WoW Forever’s Skyborne Race Is Just Blue Elves — And You Have to Pay for Them
World of Warcraft: Forever looks like the Classic+ expansion fans have dreamed about for years. New zones, new dungeons, raids, a fresh starting experience — the whole package.
Then Blizzard revealed the new race, and the community collectively sighed.
Meet the Skyborn: Elemental Hybrids (Who Look Suspiciously Familiar)
The Skyborn are described as “elemental hybrids” and the original race coming with Forever. With Horde getting Shaman and Alliance getting Mages. Both factions can roll Warriors, Hunters, Rogues, and Druids.
Sounds fine on paper. The problem? They’re elves. Again.
Not high elves, which Alliance players have been requesting for two decades. Not ogres, which Horde players have been begging for since 2004. Not murlocs, tuskarr, Sethrak, Arakkoa, Naga, Mok’nathal, or any of the dozens of other races the community has floated over the years.
Just… blue elves.
The community reaction was swift and brutal. One top comment with over 4,000 upvotes put it simply: “So many possibilities and you went with… blue Elves.”
Another with 2,400 upvotes said what everyone was thinking: “Blizzard will do EVERYTHING except normal High Elves.”
The Community Is Not Happy
The comment sections across YouTube, Reddit, and the official forums have been flooded with disappointment. A few highlights:
“They’ll literally invent yet another race of elves that lives in the sky before adding High Elves to the Alliance and Ogres to the Horde.” — 1.9K upvotes
“All they had to do was give horde goblin and alli high elfs.” — 24 upvotes
“20 years later and STILL screaming for ogres.” — 111 upvotes
“A new playable race: elf but blue.” — 1.1K upvotes
“Finally, the race so important to the lore that I was always asking for… the sky blue elves.” — 1.3K upvotes
One commenter compared it to James Cameron’s Avatar, which honestly isn’t far off. Another accused Blizzard of taking the aesthetics that made Blood Elves special and repurposing them for something nobody asked for.
Wait, They Cost Money?
Here’s where things get even spicier. According to forum discussions, the Skyborn are a paid-only race. You can’t unlock them through gameplay — you buy them by upgrading your WoW: Forever account.
For a game built on the promise of being a “permanent home” for Classic players, that’s a tough pill to swallow. Classic has always been associated with a simpler monetization model: you pay your subscription, you play the game.
One forum poster summed up the frustration perfectly:
“Yea, that’s how Forever’s gonna move forward I suppose. New content? Well, head to the cash shop to buy it!”
Another pointed out that Blizzard needs revenue since there’s no expansion box to sell. That’s a fair business argument, but it doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow for players who were promised a return to Classic values.
As one veteran put it:
“That war was lost many years ago during the battle of the Celestial Steed. You’re getting the ‘spirit’ of Classic with Forever, assumedly, but the monetization is absolutely going to be modern. That ship has sailed.”
The Rest of Forever Still Looks Good
To be fair, the Skyborn situation is one misstep in an otherwise strong decemt.
Mount Hyjal, The Riverglades, and Zephras Isle all look promising. The dungeon lineup — including Dalaran as a city-dungeon and Lordaeron for Horde players — has people excited. Barrow Deeps as a 10-player raid and Hyjal Summit as a 20-player raid give guilds something to sink their teeth into, and the no-flying, no-level-scaling philosophy is exactly what Classic purists wanted to hear.
But the race reveal cast a shadow over the whole show for many players.
The Elf Fatigue Is Real
Four playable elf variants already exist in retail WoW: Night Elves, Blood Elves, Void Elves, and Nightborne. Adding a fifth (and making it a paid unlock, no less) feels tone-deaf when so many other beloved races remain unplayable.
Blizzard could have scored an easy win by adding a race rooted in classic lore, but maybe they are saving those to use as a cash cow in the future. If people will pay for blue elves, imagine how much they will pay for Ogres or Murloc.
