Druid races

This article lists the races that are able to become druids, along with the lore behind each.

Night elf druids


Night elven druidic traditions extend back further than most races have existed. The demigod Cenarius taught the druidic arts to the kaldorei early in their history, and the most devout of night elf druids honor and pass on his original teachings. A few were there when Cenarius provided his tutelage and learned directly from the demigod. The iconic night elf druid is a spiritual creature with powers that tap into worlds beyond most mortal knowledge. Green energy plays around his feet, and he moves unhindered through secret forest paths. Night elf druids have always guarded their people against the Burning Legion, and over the ages they developed methods to strike past the demons’ defenses.

Night elf druids claim that they can still hear the voice of Cenarius, warning them when danger is imminent and giving them gentle urgings as to the best way to avoid attacks. Perhaps this voice is nature itself, protecting those who protect it. The night elf druid can drop into a deep slumber. While hibernating, he does not need to eat or drink, and he barely needs to breathe — others must be careful to determine that he still lives. When the druid enters hibernation, any poisons working within him are suspended, and he does not bleed. His breathing is so shallow that he does not suffer effects from inhaled toxins or other dangers, and he can survive for a year on the amount of air he would normally need in a day. He heals at twice the normal rate. When the night elf druid enters hibernation, he sets the conditions to awaken. He can choose a specific amount of time (“twenty-four hours”) or some other event, such as, “When the sun strikes my eyes” or “When I hear the call of the horn of Cenarius.”



Golden eyes
Among night elves, gold-colored eyes, as opposed to the traditional silver, are a sign of inherent druidic potential. Among the class-obsessed night elves who lived prior to the War of the Ancients, gold eyes were rare, and thus viewed as a sign of underlying greatness. Queen Azshara and Illidan Stormrage, both extremely powerful sorcerers, had golden eyes. The night elves became vastly more egalitarian since the War's end, and thus, gold eyes are now far more common. In addition, druidism spread throughout night elven society, and many night elves develop gold eyes after birth if they practice the art.

Though gold eyes are a sign that the individual has a natural ability for druidic magic, it does not mean that all gold-eyed night elves become druids, or that silver-eyed night elves cannot. Malfurion Stormrage himself was born with silver eyes, and developed golden eyes after studying druid magic.



Worgen druids


It appears the worgen may have some connection to the night elves, which may be how they are able to become druids. Worgen already possess the ability to shapeshift between their human and worgen forms, so shapeshifting into additional forms may come more easily to the species.

Gilneas already had druids before the curse landed, though, in the form of Harvest Witches. When Gilneas was threatened with starvation after the construction of the Greymane Wall, it was the druids who helped Gilneas save their harvests.

Starvation's first solutions are most of the time cutting down forests. It is likely that the human druids intervened here and promised to save the crops of Gilneas to have their forests spared. It is possible that because of the reappearance of druidism, Gilneas in general was drawn closer to the beauty of nature. This is a nice analogy to romanticism and paganism in the real world 18th century, so it is a likely theory.

Tauren druids


According to the tauren lore, Cenarius instructed them first in druidism, as recounted in their myth Forestlord and the First Druids. It was in fact Malfurion Stormrage who was the first mortal druid, and Cenarius' greatest student. It is likely though that Cenarius may have met and befriended the tauren.

The night elf druids were recently joined in the Cenarion Circle by the tauren. During the war, Malfurion had befriended Hamuul Runetotem and taught him of druidism. Hamuul later became the first tauren to join the Cenarion Circle and later the archdruid of the tauren race.



Troll druids


Unknown to the loa priests, Zalazane was slowly cutting them off from the spirits. When they were powerless to stop Zalazane he started to take control of the Isles. Vol'jin, wanting to prevent more of his people from begin controlled, gave the order to flee the Echo Isles. Many trolls, including the loa priests, witch doctors, felt they had failed their people and took towards the untamed jungles of the southern islands. It was here that Zen'tabra had a vision. In this vision Zen'tabra saw the Emerald Dream and spoke to the ancient raptor loa, Gonk. Able to reach across and bring Zen'tabra's spirit to him, he tasked her and her people to save the life on the isles and revealed a new way to connect with all the spirits of nature, instead of serving just one at a time. Since then the once witch doctors were taught directly from the Emerald Dream and the spirits themselves. And although the spirits are not keen on teaching more of her kind, they will help so long as the Echo Isles continue to flourish with life.

Other Troll Druids
It was rumored that, long ago, a tribe of troll druids once called the Echo Isles home. However this was later said by Zen'tabra to be a myth made up to confuse Zalazane.

After joining the Horde, the Darkspear trolls (or at least some) began to live in the future. As such they starting to pursue the path of druid, shaman, and witch doctor. They most likely learned druidism from the tauren of Thunder Bluff, since they have the knowledge and are among the Horde already. Given the trolls only fairly recently joined the Horde, the path to learning the ways of the druid would have taken time, apparently more time than shamanism.

It is also possible that troll druids studied under the Druids of the Fang, after the uncorrupted druids contacted Hamuul Runetotem and so the Horde druids for aid.

Furbolg druids
Furbolg leaders are shaman or druids — which furbolgs usually also call shaman, making little distinction between the two practices.

Centaur druids
Like all of Cenarius's children, centaur favor druidism over other divine arts. However, centaur druids are not in the least respectable. Rather than striving for a balance with nature, centaur druids control nature, using it to further their own ambitions. If an animal or plant refuses to subject itself to the centaur's rule, then the creature finds itself either enslaved or, more commonly, destroyed. It takes weeks for night elf or tauren druids to correct the damage a centaur druid inflicts on any territory it comes across.

Human druids
Druidism is more difficult for humans, because it involves quiet contemplation and a sense of one’s own inferiority compared to the needs of the whole; but some humans have the necessary concentration, consideration and calm and have become exemplary wardens of the wild.

Most human druids are from Gilneas.

High elven and blood elven druids
High elves have also practiced druidism; they had elven druid. The Elven Rangers have practiced it, too. It is also assumed that blood elves have also been trained in the art of the druid.

Lost One druids
Some tribes of the draenei Lost Ones are known to practice druidism. For an example, the Feralfen tribe. It is probably something that happened after the separation from the draenei, as neither draenei nor Broken draenei are known to practice druidism.