Suggestion: Kul'Tiran/Zandalar Unique Pets

[Maizou]

So, had a thought I'd tossed around in the Alliance Community. .

What if when Kul'Tiran and Zandalari AR are released, they bring with them 2 new pet families:

Wicker Beasts
Brutosaurs (Or Possibly Crawgs?)

Kul'Tirans start with the ability to tame Wicker Beasts and Zandalari start with the ability to tame Brutosaurs.
After recruiting them, Alliance players may purchase a BoA tome to learn to tame Wicker Beasts from Revered with Order of Embers for Gold.
After recruiting them, Horde players may purchase a BoA tome to learn to tame Brutosaurs from Revered with Talanji's Expedition for Gold.

Now, these would not remain A/H only.

After unlocking your faction's create, be it Wicker Beast or Brutosaur, you can then unlock the opposite factions with a little murder spree:

Alliance: By having a wicker beast at your side (that tags the NPC), kill Zandalari Troll NPCs until one of them drops the book to tame.
Horde: By having a Brutosaur at your side (that tags the NPC), kill Kul'Tiran Human NPCs until one of them drops the book to tame.

This could even be done in pieces, having to collect pages of the book and having to piece it back together.

Thoughts?

[Valnaaros]

With the wicker beast, we haven't seen normal Kul Tirans using them as companions. Hounds or hawks would fit better in that regard.

I love the Brutosaurs, but for them to be a viable Hunter pet they would have to be shrunk down, which wouldn't make them nearly as impressive. Perhaps a special armored dino instead?

[WerebearGuy]

Kul Tiran Hunters would likely start with a Winston-like hawk. Wicker beasts are strictly a Druid thing, sadly. As for Zandalari, they would probably start with a raptor, toad, or something from one of the Loa. Brutosaurs aren't out of the question since a hydra-esque one was datamined long ago, and it would really stand out for them. Crawgs are Blood Troll beasts, as much as I want the cute things. I don't really WANT them to have unique pets since I don't want to make two of each of the races (Druids for life, boys!), but if they absolutely did get unique pets, it'd have to be a hawk and loa-related beast.

If anything, Wicker Beast and Crawg would be Spirit Beasts obtained through obnoxious means. Wicker Beasts are created through sorcery and witchcraft, being spirits in crafted bodies rather than an actual animal, while Crawgs are literally born from pools of blood. I'll do whatever it takes to have a Crawg, and I'd almost never stop using the adorable thing, but I don't want it to be strictly a Zandalari Hunter thing.

[Zoruaronan]

i like the concept! But there are some flaws
1st Wicker beast. They're a really cool concept but there aberrations if you meant something like the fel wolves then maybe but i just dont see it but i have no judge over brutosuar i think they'ed still be cool shrunk down.
2nd the grind for the book. I think i could work but i think maybe getting an easy achievement then paying gold to unlock would work better i've had a bad history. with feathermanes and i don't want any complexity here make it short easy but have it be expensive like 5k
And 3th And Finally the way to get the opposite book. i think making it PvP related would make more sense or have somthing to do with the island expeditions.

[Wain]

The wicker beast is definitely good thinking Otherwise I imagine they'd go for something very traditional for a British hunter and have either a hound (hopefully a new model! can never have too many dogs), or a falcon.

Zandalari I would suspect either a maned ravasaur or a (non-exotic) pterrordax.

[Summerfield]

Falcons are a good idea in theory but they wouldn't really provide much of a motivation to unlock given that we can tame all sorts of hawks and falcons already. A hound is a little better but I feel like the wicker beasts would be on par with brutosaurs/crawgs in terms of desirability, if that makes sense?

[Maizou]

I actually just realized, there's a good chance that this type of thing might happen, but instead of Wicker Beasts/Brutosaurs, it'll be Horses and Crawgs.

Horses are already a pet family in the datafiles added in 8.0, they just have no beasts in it right now.

And with Horses being rather ingrained in Kul'Tiran Culture and Crawgs being rather prominent in Zandalari culture, it would fit as well.

[Vephriel]

I actually just realized, there's a good chance that this type of thing might happen, but instead of Wicker Beasts/Brutosaurs, it'll be Horses and Crawgs.

Horses are already a pet family in the datafiles added in 8.0, they just have no beasts in it right now.

And with Horses being rather ingrained in Kul'Tiran Culture and Crawgs being rather prominent in Zandalari culture, it would fit as well.

I want tameable crawgs more than anything, but I wouldn't necessarily say they're the right fit for Zandalari or their culture. Crawgs are corruptions of the blood trolls, who took the children of the toad loa Krag'wa and twisted them into monstrosities using the powers of their evil blood god. They'd probably be seen as abominations by most (god they're cute though)!

[Nikrosnil]

I would totally love to tame horses though!

[Wain]

Horses aren't actually in the pet family database. It was referenced in some other situation, maybe a spell, but I guess it was either a mistake or an idea they were toying with (for dreamrunners) and then decided not to. That's not to say it couldn't happen, of course.

