Allied races are new playable races available to unlock now for fans who pre-order the new World of Warcraft expansion, “Battle for Azeroth.” These races each have unique racial abilities, mounts, emotes, and customization options. Let’s take a look at the Highmountain tauren and the Nightborne, the first two allied races for the Horde.
Highmountain tauren
The Highmountain tauren are descended from Huln, spokesman for the tauren during the War of the Ancients. They sport moose-like antlers, a blessing from the demigod Cenarius to Huln and all his progeny. Highmountain tauren honor the earth, river, and sky — evident in racial traits like Waste Not, Want Not, a passive that increases the chance to loot additional fish and meat.
The tribes of Highmountain fractured during the Legion invasion, but they are united again and ready to descend from their sacred mountain to join their brethren from Kalimdor and strengthen the Horde.
Nightborne
Like the Highmountain tauren, the Nightborne have been separated from their relatives — in this case the night elves. They’ve lived isolated in the city of Suramar for 10,000 years, protected by an arcane barrier. During that time, they’ve grown dependent on the arcane magic of the Nightwell, which is why some of their racial traits revolve around the arcane.
The Nightwell also explains their visual appearance — its power has slowly transformed them into their current darker form.
In order to protect the Nightwell, the leaders of the Nightborne allied with the Burning Legion, an act that mired their kingdom in civil war. Now reunited, they seek to align with the Horde so that they may reclaim their place in Azeroth.
Both the Hightmountain tauren and the Nightborne are available now if you pre-order the “Battle of Azeroth” expansion, with more allied races to come when the expansion launches on August 14.