Drakonid

Drakonid (sometimes pluralized as drakonids and also spelled draconid) or drakonaar are a bipedal humanoid dragon-like race fashioned by their masters to be helpful and loyal. They are typically used as guards and frontline soldiers within each of the five great dragonflights, as well as within the dragonflights at the service of the Old Gods.

Drakonid are soldiers, educated and trained to serve. They begin as cadets and eventually graduate out of that rank. One of their topmost missions is to protect the eggs of their flight, and they are to give their life for that mission if necessary. Old drakonid are allowed to retire.

The original drakonid were transformed from tarasek, a reptilian species native to the Dragon Isles, uplifted by the Dragon Aspects in the same manner that the titans uplifted proto-dragons into dragons. In the millennia that followed, new methods with varying degrees of success were devised to create drakonid. Drakonid can lay eggs and have children.

Drakonid are abundant on the Dragon Isles. When dragons left the Dragon Isles after the Sundering, they were left behind to care over the isles. The Spellsworn, a group consisting of blue drakonid left in stasis watched over by blue dragons, was sent by Malygos to the Forbidden Reach to guard the dracthyr imprisoned there.

Drakonid were integral to the processes that were done to create dracthyr; with the earliest experimentations that would lead to dracthyr actually being various forms of augmented drakonid, such as Neldris. By the end of the process, drakonid were still used in what would create the first successful dracthyr.

In modern days, some drakonid seem to be created from mortals, empowered by the dragons they serve, via intentional alteration or via "unintended side effect of hanging out with dragons". They have thus been described as half-man, half-dragon. The process does not have to be willing.

In Blackwing Lair, each drakonid seems to have a fatal weakness to one magic type, making it suffer enormous damage from that particular school. This weakness can be used to the advantage of any mortal army daring to step into the halls of Blackwing Lair in order to challenge the sinister Nefarian. A group of black drakonid served Sintharia in Grim Batol prior to the Cataclysm.

Drakonid of all five dragonflights guard the Wyrmrest Temple and the sanctums in the Chamber of Aspects. The drakonid of the bronze dragonflight patrol and protect the Caverns of Time. The infinite dragonflight tempted many drakonid with promises of power, but most found only servitude and despair. One of the few exceptions is Chrono Lord Deja, who gained influence within the flight through his raw power and cunning.

Nether drakonid can be found in Shadowmoon Valley, in the service of Illidan Stormrage. The Dragonmaw Ascendant and Zuluhed himself in Outland can turn into drakonid.

During the War Against the Nightmare, armies of shadow-possessed drakonid fought against the dreamform army.

Drakonid can also be counted among the ranks of the Twilight's Hammer. After Deathwing's Shattering of Azeroth, one massive drakonid was sent by the cultists to assassinate King Varian Wrynn and his son Anduin during Remembrance Day in Stormwind City.

In the Blackrock Caverns, Corla of the Twilight's Hammer is seen blessing fellow human zealots by harnessing nether dragon essence to transform them into menacing twilight drakonid.

During the war against the Primalists, dragons returned to the Dragon Isles and many drakonid rejoiced in their return, joining them in the Valdrakken Accord. However, a number of dragonspawn was discontent with them and the Dragon Aspects and instead joined the Flightless in an open rebellion against Valdrakken, or the Sundered Flame, seeking artifacts and power, as well as the Primalists. Alexstrasza worked with the Scalesworn and the adventurers to stop the rebellion in Thaldraszus. On other fronts, numbers of the Sundered Flame and the Primalists were defeated.

Drakonid can be found as members of all five major dragonflights, and among the various derivatives of these flights as well. A number of them have also joined with the Primalists; seeking to remove the rule of the Aspects from their people.

• Main
• Black dragonflight
• Blue dragonflight
• Bronze dragonflight
• Green dragonflight
• Red dragonflight

• Derived
• Chromatic dragonflight
• Infinite dragonflight
• Twilight dragonflight

• Blackwing Banner has a chance to drop from Broodlord Lashlayer in Blackwing Lair.
• Drakks came from pre-purchasing any edition of.

• Drakonid were introduced with patch 1.6.0 in the Blackwing Lair raid.
• In 2009, Tom Chilton stated in an interview that Blizzard had considered making drakonid a playable race, saying: "We always looked at those and said, oh that would be a pretty cool player race - it would be cool to play as one of those guys. There's not a lot there as far as, where did they come from and what are they? But they are in the world and it wouldn't be completely inconceivable that a player would end up being able to play that, and we could continue to expand on the depth of that race and that sort of race." A draconic playable race was ultimately added in the form of the dracthyr with the release of, 13 years later.
• When chasing an enemy, drakonid twirl their polearms in a manner similar to that of the guardian of the Tkon Empire attacking Commander Riker in the episode "The Last Outpost".

"Dragonkin" as a more specific term than the creature type may be a "race" that includes both drakonid and dragonspawn. See dragonspawn speculation.