WoW Forever Review: Zephras Isle and the New Skyborne Race

I have to say that Zephras Isle itself, the starting area for the new Skyborne race in World of Warcraft: Forever, is truly stunning from a visual and atmospheric perspective. Whether we're talking about the island's geography, its natural environment, the sound design, music, NPCs, or the enemies themselves, everything fits together really well. It's clear that a lot of care went into creating this location. However, the entire environment feels more like something I'd expect from modern retail World of Warcraft rather than its classic iteration.

We've summarized everything Forever brings to the table and how it differs from Retail and Classic in a separate article.

World of Warcraft: Forever is launching. What it brings and how it differs

WoW Forever expands the original Azeroth: over 1,000 quests, new zones, the Skyborne race, and level 60 forever. Comparison with Retail and Classic and plans for 2027. full article…

4. 11. 2026 Karel Krajča  8 min

Atmosphere and Music Like Grizzly Hills

I rate the musical side of things very highly. The instrumental tracks, ambient music, and overall sound design are simply beautiful and perfectly complement the atmosphere of the environment. The beginning of the island strongly reminds me of Grizzly Hills from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. The pine forests, snowy hills, ridges, and overall natural scenery evoke a very similar feeling. This is quite interesting, as Zephras Isle is supposed to be located in a different elemental plane, or dimension, than Azeroth itself. Yet, I don't feel like I'm in a completely alien world at all. On the contrary, it's as if I've found myself back in Grizzly Hills or a similar area I already know very well from Warcraft. And I definitely don't mean that as a criticism. This very atmosphere is one of the island's greatest strengths.

If you want to take a look at Grizzly Hills and other corners of Northrend outside of your screen, grab the book Exploring Azeroth: Northrend.

Leveling and Professions: Perhaps Too Efficient

I have a similarly positive impression of the gameplay and leveling itself. Zephras Isle is a very pleasant, well-designed, and above all, extremely efficient starting zone. This is especially true for gathering professions like Mining, Herbalism, and Skinning. I have a strong feeling that gathering resources and leveling these professions is significantly more efficient here than in traditional starting areas like Elwynn Forest or Tirisfal Glades.

And this is where we get to a problem that reminds me of the situation about twenty years ago when the first expansion, The Burning Crusade, was released. I remember how players complained back then about the differences between the original content and the new zones. Questing in the new areas was easier, faster, and more efficient in terms of gaining experience, with noticeable differences in the quality of quest rewards as well. I have a similar feeling about Zephras Isle. The new location simply feels more efficient in practically everything related to character progression. On one hand, it's very pleasant because it plays really well, but on the other, it raises questions about the balance of the new content against the original areas of classic World of Warcraft.

Story and Quests: Good Concept, Weaker Dialogue

As for the story and individual quests, my impressions are a bit more mixed. I think the overall story concept is very good, but the quality of specific quests and dialogue fluctuates significantly at times. Some quests remind me of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in their execution, and that's definitely not a positive thing. There are absolutely elementary errors in the script, catastrophic narrative flow, and dialogue that I don't think fits into the world of Warcraft at all. I am particularly bothered by the use of modern vocabulary and contemporary ways of speaking, which simply don't feel natural in the setting of classic fantasy Warcraft. At times, I feel as if some of the dialogue was written for a completely different game.

Why I Read Every Quest

Here, I think it's important to explain how I actually play World of Warcraft. I am one of those players who reads all the quests. I'm not the type of player who walks up to an NPC, accepts a task, looks at the map, moves to the designated spot, completes the objective, turns in the quest, and moves on without paying any attention to the content. Quite the opposite. I am genuinely interested in the story. I care about who the individual characters are, what their motivations are, what they say, how they behave, what their relationships are, and how they evolve over time. I'm interested in the context of events and how individual tasks contribute to building the world I'm moving through.

And that's exactly why I'm so critical of the writing quality. When you actually read the dialogue, follow the story threads, and pay attention to character personalities, you perceive the moments when something doesn't work much more intensely. Whether it's unnatural phrasing, illogical character behavior, weak dialogue, or a disrupted narrative flow. For me, a quest isn't just a mechanical tool for gaining experience and rewards. It's also one of the fundamental ways World of Warcraft tells its story. And that's why I truly care about the quality of its execution.

Alliance or Horde Right from the Start

That doesn't mean the story itself doesn't work. Quite the opposite. I consider the core conflict around which the initial Skyborne experience revolves to be a very good way to integrate a new race into the world of Warcraft.

It's interesting that although the Skyborne present themselves as a neutral race, the player never actually plays as a neutral Skyborne. When creating a character, you must choose whether you belong to the Alliance or the Horde. This represents a significant difference from the Pandaren in retail World of Warcraft, where the player starts as a member of a neutral race and only decides which of the two main factions to join at the end of the introductory storyline. The homeland of the Pandaren is explored in the book Exploring Azeroth: Pandaria.

In the case of the Skyborne, it's different. Right from the start, we become members of one of two opposing groups. The High Order is aligned with the Alliance, while the Windshapers belong to the Horde. These factions have been in conflict from the very beginning, much like the Alliance and Horde on Azeroth. And I have to say, this concept simply works. Despite all my reservations about the very existence of the Skyborne, their origin, and the way they were added to the game, I consider this solution very well executed. The overall progression of the conflict, the gradual revelation of events, and the way the individual parts of the main storyline connect to each other feel very natural. It's important to distinguish the quality of individual dialogue and quests from the overall story concept. While I have significant reservations about the former at times, the latter is, in my opinion, handled excellently.

