How to Unlock Earthen WoW: Your Path to Playing the New Allied Race

Blizzard's announcement of the Earthen as a playable Allied Race sent ripples through the World of Warcraft community, and for good reason. These crystalline dwarves, with their unique aesthetic and deep lore connections to Azeroth's ancient history, represent something genuinely fresh in a game that's been running for nearly two decades. But unlike picking a standard race at character creation, getting your hands on an Earthen character requires jumping through some specific hoops—and that's where things get interesting.

I've been playing WoW since vanilla, and I'll tell you straight up: the Allied Race system has always been a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, it gives dedicated players something meaningful to work toward. On the other, it can feel like an artificial barrier between you and that cool new character you want to roll. The Earthen unlock process sits somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, and understanding exactly what you need to do will save you a lot of headaches down the road.

The War Within and Your Journey Begins

First things first—you can't unlock the Earthen without owning The War Within expansion. This might seem obvious, but I've seen plenty of returning players get confused about this requirement. The Earthen are intrinsically tied to the expansion's storyline, particularly the zones of Khaz Algar where these beings originate.

Once you've got the expansion, you'll need a level 70 character. Now, here's something that trips people up: it doesn't matter which faction this character belongs to. Alliance or Horde, doesn't make a lick of difference. The Earthen, being a neutral Allied Race, can join either faction once unlocked. This is actually a pretty significant departure from how most Allied Races work, and honestly, it's about time Blizzard loosened up on the faction restrictions.

Achievement Hunting in Khaz Algar

The meat of unlocking the Earthen revolves around completing specific achievements in the Khaz Algar zones. You're looking at three main components here, and each one tells part of the Earthen story.

The first achievement you'll tackle is "Allied Races: Earthen," which becomes available once you hit level 80 and complete the main campaign of The War Within. This isn't just busy work—the campaign actually does a solid job of introducing you to Earthen culture, their connection to the Titans, and why they're suddenly interested in joining the wider world after millennia of isolation.

During my playthrough, I found myself genuinely invested in their storyline. There's this whole subplot about different Earthen clans having wildly different philosophies about their purpose and destiny. Some want to maintain their ancient duties, others seek to forge new paths. It's surprisingly nuanced for what could have been a simple "rock people join the war" narrative.

The Reputation Grind (Or Lack Thereof)

Here's where Blizzard threw us a curveball—and a welcome one at that. Unlike previous Allied Races that required reaching Exalted with specific factions, the Earthen unlock doesn't have a traditional reputation requirement. Instead, you need to complete the "Uniting the Clans" questline, which becomes available after finishing the main campaign.

This questline takes you through all four major zones of Khaz Algar, helping various Earthen communities with their problems. You're looking at maybe 3-4 hours of focused questing, depending on your gear and how much you get distracted by side content. And let me tell you, there's plenty to get distracted by. The environmental storytelling in these zones is top-notch, with ancient Titan facilities, crystalline caverns, and some genuinely breathtaking vistas.

One particular quest that stuck with me involved helping an Earthen artisan recover their ancestral tools. Sounds simple enough, right? Turns out these tools were scattered across time itself due to some Bronze Dragonflight shenanigans. The quest had me jumping between different temporal phases of the same location, seeing how the Earthen civilization evolved over millennia. It's this kind of creative quest design that makes the unlock process feel less like a chore and more like an actual adventure.

Dungeon Requirements and Group Content

Now we hit what might be the most controversial part of the unlock process—dungeon requirements. You'll need to complete four specific dungeons on Normal difficulty or higher: The Rookery, Stonevault, Priory of the Sacred Flame, and City of Threads. These aren't just random dungeons; each one ties into the Earthen storyline in meaningful ways.

The Stonevault, in particular, is essentially an Earthen holy site that's been corrupted. Running through it as part of the unlock process adds layers of meaning to what would otherwise be just another dungeon crawl. You're not just clearing trash and downing bosses; you're literally reclaiming sacred spaces for the people you're trying to recruit.

For solo players or those with social anxiety, this requirement can feel daunting. But here's the thing—the dungeon finder makes this relatively painless, and Normal difficulty is tuned to be accessible. I've run these dungeons with groups where half the players were clearly there for the unlock, and we still breezed through. The WoW community, for all its reputation, tends to be pretty understanding when it comes to Allied Race unlocks.

The Final Push: Recruitment Scenario

Once you've checked all the boxes—campaign complete, questline finished, dungeons conquered—you'll receive a quest directing you to the Earthen recruitment scenario. This is a solo instance that serves as both a final test and a lore capstone to your journey.

