With the release of the World of Warcraft Burning Crusade expansion comes two new races and you will get a very brief introduction to them here. You will also learn a little about another exciting new addition to World of Warcraft that comes with the Burning Crusade expansion, flying mounts.
The new Alliance race is known as the Draenei. They escaped from the Outland and crash-landed on Azeroth. They have sided with the Alliance making them the largest characters available for Alliance players. Think of them as the size equivalent of the Horde’s Tauren race. Draenei characters are capable of being the following classes: Warrior, Mage, Hunter, Paladin, Priest, or Shaman.
The race that is new to the Horde is that of the Blood Elves. They are addicted to magic and Kael’Thas, their leader is on Outland. This large new area that is also an new addition that arrived with the Burning Crusade expansion. Blood Elves have the following character classes available to them: Warlock, Rogue, Hunter, Paladin, Mage, and Priest.
One of the most notable changes that take place with the new expansion is the fact that the Paladin and Shaman are now playable by members of both factions. Draenei have the option of playing as Shaman and Blood Elves can play as the Paladin class if they wish.
Flying mounts are one of the most significant new features that were added with the Burning Crusade expansion. What makes them so monumental is obvious added ability of flight. There are two flying mount models that are available to both factions in a wide assortment of colors. There is a slow model and fast version and the difference in speed is very great. The basic flying mount, depending upon the faction, looks similar to a wind rider or gryphon in appearance. The high speed model is armor clad and the Horde and Alliance versions both look awesome, especially when they are in flight. There are also Netherdrake mounts available to both factions but only after completing a very time consuming chain of quests. It is also possible to acquire an armored Netherdrake by ranking as one of the top five arena teams at the end of a season.
Because flying requires a higher level riding skill it is very costly to train for but it is certainly well worth the expense. Flying functions very similarly to swimming. You fly in whatever direction you are pointing. When you touch the ground, your mount will begin to run just like a regular mount does. As a note, at the time of this writing, flying mounts are only available on Outland and while on Azeroth you will still require your normal grounded mounts.
