So, The Midnight expansion will open up to us a new and bright Allied Race unlike anything World of Warcraft has ever added: the Haranir. These bioluminescent guardians of Harandar step out of legend and into our rosters, bringing a mix of wild aesthetics, unique racial abilities, and an origin story tied deeply to Azeroth’s roots.
Players are excited not just because the Haranir look amazing, but because they tie directly into the ongoing The War Within saga. Unlocking them means experiencing a lore-rich campaign that explores their culture, their connection to the World Trees, and the mysterious Lightbearer Orweyna who first introduced them. So they will definitely be interesting to see.
Who Are the Haranir in WoW?
The Haranir are an ancient race of hunters and guardians who live deep beneath the roots of Azeroth’s World Trees, in the glowing fungal jungles of Harandar. Unlike traditional city-building cultures, the Haranir grow and shape their world, living in harmony with massive fungi, moss bridges, and bioluminescent wildlife.
In Midnight, we finally met them properly! Their role is clear: protect the rootways, living networks of magical passageways tied to the lifeblood of Azeroth. For centuries, they’ve watched over this domain, guided by faith in a long-absent goddess. Now, as new threats emerge, some Haranir choose to step beyond their isolation, joining either Horde or Alliance to defend Azeroth’s future.
A key figure here is Orweyna, first introduced in The War Within. She’s a young Haranir with an unusually strong bond to her goddess, and her journey brings players into contact with her people. Through her, we see both the devotion and the internal conflict of a race torn between tradition and change.
Haranir culture revolves around vigilance, survival, and their bond with Harandar itself. Their glowing patterns, connection to rootways, and primal druidic ties make them something new, both visually and thematically, in the Warcraft universe.
How to Unlock the Haranir Allied Race
Just like the Earthen in The War Within, you’ll need to play through Midnight’s main campaign to gain their trust. And more details will be revealed to us with the expansion.
- Campaign Requirement: Completing the Midnight story chapters that introduce Harandar and the Haranir people.
- Progression Path: Unlocking them is tied to finishing major campaign arcs rather than side grinds, though expect a dedicated racial introduction questline after the main story (similar to how other Allied Races were unlocked).
- Availability: Based on Blizzard’s track record, the Haranir may not be playable immediately on launch day. They’ll likely unlock a few weeks into Midnight, once players progress far enough in the campaign to meet them properly.
- Faction Choice: Like the Earthen, the Haranir can join either Horde or Alliance, giving both sides access to their racials and classes.
WoW Haranir Playable Classes
Blizzard gave the Haranir a generous class spread, but with some lore-driven limits.
Available Classes:
- Druid
- Hunter
- Mage
- Monk
- Priest
- Rogue
- Shaman
- Warlock
- Warrior
Unavailable Classes: Death Knight, Demon Hunter, Paladin, Evoker.
Haranir Racials & Abilities
Blizzard hasn’t finalized all tooltips yet, but they’ve already outlined the core racials. Here’s what we know, and why it matters in actual gameplay:
Rootcall (Active Ability):
Summons living roots at a targeted location.
Roots deal damage to enemies while also healing nearby allies.
PvE: Works like a mini-HoT and AoE DPS at the same time.
PvP: A clutch ability in battlegrounds or arenas, providing sustain and light crowd-control utility.
Nature’s Brawn (Passive):
Increases critical strike damage and healing done.
PvE: Extra DPS and throughput, especially valuable for specs that scale heavily with crit (Feral Druids, Fire Mages, Discipline Priests).
PvP: More burst potential in crit windows.
Rootway Attunement (Travel Ability):
Grants access to rootway fast travel points, similar to the Dark Iron Dwarf Mole Machine.
Some locations are available at unlock, others must be discovered by exploring Harandar and beyond.
A huge quality-of-life bonus for farming, dungeons, or RP immersion.
Aberrationbane (Passive):
Deal extra damage to Aberrations and Elementals.
Also take reduced damage from them.
PvE: Very strong in Midnight, since Harandar is crawling with fungal aberrations and elemental horrors. Could make Haranir a go-to pick for progression raiders in certain tiers.
PvP: Could have value in world PvP zones or special brawls.
