Is WoW getting a new race? Recent datamines have us hoping so

Getting a new playable race in World of Warcraft is always a monumental occasion for the community, even if they’re not overly beloved by the player base. Looking at you, Pandarens. New races mean fresh quests, a zone or two, and more customization options to pick from.

It’s not often that a race gets added to the game, whether as an allied option or otherwise, but recently datamined models have players theorizing about whether the game could be getting an otherworldly addition in a future patch.

New models for the Ethereal race were spotted by community members during PTR 11.1 datamining sessions, with the art starting to do the rounds in community channels on Dec. 20, 2024, prompting a debate on whether the mysterious race would ever make their debut as a playable option in the future.

As highlighted by Wowhead, two key options were found—Shadowguard Ethereal models and a specific model for a character named Phase Thief Azir.

The intended purpose of these models is unclear, but the community has been speculating about a possible Ethereal raid or raid boss for a good while now, referencing previous datamining discoveries that hinted at a possible raid feature for this mystical race.

The discovered Shadowguard Ethereal models feature several armor types and aesthetic differences, which may be showcasing the class and customization options that players would have to choose from when creating their own Ethereal character.

WoW players online were ecstatic about the discovery and possible meaning behind it. One replied to the image above saying, “By all the gods old and new I pray this means we’re getting them as playable soon.”

Another agreed, exclaiming, “I’ve wanted them as a playable race since I started playing the game. Please Blizz!”

A handful of players weren’t sold on the datamined models having any relevance to the current state of the game, feeling that it would be a strange time to introduce them into the game, but on the whole, the community response to the unveiled artwork was positive.

The WoW community has been discussing the possibility of Ethereals being added to the game as a playable race since at least 2014, with Reddit threads and forum posts dedicated to picking apart in-game Ethereals like Nexus-Prince Haramad and potential lore tie-ins for the addition.

Note that there has been no official confirmation about WoW getting a new playable race. This is all purely speculation about datamined models from the PTR, so take everything with a bucket of salt. We’ll be sure to update this article if anything official becomes known.

While a fresh playable race doesn’t seem overly likely at the time of writing based on where the game is lore-wise, stranger things have happened. For now, make sure to check out the update notes for patch 11.0.7 to keep yourself in the loop with the newest additions to The War Within.