The game features eight playable races, split between two factions: the Horde vs. Alliance.*
Alliance: Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves, Gnomes
Horde: Orcs, Tauren, Trolls, Undead
Is there a chance we might see Ogres, Blood Elves, Naga, Pandaren, Goblins, or High Elves?
World of Warcraft is an enormous universe filled with many different races. All of those named above can be seen in the game as NPCs, but at this time, we can't announce any plans for future player races. The eight races mentioned above are the only playable races in the game.
Why are the Undead allied with the Horde?
Led by the banshee-queen Sylvanas, the Forsaken are an Undead faction that split violently with the Scourge during the Third War. Knowing that no Human agency would ever give them shelter or aid against the Scourge, now their hated enemy, they turned to the savage Horde, based across the sea in the distant land of Kalimdor, for assistance. To convince the Horde to accept the Forsaken into its alliance, the Undead ambassadors claimed that they merely sought a cure for their degenerative condition, which they said only the powers of shamanism and the life-giving energies of the earth could provide. In exchange for this healing aid, the Forsaken vowed to support the Horde in all of its ventures throughout Lordaeron and Azeroth.
Having done battle with the Undead on many occasions, Orc warchief Thrall and Tauren chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof of the Horde were immediately suspicious of the Forsaken's motives. However, due to growing political tensions, the warriors acquiesced to a council of sages known as The Earthen Ring. The council argued that it was the Horde's duty to aid the Forsaken, who wrestled with inner demons just as the Orcs had for generations.
Though Thrall and Cairne secretly suspect the worst, it remains to be seen what Sylvanas and her fanatical Forsaken have planned....
What can you tell us about the Gnomes?
The eccentric, often-brilliant Gnomes, known throughout the world for their obsession with developing radical new technologies and constructing mind-bending marvels of engineering, served the alliance well during the Second War. However, during the recent invasion of the Burning Legion, the Gnomes refused to send any personnel to aid their allies. Though Gnomish designs helped turn the tide against the Legion, the Dwarves and Humans were shocked by the Gnomes' decision to withhold their courageous troops and pilots.
When the war ended, the Alliance discovered the reason behind the Gnomes' sudden withdrawal: an ancient, barbaric menace had emerged from the bowels of the earth and invaded the Gnomes' wondrous techno-city of Gnomeregan. Knowing that their allies' priority was defeating the Burning Legion, the Gnomes decided to make their stand alone. They fought valiantly, but Gnomeregan was lost, and nearly half of the Gnomish race was wiped out.
Those Gnomes who survived fled to the safety of the Dwarven stronghold Ironforge, where they recommitted themselves to the Alliance's cause and also to devising strategies and weapons that would help them retake their ravaged city and build a brighter future for their people.
Who are the Tauren?
The Tauren are a mighty race of nomadic tribesmen who live on the dusty plains of a faraway land. These noble, bull-like hunters have lived in harmony for countless generations and are threatened only by the periodic raids of marauding centaur herds.