Ancient Ancients are demigod - like trees . They are some of the most important creatures in night - elf society . They resemble sapient trees , but their wisdom and insight are almost unparalleled . Many of them are thousands of years old . They assist their night - elf allies with guidance , education ( particularly in the druidic arts ) , and protection — they are large and powerful , and are protectors of the forest . They are large enough to carry night - elves , and some are so enormous that a few night - elves make their homes in them . The wisp s act in unison with the night - elves and serve to strengthen the demigod - like trees known as the Ancients . Details . Most ancients resemble deciduous trees that live in temperate climates , such as oaks and maples . A few evergreen ancients also exist . No reliable reports of tropical ancients have yet surfaced , but the night elves claim that they can exist — and if a colony of night elves moves to the tropics and brings along the appropriate druidic magic , tropical ancients may indeed grace Azeroth ' s surface . Ancients speak Darnassian , though a few also speak Common . Their voices sound like ancient trees creaking in the wind . Ancients are traditionally friends of night elves and good - hearted , but the recent Third War makes them suspicious of non - night elves . They give outsiders a chance to prove their good intentions ; but if roused to anger ancients are implacable foes . Some ancients patrol their territories , but most spend their time standing still , virtually indistinguishable from normal trees . An ancient may watch intruders , perhaps moving in secret to dog their path . If the outsiders do nothing to harm the forest or nature ' s balance , the ancient leaves them alone . If the outsiders appear to share the same ideals as the ancient ( destroying corrupted creatures or protecting trees from other intruders , for example ) , the ancient reveals itself and lends assistance . If outsiders abuse the land , the ancient rumbles to a fury and attacks with swings of its arms . Giant , sentient trees that sometimes serve as advisors and protectors of the night elves as NPC s , but also wander the lands as hostile monster s . They lack apparent independent construction of settlements , but are otherwise highly intelligent . They can also root into the ground to become more of a tree . The WoW ancients do not seem to utilize this ability . Male and female figures alike with hooded faces fought in the War of the Ancients . The little flesh that could be seen was made of oak bark . Warlords of Draenor . It was only very recently that draenei rangari managed to communicate with these enormous sentient trees , but wildly different ways of life — not to mention a completely different perception of time — have made further interaction difficult . The ancients get their name from their analogues on Azeroth ; they are tied closely to a prehistoric plant lineage that unites much of Draenor ’ s flora and places them in opposition to the creatures of stone . These enigmatic ancients remain in the same area for hundreds of years and are reluctant to move unless their home is threatened . Adventurers should be cautious when harvesting the valley ’ s lumber , as they may find the forest fighting back .