Racial trait

Racial traits, commonly referred to as racials, are special abilities granted to a player character based on race. These traits come in both active and passive forms. Each race has at least 3 traits (several passive and at least one active trait per race) known by all characters of that race at the time of creation.

Racials represent the main gameplay difference between races, and aside from faction choice, the main non-cosmetic basis to choose between races.

List of racial traits

Alliance

•  Draenei
  • [Gift of the Naaru]
  • [Heroic Presence]
  • [Gemcutting]
  • [Shadow Resistance]
•  Dwarf
  • [Explorer]
  • [Frost Resistance]
  • [Might of the Mountain]
  • [Stoneform]
•  Gnome
  • [Arcane Resistance]
  • [Engineering Specialization]
  • [Escape Artist]
  • [Expansive Mind]
  • [Nimble Fingers]
•  Human
  • [Will to Survive]
  • [No Place Like Home]
  • [The Human Spirit]
•  Night elf
  • [Elusiveness]
  • [Nature Resistance]
  • [Quickness]
  • [Shadowmeld]
  • [Touch of Elune]
  • [Wisp Spirit]
•  Worgen
  • [Running Wild]
  • [Darkflight]
  • [Viciousness]
  • [Flayer]
  • [Aberration]
  • [Two Forms]
  • [Calm the Wolf]
•  Void elf
  • [Chill of Night]
  • [Entropic Embrace]
  • [Ethereal Connection]
  • [Preternatural Calm]
  • [Spatial Rift]
• Lightforged
  • [Light's Judgment]
  • [Forge of Light]
  • [Demonbane]
  • [Light's Reckoning]
  • [Holy Providence]
• Dark Iron
  • [Dungeon Delver]
  • [Fireblood]
  • [Forged in Flames]
  • [Mass Production]
  • [Mole Machine]
• Kul Tiran
  • [Brush It Off]
  • [Child of the Sea]
  • [Haymaker]
  • [Jack of All Trades]
  • [Rime of the Ancient Mariner]
• Mechagnome
  • [Combat Analysis]
  • [Mastercraft]
  • [Emergency Failsafe]
  • [Skeleton Pinkie]
  • [Hyper Organic Light Originator]

Horde

•  Blood elf
  • [Arcane Affinity]
  • [Arcane Acuity]
  • [Arcane Resistance]
  • [Arcane Torrent]
•  Goblin
  • [Rocket Jump]
  • [Rocket Barrage]
  • [Time is Money]
  • [Best Deals Anywhere]
  • [Better Living Through Chemistry]
  • [Pack Hobgoblin]
•  Orc
  • [Blood Fury]
  • [Command]
  • [Hardiness]
•  Tauren
  • [Brawn]
  • [Cultivation]
  • [Endurance]
  • [Nature Resistance]
  • [War Stomp]
•  Troll
  • [Beast Slaying]
  • [Berserking]
  • [Da Voodoo Shuffle]
  • [Regeneration]
•  Undead
  • [Will of the Forsaken]
  • [Cannibalize]
  • [Touch of the Grave]
  • [Shadow Resistance]
•  Nightborne
  • [Ancient History]
  • [Magical Affinity]
  • [Cantrips]
  • [Arcane Pulse]
  • [Arcane Resistance]
• Highmountain
  • [Bull Rush]
  • [Pride of Ironhorn]
  • [Mountaineer]
  • [Rugged Tenacity]
  • [Waste Not, Want Not]
• Mag'har
  • [Ancestral Call]
  • [Open Skies]
  • [Savage Blood]
  • [Sympathetic Vigor]
• Zandalari
  • [City of Gold]
  • [Embrace of the Loa]
  • [Pterrordax Swoop]
  • [Regeneratin']
• Vulpera
  • [Make Camp]
  • [Return to Camp]
  • [Fire Resistance]
  • [Alpaca Saddlebags]
  • [Bag of Tricks]
  • [Rummage Your Bag]
  • [Nose For Trouble]

Neutral

•  Pandaren
  • [Epicurean]
  • [Gourmand]
  • [Inner Peace]
  • [Bouncy]
  • [Quaking Palm]
•  Dracthyr
  • [Soar]
  • [Glide]
  • [Wing Buffet]
  • [Awakened]
  • [Discerning Eye]
  • [Visage]
  • [Chosen Identity]
•  Earthen
  • [Azerite Surge]
  • [Hyper Productive]
  • [Ingest Minerals]
  • [Quiet Contemplation]
  • [Titan-Wrought Frame]
  • [Wide-Eyed Wonder]

Removed racial traits

• [Diplomacy] (Patch 11.0.0)
• [Familiar Skies] (Patch 10.2.5)
• [Axe Specialization] (Patch 6.0.2)
• [Crack Shot] (6.0.2)
• [Dead Eye] (6.0.2)
• [Mace Specialization] (6.0.2)
• [Mace Specialization] (6.0.2)
• [Shortblade Specialization] (6.0.2)
• [Sword Specialization] (6.0.2)
• [Bow Specialization] (Patch 5.0.4)
• [Gun Specialization] (5.0.4)
• [Throwing Specialization] (5.0.4)
• [Underwater Breathing] (5.0.4)
• [Magic Resistance] (Patch 4.0.3a)
• [Find Treasure] (Patch 4.0.1)
• [Perception] (4.0.1)
• [Mana Tap] (Patch 3.0.2)
• Priest racial abilities (3.0.2)

Only available in test versions of the game:

• [Vulpera Survival Kit] (in patch 8.3.0 PTR)
• [Plainsrunning] (beta stages of World of Warcraft)
• [Bull Rush] was planned for tauren early on in development. This was eventually added to the game as the Highmountain Tauren racial ability [Bull Rush].