Has Blizzard abandoned Allied races?

[SinR]

Don't make me tap the sign

[loras]

The concept of allied races is stupid especially now that they're opening up all race/class combos. They need to just fold the allied race customizations into the existing races. For example maghar options could be combined into orcs, dark irons into dwarves, highmountain into taurens, mechagnomes into gnomes, lightforged into draenei, etc. No reason for those to be separate races at all at this point. Vulpera, kul tiran, zandalari, nightborne, and void elves can stay as separate races since they're distinct enough.

Just create new races no more half assed allied races.

This.

Not saying no to more race related questlinss though, i don't need them to be an unlock but getting an introductory quest on my main to properly explain in detail how the drac'thyr joined the factions beyond them just sort of showing up during the pre-patch would have been very welcome, in example.

The drac'thyr got a full starting zone going for them, but to us they just sorta pop up, maybe not something that extensive but at least something akin to a the racial unlock questlines would be very welcome.

[Berkilak]

And a class does not a race make. Tauren became paladins, but not ostensibly blood elves in Cata.
I agree Wildhammer could have been it's own allied race, but Blizzard rolled them into the broader dwarf race and that's that. They're not cosplaying anymore - they've got everything unique to "being a Wildhammer" they'd need : hair, tattoos, classes, gryphons.

The same could have been said for Dark Iron.

[Pregnant Orc]

If they add more Allied races I hope they change the unlock requirements for them.
For the ones so far any player who had been active up to their release would have had that part done beforehand and players coming in after would be so bored by the grind of legacy content where your auto attack does 2 mil out of any mobs pool of 20k health, that is just a chore. Swap it over to server/linked realm/region wide unlock and make it more of a gates of AQ event for players to unlock together rather than a rep grind, keeping the final unlock scenario on a personal or scaled to small group level. If the event is liked and fun then throw it into the pool of timewalking as a bonus to some TW events or framed as a yearly celebratory recreation of X joining Y.

It's not exactly fun to go back and do Legion or BfA stuff at the moment to unlock them and it'll be even less so for anyone joining the game fresh who wishes to play one of them as they essentially have to make a throw-away character to unlock their preferred race before restarting.

[Villager720]

The same could have been said for Dark Iron.

But that's the key difference: it couldn't have been said because Blizzard didn't proceed in the same fashion. Blizzard made them an allied race before giving "regular" dwarves any of their iconic customizations (see: black skin, molten eyes).
That's not, unfortunately, what happened with Wildhammer and thus "regular dwarves" are now also the Wildhammer.

Unless they remove the iconic Wildhammer customizations they added for dwarves -something we've never seen them do previously- they will never be a standalone allied race. I'm also possitive Blizzard would tell you that Wildhammer are playable in game today.

*As an aside, I wouldn't be shocked if they did come back around and added something similar to a Wildhammer heritage armor in the future - like how they added blood knight gear alongside the proper heritage armor*

[Loveliest]

I'd rather get more full races than reskins

But considering the Dracthyr are also a reskin in many ways...

I'd rather have actual reskins than a race with its own racial. I don't want to level more chars, I just want to customize my current ones. Without paying for a race change.

[Clone]

As someone who doesn't have and probably never will have any dwarf characters, Wildhammer deserves to be their own allied race. Gut core dwarves of Wildhammer customization if you have to.

[Berkilak]

But that's the key difference: it couldn't have been said because Blizzard didn't proceed in the same fashion. Blizzard made them an allied race before giving "regular" dwarves any of their iconic customizations (see: black skin, molten eyes).
That's not, unfortunately, what happened with Wildhammer and thus "regular dwarves" are now also the Wildhammer.

Unless they remove the iconic Wildhammer customizations they added for dwarves -something we've never seen them do previously- they will never be a standalone allied race. I'm also possitive Blizzard would tell you that Wildhammer are playable in game today.

*As an aside, I wouldn't be shocked if they did come back around and added something similar to a Wildhammer heritage armor in the future - like how they added blood knight gear alongside the proper heritage armor*

Alternatively, they do what they did for Dark Iron and amp up what set them apart a thousand fold. Lean into the gryphon and flight thematics. Study some Slayer aesthetics to get a feel for that "wild" side. It's completely feasible, even if you have Bronzebeards in a little facepaint.