The Alliance is one of the major factions in the Warcraft universe.

In World of Warcraft the playable races of the Alliance include the virtuous Humans of Stormwind, the stout Dwarves of Ironforge, the witty Gnomes of Gnomeregan, and the recluse [(Warcraft)|High Elves]], their kingdom destroyed, had begun to use warlock magic because of the loss of their Sunwell. They became known as Blood Elves, and have joined the ranks of the Horde to sustain their need for a source of magical power. They will become a playable race for the Horde in the upcoming expansion, The Burning Crusade. Though considerably larger than the Horde, the Alliance is decentralized and without a strong leader such as Thrall. Despite the disparity in apparent strength, therefore, the effective strength of both sides is about the same.

New race in The Burning Crusade

Much speculation surrounded the new Alliance race to be introduced in The Burning Crusade, with rumored choices including the Draenei, Centaurs, and Dark Trolls. Even the remaining High Elves were mentioned as a possibility. However, on May 10, 2006, Blizzard announced at E3 that the Draenei would be the new Alliance race in the upcoming expansion. In an interview with Gamespot.com , it was revealed that Blizzard chose the Draenei not only for their connection to the Blood Elves and desire to visit Outland, but also because the Alliance lacked a "large" species like the Tauren, and the typical male Draenei is about the same size as a male Tauren.

The Draenei that will be playable in the game are uncorrupted (as opposed to those led by Akama, as seen in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne), worship the Holy Light, and are also highly intelligent. Fleeing the shattered realm of Outland after learning of their brothers' corruption, the Draenei (who travel in an interdimensional ship that has yet to be described in detail) landed on Azeroth on the Azuremyst Isles, northeast of Kalimdor. Azuremyst will be the Draenei starting area, and they will also have a "Secondary Area" for levels 10-20, which has been named the Bloodmyst Isles, but has yet to be reaveled in-depth. Those that choose to play as the Draenei can play as a Mage, Paladin, Priest, Hunter, Warrior, or Shaman, a class previously only available to the Horde.