Cultures
Zephras Isle
And yes, we thought it might be nice to have another option besides running Scarlet Monastery for the 25th time. So far, we’ve explored places tied to the familiar parts of Warcraft’s history, but Azeroth should still be able to surprise us. Sometimes the greatest mystery isn’t beyond the horizon. Sometimes it’s above us. Welcome to Zephras Isle.
Thousands of years ago, a group of highborne exiles forged a pact with the elemental wind spirits, and they built a civilization in the realm of Skywall. This wasn’t entirely without precedent. Classic players may remember stories like Thunderfury and Prince Thunderaan where we first caught glimpses of the elemental powers beyond Azeroth itself.
Now Zephras gives us an opportunity to expand on some of those ideas while still creating something entirely new. But the civilization of Zephras is in trouble. The air spirits that once protected these islands have vanished. Ancient structures are beginning to fail. Communities are becoming isolated. And the Skyborne people are divided over.
Some seek answers from the wind spirits. Some wish to reclaim the arcane traditions of their ancestors. Others have turned to darker powers. The Zephras Isle serves as a brand-new starting experience from levels 1-12 and combines classic Warcraft aesthetics with elemental architecture inspired by Skywall itself.
And that is why we’re introducing an entirely new playable race, the Skyborne. Yes. Now, the Skyborne are not a neutral race. At character creation, players will choose whether their Skyborne joins the Horde or the Alliance. And while they share a common ancestry, they no longer share a common vision for the future.
The Horde-aligned Skyborne embrace stronger ties to elemental traditions and work closely alongside the Earthen Ring, granting access to the Shaman class. Now, Alliance Skyborne pursue the arcane legacy of their ancestors and work alongside the Kirin Tor, granting access to the Mage class.
Now, both factions can play warriors, hunters, rogues, and druids, including some brand-new Skyborne druid forms created specifically for the race.
And the Skyborne also feature new racials, customizations, voices, dances, and a wide range of unique visual options. And more importantly, the Skyborne represent exactly the kind of story we want to tell in Wow Forever. Something new, something exciting, and something that feels like it belongs in Azeroth. Now, whether it’s helping restore Hyjal, uncovering forgotten histories of Shan’dralas, building a future on the Riverglades frontier, or taking your first steps to the skies of Zephras, these are only the first chapters of WoW: Forever. This isn’t a seasonal experiment. This isn’t a one-time expansion. And it isn’t the end of Azeroth’s story. It’s a commitment, a promise to keep growing this world with new regions, new mysteries, new adventures, and new stories for years and years to come. But a living world needs challenges, new dungeons, new raids, new battlegrounds, new rewards, and to show you what’s waiting for adventurers brave enough to answer that call, I would like to hand things over to Nora. Thank you.
| BLIZZCON 2026 WORLD OF WARCRAFT: WHAT'S NEXT PANEL TRANSCRIPT | ||||
| 1. Intro | 2. Design Pillars | 3. New Zones | 4. Cultures | |
Nora Mills: Greetings, adventurers.
