Warriors have a simple but inspiring courage to them. Nothing special is needed to pick up a weapon in defense of your home; neither the favor of the gods nor the secrets of the arcane is needed to fight. The only requirement is the strength to keep fighting against insurmountable odds until victory is achieved. In this guide, we’ll be going over the best races for Warriors in World of Warcraft.

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With no shortage of threats teeming at their doorsteps, the people of Azeroth create high demand for capable fighters. Every playable race in Azeroth can master a blade, axe, or hammer, so they’re all capable of training as a Warrior. As such, we’ve organized our picks by gameplay and faction to make it easy for you to choose your favorite.

Best Warrior Races for PvE: Mechagnome/Highmountain Tauren

On the Alliance side, we have the tiny cyborg Mechagnomes. Their diminutive size may make them seem like an odd choice for a Warrior, but don’t be fooled. Their Combat Analysis makes them well suited for drawn-out brawls, as they gain increasing stats the longer a fight goes. Especially since you can just Charge to the next enemy as soon as combat ends to keep the stat buff!

Their Emergency Failsafe also is great for Warriors since they’re often in the thick of combat. It provides another way to rally when your health is low and keep fighting.

For the Horde, the Highmountain Tauren are our go-to recommendation for Warriors. Their innate survivability from their racial boosts combined with the versatility of Mountaineer and reduced damage taken of Rugged Tenacity make them excellent front-line fighters.

Bull Rush provides another powerful charge option and can be used to keep enemies CC’ed long enough to execute them.

Best Warrior Race for PvP: Human/Orc

It’s hard to get away from these two races for PvP. They’re the go-to races for most PvP players due to their powerful stat bonuses and racial feats.

Humans offer secondary stats from The Human Spirit and the incredibly powerful Will to Survive to cleanse any stun. Besides opening up more PvP trinket options beyond the standard CC cleanse, this allows Warriors to keep up the pressure during execution windows.

Orcs reduce all stun effects on them by 20% via Hardiness. Given how common stuns are in PvP, this reduction can be a game-changer, especially when paired with other CC-reducing effects. They can also pop Blood Fury for a fifteen-second attack power boost. It may just be another cooldown to pop during execution windows, but it can definitely secure a kill.

Best Warrior Race for Lore: Human/Orc

Once again, we run into this racial pair — and for good reason. The conflict between Humans and Orcs is deeply ingrained in WoW, spanning all the way back to the first Warcraft. Both races serve as the face of their respective faction, so it’s no surprise that the Alliance and Horde continue to come to blows.

Despite their physical disadvantages in comparison to the Orcs, the Human Warriors have stood toe-to-toe against their foes. Raw strength alone does not determine a fight. The tactics, skills, and sheer tenacity shown by the various Warriors of Stormwind have proven that time and time again.

Multiple kings have been famous warriors, with the most recognizable one being Varian Wrynn. The legacy of human warriors is still felt by all warriors today, especially by those in the Arms specialization. Strom’kar the Warbreaker was wielded by the first human king, Thoradin, and reclaimed in the present during the Legion invasion. If not for the king’s spirit, the weapon would continue to be lost, and the monstrosity he sealed centuries ago would have ravaged the world. Human Warriors have answered the call of duty without fail, no matter the sacrifice.

The Orcs have a natural inclination towards battle, strongly embracing their warrior culture. Their naturally large size and muscle mass have only further augmented their capabilities as Warriors to devastating effects. It’s not uncommon to see an Orc Warrior tearing his way across the battlefield in a frothing berserker rage.

Many Orc Warriors have left their mark in WoW’s history. Varok Saurfang, General Nazgrim, Garrosh Hellscream — all warriors who steered the course of the Horde, for better or worse. The one thing that remains consistent is their will to keep fighting until a glorious end in combat. Lok’tar ogar!

Best Looking Race for Warriors: Tauren/Draenei

When someone says the word Warrior, what image comes to mind? A large, hulking figure clad in heavy plate armor and wielding a massive weapon? If so, then there are few races more suited to being a warrior than the Tauren and Draenei.

The Tauren tower over most of the other races of the Horde. Even the Orcs give pause when contemplating squaring off with a member of the bovine race. With little to no difference in stature between the two sexes, all Tauren make for an imposing figure. It helps that their horns make them look even more menacing. As a plus (whether you have helmets enabled or not), plate helms tend to work well with their head model.

The Draenei — well, the male ones — are certainly imposing figures. With broad shoulders and a greater height than most, they have a very heroic stature about them. More importantly, they have the muscle mass to match the Horde’s larger frames in contests of sheer strength. The female Draenei, who have considerably smaller frames, have a greater emphasis on martial skill. Brute strength alone does not make for a truly amazing Warrior. The Draenei are no strangers to conflict and look perfectly at home on the battlefield in pure plate armor.

Best Races for Warriors in WoW Classic: Human/Gnome and Orc/Tauren

Your choice for the best race for Warriors in WoW Classic is far more important than in retail WoW. Racial bonuses can actually make or break your playstyle, so we’ll be recommending the best ones to you.

We strongly recommend Human as the best race for an Alliance Warrior, especially if you’re focusing on PvE. Their weapon skill bonuses in swords and maces make a huge difference when it’s easy to miss attacks. Additionally, having a bonus to spirit was really nice for reducing HP recovery time while leveling.

On the PvP end, Gnomes are considered the best race for warriors. Their Escape Artist ability allows them break free from CC abilities that they typically can’t deal with. Being kited is a Warrior’s greatest weakness, and this one ability can help negate that.

For the Horde, we suggest going Orc if you want to do everything. They have an innate stun resistance of 25%, which automatically makes them amazing for PvP. On top of that, Blood Fury is a fantastic damage boost, and Axe Specialization helps out greatly with weapon skill.

Alternatively, if you’re focusing on solely PvP, then Tauren Warriors are a great choice as well. The extra health from Endurance might mean surviving another hit or two. Having an AoE stun from War Stomp is also amazing, especially considering it doesn’t cost any rage to lock an enemy down long enough to kill them.

Join the High Ground

And that’s it for our guide on the best races for Warriors in WoW! We hope that it’s helped you choose how to build your character. If you have a different opinion or want to share your thoughts, please subscribe and leave a comment below.

Happy gaming!