The next alliance race options-the People's choice award.

[checking facts]

So, WHat about stone troggs? Probably not the best of ideas.

I could see them working with a lot of storytelling effort on the horde side. troggs are pretty much the nemesis of both gnomes and dwarves, and stonetroggs in particular are the nemesis of the earthen (dwarf ancestors). plus, they are rather barbaric.

[Talen]

High Elves (popular race)
Personally this would be my choice obviously. It is a historical debt that Blizzard has with the Alliance.
Only one problem: the Blood Elves, and there is only two solutions: differentiate the two races as much as possible to make them two "completely" different races or adding to the Horde a "recycled" Alliance race (preferably Dark Iron dwarves, Highborne night elves or, centering in balancing the population statistics, Alterac humans).

Alterac humans never allied with the Horde. Their king did. And the Horde would be as likely to get humans as the Alliance were to get Orcs (Frostwolves?). Similarly, a redesign would be wasted as you'd get players wanting the other factions version. Ther's no point.

The 10/20 anniversary would be a good time to bring Ogres and HElfs back "home". Especially as Blizzard could play up the complete roster aspect and especially given the HElfs sheer presence in MOP (despite the complaints in LK). But you'd need to pair them with a second pair of races. Two reskins - to allow for Alliance HElfs - and two new - to allow for Horde Ogres.

Ethereal (popular race)
Despite how cool may seem this race visually, I personally dismiss it.
Why? Because is a neutral race that would not be involved with the Alliance, antagonizing with the Horde as a result. Besides, the prototype of a magical race of the space with advanced super-technology that needs help to deal with the Burning Legion is already in the Alliance: the Draenei.

The Ethereals aren't really neutral though. Some factions are. Others are not. They aren't monlithic. Having a btch of Ethereals join with the Alliance in their fight against the Void or because they have a grudge against the Legion and want to join one of the few forecs to actually defeat them isn't too out of whack. The Hordes defeat and fall from power makes such a union unlikely; you'd need a different story.

Arakkoa (popular race)
Despite being a race that has already collaborated with the Alliance in the past, is a race that is linked exclusively with Outland and Outland issues, so their involvement in global affairs would be more limited.
Personally I would not dismiss it, nevertheless in my opinion there are races with more possibilities to become playable races of the Alliance than this.

Arakkoa has possibilities. As would the return of the Apexis. That would allow for a Draenei like revamp of the Arakkoa. If they were more advanced though, you might have case for splitting Ethereals and Apexis between Horde and Alliance. A story where the Apexis owes the Orcs an ancient debt and so join up for the cause may be workable, although perhaps a bit too much like Lothar.

Naga (popular race)
Inevitably sooner or later this race will become playable, however I personally identify this race with the Horde more than with the Alliance.
Moreover ideally this race should became a neutral race available to both factions in the future expansion in which we will face the Queen Azshara.

Ideally, I'd want them to form the core of a third/new faction. They'd work as neutral, Alliance or Horde. There'd be issues either way.

Furbolg (popular race)
This shamanistic and druidic race in theory is already part of the Alliance. In addition the furbolgs would fit perfectly in an expansion focused on the druids and the Emerald Dream and their territories are still missing ingame (the huge underground Barrow Deeps), however we already have a race of bear-men: the Pandaren.

Personally unsure if they'd fit. The Allaince doesn't have primitive type race. But, at the same time, that does put that type of race at odds and make it out of place.

Vrykul
I honestly do not understand what attraction may have these giant humans.

They look good, their culture is fairly developed in game and they bring a viking vibe.

Jinyu (aquatic/amphibious race)
If there is any aquatic race with priority to be playable of course they are the Naga, not this new race invented fairly recently and whose presence is limited to Pandaria. Also, this is obviously a thematic race created specifically for an expansion and exclusively for being NPCs.

Which doens't mean they can't be playable.

Drakonid / Asaathi / Saurok (reptilian races)
It is not the first time that is suggested a reptilian/draconian race, however I think it would fit more into the Horde, not into the Alliance.

It depends which reptilian race. Drakonid would be more likely to go Alliance, Saurok Horde. Asaathi don't exist.

Mantid / Nerubian / Qiraji (bug races)
I think a bug-race would not have much success, much less in the Alliance. However everything is doable.

I can see the Mantid with the Horde.

Dryad / Children of Cenarius / Dragonspawn / Centaur / Tol 'vir (quadruped races)
I can not imagine the amount of work that would entail accommodate the whole game to quadruped races. I see it impossible.

They have issues. So do Naga.

EJL

[Sky High]

personally I think Ethereals if done right would fit the Alliance as more of the mercenary faction of the alliance as the horde has with the goblins. though I will take across the board character model updates to new races. IF the future expansion bring us to outland/the void dealing with the Legion outland races wouldn't be a stretch to work into the story. I'd take the Arakkoa over the Ogres as a horde race since I love the vibe and look they have. Bird people are sorely lacking in this MMO!

[Deleted]

They look good, their culture is fairly developed in game and they bring a viking vibe.

Spot on.

I love the viking vibe, they are more than just "huge humans".

They have different lifestyles, Lore, look physically different than Humans other than being big.

You could add warpaints as customizable options other than hair and face, their starting area could be a Vrykul village in the mountains, they could introduce a new class, but it wouldn't fit the pattern since we need a new mail class, and I couldn't imagine a Vrykul wearing mail whilst jabbing you with a Javelin or swinging his double-sided spear at you.

Although some of the Vrykul use magic, mostly Rune Magic, so we could distinguish Vrykul between a Warmonger [Polearm/2-h DPS], a Harbinger [Polearm/2-h Tank] and Rune Mage [Staves Range DPS], I can't imagine either of those classes/specs wearing mail.

The Rune Mage could wear int plate, both other specs would wear respective plate types.

The Vrykul are affiliated with the Scourge, and since Bolvar [Alliance] is now the Lich King, Vrykul could be accepted into the Alliance.
There is also the Frost Vrykul faction which serves directly under the Lich King, thus Bolvar.

Vrykul as a whole could bring us a new classes [Though only a Rune Mage would be straight from lore], new lore and a new alliance race.

Blizzard could always find a way to implement this without completely retconning everything, I personally think it's too late.

This should've happened in Cataclysm instead of the Worgen for it to make sense time-wise.

Another problem would be their mounts; Worgs and Proto-Drakes.
Orcs use Worgs.

We can't just start giving a race free proto-drakes, which have been symbol for great achievements.