Summary
World of Warcraftgives players a variety of class and race combinations for building their unique customizable character, one of the defining traits of theRPGgenre. The Mage has always been a popular choice for both new and experienced players, and although there are other spellcasting classes, Mages are a powerful but easy class to play.
In Classic, the Tauren couldn’t learn the Arcane, and Night Elves were so good at it that their talents almost destroyed all of Azeroth, leading to a magical prohibition among the children of Elune. Some of the races inWorld of Warcraftcouldn’t be Mages according to the old lore, but in retail that has changed, and almost every race has access to the Mage class.
Updated May 26, 2025 by Kristy Ambrose:World of Warcraft has diversified, and these days there’s a server for virtually every era. The choices for Classic include Hardcore and Season of Discovery along with the vintage game, and then there’s Retail with The War Within expansions.
The vast lands of Azeroth are always expanding into different planes of reality, new continents, or outer space, making new options for race and class combinations available, and the best races for each role will continue evolving.
1Lightforged Draenei
How To Unlock: Complete The Quest Chain That Begins In The Stormwind Embassy
It makes sense that the Lightforged Draenei would make great Mages. Their lore includes the acceptance of the Holy Light, giving their magic a more religious aspect, but the race didn’t give up the arcane entirely. They were initially found by Sargeras because of the incredible uses they made of the arcane arts in their society.
These immortal creatures are capable of wielding multiple different forms of magic and have a greater resistance to Holy damage. Lore-wise and in terms of aesthetics, this makes perfect sense as a Mage race. In terms of actual use, many of the racial and passive traits of this race focus on the Holy Light and dealing magical damage, making a focus on other magical arts an excellent class for them.
2Night Elves
How To Unlock: One Of The Original Classic Races
The Night Elves have been part of theWarcraftuniverse since the RTS days. They appeared in the old games,Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, and they were always on the side of the Alliance, using the forest as their weapon and bringing powerful Druids and Priests to every battle.
However, Night Elf Mages were absent, and although there were a few living in exile, it would be until the events ofCataclysmbrought them out of hiding. Some of the racial talents are perfect for Mages, like Shadowmeld, which hides the character and breaks aggro, Touch of Elune improves critical strike at night, and Quickness, which improves casting and movement speed. That’s why this class and race combination is only available in retail or theCataclysmexpansion.
3Vulpera
How To Unlock: Speak With Ji Firepaw At The Orgrimmar Embassy
The Vulpera are a race that’s usually cast in the role of DPS or healing, so they make a lot of sense for a Mage build. Their homeland in the barren, burnt deserts of Vol’dun has made them resourceful scavengers and clever fighters.
These fox-like creatures were introduced in the game with the Battle for Azeroth expansion, and have several abilities that make them ideal casters. Fire Resistance is great for any class and Nose For Trouble gives them reduced damage on the first hit. Bag of Tricks is a handy ability that makes sense for a spellcaster or Rogue. The Vulpera can use this extra racial ability to pull a “trick” from their bag which harms enemies and heals allies.
4Nightborne
How To Unlock: Speak To Lady Liadrin At The Orgrimmar Embassy
Similar to Void Elves, the Nightborne elves have manyancient ties with magicusers. However, instead of shying away from that power like the Night Elves, the Nightborne became twisted by it and transformed themselves into a new species of Elf. Now they are consorting with demons and emerging back into the world after being an isolationist nation for thousands of years.
The lore around magic which their race is so focused on makes them one of the most viable options for players to build a story around as they create a new Mage character. They have increased resistance to Arcane damage, Magical Affinity Increases their DPS, and Arcane Pulse is an AoE ability that does arcane damage to nearby enemies.
5Void Elf
How To Unlock: Speak To Alleria Windrunner At The Stormwind Embassy
Void Elves sound exactly like the sort of race who would be excellent in the role of a Mage with abilities that allow them to move quickly across the battlefield and cast spells without interruption. Unsurprisingly, these dangerous creatures come with the look and many abilities that help them play magic users with a high level of competency. Despite their appearance, this ancient faction rests on the side of the Alliance.
Void elves have excellent passive traits that allow them to continually cast spells without any push-back from receiving damage. This makes huge battles, particularly PvP ones with a lot of AoE damage occurring at once, an ideal place for a Void Elf mage to take part.The ancient lore in Azerothof races like the Void Elves is exactly the kind of exciting, magic-steeped lore that players would wish for in their mage characters.
6Gnome
A Gnome is a particularly diminutive faction inWorld of Warcraftthat has had to find different ways to tackle battle, but there are plenty of Warriors and Rogues among the Gnome population as well. There are various ways to play Gnomes, but their innate ability to learn and retain information makes them ideal candidates for Mage work, and they’ve been one of the top choices since 2004.
The look of a gnome Mage is wonderful, especially considering haircuts and other aesthetics, and the joy of being able to send brutal magical while standing about as high as their ankles is a very fun style of play for PvP. Gnomes are the most easilyunderestimated race inWorld of Warcraft, and it is a very fun story to build about a new character as they learn the ancient arts of magic usage.
7Trolls
A troll isn’t the first creature that comes to mind when beginners toWorld of Warcrafttake a look at which races may be great magic wielders. However,Trolls can be heroes too, and they are hugely valuable in this particular class. Trolls are more perceptive than originally thought and their abilities greatly complement the role of a Mage.
From the Berserking ability that lets them increase spell haste for 10 seconds to their Voodoo Shuffle which reduces the duration of movement-impairing effects, Trolls are particularly viable as Mages. There is no doubt that any Horde-focused player looking for a new Mage race should be exploring Troll as an option.
8The Forsaken
The Forsaken have several traits that can make magic usage incredibly viable and strong as an option. From their lore to the look of an undead Mage attacking, they are great inboth PvP and PvEsituations.
One of their best abilities, Will of the Forsaken, keeps the Undead from being charmed in various ways during combat. All of this enables them to keep fighting in situations when they are needed the most and to avoid absolute death sentences in PvP. The undead are some of the best Mages in the Horde, as there remain even today few Horde races that have the right kind of buffs to gain an advantage for a Mage.
9Human
The Human race is one of the most popular inWorld of Warcraftand with good reason. A familiar face in a sea of fantastical oddities with unusual lore can be appealing to a lot of players starting on their first journey in Azeroth, not to mention that being one of the oldest races in the game, the Humans have a lot of history and lore to work with.
The central conflict of theWorld of Warcraftfranchise is the eternal struggle between the humans and orcs, and the Alliance and Horde sides that have formed around them. Will to Survive is a great perk humans have which is a stun cleanser,another useful trait for Magesto have, and additionally, human Mages have a great design.
10Goblin
How To Unlock: Part Of The Cataclysm Expansion
The Goblins were NPCs inWarcraftfor a long time, taking the place that Gnomes often took as traders, tinkerers, and demolitionists. The obvious difference was that Gnomes were a playable race and Goblins were not, but that changed when Deathwing tore the world apart and a Goblin faction joined the Horde for survival.
Goblin racial traits are ideal for Mages, with the primary example being Time Is Money, which improves Haste, an essential spellcasting ability. Rocket Jump gives this squishy, low-AC class better mobility and Rocket Barrage gives the Goblin the ability to throw missiles for extra fire damage. Their lore gives them access to Better Living Through Chemistry, a buff to the Alchemy profession, which is one of the most common choicesaside from Tailoring orEnchanting.