Skyborne: The Most Controversial Part of Forever

And this brings me to the Skyborne race itself, which is probably the most controversial aspect of Forever for me.

I'll repeat something that has been said countless times. The Skyborne are a completely new, invented race that, in my opinion, doesn't fit into the environment of classic World of Warcraft at all. I don't understand why Blizzard has such a huge problem giving players what they have been asking for for a long time. Many players, for example, would welcome classic High Elves as a playable Alliance race and Darkfallen, i.e., undead elves, as a playable Horde race. In the latter case, we are talking about a concept that already exists in the world of Warcraft, for example in the form of Sylvanas Windrunner and her Dark Rangers. These are characters and groups that have a firm place in the history, culture, and story of Warcraft. Instead of utilizing this existing potential, we get a completely new race whose presence in the classic game world feels unnatural to me.

You can read Sylvanas's story in the novel World of Warcraft: Sylvanas. We analyze how Blizzard handled the Forsaken in the Warcraft III campaign in our Forsaken Kingdom review.

Warcraft 3 Forsaken Kingdom: Warcraft abandoned, Blizzard betrayed

Forsaken Kingdom review: a new Warcraft III campaign from BlizzCon with no base building, just RPG, and forced online connection. Is it worth buying? full article…

2. 10. 2026 Fenrys  7 min

Smurfs That Can Remind You of a High Elf

But to avoid just criticizing, I must also admit that the aesthetic design of the Skyborne is very well done. The so-called "Smurfs" actually look good. Their characteristic blue skin color in combination with white tattoos creates a very pleasant and visually interesting design. I also really appreciate the character customization options, especially the ability to choose a more natural, beige or pale skin tone and blue eyes. Thanks to this, I can create a character that visually resembles a classic High Elf from Warcraft III. And that is a big plus for me personally.

At the same time, however, it is remarkable that I cannot create a Blood Elf in a similar way. I miss the options to choose tanner skin tones in combination with green or yellow eyes, which I associate with Blood Elves, or Sun Elves in the retail version of the game. It is a bit paradoxical that the game offers relatively interesting visual customization options for a completely new race, but at the same time does not allow you to fully imitate the appearance of some iconic elven groups that already exist in Warcraft.

Why the Skyborne Cannot Be a Priest or Paladin

And here I get to another thing that bothers me a lot personally. I emphasize that this is my purely subjective opinion, but I don't understand the choice of available classes for the Skyborne.

Not only can we still not have classic High Elves as a playable Alliance race, but the new Skyborne cannot even be Priests or Paladins. If Blizzard doesn't want to let me play a real High Elf, they could at least have given me the option to create a visual substitute. A Skyborne with pale skin, blue eyes, and an appearance reminiscent of the classic High Elves from Warcraft III would have been a perfectly acceptable compromise for me.

I could have played a healer or a warrior hailing from Quel'Thalas, a character who would fit into the classic world of Warcraft with their appearance, profession, and character. I'm not asking for anything revolutionary. I just want the option to play a classic elven archetype that has a long tradition in the world of Warcraft. The visual options for creating such a character are largely available, but the limitation of available classes unnecessarily makes the whole concept impossible. And so I return to the same question again. Why does Blizzard have such a problem giving players what they want?

Verdict: I'm Having Fun. I'm Really Having Fun.

But when I step back from this criticism and return to the gameplay itself, I have to say that I am enjoying my character. And this brings me to my overall assessment of Zephras Isle and the initial experience with the Skyborne race.

I'm having fun. I'm really having fun.

Despite all the reservations and doubts I've mentioned so far, it's a very pleasant gaming experience. The island is beautiful, the music is wonderful, the atmosphere works, leveling is fun, and overall I have a very good feeling about playing. Although I have serious reservations about some of the dialogue, individual quests, and the concept of the new race itself, I cannot deny that Zephras Isle is a very well-crafted starting area where I am honestly enjoying the game.

The question remains, however, to what extent this new race and its story will fit into World of Warcraft itself. I can't judge that yet, and it will probably only become clear later, when I leave the starting area and start discovering the rest of the world with a new character. The integration of the Skyborne into the original Azeroth will, in my opinion, be one of the most important tests of the entire concept.

At the same time, however, I must return to my biggest reservation once more. I would much rather Blizzard had used something that already exists in the world of Warcraft instead of inventing a completely new race. Something that has a firm place in its history, story, and identity. And above all, something that players have been asking for for a long time.

Whether we are talking about classic High Elves for the Alliance or Darkfallen for the Horde, these are concepts that have their natural place in the world of Warcraft. And that is probably why I will never fully understand why it is so difficult to give players something they have been longing for for years. Why is it necessary to constantly come up with completely new races when existing options and their potential remain unused? Who wanted to play as Void Elves?

I don't want this criticism to overshadow what was done well on Zephras Isle. It is a beautiful, atmospheric, and very pleasantly playable location that managed to capture my interest despite all its shortcomings. And in the end, that is very important to me as a player.

I just keep asking myself why we couldn't have simply gotten High Elves instead of all this.

Why is it such a problem, Blizzard?

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