World Of Warcraft: Best Races For Hunters

Summary

• Highmountain Tauren is best suited for Hunters due to Bull Rush and Mountaineering abilities.
• Forsaken, with skills like Will of the Forsaken, are ideal for Hunter roles in World of Warcraft.
• Dark Iron Dwarf’s Fire Blood ability aids Hunters by removing debuffs and increasing stats.

World of Warcraft continues to be a popular choice among gamers when it comes to both MMOs and RPGs. There are many roles for various classes, depending on the talent and gear, as is the RPG tradition, but few are as beloved or long-standing as the Hunter. This is one of the game’s most popular DPS classes and has been part of the game since the beginning.

In a specialist position, which is some form of ranged or melee DPS, Hunters get a lot of fun points for their character. However, some races in World of Warcraft are better suited to this position than others. While choices between races are usually minor, they can still make a big difference in building a new character for either a beginner or a veteran looking for a new type of challenge and story.

Updated December 14, 2024, by Kristy Ambrose: World of Warcraft has been going strong for two decades, and during that time more roles and races continue the marvelous lore built around the game. Current anniversary celebrations include special gear and events in every version available, from Classic to retail. Classes like the Hunter have many different options when it comes to builds and gear, and since Hunters can wear and use virtually anything, each race has different strengths and weaknesses associated with taking on the role.

1 Highmountain Tauren

How To Unlock: Speak To Baine Bloodhoof in the Orgrimmar Embassy

• Abilities: Bull Rush racial ability for closing on enemies, great look and lore as Hunters

Another race that has both the abilities and the feel of being a hunter race, the Highmountain Tauren are a nomadic people who are huge and imposing in any kind of armor. They look great as hunters, the lore and their world-building suits the role perfectly, and players love starting with the classic eagle pet they get.

Additionally, the Bull Rush racial ability is one of the best tools in all of World of Warcraft for quickly closing on enemies, which can be a big bonus for hunters. The Mountaineering passive ability also increases their versatility, which is a huge help for hunters, who need to be skilled in many different areas.

2 Forsaken

How To Unlock: One Of The Original Classic Races

• Abilities: Will of the Forsaken breaks mind control effects, Cannibalize means more bag space and faster levelling

The Forsaken, colloquially known as the Undead, have been one of the core races of Warcraft since the RTS games and were one of the eight choices introduced with the game’s debut in 2004. Their leader is a Ranger, which is essentially a Hunter, but the class wasn’t open to this race until the Cataclysm expansion.

The race has other natural abilities related to their living-impaired status, like Unending Breath and an increase in resistance to Shadow Damage, which are equally useful for leveling as they are with endgame content. They’ve always had the overpowered buffs of Will of the Forsaken, and when this is combined with unique Hunter Traits like Feign Death, Hunters have battle plans and escape routes that other classes don’t even consider.

3 Dark Iron Dwarf

How To Unlock: Speak to Moira Bronzebeard In The Stormwind Embassy

• Ability Scores: Can remove poisons and debuffs automatically with Fire Blood to stay in fights for longer when needed

A race of Dwarves who are different in several ways, the Dark Iron Dwarves come with the racial trait Fire Blood, which takes away bleeds, poisons, and magical debuffs. It also increases the player’s primary stat by an amount dependent on the number of debuffs it has cured. This is a major help that increases the capabilities of any class but is particularly important for hunters to keep them in the fight as long as possible.

Debuffs are a huge danger, particularly in the case of hunters, who are vulnerable characters if enemies start to focus their attention on them for a longer period. But Fire Blood can also be used before a series of attacks to give the player the chance to do maximum damage to their opponents, which can be hugely important for hunters and the way they deal damage.

4 Mag’har Orc

How To Unlock: Speak To Eitrigg in the Orgrimmar Embassy

• Ability Scores: Ancestral Call, Open Skies, Sympathetic Vigor, Savage Blood

These are the Orcs that were uncorrupted by the demon blood and lived in the relative peace of Outland until the Burning Legion rose again. The Mag’har Orcs are one of the Allied races, which means that a player has to finish a questline to gain their friendship. That journey begins at the Orgrimmar Embassy.

Sympathetic Vigor is a passive ability that increases the health of the character’s pet, and it’s one of the few class-specific racial buffs. Ancestral Call lets the player call upon the power of their ancestors. Open Skies gives the Mag’har Orc and their mount better speed, and Savage Blood lessens that damage caused by poison, diseases, or curses.

5 Dwarf

How To Unlock: One Of The Original Classic Races

• Abilities: Boosted critical hit damage, Stone Flesh keeps them in fights longer

The Dwarves make for great hunters for a number of reasons. The main focus for any hunter’s damage is on hitting critical strikes, and the Dwarven passive Might of the Mountain boosts critical hit damage, which is a huge deal for hunter builds in World of Warcraft. They additionally have a great amount of lore and history in Azeroth that makes them a great choice for a new character.

Besides all of that, Dwarven Hunters have other advantages in their abilities that help them like Stone flesh, which removes poisons and other negative effects that can take a hunter out of combat for a period of time. Removing these is hugely valuable for any combatant who can’t afford to leave the fight in a hurry.

