Characters and Races

The Warcraft universe is inhabited by many races of sentient and sapient beings. These races speak many different languages, have different homelands and racial traits, and can pursue different classes. Though most races are native to the world of Azeroth, some have arrived from other worlds, such as Draenor. The armies of the Burning Legion are culled from many worlds throughout the Twisting Nether.

As of Cataclysm, there are two playable factions in World of Warcraft, the Alliance and the Horde, and each is comprised of six very different races who can play a variety of different classes.

In Warcraft lore, race often has the same definition as species.[1]  Occasionally, within a race/species are groups called subspecies/subraces[2] [3] [4]  Note that use of race may not always denote separate species however (and may refer to ethnicities/subraces/subspecies within species, i.e. blood elves vs. high elves). The playable races are divided into two categories:

Races of the Alliance of Stormwind

 * Humans
 * Dwarves
 * Gnomes
 * Night Elves
 * Draenei
 * Worgen
 * High Elves
 * Half-Elves

Races of the Orcish Horde

 * Orcs
 * Trolls
 * Tauren
 * Forsaken
 * Blood Elves
 * Goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel
 * Half-orcs (from Draenei and Human stock)