Could Ethereals be the next playable race in WoW Midnight?

My dreams could finally be coming true in WoW Midnight: Ethereals might finally be a playable race. Ethereals have been a group I’ve been fascinated by since they first appeared in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, so many years ago. Ethereals, for those who arent’ familiar, are entities who exist in the Twisting Nether and are collectors of ancient secrets and artifacts.

Often portrayed as liars and sneaks that will stop at nothing to collect as much treasure and bring it back with them as possible, that’s not always the case. In some ways, they’re similar to Goblins, in that they are portrayed by their greed, and are also broken up into Cabals or Cartels. None of this is confirmed, but could we finally be seeing Ethereals as a playable race in WoW Midnight?

Note: This is entirely speculative, but should more information become available, we'll update accordingly.

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WoW Midnight could make Ethereals a playable race

The Ethereals are about to make a major appearance in WoW The War Within, as we get closer to Midnight, but could they really become a playable race? It’s certainly possible, so I want to examine this, and talk about it. The next chapter of the WorldSoul Saga is going to begin before long, and I think this next major update will cap off The War Within in a perfect way.

There's just so much amazing Ethereal content in this upcoming patch (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Patch 11.2 of World of Warcraft is called The Ghosts of K’aresh, which even that, is a direct reference to the Ethereals. We first heard about K’aresh back in The Burning Crusade, as the original homeworld of the Ethereals. Unfortunately, it was ultimately consumed by Void Lord Dimensius the All-Devouring. Coincidentally, he’s also going to be the final raid boss of this expansion, in Manaforge Omega.

The primary story of patch 11.2 is also Ethereal-focused, with Dimensius seeking to finally consume all of the Ethereals once and for all. To stop it, players will be heading to the shattered world of K’aresh, explore the Broker market of Tazavesh as a new hub, and try to restore the Eco Domes of the Ethereals.

If that weren’t enough, we’ll be able to experience more of the Ethereal’s story in this update, by visiting Lorewalker Cho during Lorewalking. If we ask Blizzard, we’ll no doubt receive a resounding “No”, such as fans did when they asked about a third Evoker talent tree.

We're even going back to the best part of Shadowlands: Tazavesh, the Veiled Market! (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

There’s simply so much Ethereal content available in patch 11.2 of WoW to make it a coincidence. Their homeworld? The return of Tazavesh, the Veiled Market, now as a player hub, returning Megadungeon, and Mythic+ Rotation feature?

We also have to consider that this is likely the last major story update for The War Within other than something to officially set up Midnight. The more of this I see, and the more I see the Ethereal connections line up, the more I’m convinced that it’s possible we’ll get to play as Ethereals once Midnight launches.

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Edited by Jason Parker