WoW Allied Races Guide

Allied races in World of Warcraft represent a notable Battle for Azeroth innovation. Following its introduction, players could make adventurers belonging to ten newly-implemented sub-groups, rather than just the thirteen older choices. Although relatively minor, those races all come with initial zones, traits, customization potential, and so on. Every one of these options needs to be unlocked by playing through its individual questline before it may be used on an account. To assist in planning ahead, this guide provides an overview of these new possibilities, specific choices, and all perks such characters may possess.

What Players Get With An Allied Race

The majority of allied races could be described as off-shoots from certain basic groups. The vulpera constitute the sole arguable exception, as the crafty fox people only share an animation skeleton with goblins while otherwise being really different. However, none of those groups should be dismissed as mere reskins. They are true races with a comprehensive set of racial features, which include:

• A distinctive appearance with extensive appearance customization options on par with all other characters;
• A full set of special emotes, including funny and flirt lines;
• Affiliation with either the Horde or the Alliance (neutral groups may appear later, but have not been implemented yet);
• An available class selection, which does not necessarily match the eligible classes of their kindred societies;
• Several racial traits or powers. Although generally minor, they can still have a noticeable gameplay impact;
• A distinctive initial Hunter companion (wholly unprecedented in some cases);
• A set of cosmetic Heritage Armor, suitable for transmogrification by characters with the appropriate racial option;
• A special and similarly exclusive tabard;
• A mount which, contrarily, may be used by any adventurers in an account  once unlocked.

All adventurers using those options enter the game at level 10 in initial zones of their own, rather than going through the standard experience. They also begin play enjoying a high reputation (Friendly or Honored) among one associated faction.

How Those Races Are Unlocked

Every new option possesses individual unlock requirements. Nevertheless, they share one basic structure:

• Complete a specified achievement (sometimes two). That may be carried out with adventurers of any backgrounds, including ones that belong to a hostile alliance (although not all required quests would be available to both alliances);
• Advance your adventurer to level 45 or 50;
• Play through a recruitment storyline that begins after talking to the sought-for group’s representative in the Embassy at Stromwind or Orgrimmar. Currently, it is only possible to play through each storyline once per account;
• Collect your rewards: a new tabard, exclusive mount, and capability to generate an adventurer belonging to your newly-unlocked group.

In earlier iterations of this feature, adventurers also had to attain an Exalted status with a Battle for Azeroth faction closely connected to those wanted allies before they could embark upon their questline. That requirement no longer applies.

Getting Allied Race Heritage Armor

To obtain the transmoggable Heritage Armor sets belonging to those groups, you must level up an adventurer of the appropriate race to 50. However, this may only be achieved through normal gameplay. Official paid services, like ones to change your faction or race or skip past levels, will make your character ineligible to collect that reward, though you may still start again with another. Deploying the Recruit-A-Friend bonus would invalidate your progress as well. An example: to claim the Dark Iron Dwarf Heritage Armor set, the user must actually play as a member of their society for fifty levels and not take any shortcuts.​​​​​​​

Meet The Allied Races

At the time when this article was written, users could step into the shoes of ten such groups, with an equal number in both big picture coalitions. Two more groupings have expanded the roster after the feature’s first appearance. The remainder had been available straight away to users who fulfilled the prerequisites below. The development team apparently intends to implement still more such choices in future updates, but no further details regarding such additions have been disclosed thus far.

Void Elves

Alignment: Alliance

Prerequisites: You Are Now Prepared!

Recruitment First Step: The Ghostlands (Level 45)

Connected Reputation: Argussian Reach

Character Starting Zone: Telogrus Rift

Exclusive Mount: Starcursed Voidstrider

Starting Hunter Pet: Warp Stalker

Racial Traits:

• Chill of Night: Decreases all Shadow damage received by 1%;
• Entropic Embrace: Ability use has a 33% likelihood to proc Void empowerment, giving a 5% bonus to all damage and healing as a Shadowfrost effect;
• Ethereal Connection: Decreases the price for Void Storage and Transmogrification by half;
• Preternatural Calm: Receiving harm cannot interrupt casting spells;
• Spatial Rift: Deploy a portal that may be utilized in blink-style teleportation.