Without spoiling too much, the scenario involves defending a major Earthen settlement from a threat that ties together various plot threads from the expansion. It's about a 20-30 minute experience that does a great job of making you feel like you've earned the Earthen's trust. The final cutscene, where the Earthen formally agree to join the Alliance or Horde (your choice), actually gave me goosebumps. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good recruitment story, but seeing these ancient beings take their first steps into the wider world felt genuinely momentous.

Tips for Efficient Unlocking

Let me share some wisdom from my own unlock experience and watching guildmates go through the process. First off, don't try to rush everything in one day. The questlines are designed to be enjoyed, not speedrun. That said, if you're in a hurry, here are some efficiency tips:

Start working on the unlock as soon as you hit 80. The campaign quests give solid experience if you're not already max level, and you'll need to complete them anyway. When you get to the dungeon portion, try to time it with your weekly vault activities. Killing two birds with one stone, as they say.

Keep an eye on the in-game calendar for Timewalking weeks. While the required dungeons need to be run in their normal versions, Timewalking can be a great way to gear up if you're struggling with the content. Plus, the Timewalking vendor sometimes has items that can speed up your questing.

One thing that caught me off guard—make sure you have flying unlocked in Khaz Algar before starting the Uniting the Clans questline. Some of the quests send you all over the map, and doing them on ground mounts is... well, let's just say it tests your patience. The good news is that Dragonriding works immediately in the new zones, so at least you're not stuck with old-school flying.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

I've seen plenty of players get frustrated with the unlock process, usually due to misunderstandings about the requirements. The biggest confusion comes from players who think they need to grind reputation with the Council of Dornogal or other Khaz Algar factions. You don't. While getting reputation with these factions has other benefits, it's not required for the Earthen unlock.

Another common mistake is trying to complete the dungeons in Heroic or Mythic difficulty thinking it'll count for more. It won't. Normal is sufficient, and unless you're overgeared, it's actually the most efficient option. Save the higher difficulties for when you're farming gear or pushing keys.

Some players also miss that the recruitment questline has prerequisites beyond just the achievement. You need to have completed certain side questlines in each zone that introduce you to the local Earthen populations. The game doesn't always make this clear, so if you find yourself stuck, check your quest log for any unfinished business in the Khaz Algar zones.

Is It Worth the Effort?

This is the million-gold question, isn't it? After spending roughly 15-20 hours on the unlock process (including dungeons and some exploration), I can say that it depends entirely on what you want from the game. If you're someone who collects Allied Races like Pokemon, then obviously, yes. If you're drawn to the Earthen aesthetic or their lore, absolutely.

But even beyond that, I'd argue the unlock process itself is worth experiencing. It's some of Blizzard's better storytelling in recent years, and the zones you'll explore are genuinely beautiful. The Earthen cities, with their geometric architecture and crystal gardens, are unlike anything else in WoW. There's this one vista in the Ringing Deeps where you can see an entire Earthen metropolis carved into a massive geode, and I must have taken a dozen screenshots.

From a gameplay perspective, Earthen racials are solid without being overpowered. Their Azerite Surge ability is particularly nice for tanks and healers, while their Hyper Organic Light Originator provides some interesting utility. They're not going to revolutionize your raid performance, but they're far from useless.

Final Thoughts on Your Earthen Journey

Looking back on my time unlocking the Earthen, what strikes me most is how Blizzard has refined the Allied Race system over the years. Gone are the mind-numbing reputation grinds of Battle for Azeroth. Instead, we have a focused experience that respects your time while still feeling meaningful.

The Earthen unlock process tells a complete story—from your first encounter with these crystalline beings to their decision to join the wider world. It's not perfect; the dungeon requirement still feels a bit forced, and some of the travelling between quest objectives can be tedious. But overall, it's a marked improvement over previous Allied Race unlocks.

If you're on the fence about whether to pursue the Earthen unlock, my advice is simple: give it a shot. Worst case scenario, you'll experience some solid content and learn more about The War Within's lore. Best case, you'll find your new main character among these ancient guardians of Azeroth.

Just remember—the journey to unlock the Earthen isn't meant to be rushed. Take your time, enjoy the story, and maybe make some friends in those dungeon runs. After all, that's what MMOs are really about, right? The pixels are temporary, but the memories (and screenshots) last forever.

Authoritative Sources:

Blizzard Entertainment. World of Warcraft: The War Within. Blizzard Entertainment, 2024.

Blizzard Entertainment. "Allied Races Overview." World of Warcraft Official Game Guide, us.battle.net/support/en/article/000255660, 2024.

Wowhead. "Earthen Allied Race Overview." Wowhead Database, www.wowhead.com/guide/earthen-allied-race, 2024.