In World of Warcraft there has always been equality in terms of the number of playable races. This could change with Battle for Azeroth.
In World of Warcraft, it has always been about the conflict between Alliance and Horde – this will be particularly emphasized in Battle for Azeroth. Since both factions can be played by players, this has always created a certain obligation to establish balance in the game. When the Horde received the Blood Elves in “Burning Crusade”, the Alliance got the Draenei. The Worgen on the Alliance side were directly countered by the Goblins on the Horde side.
This approach is also hardly surprising, as one can easily imagine the outcry from the other faction when they fall behind.
With Battle for Azeroth, however, this principle might be deviated from, as Ion Hazzikostas, the Game Director of WoW, revealed in the Q&A stream.
While there will be the same number of Allied races at launch (3 on each side, which are already known), the developers could deviate from this in future patches.
New Races, When It Makes Sense in the Story
In Battle for Azeroth, new Allied races will be added over the course of the patches when it “makes sense in the story”. Here, one does not necessarily want to ensure that there is a balance.
In the long run, however, a balance should still be maintained. As an example, Hazzikostas mentioned it could be possible for the Horde to receive an Allied race in Patch 8.1 and the Alliance to also receive a new race a patch later. Ultimately, it should balance out, but the primary focus is the lore – if it fits with the story, then the races will join.
However, Hazzikostas has not yet named any concrete plans – the details will be worked out in the future.
There is already much speculation about possible additional Allied Races.
- For the Alliance, people are expecting the Vulpera and the Humans of Kul Tiras.
- For the Horde, there are increasing hints towards the Orcs of the Mag’har.
Do you also think that Blizzard should not maintain this balance everywhere? Or is it important so that no faction feels “better” than the other for a time?
You can find all information about Battle for Azeroth in our comprehensive overview of the addon.
