Level 1–60, on foot. The zones you remember, plus the ones that didn't exist in 2005 — new regions, a new 15v15 battleground, and three new race–class combinations on your side of the map. Every fact sourced and dated.
Launches Nov 4, 2026 · 3:00 p.m. PacificCompanion to the full guide
The world grows sideways — and most of the growth is on your side of the map. Three of the four new and reimagined regions sit in Kalimdor: Zephras Isle, the Skyborne homeland; Shen'dralas, between Mulgore and Desolace; and Mount Hyjal — the site of the 2005 Battle for Mount Hyjal, now open for the first time.[2][7]
The fourth, Riverglades, is an Eastern Kingdoms frontier — but the Steamwheedle Cartel sails it from Tanaris, so the new mid-level block is one voyage away.[7]
Six new race–class combinations launch, split three to three: the Horde takes the Orc Mage, Troll Warlock and Forsaken Paladin; the Alliance takes the Gnome Priest, Human Hunter and Dwarf Shaman. The one exclusive split is the Skyborne's — your path unlocks Shaman; theirs unlocks Mage.[3][2] And the new 15v15 battleground, the Darkspear Islands, sits off Dustwallow Marsh — queue from the Merchant Coast, in the Barrens, on your home turf.[10]
Everything else is shared: same zones, same dungeons, same 1,000+ new quests — Riverglades' story is written “for Horde and Alliance players” alike — and there's no cross-faction grouping.[7][3] The other side of the same war gets its own page: the Alliance guide.
“Horde and Alliance identity is something we definitely want to preserve… There's a deep history of enmity and conflict here that shouldn't be forgotten or brushed over.”
New combosOrc Mage · Troll Warlock · Forsaken Paladin
Skyborne pathShaman (Alliance: Mage)
New battlegroundDarkspear Islands · 15v15 (30–60)
Home raidHyjal Summit · 20-player (Dec 9)
03 · Pick your race
Six doors, one side
Orc
Valley of Trials, then Durotar.[7][30] New at launch: the Mage — the first orc mages in the game's history.[3]
Troll
Durotar, as always — and the Warlock is on the six-new-combo launch list.[3] Pets scale with their master's stats and Life Tap scales with Spirit, so the pet is a real extension of the build.[12]
Tauren
Mulgore — and just south of home, the Shen'dralas region opens: Shen'dralar, Eldre'Thalas, Dire Maul, the centaur tribes. Desolace's centaur quests get new content and faction rewards too.[2][7]
Undead (Forsaken)
Shadowglen in Tirisfal Glades — and the side's biggest new story: the Forsaken Paladin, rolling out of the Forsaken Kingdom campaign, anchored at Bandarion Keep in the Whispering Wood, with a level-60 epic mount quest in the name of Retribution.[7] The Ruins of Lordaeron dungeon (15–20) — “help the Forsaken reclaim the ruins of their capital” — is on your doorstep from the start.[2][29]
Goblin
No new race–class combination is announced for Goblins at launch — the classic toolkit stays.[3] What everyone gets: reworked racials, two active and two passive per race, tuned for similar power with signature utility kept.[3]
Skyborne New race
The neutral race: you pick Horde at creation and embrace the elemental traditions — Shaman is the Horde path (Mage is the Alliance one), alongside Warrior, Hunter, Rogue and Druid with brand-new Skyborne druid forms.[2] The start is Zephras Isle, levels 1–12.[2][7]
Heads-up: the Skyborne is the one race behind a pack — the Skyborne Heroic Pack ($29.99 US) or higher. Everything else on this page, including all six new race–class combinations, is included with your subscription.[4][22][1]
04 · The journey
The road, level by level
Provisional Assembled from community leveling guides[30] with the official dungeon ranges.[29] The beta is capped at level 30 right now, so anything past 30 is a plan, not a measured route — nobody, guide included, claims a verified “fastest” path yet.[8][30]
Lv 1–12Starting zones. Orc & Troll: Durotar (Valley of Trials). Tauren: Mulgore. Forsaken: Tirisfal Glades (Shadowglen). Skyborne: Zephras Isle. Every starting area is refreshed with new NPCs, quests, and profession hooks.[7][2][30]
Lv 10–20The Barrens (or Silverpine, if your Forsaken stay in the Eastern Kingdoms), grouped around the Crossroads.[30] First new dungeons: Hall of Thanes 13–18 — an Ironforge detour worth batching — and Ruins of Lordaeron 15–20, right on the doorstep for Tirisfal routes.[29]
Lv 20–30Stonetalon, Ashenvale, southern Barrens, or Hillsbrad — pick by quest level, not by map lore.[30]Excavation Site: Wetlands 24–29 and the City of Dalaran 28–33 slot in here.[29] This is exactly the bracket the beta is testing right now.[9]
Lv 30The Darkspear Islands open — the new 15v15 battleground, first team to 2,000 points, queue at the Darkspear Raiders base on the Merchant Coast.[10]
Lv 35–45Riverglades — the new frontier. Roughly Stranglethorn-sized, nearly 200 quests, built from a part of the Classic world that was never reachable; the Steamwheedle ship puts you in Powderfuse Port straight from Tanaris.[7] It spans the mid-30s to mid-40s, with the Drowned City 35–40 and Krol'dok Stronghold 40–45 along the way.[2][29]
Lv 45–55Feralas, Tanaris, the Hinterlands, Searing Gorge, Un'Goro, Felwood — the old mid-Kalimdor loop, now with Alcaz Prison 48–53 in it.[30][29]
Lv 55–60The Plaguelands, Winterspring, Silithus, Burning Steppes, Azshara — finished out with Blackmaw Hold 55–60 and Shaper's Terrace 58–60, the Titan mysteries in Un'Goro.[30][29][2]
