New Alliance race: WoW rumours start early [update 2]
by Jennie Lees 
{ May 8th 2006 at 8:59PM }
A source close to the E3 show floor has helped confirm our suspicions that the new Alliance race, as featured in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade expansion, will be revealed at the show. The information we got was vague, but encouraging:Looking at a video on the show floor, the new Alliance race is ugly with grayish skin, and glowing eyes similar to the Forsaken. Its chin has two things like tentacles hanging down, one on either side, and it's humanoid and human-size. There's also a huge picture of Antonidas nearby.
This seems to rule out a lot of contenders, though there isn't an obvious race that springs to mind from this loose description. It could be the Eredar, the Broken or, at a stretch, Forgotten Ones -- possibly even oddly rendered Draenei. As for what Antonidas is doing there, we'll find out more on Wednesday when E3 opens.
[Update 1 - added The Broken as a possibility, thanks RaptorJedi]
[Update 2 - Our informer writes, Having researched this further I am certain that the race is the Broken, the Draenei faction that remain in Outland.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Gillean @ May 8th 2006 10:01PM
looks like it
http://www.wowwiki.com/images/thumb/7/72/Eredar.jpg/470px-Eredar.jpg
CAL_GORE @ May 8th 2006 10:05PM
Protoss perhaps?
RaptorJedi @ May 8th 2006 10:17PM
I think it's the broken:
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/burningcrusade/townhall/images/bestiary/thebroken.jpg
The real question here is, why is Antonidas pictured there? He died.
Ty M. @ May 8th 2006 10:20PM
I've never even heard of either of those till now. I have to say, though, I'd much rather play was The Broken than the Eredar, though. Oh course, Protoss would top all of them.
jennie @ May 8th 2006 10:26PM
The Broken certainly fit the description too...
Windstar @ May 8th 2006 11:15PM
It's not Antonidas being shown beside them. It's actually Khadgar. Antonidas is dead. But Khadgar's been declared missing in action since WarCraft 2.
Imp @ May 8th 2006 11:26PM
Protoss...no doubt its them
Kil'Jaeden @ May 8th 2006 11:39PM
It is my people, the Eredar, mwahahahahaha!
Ahms @ May 9th 2006 12:06AM
Joystiq, can you please confirm something? The pic there with the "?" on it, is it a cut out of whatever the race is, or a generic pic just used as a place holder? If it's generic, I can't identify what model that is from WoW
Ker @ May 9th 2006 12:39AM
That pic with the question mark in the article is a pic of an orc shaman from beta days. It is so sad that I recognize it.
Danny @ May 9th 2006 2:16AM
Doesn't matter much to me as I play horde. Just another race to whoop on in PVP. Looks like the Broken though.
RaptorJedi @ May 9th 2006 2:33AM
"It's not Antonidas being shown beside them. It's actually Khadgar. Antonidas is dead. But Khadgar's been declared missing in action since WarCraft 2."
I thought there had to have been a mistake in names, but I wasn't sure. I knew he died, and the mention of a picture of him had me thinking about the next patch and Naxxramas, like he would be in the scourge or some such. Actually, that would be cool.
Alfred @ May 9th 2006 6:26AM
What says that the video is displaying the new alliance race? Couldn't it just be the bestiary in a motion version?
Koya @ May 9th 2006 10:48AM
I'm gonna laugh if we find out they used those images to slip all this 'new' info out to the public as a way to have everyone guessing in a more narrowed field before totally surprising them at their little display by going "Fooled you~! The new alliance race is Pandarens."
LLamaBoy @ May 9th 2006 10:58AM
It's not possible that the new race can be the Broken - they're a corrupted splinter group of Draenei that serve under Illidan, who controls them with demonic magics. If it's Draenei, it'll likely be another faction living elsewhere in Outland.
Also Eredar are very unlikely, as they're described in lore as a race of immensly powerful, extremely evil demons. Something the Alliance would never even consider siding with.
The above is my opinion, based on the facts stated in Warraft's lore.
Cal @ May 9th 2006 11:02AM
Not sure how the lore would work, but Eredar would be incredible.
Nexus @ May 9th 2006 11:05AM
The Broken are in the beastary of the expansion site, it will be highly odd if they had these as the alliance race and have it out in the open and not reveal it.
