With World of Warcraft: Classic now available, players are examining the various options they have for races now in the game, and Dwarves are a strong choice for those who like to min/max their builds, or for those who simply enjoy their lore. Like all races, there is a certain amount of lore that one may enjoy having as part of their character's backstory, while others may enjoy having access to a specific type of mount, racial abilities, and of course, access to a specific class.
Lore
The Dwarves are strong, proud, and formidable humanoids who live beneath the snow-capped mountains of Khaz Modan, in their impressive city of Iron Forge. Dwarves and Humans have often been quick to ally when the need arises, and are quick to offer a pint of ale. As we learn later on in WoW lore, the Titans appear to have had a hand in the creation of what we now know as Dwarves, previously stone-forged but now cursed with the flesh. Ongoing discoveries of their origin spur them to search the world over for more information as to their enchanted heritage. This is why we may often stumble upon Dwarves as Prospectors in excavation sites around the map.
There are three main clans of Dwarves that we see in World of Warcraft: Classic: the Bronzebeards, Wildhammers, and Dark Irons. The Bronzebeards are primarily interested in archaeology, forming the Explorer's Guild to explore and discover more about their past. The Wildhammer Clan values close ties to nature, studying shamanism and are the caretakers of the gryphons used to taxi players all over Azeroth. The Dark Iron clan resides in Blackrock Mountain, in which Moira Thaurissan serves as queen, estranged from her father Magni Bronzebeard.
Racials
Although all classes have their perks when it comes to passive and active abilities, Dwarves have some of the best.
- Find Treasure — This ability can be used to scan for nearby treasure on the minimap, and functions similar to Find Herbs, or other Hunter tracking skills on the minimap.
- Frost Resistance — Frost Resistance increased by 10.
- Gun Specialization — Skill with Guns increased by 5.
- Stoneform — When used, this ability grants immunity to Bleed, Poison, and Disease effects, as well as 10% additional armor for its duration. This lasts 8 seconds and has a 3-minute cooldown, and overall is a fantastic tool for survival in both PvP and PvE.
Find Treasure is an outstanding racial ability, especially early in the release of the game when everyone is on level footing and gear is scarce. The racial is activated in the same way that both Herbalism and Mining are, and the result is that if there is any treasure in your detection range, a similar looking golden dot will be placed on the mini-map, often for treasure chests.
Stoneform is another great racial ability, providing a cleanse from level one, and also an armor buff for tanks. It removes deep wound, rend, viper sting, crippling poison, and blind. A Dwarf Rogue can be in the thick of combat, use Stoneform, and easily restealth. A Dwarf Paladin or Priest can prevent themselves from being mana drained, and breaking a blind is always going to be fantastic against Rogues in PvP.
Available Classes
In World of Warcraft: Classic, the selection of races per class is more limited. Here, Humans can select the following classes, with some benefits afforded to them with the points from above:
- Hunter — A Dwarf Hunter is be a solid PvP choice thanks to Stoneform, and they also benefit from their Gun specialization both there and in PvP. Early on it may appear as though guns are not as common as bows, but later on this is not an issue.
- Paladin — Dwarven Paladins are less effective than Humans, as they have both Sword and Mace specializations, as well as the Human Spirit for mana regeneration.
- Priest — From the min/max perspective, Dwarves are the best race for both PvE and PvP within the Alliance. The Dwarf-specific Priest abilities are Desperate Prayer and Fear Ward, and combined with their racial abilities, are effective healers.
- Rogue — The idea of a stealthy dwarf Rogue seems silly, but it exists. In PvP, Dwarves are again a solid choice for Alliance Rogues thanks to Stoneform.
- Warrior — Again, Stoneform provides Dwarf Warriors with the benefits of a cleanse and increased armor, which can be solid when tanking an incoming damage spike. Cleansing away certain debuffs will always be popular with the party healer as well.
Racial Mount
Rams are the mounts provided solely to Dwarves, and they always look great. The six mounts that can be purchased are:
- Brown Ram — 80 gold, 72 with reputation discount
- Gray Ram — 80 gold, 72 with reputation discount
- White Ram — 80 gold, 72 with reputation discount
- Swift Brown Ram — 1000 gold, 900 with reputation discount
- Swift Gray Ram — 1000 gold, 900 with reputation discount
- Swift White Ram — 1000 gold, 900 with reputation discount
Thanks to their racial abilities, many classes benefit from being Dwarves, and their lore is often an enjoyable extra to have. Are you drunk in a raid? It could be a part of your character! Are you obsessed with treasure? That is also another character trait! Lean into whatever you enjoy, as it is hard to go wrong with the Dwarven race.