Blizzard explains WoW: Forever's Skyborne race as a faction balance fix

Blizzard defended the controversial Skyborne elf race in World of Warcraft: Forever, saying dual-faction access prevents the population swing seen when Blood Elves arrived in The Burning Crusade, which shifted the balance by almost 40%. The race is paywalled behind a $30 add-on and comes with the Zephras Isle starter zone.

• Skyborne is WoW's first elf race available to both Alliance and Horde
• Blizzard: Blood Elves shifted the 60/40 split by almost 40% toward Horde
• The race costs $30 and its Zephras Isle starter zone takes 4-6 hours
• Blizzard chose a second leveling zone, Riverglades, over a second starter zone