Lv 60The top.Hyjal Summit (20-player) and the Barrow Deeps (10-player) unlock December 9 — five weeks after launch — with new tier sets and a legendary reward still to be revealed.[2]
Where the nine new dungeons land
Official ranges from the developers' clarification post of September 15; the “Horde route” column is community routing advice, not a mandate.[29][30]
The nine new dungeons with level ranges and Horde routing notes
Dungeon
Levels
On the Horde route
Hall of Thanes
13–18
Beneath Ironforge — batch it with a capital trip[30]
Two more notes from the guides: Shen'dralas looks very useful for Kalimdor routes, but nobody has an official level bracket for it yet — treat it as a discovery, not a level block.[30][7] And don't plan around repeated dungeon runs: dungeon-quest rewards are still being tuned in the beta. “Dungeon level” ≠ “guaranteed fast.”[30]
05 · Endgame
What waits at the top
Hyjal Summit 20-player · max level
The site of the Battle for Mount Hyjal — the aftermath of Archimonde's defeat, Darkwhisper Gorge, and the factions taking shape in a recovering land. The two-decade wait, answered, on the Horde's home mountain.[2][7]
Barrow Deeps 10-player · max level
Press describes it as a Night Elf cavern-prison beneath Kalimdor holding an imprisoned Demon Hunter.[2][26]
Both unlock December 9, 2026, alongside new tier sets and a legendary reward Blizzard is “looking forward to revealing in full.”[2]
The Darkspear Islands, in detail. Four capture points plus a central flag — hold the points, and the clock runs faster for your team; grab the flag and bring it to a captured base for bonus points. First to 2,000 wins. You earn reputation with the Darkspear Raiders: gear and consumables — trinkets, rings, cloaks, weapons, armor — at each threshold, Marks of Honor from the battleground's own questline, and an Exalted-exclusive tabard at the top.[10]
PvP progression keeps its original shape: Honor and Rank Points, the rank ladder all the way up to High Warlord, a weekly rank cap, and seasons with weekly tasks that also feed the Legacy system.[11]
06 · Quick answers
Questions, answered
Does the Horde get a different world?
Almost the same one. Zones, dungeons, and the new regions are shared — Riverglades' quests are written “for Horde and Alliance players.” What differs is faction-specific: your storyline, your class availability, your battleground reputation track, and the fact that the Darkspear Islands' Horde base is on your doorstep in the Barrens.[7][10]
Can my Horde Skyborne be a Mage?
No — the Skyborne split at character creation: the Horde path embraces elemental traditions and unlocks Shaman, while the Alliance path pursues the arcane legacy and unlocks Mage. Both can also play Warrior, Hunter, Rogue, and Druid. (And remember the race itself requires the Heroic Pack or higher.)[2][4]
Can I group with my Alliance friends?
No. Horde and Alliance stay separate — no cross-faction grouping, no cross-ruleset grouping. Players keep asking for more cross-faction play; the developers say faction identity — enmity included — is something they “definitely want to preserve.”[3][15] Meanwhile, your friends on the other side can read their guide.
Which ruleset should a Horde player pick?
Pick by how you want to meet people: Normal (PvP by mutual consent), PvP (the road to High Warlord), Roleplay, or Hardcore (post-launch — reports say winter 2026). Each ruleset is its own large ecosystem; a dead Hardcore character can still transfer out to another ruleset.[3][24]
Are the new race–class combinations free?
Yes. Orc Mage, Troll Warlock, and Forsaken Paladin are part of the base game — included with any World of Warcraft Subscription or Game Time. The only paid path in the game is the Skyborne race itself (Heroic Pack, $29.99 US, or higher).[1][3][4][22]
07 · References
Sources & verification
Last updated: October 11, 2026 — every fact on this page was checked against the sources below on this date. Keys match the main guide's reference list; the complete list lives in the full guide. Gold badges mean Blizzard stated it (T1); bronze “Reported” badges mean credible press or community, not yet official (T2/T3).
Oct 11, 2026 — Desktop menu fix: when the nine-item row outgrew its container (1024–1060px), the left-most links were cut off at the list's left edge. The row is now right-aligned via an auto margin — any overflow extends right and scrolls instead of clipping — and item gaps and text size are slightly tighter, so the row fits at every desktop width with no horizontal scrollbar.
Oct 11, 2026 — Copy revision for returning players: tightened throughout for a 2005-veteran reader (hero, Why the Horde, Races, Journey, FAQ); cross-links to the new Alliance guide added (nav, prose, FAQ). Facts and citations unchanged.
Oct 11, 2026 — Hero updated to the site-wide hourglass moon (the fanged moon is retired): the same carved-hourglass SVG and reworked aura as the main guide — full light bulb, falling stream, gathering dune, motes of light.
Oct 11, 2026 — First published version of the Horde starting guide, built on the site's shared visual foundation (parchment quick-facts plate, 1060px section shells, vertical level-band list). All facts verified against the sources above on this date, including the Sept 15 official dungeon-range clarification and the October 7 Darkspear Islands, PvP, and class deep-dive articles. The community route is badged provisional throughout.