stated priority is racial identity. Some generic bonuses are giving way to traits that support particular playstyles. Weapon specialisations are an exception: the developers do not want supposedly required weapon types to dictate how future dungeon and raid loot is evaluated.

Four familiar races, four different changes

• Human: Ruthless critical chance falls from 2% to 1%. Human Spirit’s Spirit bonus rises from 5% to 10%.
• Dwarf: Earth Fury is removed. Artisan’s Precision replaces it, providing 1% hit chance with attacks and spells.
• Tauren: Plainsrunning grants 2% movement speed per stack, up to 60%. It no longer increases mounted speed. Endurance retains only its 5% Health bonus.
• Orc: Savage is removed and Command returns, increasing Hunter and Warlock pet damage by 5%.

These are Blizzard’s October 26 changes, not performance measurements from our own testing. Official list.

For Tauren, the important distinction is how you travel: a larger running bonus does not mean a faster mount. The Orc bonus applies to pets, so it cannot simply be read as a 5% increase to a character’s total damage.

Skyborne have a reason to look around

Wind-Blessed haste falls from 3% to 2%. Read Leyline provides 50% increased Mana and Health regeneration for 15 seconds. Using it at a Ley Line grants the one-hour Attuned state, during which the bonus becomes 100%. It cannot be used while Innervate is active; Innervate also replaces it as the stronger effect.

Skysight grants 15% movement speed for 15 seconds. Using it at an elemental convergence grants the one-hour Charged state, raising the bonus to 30%. Both Attuned and Charged persist through death. The hour-long state therefore does not mean an uninterrupted hour of increased running speed or regeneration. Full Skyborne conditions.

Our reading is that preparation becomes more prominent in the Skyborne choice. The interesting question is how naturally visits to those locations fit your route. A percentage list cannot answer that.

What to check before reserving a name

European name reservation begins October 27 at 18:00 CET. It is a qualifying pre-purchase benefit, with a limit of three characters total across all rulesets. Blizzard’s regional times and eligibility.

If your race decision rested on an earlier bonus list, review the changes before creating your characters. They still do not provide a universal best-race answer: class, abilities, mode and personal preference determine which trait serves your character best.