World of Warcraft recently revealed its ninth expansion: Dragonflight, including a dragon-centric new area and a playable draconic race, the Drakthyr. The announcement included a handful of new and returning features, such as the dragonriding system and the re-introduction of class talent trees, but one newer Warcraft feature wasn't mentioned: the inclusion of new allied races.
Allied races were introduced around the start of Battle for Azeroth as a quicker way to add new playable races to the game outside of expansion launches. Ten new races were released over the course of the expansion, and while their reception has varied, they represent a huge amount of character customization introduced in a fairly short space of time. The last expansion, Shadowlands, didn't include any allied races at all, making this new expansion an ideal time to add some more. Blizzard has plenty of possible new additions to pick from. As proof, here are ten possibilities.
10 Naga
Playable Naga have been a popular request since the Burning Crusade, more than ever since allied races became possible. These snakelike fishfolk frequently appear as enemies in-game, descendants of cursed elves under the command of Lady Azshara.
Unlike many Warcraft antagonists, Azshara is still at large, so there is a potential storyline hook to give Naga a bigger role, possibly extending to an allied race. Of course, Naga tails would make certain gear options difficult to model, but Blizzard has ignored such restrictions before, as with Mechagnome limbs and the Drakthyr's reptilian form.
9 Tuskarr
A walrus-like people introduced in Wrath of the Lich King. The Dragonflight expansion has reintroduced them, and part of the reveal included a look at their new, higher-quality models, including male and female varieties, and racial mounts that look like large otters.
All of the other allied races include male and female forms and a racial mount, so for all of these to be included from the start suggests a Tuskarr allied race is already planned. They may be a pre-order bonus for the new expansion, as with Battle for Azeroth, which did something similar.
8 Gnoll
Gnolls have been common enemies since Warcraft first launched, stalking through forests and across plains, preying on new adventurers who pull too many at a time. Their antagonistic nature would normally make them an unlikely addition as an allied race, but Dragonflight may change that. Alongside the Tuskarr, Blizzard revealed new Gnoll models as well, and these are dramatically different from their original, scrawny appearance.
The previews demonstrate taller, more detailed Gnolls, with better proportions for wearing armor. If the new Tuskarr are intended to be an allied race, perhaps the Gnolls will accompany them: one for Alliance, and one for Horde.
7 Kyrian
The Kyrian are angelic stewards of the afterlife, added in Shadowlands. Their models would make for an easy allied race inclusion, since they're essentially just blue humans, and they do have a sort of connection to overall Warcraft lore in the form of spirit healers.
The difficulty justifying their addition comes from their role as duty-bound servants of order. Would such a people leave their shining cities to pledge themselves to the muddy mortal world? Perhaps some actually would: much of the Kyrian storyline revolves around several of them losing faith in their leadership. These might be Kyrian who would take up a life of adventure.
6 Venthyr
Another Shadowlands people, the Venthyr are vampire-like noblemen who put condemned souls through penance, extracting their sins as anima. Based on their depiction in Shadowlands, their hedonistic nature suggests they wouldn't have any problems abandoning their work to have fun in Azeroth, unlike the Kyrian.
A bigger issue is their vulnerability to harsh light: even if they only suffer from magical light, they would still have to be able to move around bright areas of Reventhal, which players can do but Venthyr cannot. Of course, all Blizzard would have to do is ignore that fact for a single zone, and no issues would remain.
5 Jinyu
Fish-like humanoids introduced in Mists of Pandaria. Early quest lines in that expansion revolve around recruiting the Jinyu into the Alliance, making them obvious candidates for an allied race.
Unlike their Horde counterparts, the Hozen, the Jinyu have fairly standard humanoid proportions, which is important for playable races. They haven't been relevant for a while, but they still fit the bill for a viable allied race.
4 Eredar
A demonic race, essentially the evil, red version of the Draenai. Adding an almost purely evil race to the playable roster might be a tough sell, but the Horde already includes several races who are credited for past atrocities.
In addition, the Legion was defeated utterly in the expansion of the same name. It's not completely outrageous to think that the demons who remain would be willing to seek independence in their own ways, if only in the form of fighting for the winning side.
3 Sethrak
The snake people of Vol'dun, introduced in Battle for Azeroth as old enemies of the Vulpera. Many acted as antagonists in that zone, but there was a friendly faction of Sethrak as well. With a vaguely humanoid model and a cool design, several players were asking for playable Sethrak before all the allied races of Battle for Azeroth were known.
Their expansion might be over, but the models are still good. Plus, the Vulpera's addition to the Horde suggests there may be a parallel spot in the Alliance for their old enemy.
2 Lightforged Undead
Less of an established Warcraft race and more of a possibility. In the current lore, one major Forsaken is Calia Menethil, an undead who was animated by holy light as opposed to the usual necromantic darkness. She seems to be poised to assume leadership of the current Forsaken, leaderless since their founder Sylvanas abandoned them.
Calia's undead existence, however, is completely different from that of player Forsaken, which canonically suffer extreme pain when in contact with the Light. This new type of undead could represent a new player race - one that can easily re-use existing models.
1 Titan-Forged
The cinematic reveal of Dragonflight centers on a Titanic watcher, who wakes after 10,000 years to reveal the Dragon Isles. The character became an immediate fan favorite without ever saying a word. Blizzard has the option to lean into the stone guardian's sudden popularity by adding player-sized statues as an allied race.
Constructs of the Titans have been seen throughout several expansions, usually as animated stone or metal statues, so the concept isn't new. It may be unlikely for the generally neutral Titan-forged to pledge to the Alliance or Horde, but based on how the plot of Dragonflight unfolds, that could change.