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After much speculation, Blizzard will unveil the new Alliance race in its World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade video to be shown for the first time at E3, which begins on Wednesday.

The video, which runs about two minutes, shows off a huge race about the size of Taurens. They have bluish skin (although as with the other races, this could be customizable) and small mindflayer-like tentacles hanging from their chin. They also have a large tail (maybe scaled) and what look like hooves. Having heard nothing official from Blizzard, the race appears to be the Draenei as they appear in their otherworldly realm of Outland. The Draenei (or Lost Ones) that appear in the current game in the Blasted Lands and Swamp of Sorrows are apparently corrupted or fallen versions of the race.

The video shows what looks like a warrior with a sword and shield running through various new areas, which look like they could be areas of Outland. It did not show the class using any spells, so it isn't clear what classes the new race might have.

In talking about the two races, the video shows a representative of the Draenei being introduced in a huge meeting between the kings of the Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes and Night Elves. It also shows the same for the Blood Elves: They are introduced to a war council of the Orcs, Trolls, Taurens and Undead.

E3 06: Draenei to be new WOW race
Fearsome blue-skinned demon descendants will be playable in the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade.
By Bethany Massimilla, GameSpot
Posted May 10, 2006 9:00 am PT
LOS ANGELES--For months, rumors have swirled about the identity of the new playable race of the Alliance, one of two factions in the wildly popular massively multiplayer game, World of Warcraft. They began when WOW publisher Blizzard announced the first expansion for the game, The Burning Crusade, would introduce the Blood Elves as a new race for the game's other faction, the Horde.

Conjecture has run the gamut of crazed fans' imaginings, from the fuzzy Pandaren to the fishy countenances of the reviled and adored Murlocs. On the first day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, GameSpot editors descended upon the booth of Vivendi Games, Blizzard's parent company, to catch a first glimpse of the still-officially-unidentified new playable race.

The giant video display in the Burning Crusade area of Vivendi's booth clearly shows the demonic Draenei piloting around a selection of forested zones. A huge wall display features a Draenei in paladin trappings--complete with hammer, shield, spell tome, and lion-and-eagle armor--doing battle with a Blood Elf rogue. And if there were any further doubt left, the trailer goes on to show Blood Elves presenting themselves to Orc warchief Thrall, a horde leader, followed by a Draenei kneeling before the King of Ironforge, surrounded by a host of Alliance.

The new race actually carries the physical appearance of the Eredar demons. Fans of Warcraft III will remember the Eredar as otherworldly creatures controlling powerful magic, who served the cause of the evil titan Sargeras. The wicked Kil'Jaeden and the mighty Archimonde, who sought to topple the Night Elves' world tree, were counted among the very highest ranks of the Eredar and the forces of the Burning Legion.

The new characters are easily recognizable as hailing from the Eredar ilk--their huge stature, long tails, hooved feet, and snaking beards all paint an imposing picture. If the Alliance needed a "tough" looking race, this is absolutely it. They also have an undeniably noble air, broad chests thrown forward and heads held high, their eyes a gleaming blue.

Despite their appearance, however, the hulking humanoids were revealed as Draenei in an official Blizzard statement. Jeff Kaplan, lead designer, told the New York Times, “Lots of players have wanted to play demons, and Draenei are the closest you can get to looking like an Eredar." While the new race doesn't look like any of the Draenei wandering around the current Azeroth, the Draenei of the Burning Crusade are actually descended from Eredar, giving them their impressive new appearance.

White Haven wrote:Draenei and Eredar are completely utterly unrelated in the lore, and such that article is completely contradictory in all respects.

EDIT: Looks like either I missed some Draenei history or Blizzard fudged about with temporal causality some, as it seems they are related somehow. Odd.

White Haven wrote:Draenei and Eredar are completely utterly unrelated in the lore, and such that article is completely contradictory in all respects.

EDIT: Looks like either I missed some Draenei history or Blizzard fudged about with temporal causality some, as it seems they are related somehow. Odd.

Nearly twenty-five thousand years ago, the eredar race arose on the world of Argus. They were extremely intelligent and had a natural affinity for magic in all its myriad forms. Using their gifts, they developed a vast and wondrous society.
Unfortunately the eredar's accomplishments caught the attention of Sargeras, the Destroyer of Worlds. He had already begun his Burning Crusade to eradicate all life from the cosmos, and he believed that the brilliant eredar would be pivotal in leading the vast demonic army he was gathering. Thus, he contacted the eredar's three most prominent leaders: Kil'jaeden, Archimonde, and Velen. In exchange for the loyalty of the eredar race, Sargeras offered untold power and knowledge.