Eredar are very much like the descriptions, there is a link to the term "broken" since some of them had the leaders hold broken over them but a whsip spirit(april fools anyone?) freed them.
http://www.wowwiki.com/images/thumb/7/72/Eredar.jpg
ryboc @ May 9th 2006 12:40PM
If it is ordinary old draenai, my guess is the thin strip of unused map North of Swamp of sorrws. but that would put a lot of capitals on one continent you know--really taking away from kalimdor.
i hope it's not draenai. i'll scream.
jboy @ May 9th 2006 12:48PM
The model description totally matches the broken though they were last known to be allied with illidan. Who knows.
http://www.wowwiki.com/Broken
jboy @ May 9th 2006 1:03PM
although, eredar would make more sense, seeing as they are uber powerful warlocks, and the new class for the blood elves is that anti-spell class they'd be better matches than draenei. although how alliance would side with eredar is the question
wowfan @ May 9th 2006 1:54PM
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/5088/4116772yv.jpg
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/8278/4116784fb.jpg
Raeshlavik @ May 9th 2006 2:01PM
I'm pretty sure those screenshots show the race to be Eredar (yes!): Draenai have similar faces to Orcs in that there is almost no nose and a big mouth - that head shot in the screens show a similar model to Varimathras in Undercity.
We'll know for sure tomorrow, but my money is one Eredar right now.
Ylluria @ May 9th 2006 5:20PM
I was swimming around the coast of Westfall towards Stormwind the other day and found that on my mini map in the unused region near SW there were buildings etc. I have screenies too. Maybe there? They were round- reminede me of huts. I saw a picture today on the WoW Gen Forums that shows the Broken standing near hut-like buildings? Coincidence maybe? Just thought I'd share :)
jojo29 @ May 9th 2006 7:28PM
Its NOT gonna be Eredar. Eredar are TOO powerful and i think there were only two known Eredar in the Warcraft lore(i said i THINK) and one was Archimonde and the other was Kil' Jaeden. From Blizzard's own website.
"From the ranks of the powerful Eredar, Sargeras picked two champions to command his demonic army of destruction. Kil'jaeden the Deceiver was chosen to seek out the darkest races in the universe and recruit them into Sargeras' ranks. The second champion, Archimonde the Defiler, was chosen to lead Sargeras' vast armies into battle against any who might resist the Titan's will" http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/story/chapter1.html read from Sargeras and The Betrayal
Ok i stand corrected as they said 'from the ranks' meaning there could be more but seeing as how they are following Sargeras i HIGHLY doubt it is Eredar
housemouse @ May 9th 2006 9:31PM
As the thunderous steps of Archimonde's army approached the summit of Mount Hyjal, all hope seemed lost. The camps of Jaina Proudmoore and the Warchief Thrall were overrun, and the forces of Archdruid Malfurian Stormrage were fighting for their life.
Then, the moment feared by all those fighting for the fate of Azeroth arrived. The Night Elf army was overrun, and the great Eredar warlock, destroyer of countless worlds, arrogantly marched to the World Tree. With flames surging in his eyes, he grasped the trunk with one vile claw... and the entire summit was shattered in a burst of brilliant, white light.
When the radiance faded, nothing remained of Archimonde but a charred skeleton, resting in the branches of the fatally-damaged Nordrassil. Malfurion, Jaina, and Thrall emerged from hiding; it was all an elaborate trap designed by Malfurion to take advantage of the demon's arrogance. In his lust for the World Tree's power, he did not notice the gathering flock of wisps take their positions around him and detonate themselves in a torrent of nature's fury.
With their commander gone, the remainder of the Burning Legion's army was cast into disarray. Malfurion and his companions escaped from the summit of Mount Hyjal, and the remaining Night Elves silently reflected upon the sacrifices of their Wisp companions.
Yet, the spirits of the Wisps lived on. Floating invisibly throughout Mount Hyjal and nearby Felwood, they began to slowly intertwine with the demons that had taken up residence there. Almost imperceptively their presence began to twist the forms and minds of the local Satyrs and other foul, demonic creatures.
Now, a handful of these creatures have been transformed in mind and body; they have the thoughts of the Night Elf spirits coarsing through their veins, yet their bodies mutated to take the form of the last creature the Wisps had made contact with -- the Eredar warlock, Archimonde.
Ashamed of their foul appearance, these creatures took into hiding beneath the roots of the shattered World Tree, Nordrassil. Despite their attempts to hide themselves from the outside world, they found themselves under constant seige from the demons who came to view them as abominations.
Now, with their very existance threatened, these Eredar -- demon in form, Night Elf in mind -- have made an impassioned plea to join the Alliance.