[Nazja]

Crawg do feel more like the obligatory addition once blood trolls get added to the allied race roster. And a part of me feels like these poor creatures should be allowed to be a part of the toad/frog family. (And I sure hope we will be able to tame Krag'wa's uncorrupted children before BFA end.)

Now, a spinosaur... If not that, a HD devilsaur based on Rezan would be nice, but not really a new family. (Or the new embalmed undead raptors and devilsaurs, since the Zandalari's main Loa is a certain Baron Saturday.)

For Kul Tirans, I feel that Blizzard should allow us to tame the new druid forms as part of a new family based around animal-like flora. Perhaps including WoD's mandragora hydras. But if we're going with new models (HD devilsaurs) instead of new families, I would love some new dog models. Maybe the ability to tame some of the dogs already in-game who're only available as battle-pets.

Edit:
Hmm, horses for Kul Tiras? Makes sense to go for ungulates on the Zandalari side, then! Give them alpacas, since they are already partially inspired by the Inca.

[Vephriel]

It would be nice if all of the Allied races had unique tames though, if some already have. It's odd to me that Void Elves and Dark Irons do so far (as in pet skins that can't be obtained anywhere else), but other ones don't. I suppose Nightborne sort of count, getting a cat version of a manasaber.

[Teigan]

I don't know that blood trolls would ever be an allied race. I haven't done the Horde side, but as far as I know they're dyed-in-the-wool evil. So, unless Blizz is taking the Horde down the full blow evil path, I can't see a group like that joining them. I do like the idea of the crawgs being in the frog family. Poor things.

[Valnaaros]

I can't see them joining either side. They are definitely evil and have shown to be hostile to both factions.

[Rawr]

Kul should get the new Hawks or Seagulls, or at least something tamable by the rest of us.

[Nazja]

I don't know that blood trolls would ever be an allied race. I haven't done the Horde side, but as far as I know they're dyed-in-the-wool evil. So, unless Blizz is taking the Horde down the full blow evil path, I can't see a group like that joining them.

It's more wishful thinking on my part and less certainty (very, very little certainty), but if they prove to be popular enough, I do believe that it could still happen. Rule of cool and gameplay first are principles they live by, after all.

[Teigan]

Kul should get the new Hawks or Seagulls, or at least something tamable by the rest of us.

I wonder if that's what that beautiful tawny falcon is being saved for? But we should all be able to tame that because I absolutely need that bird. If they give it to Kul'tirans, for who is would admittedly be an excellent fit, I would never have it even if I race changed.

I wish there was a way for race changed toons to get the appropriate pet. I'm tempted enough to turn my dwarf into a Kul'tiran, and that hawk might sell me on it if that were a thing.

I don't know that blood trolls would ever be an allied race. I haven't done the Horde side, but as far as I know they're dyed-in-the-wool evil. So, unless Blizz is taking the Horde down the full blow evil path, I can't see a group like that joining them.

It's more wishful thinking on my part and less certainty (very, very little certainty), but if they prove to be popular enough, I do believe that it could still happen. Rule of cool and gameplay first are principles they live by, after all.

If we got blood trolls before we get Wildhammer dwarves which are fighting right alongside the Alliance being good allies just like Dark Iron and Lightforged and Void elves, I would cry. Wildhammer are quite popular enough, highly requested, not controversial at all. Yet, Blizz has come out and said they are not and will not consider the Wildhammer for an allied race. Nevermind the fact that the Mag'har are an orc clans all in one package for the Horde, but only two of three Dwarf clans can make it in and those as separate races. And let's not talk about High Elves, which have also been flatly denied. So, something being popular doesn't mean that it will happen.

[Rawr]

Zan should get Trikes, no book needed.

[Nazja]

If we got blood trolls before we get Wildhammer dwarves which are fighting right alongside the Alliance being good allies just like Dark Iron and Lightforged and Void elves, I would cry. Wildhammer are quite popular enough, highly requested, not controversial at all. Yet, Blizz has come out and said they are not and will not consider the Wildhammer for an allied race. Nevermind the fact that the Mag'har are an orc clans all in one package for the Horde, but only two of three Dwarf clans can make it in and those as separate races. And let's not talk about High Elves, which have also been flatly denied. So, something being popular doesn't mean that it will happen.

True, it is no guarantee. But in the case of both of those races, it is not the lore that is holding them back. It is their visual similarity to already existing races. Now, I am not going to pretend that the Wildhammer dwarves aren't at least as distinct from Bronzebeard dwarves as old tauren are from Highmountain tauren, but it seem that as far as Blizzard is concerned merely having tattoos as a feature to distinguish both races is not enough, contrary to having tattoos and and moose antlers. This being the reason why the playable Alliance high elves we got were thrown into a void blender first, to make them distinct enough.

Blood trolls do not have those issues.

But let's not derail this topic any further. (And as I said, while I think it is possible, I am very doubtful about it ever happening.)