Speed = Overview = In World of Warcraft , speed usually refers to a couple of things : Weapon Speed . See attack speed and weapon speed . Movement Speed . Blizzard has been very careful to make movement speed an important element in World of Warcraft . Without any speed - modifying spells or abilities , no race has any advantage over any other in terms of speed . There are many items , spells , and abilities that modify a character ' s movement speed , and it is perhaps a testimony to Blizzard ' s attention to detail in regards to speed that their effect is so noticeable . Temporary effects that increase run speed include : Class abilities such as a Rogue ' s Sprint and a Druid ' s Dash ; item use effects such as or ; and consumables like . Sustained effects that increase movement speed include : Class abilities such as a Hunter ' s Aspect of the Cheetah and a Shaman ' s Ghost Wolf form ; passive item effects like ; and the Minor Speed boot enchantment . If you die and become a ghost ( or a wisp ) , you will also move more quickly than you did when alive until you resurrect ( although this speed does not stack with any other effects ) . Many abilities , known as ' snares ' decrease the movement speed of players temporarily . A standard ground mount increases character speed by 60 % , while an epic ground mount increases speed by 100 % . Effects that increase movement speed while on foot won ' t help while mounted ( although snares work on both mounted and non - mounted enemies ) . There are , however , effects to help you ride faster , such as the ever - popular trinket , that are installed onto boots , and the glove enchant Riding Skill . At levels 69 and 70 , the is the best single speed booster , granting + 10 % speed ( which does NOT stack with other items / enchants ) , however , it does not work above level 70 . These increase your movement speed when you ' re riding . Because of Wisp Spirit , Night Elves become Wisps when they die , meaning that they can return to their bodies more quickly than any other race and thus resurrect sooner . This effect is more pronounced the farther the Night Elf is from the graveyard when he / she dies , however , because the Wisp gets farther and farther ahead of the regular ghosts the longer the run is . The mathematics behind how movement speed effects stack with each other is debated , but appears to be actually quite simple . Most on - foot speed effects do stack with each other , and likewise mounted speed effects stack with each other as well . The highest rank of Sprint , for example , temporarily increases a Rogue ' s movement speed by 70 % ( that is , the Rogue is moving 170 % of the speed of an unmodified character ) . If this Rogue got the Minor Speed enchantment on his boots , which gives an 8 % speed bonus ( allowing the Rogue to run 108 % of the speed of an unmodified character when not Sprinting ) , he could then Sprint at 183 . 6 % of the speed of an unmodified character ( because 1 . 70 * 1 . 08 = 1 . 836 ) . If a Shaman were then to cast Frost Shock on the Rogue ( which temporarily slows movement by 50 % , among other things ) , she would then be able to either catch or run away from the Rogue , who would now be moving at 91 . 8 % the speed of an unmodified character ( because 1 . 836 * 0 . 50 = 0 . 918 ) . Most experiments seem to bear out the fact that movement speed effects stack by multiplying in this way . The Paladin spell Pursuit of Justice , however , does not stack with other movement speed increases ; this is explicitly stated in its tooltip . The fastest sustainable land speed possible in the game pre - BC seems to consist of an epic mount ( 100 % speed increase ) in conjunction with the ( 3 % mounted speed increase ) , Riding Skill enchant ( 2 % mounted speed increase ) , and ( 4 % mounted speed increase ) , for a total of 218 . 5 % of the speed of an unmodified character ( since 2 . 00 * 1 . 03 * 1 . 02 * 1 . 04 = 2 . 185248 ) . Shaman and Druid travel forms also exhibit this multiplicative stacking ; the 15 % increase they receive from the PvP - Rare set yielding a total SUSTAINED speed of 161 % . The fastest sustainable speed on foot , not in a travel form , might consist of a Hunter with a Runeblade and the Minor Speed enchant under the influence of Aspect of the Cheetah , which would lead to a total of 151 . 6 % . As for the fastest temporary speed , it is even less certain - - it ' s possible to apply multiple speed - increasing effects , of course , but each one is subject to the global cooldown , so it would only be possible to activate a certain number of them before the first ones wore off . Imagine a Rogue with the Runeblade and Minor Speed , wearing Gnomish / Goblin Rocket Boots , in a party with a Hunter using Aspect of the Pack , activating the , then Sprinting . However , some speed enhancing effects will not stack together , even when it is not explicitly stated that they don ' t . For example , and the Minor Speed Enchant are known not to stack , and the also does not stack with any other mounted speed enhancers . Sprint also overwrites the buff from Swiftness Potions , preventing both from being used together . Known Speeds . When walking is enabled ( vs . run ) , then all ground speeds are 2 . 5 yards per second ( 35 % ) , both mounted and unmounted . When moving backwards , the speed is always 4 . 5 yd . / s . ( 64 % ) , unless on the ground and walking ( 2 . 5 yd . / s . ) Macro to show current speed . You can use the following macro while in game to show your current speed . Another macro to show current speed . Here ' s another macro written a bit differently and with some added speed conversions .