Lightforged Draenei

Alignment: Alliance

Prerequisites: You Are Now Prepared!

Recruitment First Step: The Lightforged (Level 45)

Connected Reputation: Army of the Light

Character Starting Zone: The Vindicaar

Exclusive Mount: Lightforged Felcrusher

Starting Hunter Pet: Argussian talbuk

Racial Traits:

• Light’s Judgement: Carry out a Light-based attack, causing (Attack power * 6.25) Holy damage to hostile targets inside a five-yard radius once three seconds have elapsed;
• Forge of Light: Summon a Forge of Light, permitting the use of Blacksmithing. Blacksmithing skill is raised by ten;
• Demonbane: all Experience rewards from slaying demonic opponents are 20% greater;
• Light’s Reckoning: On dying, explode to distribute 465816 Holy damage between hostile targets within 8 yards while healing allies for 465816;
• Holy Resistance: All Holy harm received by this adventurer is 1% smaller.

Dark Iron Dwarves

Alignment: Alliance

Prerequisites: Ready for War

Recruitment First Step: Blackrock Depths (Level 50)

Connected Reputation: 7th Legion

Character Starting Zone: Shadowforge City

Exclusive Mount: Dark Iron Core Hound

Starting Hunter Pet: Dog (darkhound)

Racial Traits:

• Dungeon Delver: Walk 4% more quickly within indoor areas;
• Fireblood: Clears active poison, disease, curse, magic, and bleed debuffs while raising your primary statistic by 100 per every such effect for eight seconds;
• Forged in Flames: All Physical harm received by the adventurer is 1% less;
• Mass Production: Creating  items with Blacksmithing takes half the usual time;
• Mole Machine: Summon subterranean transport when outside to let you use a shortcut to certain sites.

Kul Tiran Humans

Alignment: Alliance

Prerequisites: A Nation United; Tides of Vengeance (requires the completion of the Tides of Vengeance Campaign)

Recruitment First Step: Made in Kul Tiras (Level 50)

Connected Reputation: Proudmoore Admiralty

Character Starting Zone: Boralus

Exclusive Mount: Kul Tiran Charger

Starting Hunter Pet: Bird of prey (falcon)

Racial Traits:

• Brush It Off: Enhance Versatility by 1%. Whenever you suffer harm, recover 2% of its value over four seconds;
• Child of the Sea: While swimming, move 10% more quickly and keep breathing underwater for 50% more;
• Haymaker: After a second’s preparation, hit a target for 75% attack or spell power plus versatility, knocking the target back with a three-second stun;
• Jack of All Trades: Level up every profession by 5;
• Rime of the Ancient Mariner: All Frost and Nature harm received by this adventurer is 1% less.

Mechagnomes

Alignment: Alliance

Prerequisites: The Mechagonian Threat (you must enter Mechagon by playing through an introductory storyline before you could go for it)

Recruitment First Step: Urgent Care or Waning Energy (Level 50)

Connected Reputation: Rustbolt Resistance

Character Starting Zone: Mechagon City

Exclusive Mount: Mechagon Mechanostrider

Starting Hunter Pet: Mechanical wolf

Racial Traits:

• Combat Analysis: For every five seconds in combat, gain primary stat bonuses (with up to ten stacks). The bonuses decay when not fighting;
• Hyper Organic Light Originator: Create two decoy holograms with a tenth of your health for about 15 seconds. They will auto-target enemies, lowering threat but dealing very little damage;
• Mastercraft: Allow the adventurer to operate as a basic tool or crafting site for every profession (other tools may still be useful for bonuses, but are no longer necessary);
• Emergency Failsafe: Whenever the adventurer’s health drops below one-fifth, recover 15% health;
• Skeleton Pinkie: Can pick locks like a Rogue, opening chests and doors up to your character level * 5.

