(Note, this threads is HYPOTHETICALLY assuming that we get a new race anyway)
Generally, new races have brought qualities that the factions were missing beforehand to the table.
Blood Elves gave the Horde a 'pretty' caster race, though they were still pretty hard-hearted fellows that could fit with the Horde culturally.
Goblins brought in Technology and added levity to the otherwise Dark plotlines the Horde was getting.
Draenei and Worgen were both intended to give the Alliance a 'monster' race, Draenei brought shaman and Worgen were meant to give the Worgen a 'Forsaken' dark race (though THAT never happened).
Goblins and Worgen also suffered from not being terribly involved with the themes of Cataclysm, while the Draenei and Blood Elves were both tied to the Burning Legion.
Going forward, what might new races bring?
In my opinion, the Alliance BADLY needs a race that fits well into it in and gets a bit more attention (whereas in previous Expacs the Horde race has overshadowed them in presence).
Similarly I think the Horde could use a race that gets back to its WC3 Shamanistic 'fight when it makes sense not just because' ideals.
Given that our next expansion is likely to be related to the Legion (I'm not sure I personally agree with this theory but let's run with it)
I'd say that the best way to introduce the next 'new' race for the Alliance would be to have them related with Turalyon and Alleria, these are two characters the Alliance has been looking forward to seeing for a long time and it's going to be difficult to handle them without disappointing players who have sort of put them up on this pedestal. Especially since players who didn't play WC2 aren't likely to have a good idea of who they are, outside of statues in front of Stormwind.
Now, I'm against making a brand new race for the Alliance since it'd be hard to make them relevant without also drawing away from Turalyon/Alleria and the Draenei's combat with the Legion, so I think the existing Arakkoa or Ethereals would be best here. Now, Arakkoa are mostly related to Draenor so it'd be hard to keep them relevant to Turalyon and Alleria since they're no longer on the planet's remnants apparently, despite the fact that a chunk of the ethereals converted to the light in TBC, so I'm thinking the Protectorate Ethereals that oppose the Void might fit well here.
The ethereals home world K'aresh was devastated by a voidlord and nobody's really sure how it got there, so I'm thinking the revelation that the Legion let it in to destroy potential adversaries without needing to have a whole bunch of Felguard and such hit the ground might spur them to work with the Alliance, and potentially encounter Turalyon/Alleria in their travels. Ethereals match the aesthetic of the draenei aswell and could easily accent their story without one detracting from the other.
Since Draenor/Outland likely IS going to be a jumping off point for the expansion in some way or another though, it would make sense for the Hordes new race to come from there as well. Now, some people might want Mok'nathal but even with a model revamp, I'm not convinced they could be visually distinct enough for them to be a new race rather than just looking like big mag'har. Some folks (myself included) think Sporelings could be cool but let's be honest, they likely don't have enough of a following for it, and largely had names that were puns on sneezes. Arakkoa are possible, but between their ties with the light, and position as one of the older races of Draenor that might look down on the orcs, it's hard to say they're a strong candidate.
That leaves (barring something crazy like Rockflayers being exposed to magic and becoming sentient):
a. New race: Very possible, up until now the Horde has gotten nothing but existing races, so a new one could be a change of pace.
b. Ogres!
Now, a lot of people might say Ogres are too dumb or too ugly to be playable, but I'd say that intelligence isn't as much of an issue as people would claim since we could get our hands on Apexis crystals in the start zone (or just have any casters be two-headed), and that a model revamp could give them more of a 'cool and brutal' look than the current one.
The Ogres would also offer a potential avenue for insight into the Orcs origins as they're both descendants of Draenor's Earth Giants as revealed in WoW Magazine 5.
Generally, new races have brought qualities that the factions were missing beforehand to the table.
Blood Elves gave the Horde a 'pretty' caster race, though they were still pretty hard-hearted fellows that could fit with the Horde culturally.
Goblins brought in Technology and added levity to the otherwise Dark plotlines the Horde was getting.
Draenei and Worgen were both intended to give the Alliance a 'monster' race, Draenei brought shaman and Worgen were meant to give the Worgen a 'Forsaken' dark race (though THAT never happened).
Goblins and Worgen also suffered from not being terribly involved with the themes of Cataclysm, while the Draenei and Blood Elves were both tied to the Burning Legion.
Going forward, what might new races bring?
In my opinion, the Alliance BADLY needs a race that fits well into it in and gets a bit more attention (whereas in previous Expacs the Horde race has overshadowed them in presence).
Similarly I think the Horde could use a race that gets back to its WC3 Shamanistic 'fight when it makes sense not just because' ideals.
Given that our next expansion is likely to be related to the Legion (I'm not sure I personally agree with this theory but let's run with it)
I'd say that the best way to introduce the next 'new' race for the Alliance would be to have them related with Turalyon and Alleria, these are two characters the Alliance has been looking forward to seeing for a long time and it's going to be difficult to handle them without disappointing players who have sort of put them up on this pedestal. Especially since players who didn't play WC2 aren't likely to have a good idea of who they are, outside of statues in front of Stormwind.
Now, I'm against making a brand new race for the Alliance since it'd be hard to make them relevant without also drawing away from Turalyon/Alleria and the Draenei's combat with the Legion, so I think the existing Arakkoa or Ethereals would be best here. Now, Arakkoa are mostly related to Draenor so it'd be hard to keep them relevant to Turalyon and Alleria since they're no longer on the planet's remnants apparently, despite the fact that a chunk of the ethereals converted to the light in TBC, so I'm thinking the Protectorate Ethereals that oppose the Void might fit well here.
The ethereals home world K'aresh was devastated by a voidlord and nobody's really sure how it got there, so I'm thinking the revelation that the Legion let it in to destroy potential adversaries without needing to have a whole bunch of Felguard and such hit the ground might spur them to work with the Alliance, and potentially encounter Turalyon/Alleria in their travels. Ethereals match the aesthetic of the draenei aswell and could easily accent their story without one detracting from the other.
Since Draenor/Outland likely IS going to be a jumping off point for the expansion in some way or another though, it would make sense for the Hordes new race to come from there as well. Now, some people might want Mok'nathal but even with a model revamp, I'm not convinced they could be visually distinct enough for them to be a new race rather than just looking like big mag'har. Some folks (myself included) think Sporelings could be cool but let's be honest, they likely don't have enough of a following for it, and largely had names that were puns on sneezes. Arakkoa are possible, but between their ties with the light, and position as one of the older races of Draenor that might look down on the orcs, it's hard to say they're a strong candidate.
That leaves (barring something crazy like Rockflayers being exposed to magic and becoming sentient):
a. New race: Very possible, up until now the Horde has gotten nothing but existing races, so a new one could be a change of pace.
b. Ogres!
Now, a lot of people might say Ogres are too dumb or too ugly to be playable, but I'd say that intelligence isn't as much of an issue as people would claim since we could get our hands on Apexis crystals in the start zone (or just have any casters be two-headed), and that a model revamp could give them more of a 'cool and brutal' look than the current one.
The Ogres would also offer a potential avenue for insight into the Orcs origins as they're both descendants of Draenor's Earth Giants as revealed in WoW Magazine 5.