Wain wrote:
Since the ‘allied races’ are going to be single-faction I would have preferred they started with the partisan races we already recruited to our sides through the length of WoW history. I don’t really have a problem with neutral races picking sides, as long as they weren’t ones that players of both factions established good relations with in the course of the story. Otherwise, no matter which side is chosen, half of the characters are going to witness the races that they quested for, became exalted with, became the most important contact on Azeroth for, suddenly choose the other faction and become hostile to them. I think it’s a nonsensical change in plot unless there are compelling story reasons behind it, and I feel that “We need to balance out this allied race concept” isn’t a compelling story reason. Hence I think Nightborne are one of the worst choices. The void elves and lightforged draenei will certainly add interesting looks but I think they feel pretty contrived in order to make everything racially balanced.
Instead I would have preferred, at least initially:
- Mag’har and Kurenai (brown orcs, broken draenei) from BC, updated to the recent models for each. People have always wanted these.
- Frostborn (frost dwarves) and taunka from Northrend.
- Wildhammer dwarves from Cataclysm. Laughing Skull orcs from Draenor. Both bring new ornament / scars to the races.
- Hozen and jinyu from Pandaria
- Dark Iron dwarves. Zandalari trolls. The latter were originally friendly to everyone but they went nuts in MoP and I guess is a complete reset for them.
Great list, and I concur, the races they have picked make little sense thematically, in popularity, inclusive to the 13yr story thus far, etc.
I've kind of felt with the story more of late, the whole "Light and Void" theme the game has gone feels like a plot from Manga cartoon series. And now making Light and Void as race options/variants makes it even more contrived. There were SO many better, relevant options.
I know why they have done it however, they were simply trying to squeeze in a bit of everything in regardless..
Something Old, *Dark Iron
Something New *Void Elves
Something Borrowed, *Night Borne *Light Forged *High Mountain
Something Blue, *Zandalari
They actively come out and said this, and that the Void elves were just added to have something that was new/unexpected. It's seems they are just box ticking to me without all to much consideration of the world of warcraft or it's history.
Also the fact they are adding races to just one side, that both factions are intimately affiliated with, is just "?!??!??"
I really liked the Nighborne story, but now that they are going to be alined with the horde, one is left with a sour taste in ones mouth, and the same goes for High mountain, and also the Lightforgded for my Horde.
In BfA they are wildly trying to horn shoe this Horde Vs Alliance wedge back between the factions, which while it's always going to be underpinning to wow, how many times to they want to force us, to do this dance, it's old and tired. Then while fostering this "Hate Thy Neighbor", expect us to feel OK with adding these neutral factions that exalt us, into these camps, and we are meant to be ok with this.
And before I get "shot down" with "But wait for the Story, blah blah blah" I'm going off my personal views and off their track record on this one. They could potentially convince us of this with incredible story telling, but again, going off their track record, I'm not going to hold my breath.
_________________

◄ ─ T A N N O N ─ T H E ─ S P I R I T B I N D E R ─ ►