Rootcall alone makes them one of the most group-friendly Allied Races yet, while their crit bonus and elemental/aberration damage buffs give them strong niche power.
Haranir Druid Forms in WoW Midnight
For many players, the first question after "what classes can they be?" is "what do their druid forms look like?" Since the Haranir are deeply tied to nature and the rootways of Harandar, it’s no surprise Blizzard gave them unique druid forms.
Confirmed & Spotted Forms
Feral Form (Bat):
Shown in the Midnight trailer, the Haranir feral form takes on a bat-like appearance with glowing accents. This fits their connection to Harandar’s nocturnal ecosystem and offers a refreshing change from the usual cat form. Expect bioluminescent wings and natural root-like textures.
Flight Form (Bat Variation):
During The War Within, Orweyna herself was seen transforming into a bat-like flight form. This strongly suggests Haranir druids will use bat variants for aerial travel, keeping their theme consistent across both ground and sky.
Speculated Forms
Guardian (Tank) Form Pangolin:
A pangolin creature was spotted during Blizzard’s Systems Panel, leading the community to speculate it may serve as the Haranir’s guardian form.
Haranir Customization & Heritage Armor
Customization Options
- Bioluminescent Patterns: Instead of plain tattoos, the Haranir feature glowing face and body paints that shimmer like spores in the dark. These patterns can be applied in different styles and intensities, allowing you to choose subtle tribal markings or full glowing designs.
- Natural Color Palette: Skin tones blend earthy and organic shades: mossy greens, bark browns, pale fungal whites, with some glowing highlights. Hair options follow a similar theme, often incorporating leafy or vine-like textures.
- Gender Models: Both male and female Haranir share the same design philosophy: lean, agile frames with natural ornamentation. Datamined previews show their silhouettes are unique enough to stand apart from night elves or trolls.
Heritage Armor
The Haranir will come with a Heritage Armor set, though the final design hasn’t been officially revealed yet. Datamined previews suggest glowing fungal motifs, root-like plating, and bioluminescent accents.
Expect woven roots, glowing spores, and fungal plating woven into the armor. The design emphasizes natural growth rather than metal craftsmanship, similar in philosophy to how Night Elf heritage armor focused on moonlit elegance.
This set is earned by leveling a fresh Haranir from start to cap, just like with other Allied Races. They’re visually distinct from other elf-adjacent races, leaning harder into primal and bioluminescent aesthetics.
Harandar: The Home of the Haranir
Harandar is the zone that defines the Haranir. A fungal jungle glowing with bioluminescence, sprawling beneath the roots of the World Trees.
Expect towering fungal spires, moss bridges, and glowing wildlife. The zone shifts between dense root canopies and open caverns, creating a layered, vertical map design. Harandar represents the ancient connection between Azeroth’s roots and the Haranir people. It’s where they’ve kept their vigil for ages, hoping for the return of their goddess.
Content:
- Delve - Den of Echoes: A space where players uncover ancient murals and myths.
- Dungeon - Blinding Vale: A full 5-man instance featuring facsimiles of Harandar’s deadliest creatures.
- Gameplay: This zone acts as both a leveling path and an endgame hub, much like Suramar or Nazjatar did in earlier expansions.
Final Thoughts
The Haranir bring a whole new identity into Azeroth. Their fungal, bioluminescent look is instantly recognizable, their lore ties them directly to the World Trees and Orweyna’s story, and their racials are practical enough to matter in real gameplay.
Gameplay-wise, they’re not fluff either. Their racials look strong in practice, especially the crit bonus and root ability, and druids finally get some of the most unique forms we’ve seen in years.
FAQ
What classes can Haranir play?
They can be Druids, Hunters, Mages, Monks, Priests, Rogues, Shamans, Warlocks, or Warriors. They cannot be Death Knights, Demon Hunters, Paladins, or Evokers.
How to unlock the Haranir Allied Race?
By completing the Midnight campaign storyline. Like the Earthen in The War Within, their availability may come a few weeks after launch.
Do Haranir druids get unique forms?
Yes. Their Feral form is confirmed as bat-inspired, and speculation points to a pangolin-based tank form. These match Harandar’s fauna and bioluminescent theme.