Nightborne

Alignment: Horde

Prerequisites: Insurrection

Recruitment First Step: Thalyssra's Estate (Level 45)

Connected Reputation: The Nightfallen

Character Starting Zone: Suramar City

Exclusive Mount: Nightborne Manasaber

Starting Hunter Pet: Cat

Racial Traits:

• Ancient History: The Inscription profession skill is greater by 15;
• Arcane Affinity: All magic harm the adventurer causes is enhanced by 1%;
• Cantrips: Obtain access to your mail in the field for 1.5 minutes by summoning a magic book;
• Arcane Pulse: Strike and snare foes in a small radius, dealing (Attack power * 2) Arcane harm and cutting target moving speeds in half for a dozen seconds;
• Magical Resistance: All Arcane damage received by the adventurer is 1% less.

Highmountain Tauren

Alignment: Horde

Prerequisites: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Recruitment First Step: A Feast for Our Kin (Level 45)

Connected Reputation: Highmountain Tribe

Character Starting Zone: Thunder Totem

Exclusive Mount: Highmountain Thunderhoof

Starting Hunter Pet: Bird of prey (Great Eagle)

Racial Traits:

• Bull Rush: Charge in a line for a second, knocking down foes in your way for 1.5 seconds;
• Pride of Ironhorn: Mining profession skill is greater by 15 and using it requires less time (effect does not stack with similar ones at present);
• Mountaineer: Enhance Versatility by 1%;
• Rugged Tenacity: All harm suffered by this adventurer is reduced by their Stamina * 0.0003 * 60;
• Waste Not, Want Not: There is a chance of acquiring more meat or fish items from appropriate sources.

Mag’har Orcs

Alignment: Horde

Prerequisites: Ready for War

Recruitment First Step: Vision of Time (Level 50)

Connected Reputation: The Mag’har

Character Starting Zone: Valley of Honor, Orgrimmar

Exclusive Mount: Mag’har Direwolf

Starting Hunter Pet: Wolf

Racial Traits:

• Ancestral Call: Randomly increase Mastery, Versatility, Haste, or Critical Strike by 102 for a dozen seconds as you invoke a blessing from your ancestors;
• Open Skies: Movement speed while mounted is 10% greater;
• Savage Blood: Poison, disease, and curse effects linger for 10% less on this adventurer;
• Sympathetic Vigor: Pets are 10% healthier.

Zandalori Trolls

Alignment: Horde

Prerequisites: Zandalar Forever; Tides of Vengeance (requires the completion of the Tides of Vengeance Campaign)

Recruitment First Step: A Royal Occasion (Level 50)

Connected Reputation: Zandalari Empire

Character Starting Zone: Dazar’alor

Exclusive Mount: Zandalari Direhorn

Starting Hunter Pet: Direhorn

Racial Traits:

• City of Gold: All Gold farmed from enemies is increased by 2%;
• Embrace of the Loa: Worship at Loa shrines found around Dazar’alor and gain a temporary power that depends on that site’s Loa. There is a 5-day cooldown before you can switch again;
• Pterrordax Swoop: Summon a Pterrordax to safely maneuver you towards the surface while falling, slowing fall velocity for two minutes;
• Regeneratin': Restore up to your full hit points over six seconds (damage can interrupt this effort).

Vulpera

Alignment: Horde

Prerequisites: Secrets in the Sands

Recruitment First Step: Guests at Grommash Hold (Level 50)

Connected Reputation: Voldunai

Character Starting Zone: Valley of Honor, Orgrimmar

Exclusive Mount: Caravan Hyena

Starting Hunter Pet: Snake

Racial Traits:

• Alpaca Saddlebags: Your backpack can contain eight more items;
• Bag of Tricks: Deploy a readied trick to either harm an enemy or restore health for an ally. There are several possible tricks, with two available from the start and more obtained by beating certain bosses;
• Rummage Your Bag: Rotate the tricks that you can use;
• Fire Resistance: All Fire damage received by the adventurer is less by 1%;
• Make Camp: Set up a camp location in any outdoor environment. It functions as a rest area and can be used for cooking or storage;
• Return to Camp: Teleport back to the site where you last used the preceding ability;
• Nose For Trouble: Damage from an enemy’s first attack is less by 5% of the adventurer’s full health.

For classes available to adventurers from those backgrounds, check out the tables here. If you need help leveling up your character quickly, you might want to check out our WoW Level Boost category.