Although the offer sounded very tempting, Velen had a vision of the future that filled him with sick dread. Sargeras had spoken the truth: the eredar who joined the Dark Titan would indeed gain enormous power and knowledge. However, the eredar would themselves be transformed into demons.

Velen saw the Legion in all its terrible might and witnessed the destruction it would wreak upon all of creation. He hastened to warn Kil'jaeden and Archimonde, but they dismissed his concerns, for they had been enticed by Sargeras' promises. They gave Sargeras their allegiance and were transformed into colossal beings of depthless evil.

The sheer power that Sargeras commanded made direct opposition unthinkable. Velen nearly despaired, but his prayer for help was overheard. A being came to Velen and explained that it was one of the naaru, a race of sentient energy beings bent on stopping the Burning Crusade. The naaru offered to take Velen and any other like-minded eredar to safety.

Deeply relieved, Velen gathered the other eredar who had thus far refused to join Sargeras. Naming themselves the draenei, or "exiled ones" in the Eredun language, the renegades barely escaped from Argus, with the Burning Legion only moments behind. Kil'jaeden was furious with what he felt was Velen's betrayal, and the demon vowed to hunt Velen and the rest of the draenei to the ends of the cosmos if need be.

The Legion chased the draenei for many thousands of years. The draenei visited many worlds and explored much of the known cosmos in their quest to find safe harbor. Still the Legion would not give up its pursuit. Meanwhile, the enigmatic naaru race blessed the draenei with Light-given knowledge and power. The naaru explained that there were other forces in the cosmos that would stand against the Burning Legion. One day the naaru would forge them into a single unstoppable army of the Light. Deeply affected by the naaru's words, the draenei vowed to honor the Light and uphold the naaru's altruistic ideals.
At last Velen and his draenei settled upon a remote and peaceful world that seemed an ideal refuge. They named it Draenor, or "Exiles' Refuge", and there they quietly cultivated their society once again. Ever wary of being discovered again by Kil'jaeden's forces, Velen and his mystics kept their magics hidden for generations.

In time the draenei met and befriended the shamanistic orc clans that already lived in the tranquil southern grasslands of Nagrand. Aside from engaging in some limited trade, the draenei and orcs regarded one another with respect but kept mostly to themselves.

In spite of the draenei's caution, Kil'jaeden discovered their secret refuge on Draenor. He learned more of the world and its inhabitants, and he grew intrigued by the mighty orc race. A plan unfolded in his mind, and the demon lord began to laugh. He could see precisely how to mold the orcs into the instrument of his wrath. It was merely a matter of time and pressure.

And so Kil'jaeden began to corrupt the orcs, first through the elderly shaman Ner'zhul, and then through his apprentice, Gul'dan. The orc clans dedicated themselves to the art of war and joined to form a single, murderous Horde. Even the wisest shaman learned warlock magics and abandoned the teachings they had once revered.

Smoothly manipulated from a state of wary acceptance into blind rage and bloodlust, the orcs attacked the draenei. This bloody conflict lasted nearly eight years, but the orcs' triumph was inevitable. The draenei were mighty due to their Light-given powers, but the demon-maddened Horde was mightier still. The orcs killed over eighty percent of the draenei race and sent the rest fleeing for safety to the remote corners of the world.

Afterwards, draenei who had fought the Horde and survived found that they had been affected by the fel energies wielded so freely by the orc warlocks. These draenei have since mutated into lesser forms, resulting in a series of subspecies. The Broken and the Lost Ones (as seen above) are two such genetic offshoots. Their warped bodies bear only a rough resemblance to the proud draenei they once were, and quite a few have lost their grip on sanity.

Kuja wrote:And they're fucking Night Elf lookalikes. Shit.

Lord Revan wrote:

Kuja wrote:And they're fucking Night Elf lookalikes. Shit.

considering what corrupted Eredar look like the passing resemblence to night elves isn't that odd (unless you're talking about the blood elves, in which case it was never a really big secret that they are resemble night elves)

Kuja wrote:What the fuck. Why does Blizzard feel the fucking need to tie EVERYTHING together? Goddamn it, doesn't anything ever just fucking HAPPEN in the Warcraftverse? Why the hell does everything have to be tied into the fucking Titans and Burning Legion now? Christ.

And they're fucking Night Elf lookalikes. Shit.

Tatterdemalion wrote:Remember when only male night elves could be druids, and night elf society outside druids was all female? Or when all ogres had two heads? Or when Garona was half-human?