Pandaren ( April Fools ) The Pandaren April Fools was a 2002 April Fools joke Blizz ard put up on their site as a so - called " 5th race " for Warcraft III . While much of this material was later adapted into lore in later sources ( The Frozen Throne , Warcraft RPG , etc . ) , some of it differs from the later established lore . Introduction . Blizzard is pleased to announce the latest addition to the Warcraft universe : the mighty Pandaren Empire . The pandaren , driven from their tranquil lands by the marauding centaurs , fight ceaselessly to find a new homeland amongst the warring civilizations of southern Kalimdor . History / Ecology . The Pandaren Empire , founded in ancient times , before the Great Sundering of the world , shared resources and mystic knowledge with the haughty night elves of central Kalimdor . However , as the night elves ' racial obsession with the forces of magic drove them to the brink of madness , the gentle pandaren decided to sever their ties and leave the night elves behind forever . Sensing that magic would be the doom of any race that trifled with it , the pandaren clans , or shao ' dins , traveled far into the treacherous lands of the south . There the pandaren established crude , but beautiful cities of stone and sturdy bambus reed . They lived in peace for many generations before the burning shadow came to engulf the world . . . After the War of the Ancients and the subsequent Sundering of the world , the pandaren ' s surroundings became increasingly hostile . Forced to fight for food and precious land against both the early tauren and the bristling quilboar tribes , they developed into amazingly proficient warriors . Wielding thin , delicately balanced blades , the pandaren wardancers quickly established themselves as some of the deadliest swordsmen of the ancient world . With the wardancers leading their armies , the pandaren carved out a small empire for themselves in the Stonetalon region of Kalimdor ' s desolate Barrens . Though the fierce wardancers maintained peace throughout the pandaren lands , their relatively small population would ensure that their influence would never spread much farther than the Barrens ' rocky borders . Now that war has engulfed Kalimdor once again , the mighty pandaren have come forth to protect their sacred lands and ensure their ancient race ' s survival . Shado - Pan . These mighty pandaren warriors oversee the armies of their empire and serve as feudal lords to the general population . Shado - Pans have the ability to wield geomantic powers as well as the wardancers ' shaktani blades . The stoic Shado - Pans ' greatest enemies are the cruel centaur khans of southern Kalimdor . The Pans ceaselessly work to hunt down the khans and their centaur marauders whenever they encroach upon the lands of the pandaren empire . Wardancer . Despite their girth and size , pandaren wardancers are exceptionally agile . Carrying their sacred shaktani warblades , these mighty swordsmen inspire fear in all of the primitive denizens of the Barrens . Though their light bambus armor gives them only moderate protection , the wardancers ' skills make them formidable opponents . Pikeman . These brave warriors wield heavy bambus pikes that they can use as both melee weapons and devastating projectiles . The pikes , known as pan - spears , can be thrown great distances with startling accuracy due to their hollow bambus shafts . The pikemen , usually found supporting wardancers on the front lines of combat , are adept at intimidating enemy forces by displaying their fierce proficiency with their versatile weapons . Geomancer . Much like the night elf druids , the pandaren mystics developed an affinity for the spirits of the earth . These hearty mystics developed the practice of geomancy - and learned to wield the fury of the earth by appeasing the restless elemental spirits . Many geomancers have been known to summon various types of rock and stone elementals , and great geomancers have even caused catastrophic earthquakes to swallow enemy armies .