6 Worgen

How To Unlock: Introduced In The Cataclysm Expansion

• Abilities: Use Darkflight to close gaps quickly, Leatherworkers can skin prey faster

The Worgen are a fascinating race in World of Warcraft. Appearing similar to werewolves that walk upright, these creatures have great lore behind them, and their appearance would make them perfect for becoming hunters. Additionally, they come with some of the best perks and abilities for hunting work in the game.

The Worgen have a racial ability called Darkflight, which gives a huge 40% buff to movement speed for ten seconds. This makes it incredibly hard for prey to escape a hunter, or for enemies to keep up when a hunter has to back away from a dangerous situation. Additionally, Worgen can skin prey faster and have higher chances for critical hits due to their abilities.

7 Troll

How To Unlock: One Of The Original Classic Races

• Abilities: Da Voodoo Shuffle which increases dodge chance, Berserking can increase haste

The Troll faction is another Horde one that has a long history in Azeroth. They make for great hunters because kiting is hugely important to this class. They need to always be ready to move quickly, particularly in a PvP situation, as it can be a complete death sentence if a hunter is trapped and unable to move away at speed.

So, the Da Voodoo Shuffle ability of Trolls becomes worth its weight in gold for hunters, reducing the duration of effects that can hold them back. Trolls also have Berserking, which boosts haste and gives players the perfect chance to get more combinations off before they need to back away further. Hunters are generally more useful at the ranged attack format, so getting more attacks off quickly before enemies can close is vital.

8 Gnome

How To Unlock: One Of The Original Classic Races

• Abilities: Arcane Resistance, Engineering Specialization, Escape Artist, Expansive Mind, Nimble Fingers

Gnomes used to be the Alliance race for magic users, often appearing in the game as Mages and Warlocks, but they’ve evolved in recent years and can now rain down the DPS as Hunters too. Escape Artist is one of the best racial buffs in the game, allowing Gnomes to escape from tarps and other movement-impairing effects. It’s been in the game since the very beginning, and it’s handy for any class.

Engineering is a great profession choice for a Hunter, and Gnomes have a buff thanks to Engineering Specialization. Expansive Mind gives them better character stats overall and Nimble Fingers gives them improved Haste for better DPS.

9 Orc

How To Unlock: One Of The Original Classic Races

• Abilities: Hardiness reduces any stuns, Command increases pet DPS

The Orcs are one of the major factions in World of Warcraft, the origins of the Alliance and Horde factions being based on the long-standing conflict between Humans and Orcs. Being heavy-set and bulky, the Orcs are a race built for war and combat, and they are excellent at taking on roles like that of the Hunter.

This is due to their racial traits like Hardiness, which is excellent for PvP due to it reducing stuns that have been set on the player. Orcs have generally strong stats for Hunting builds, but their ability to avoid taking long stuns is a vital one to keeping them in the fight and dealing as much damage as possible.

10 Night Elves

How To Unlock: One Of The Original Classic Races

• Abilities: Shadowmeld allows the player to disappear, Touch of Elune grants extra Haste and Critical Strike, extra resistance to Nature damage

They call themselves the Kaldorei, and they’re so old that they might be the only indigenous race in Azeroth, other than the Trolls. They rejected arcane magic, which explains why there were no Mages or Warlocks among the Night Elves until later expansions, but they have a history of being the game’s most notorious Hunters.

One advantage that Night Elves have that others do not is the exclusive leveling area of Teldrassil, where players can find the Stygian Owl, one of the game’s best pets, along with several cat variations with the usual buffs to speed and melee damage.

11 Human

How To Unlock: One Of The Original Classic Races

• Abilities: Will To Survive removes stun effects, The Human Spirit doubles stat increases

One of the easiest pieces of advice to give in World of Warcraft is to start by playing as a human. For beginners, but also a refreshing take for veterans, the human race has not only got some of the best lands and lore in Azeroth, but they have some traits that make them an appealing, or at least fairly reasonable, option when choosing the best races for any class.

Humans have the active trait Will To Survive which allows them to get out of being stunned. Any moment being taken out of the battle in this fashion is a huge negative and humans can actively escape it and stay in the fight. They also have the passive trait The Human Spirit, which boosts all of their character’s secondary stats. Both of these traits are great reasons to build a human character when looking at Hunters.

12 Blood Elf

How To Unlock: Introduced In The Burning Crusade

• Abilities: Arcane Acuity increases critical strike chance, Arcane Torrent purges beneficial effects from enemies, increased Arcane resistance

Blood Elves also make for great hunters. On the Horde side, they are surely one of the best races in this role. Blood Elves have notable effects, particularly for PvP as hunters, so any players who think their character is likely to encounter a lot of other players may want to consider this a great option for their new character.

Blood Elves have the active racial trait Arcane Torrent, which removes positive effects from enemies in range, meaning they can loosen up characters as their friends are engaging in combat. Arcane Torrent also allows them to restore resources based on their class specialization, which is hugely helpful for any class.