World of Warcraft gives players nearly endless options for character creation. With so many races to choose from, it is hugely exciting for beginners or veteran players to jump into a brand-new character and take up their adventures from a different angle than they are accustomed to.

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However, there are some ways to build characters that end up working better than others. Veteran players may wish to defy expectations by finding a new challenge in making a race not suited to warrior status a top-tier fighter. However, for beginners especially, there are certain races that should be used to create a warrior-class character that is the most likely to be successful for a variety of reasons.

Updated on January 17, 2024, by Chris Harkin: As the massive World of Warcraft continues, not slowing down even a full two decades after the original release, players continue to debate over which race makes for the best of each class. The warrior role is an iconic, easy-to-understand role in the game, and this means most races can play the role, making the debate over which race makes for the best warrior fierce. As more updates change the conversation over the years, this is a debate that is likely to continue endlessly between players and needs to be updated frequently with more great possibilities.

8 Mechagnome

Most Recently Introduced Race

• Great In Prolonged Battles
• Amazing DPS Warriors

The Mechagnome race is a fantastic one that has only recently become playable in World of Warcraft. Coming with a great toolkit that gives them a lot of versatility, their abilities as a race make them some of the very best warriors to be found in the game today.

Mechagnomes come with the racial ability Combat Analysis, which allows them to analyze data and increase their primary stat every five seconds while in combat, stacking a huge number of times and making them brutally tough by the end of a prolonged fight. It is incredibly important, especially for warriors, to be able to last in a longer fight, and they are the perfect race for this. They also have the Emergency Failsafe ability, which gives them back a large volume of health when they fall low, adding an extra amount of time for them to stay in a tough fight.

7 Kul Tiran

Played By 0.4% Of Players

• Amazing Versatility
• Can Sucker Punch Enemies

The Kul Tiran race of humanity is similar in some ways to the human race in World of Warcraft, but there are a few key differences. Kul Tiran are bulkier and look even better taking on the role of a warrior, due to the bulky nature of the armor that warriors must wear in the game.

They also come with some great abilities that increase their versatility and help them learn skills faster, which is useful across all roles. They have the racial ability Haymaker, which allows them to stun an enemy with a huge punch, matching the style of warriors in-game. Kul Tiran definitely have the look and have great abilities for the warrior role.

6 Dwarf

Played By 3.9% Of Players

• Stoneform Helps Negate Damage
• Culture Surrounds Weaponry

A race that, despite their diminutive size, seems like they are always destined to be known for their fighting ability, the Dwarves are another Alliance race that is well-known even to casual fans of the World of Warcraft franchise. Dwarf culture is all about their weaponry, and the gruff style of the Dwarven characters makes it easy to play them as realistic warrior characters.

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Not to mention that abilities such as the Stoneform help negate damage to dwarves from bleeding, poison, and disease damage. This makes them a lot more durable, particularly in tactical PvP situations where they can be a real pain to bring down. Plus, role-playing to any degree as a Dwarven warrior just sounds like a whole heap of fun.

5 Tauren

Played By 6.1% Of Players

• Endurance Helps Health Regeneration
• War Stomp Stuns Enemies In Battle

The Tauren are a race on the horde side of the factions available in World of Warcraft. For players trying to get the best look for a warrior-class character, the Tauren is a great option. These hulking figures give off the perfect impression of a strong race of warriors, and while their society feels more tranquil than that of other warrior races, their lore makes it easy to build a character as a more spiritually focused warrior.

Apart from the right look, Tauren is another great faction to play as a warrior in PvP situations due to abilities like Endurance, which is great for health regeneration, and War Stomp, which is great for interrupting the attacks of enemies, stunning them in the process.

4 Undead

Played By 6.7% Of Players

• Will Of The Forsaken Ability
• Cannibalism Helps Health Regen

The Undead faction is exactly what first-time players would expect them to be in many respects. Undead are excellent in a number of ways for the warrior class, particularly in a PvE setting due to their Will of the Forsaken, which helps them avoid being adversely affected by charms, fear spells, and more.

Another brutal but wonderful trait of the Undead is their cannibalism ability, which allows them to regenerate health at 300% for a time. This is an incredible way to help either the Undead character individually or help get a party out of a difficult battle where they are all in danger.

3 Orc

Played By 7.6% Of Players

• Blood Fury Helps Attack Power
• Hardiness Helps With Crowd Control

Orcs are the nemesis of the human race in World of Warcraft. Since the earliest days of the franchise, the majority of the lore has focused on the human/orc conflict and the other races of Azeroth taking sides in the battle. This being the case, the orcs have got some of the best lore in the game and some of the best looks for warrior-class characters as well.

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From abilities like Blood Fury, which helps to increase their attack power, to passive traits like Hardness that make them great for crowd control, Orcs are excellent in PvE and PvP situations, both as warriors. Orcs have got the look, the skills, and the historical excellence, making it easy to imagine a new orc character becoming a great warrior as players, both beginner and veteran, set about their new adventures in World of Warcraft.

2 Night Elf

Played By 11.6% Of Players

• Shadowmeld For Escaping Combat
• Not Great For PvP Situations

One of the best warrior options when players are doing a lot of solo gaming in PvE situations, the Night Elf has certain abilities that can be hugely helpful, but only in this more specific style of play. Though their dark, foreboding world doesn’t make them seem like an Alliance faction, they are, and they can be hugely worth trying out.

With fun lore and abilities like Shadowmeld, which allow them to drop out of combat at a moment’s notice to avoid losing health, Night Elves can be a genius choice for warrior-class characters, although they lose aggro in Shadowmeld situations, making them less of a great choice for playing in a group.

1 Human

Played By 15% Of Players

• Can Remove Any Crowd Control
• The Human Spirit Increases Stats

Sometimes it is easiest to start simple. While the various strange races that are almost unheard of outside World of Warcraft can be enticing and fun, with unique lore behind them within the world of Azeroth, the human race is one of the best for a simple warrior-class character for a couple of different, important reasons.

Firstly, humans have great racial feats and stat bonuses for PvP, making them one of the most notable races in the game for fighting against other players. Secondly, the human lore for warriors is some of the very best in the game. Despite all the fascinating races there are to explore, humans have got some of the best there is in their eternal struggle against the Orcs and some of the most nicely designed areas to kick-start the journey of a new character.

World of Warcraft

Platform(s)

PC

Released

November 23, 2004

Developer(s)

Blizzard

Genre(s)

MMORPG