What should WoW’s next Allied Race be?

Obviously no one at Blizzard is silly enough to tell me which race they’re thinking about for their next Allied Race, so when speculating about what would be a good fit, there are quite a few variables to keep in mind. For starters, we don’t want to have an Allied Race that is too much like currently existing ones — so we probably don’t need any more Elves at this point, with the Nightborne and Void Elves already being options. Likewise, while I’ve always wanted Vrykul, with the Kul Tirans already in the game the niche for “bulkier humans” feels like it’s been filled. Still, I do have some ideas, some of which tie into Battle for Azeroth while others are more drawn from all over the World of Warcraft we’ve come to know and love.

So let’s get on with some picks for next Allied Race and who we think they should join up with.

Gorian Ogres

Where did we meet them? Alternate Draenor, although technically there were Gorian Ogres on our Draenor as well until the rise of the Old Horde meant the death of Imperator Mar’gok and the destruction of Highmaul. Meanwhile, the seeming destruction of the Alternate Draenor that brought the Mag’har Orcs to our world means that the Gorians of that world may have been wiped out… but it’s worth considering that Gorian Ogres had an advanced society that was both disciplined and skilled in the Arcane, and it could well be possible that a Gorian Archmage could have figured out how to portal off of that Draenor in time. For that matter, a pocket or two of Gorian society might even have managed to survive on Azeroth after the fall of the Old Horde.

What do they bring to the table? Physical strength and stature to rival any and all of the Horde’s membership, arcane skill on par with Humans and Elves, and a disciplined, orderly culture that hearkens back over a thousand years. Think Ancient Rome, but the Legions are eight feet tall.

What faction would they join? I’d say Alliance. They have a lot of animosity with the Horde, after all — the Gorians of either world suffered defeat and humiliation at the hands of their various Hordes, after all, and if we wanted the Horde to get Ogres they could do so without bringing in the Gorian ones. But the idea of a magically adept race of Ogres who are also extremely martial in aspect would be a nice way to have Ogres with a different flavor, and their pseudo-Roman culture is unlike anything currently in the Alliance.

Vulpera

Where did we meet them? Over on Zandalar, in the deserts of Vol’dun. There are a few living on Kul Tiras as pirates and they are a nomadic people, so there could be Vulpera all over Azeroth. Vulpera have proved themselves to be shrewd, good scavengers and resourceful during the Horde’s attempt to explore the region.

What do they bring to the table? Skill, cunning, determination. Vulpera have survived in a land blighted by the Aqir since before the Sundering, and have done so by learning how to be the ultimate scavengers, able to use resources others would ignore and find value in what others might consider trash. The Vulpera aren’t powerhouses, but they don’t know the meaning of the word “quit” either.

What faction would they join? Almost certainly Horde. The Alliance didn’t exactly make themselves look good on their first run-in with Vulpera, whereas the Horde had much better immediate relations with them. Plus, with literally everyone speculating that the Alliance is going to get either Mechagnomes or Junker Gnomes the Vulpera would be a cute race to add to the Horde to balance them out.

Furbolg

Where did we meet them? We first ran across Furbolg in Warcraft 3, when they were allied units to the Night Elves. They live in various parts of Kalimdor such as Ashenvale and Darkshore, as well as Felwood and Winterspring, and on both Northrend and the Broken Isles.

What do they bring to the table? Well, they’re giant bear people. That’s pretty cool. Plus, unlike the Pandaren, they’re much less the laid back, food and fun types and much more the strong, silent, back to nature types… unless we’re talking the fel corrupted ones, those guys are just monsters of rage.

What faction would they join? While the Furbolg have reason to distrust both factions, they have cultural ties with the Night Elves going back thousands of years, and the Horde has been doing things like putting them in prison camps and attempting to force them into laboring for them as well as marching through their homes setting them on fire, so I’d be willing to bet the Furbolg would be more interested in joining up with the Alliance right now. Their inclusion would be a good way to work in the consequences for the Horde’s actions in Kalimdor.

Ethereals

Where did we meet them? All the way back in the days of The Burning Crusade on Outland, but they’ve been popping up time and again in every expansion since and we saw hints of an expanded role for them in Legion, with Locus Walker and the Shadowguard beefing up the Ethereal presence. With the Old Gods and their Void Lord masters making  moves, the Ethereals would be a good option for anyone who sought to understand the Void, or learn how others fought it.

What do they bring to the table? The Ethereals lost their homeworld of K’aresh and their very bodies to the raw influx of Void and Arcane energies released by the void being Dimensius the All-Devouring. When it comes to magic, the void, or raw commerce, the Ethereals are good allies to have.

What faction would they join? They could join either, and it’s really hard to call. I might say Horde, but I doubt the Goblins would love to have them. Goblins aren’t going to like a group that’s even better at being greedy, manipulative and ruthless traders than they are. But the Alliance has no real reason to trust the Ethereals either — after all, the Ethereum has become almost as grim and sinister as their enemies in the Void, and the Shadowguard were literally on Argus opening portals to the Void to help bring about the destruction of the world. Your guess is as good as mine, really.

What else is there?

There are always more options, but these four feel either likely or fun to me, so I ran with them. But I’m sure you’re already saying What about the Naga or Dark Trolls, where are my Dark Trolls or even What, no Tol’vir?  [Ed’s note: Murlocs?]

To all of these possibilities and more, I say to you, the comment section awaits you.