There are three categories of race fantasies:
- Race fantasies you can actually get in WoW.
- Race fantasies that you see in Warcraft art and lore but can't actually play in WoW.
- Race fantasies that are just weak.
Let's start with no. 1: compelling race fantasies that WoW nails:
WC3 Night Elves had pretty strong savage Dark/Wood elf aesthetics, but sadly these didn't really carry over into WoW and just became generic fantasy elves, but they still had strong aesthetics.
Early Blood Elves have pretty strong vibes when you were coming off of WC3 and their starter zone. Their kingdom had been ruined and now they are crack addicts, trying to hold on to a shred of dignity in spite of all that. After the Sunwell was cleansed, they just sorta became generic fantasy elves and faded into the background.
Humans in fantasy are usually boring, but in WoW they're pretty compelling because they are survivors of ruined kingdoms. If you play the games and read the books, you get a sense of loss for the humans. When Moon Guard RP was at its height, there was always some RP event going on Alliance side about human survivors trying to retake their fallen kingdoms. That's pretty compelling. Sadly, like the Dwarves, the most boring kingdom (Stormwind) hogged the limelight. At this rate we'll never see Gilneas, Lordaeron, and Arathi retaken and rebuilt. Kul'Tirans have stronger aesthetics than Stormwind in that they are an island kingdom of seafarers and sea witches, but still don't have the compelling story of ruination like the fallen kingdoms.
Worgen are gnarly cool. Sadly their story never continued after Silverpine Forest.
Draenei had compelling lore early on in WoW, when they were on a space Exodus wandering the wilderness for 25,000 years following angels of light and fleeing from space satan. Atmospheric music in BC, and very unique aesthetics. Sadly they were forgotten after BC, and then their lore got washed down in WoD (but they got an art update that was good!), and have been pretty much forgotten outside of the Legion context.
Orcs are probably the definitive Warcraft race and I don't think I need to elaborate on them too much.
I was drawn to Tauren because they were the "good guy" beastrace. They feel strong and inhuman beastmen, yet also sympathetic and relatable. Their capital is comfy, open air, and has bright colors. Strong aesthetics. Too bad you still can't wield logs as weapons.
Forsaken also have strong aesthetics but they didn't appeal to me.
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No. 2: strong Warcraft race fantasies that WoW does not provide ingame:
The Wildhammer dwarves had strong aesthetics in the art and the books. Shamans who are in tune with the spirits and ride Gryphons. Sadly you can't play as a Gryphon rider in WoW. The Black Iron Dwarves also had very strong aesthetics in WoW, being an underground volcano kingdom that practiced rune magic and made deals with devils of fire. Sadly they too were neglected and you couldn't look as them until it was too late, let alone play as their classes or use their capital city. It's a shame that whenever Dwarves were onscreen in WoW, the focus was on the boring Bronzebeards and the boring Titans.
Gnomes and Goblins are depicted as clever engineers, but you can't play as one. Goblins are also advertised as loan sharks and gamblers, but again you can't actually play as such.
Trolls had strong aesthetics in WC3, but in WoW you get the Darkspear trolls and they're sorta boring and washed down compared to the other troll tribes. You don't get to perform blood sacrifices in WoW. The bad tribes do and that's why they're more memorable.
The strongest thing Zandalari have going for them is the whole "riding T-rexes, triceratops, and teradactyls into battle" part, but sadly like the Wildhammer dwarves you cannot play as the iconic mounted warrior archetype.
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Now, for the playable races that
don't have strong fantasies, period:
Pandaren have very expansive lore, but they're not particularly distinctive. Strong aesthetics I suppose (you
can be a Panda monk) but not very distinctive like the other Warcraft races.
Void Elves had terrible fantasy. I conceptually do not like the "Void is not inherently evil! It's just another side of the same coin of materialistic elemental power as the Light!". Also, I just don't like the aesthetic. They should have just been plain High Elves. High Elves aesthetically are just generic fantasy elves, but the Silver Covenenant had a compelling story in that they were sticking by the Alliance and their morals even though that was unpopular with the rest of Quel'thelas.
I guess Vulpera are cute, but I don't have a strong sense of what their culture or aesthetics are. While Vulpera look like a Horde race, they don't have a convincing story that justifies their inclusion in it.
Nightborne are pretty boring and the magic crack addiction is just a less interesting retread of the Blood Elf story.
I guess I should also mention the strong Warcraft race fantasies that aren't playable in any form whatsoever:
Naga have a compelling story in that their nation was drowned and they have been warped into sea serpents. They have a strong aesthetic in being savage sea serpents and mermaids and underwater kingdoms.
Mantid and Nerubians are aesthetically very unique, particularly Nerubians as they are not humanoids. Furthermore, they have different castes with different models that gives them even more variety. Very cool environments with the underground kingdoms (or kingdoms carved out from trees).
People keep bringing up Ogres. The bickering two head gimmick makes for fun RP potential. They don't have strong lore outside of that.
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Night Elves really should have been a playable faction unto themselves. Their races should have been Night Elves, Fae Dragons, Treants/Ancients, Owlkin, and Stone Giants. Maybe throw in Dryads and Centaurs in there. Keep the Night Elves as rough and savage as they were in WC3. Make Druids, Priests of Elune, and Wardens into their exclusive faction exclusive classes.
Blood Elf politics were interesting early on when you had multiple different sub-factions: The newly established Blood Knights, hated by the Alliance paladins for torturing an angel. The Farstrider rangers. The Magisters who went to the Horde because they would tolerate their magic sucking addiction. The Sunreavers that leaned more neutral, and the Silver Covenant who held on to their oaths and remained loyal to the Alliance, even if that was unpopular back home. Lor'themar considering declaring himself king. Made for some fantastic RP but sadly Blizzard never wound up doing anything with it in the end.
You are right in that a lot of Warcraft's most memorable races are traditionally "evil" races like orcs or zombies, but given a sympathetic PoV. Or typically good guy races like elves but given a dark twist (but still have a sympathetic PoV). In WC3 every faction is somewhat sympathetic to the player because you get to play as them, even the zombie horde of Scourge. The only faction that comes off as sympathetic is the Legion, namely because you don't get to play as them. I'm sure if you got a PoV from their perspective, you'd have people wishing that they were playable.