Alliance race
Night Elf
Ancient, agile forest guardians with a strong burst of crit and the stealthy Shadowmeld, and the standard Alliance choice for a Druid.
Overview
Night Elves can be Warriors, Hunters, Rogues, Priests and Druids. Elune's Light raises your crit chance with all spells and attacks by 10% for 15 seconds on a 3 minute cooldown, which gives every class a strong burst window.
Shadowmeld hides you in the shadows until you move or cancel it. Out of combat it has a short cooldown of 10 seconds. Used in combat it makes enemies less likely to attack you, and the cooldown rises to 2 minutes. Druids can use racials in their shapeshift forms. Quickness gives 1% dodge and 2% movement speed, and Rogues and Druids are harder to detect in stealth, as if one level higher. Wisp Spirit makes you move 75% faster as a wisp after you die.
Night Elf Priests have Starshards and Elune's Grace, which suit both Holy and Shadow.
At a glance
- Faction
- Alliance
- Homeland
- Teldrassil
- Capital
- Darnassus
- Starting zone
- Shadowglen, Teldrassil
Classes
Racial abilities
| Racial | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
 Elune's Light | active | Increases your critical strike chance with all spells and attacks by 10% for 15 sec. What to know: A burst cooldown for any class. Use it with your other big cooldowns on bosses and on tough pulls. |
 Shadowmeld | active | Activate to slip into the shadows, reducing the chance for enemies to detect your presence. Lasts until cancelled or upon moving. Using this ability in combat discourages enemies from attacking you, but increases the cooldown to 2 min. What to know: Drops threat in groups, avoids enemy packs while leveling, and helps stealth classes. Druids can use it in forms. |
 Quickness | passive | Dodge chance increased by 1% and movement speed increased by 2%. Night Elf Rogues and Druids are harder to detect in Stealth as if they were 1 level higher. What to know: A small permanent bonus for everyone, best for Rogues and Druids. |
 Wisp Spirit | passive | Transform into a wisp upon death, increasing movement speed by 75%. What to know: Makes the run back to your body quick after a wipe. |
Best classes for Night Elf
- Druid: The standard Alliance choice: Druids can use Shadowmeld and Elune's Light in forms, and Quickness helps in stealth.
- Priest: Starshards, Elune's Light and Shadowmeld suit both Holy and Shadow.
- Rogue: Elune's Light adds burst, and Shadowmeld and Quickness help in stealth.
- Hunter: Likely a good pick for leveling, with the burst of Elune's Light and the stealthy Shadowmeld.
Lore
The night elves, or kaldorei, are among the oldest peoples of Azeroth. Ten thousand years ago they ruled a great empire around the Well of Eternity, led by their queen Azshara. The Highborne, who studied magic around the Well, drew the Burning Legion to Azeroth and so brought on the War of the Ancients and the Sundering that broke the world.
The druids and warriors of the kaldorei, led by Malfurion Stormrage, Tyrande Whisperwind and Illidan, fought to stop the demons. After the war the survivors gathered near Mount Hyjal. The night elves received the gift of immortality from the World Tree, Nordrassil, and gave it up when the Legion returned and Archimonde fell in the Third War. Their druids sleep in the Emerald Dream for thousands of years.
After the Third War the kaldorei planted a new World Tree, Teldrassil, and settled on its branches off the northern coast of Kalimdor. The city of Darnassus lies in its crown, and the temple of Elune and the Sentinels watch over the forest. Their culture centres on the moon goddess Elune, on druidism and on the Sentinels and the Priestesses of the Moon.
Night elves are reserved, long-lived and devoted to nature. They joined the Alliance after the Third War and keep a wary peace with humans, dwarves and the other Alliance races. They are bitter enemies of the Burning Legion and of the Horde forces in Ashenvale. They speak Darnassian.
Good to know
- Night Elves have no Paladin, Mage, Warlock or Shaman.
- Night Elf Priests have Starshards and Elune's Grace. Fear Ward is available to every Priest.
- Nature Resistance is not a Night Elf racial in Forever.
- Language: Darnassian.
Updated . Forever is in beta: racials can change with any patch. All races