Originally, there was going to be many more races included in the game, such as the Demon race (which later became the Burning Legion). The main reason the numbers were reduced was due to balancing issues, designing each race so that they are unique enough to warrant a new race whilst making sure they are neither too powerful nor too weak; but somewhere in the range of "equal". Of course, it is clear from every game out that true balance is impossible, which explains gameplay changes that are put in with game patches.

With four races, Blizzard had to manage a four way juggling act. StarCraft, which had only three races, had and required many, many patches and fixes for the three races to work correctly and equaly. Add an extra one, and it is exponentially more difficult due to all the different permutations and combinations of matches and races that can occur. Nonetheless, in the release version, the game is still pretty balanced, although some gaps and exploits are already being exposed.

Humanity is the youngest of the competing races in WarCraft III, and likely the most noble. They have fought, suffered and endured in the war against the Orcish Hordes. It is through their cleverness that Humans overcome their opponents. Orcs may have brute force, but Humanity has faith and wisdom in itself that is quickly realized on the battlefield.

Whether you're using Invisibility to sneak troops into an enemy town, Summoning Water Elementals to fight by your side, or stunning enemy units with a Thunder Clap, Humans work well under the power of any player who understands how to utilize their clever means of attack and defense. If you want to defeat an enemy using force, sign up with the Orcs, but if you're an intelligent player who enjoys using tricky strategies and tactics, then Humans are for you.

If you've ever played WarCraft II, then you know how kick-ass our green ugly friends the Orcs are. Humans never sttod a chance against things like bloodlust. Orcs ate sissy human characters like archers for lunch. Orcs are simply a mean ugly brute force. If you wanted to overpower your opponent your opponent you played Orcs. It's as simple as that. At one point, in the distant past, they were a noble race. In WarCraft III, they are to resort back to their roots and once again bring back their noble and ancient traditions. This will not be the Orc race we all became so familiar with. There will be some definate changes to look forward to.

I'm not sure about you, but the Undead are one race I'm really looking forward to. Things like "insidious extra-dimensional entities" sounds all too good to me. When people like the Bruning Legion create a race for the sole purpose of creating terror across the entire world, then you know things are going to get ugly. As if the humans didn't have enough to worry about, here comes the army of death! Their leader goes by Nerzhul and is known for things such as mental control, plague, and various other life draining ailments. Just call these decaying evil entities the darker side of WarCraft III.

The Night Elves are the oldest, and possibly even the wisest of the WarCraft III races. According to their background, the Night Elves refuse to use magic for fear of once again drawing the dreaded Burning Legion back into the world. Their limited use of magic could end up being the Night Elves' primary weakness, but I don't think we need to worry about that, because you and I both know they rock.