As it turned out Pandas was a great idea, so with that in mind I hope for greater open-mindedness from Blizz regarding new playable races to be introduced over the coming years. Here are some suggestions that I, with input from Pike, would especially like Blizzard to consider:
1) Tuskarr. These are top of the list, and should have been playable since Wrath instead of adding DKs. They are The Best Race. They are big fat Walrusmans who build big Walrusman moai and I forget to finish my sentences AND they have the best lines! “Visit again when you can!”
2) Ethereals. They are the Second Best Race, and I can’t even begin to fathom why they’re not playable because they’re blatantly superior to everything else that isn’t a walrusmans.
(everything after this point is in no particular order)
3) Ogres. They really should have been playable since Day One, let’s be honest here.
4) Mantids. These guys look metal as all hell and I’d very much like to be able to say things like “It’s time to swarm.” or “I must speak with the Adjunct!”.
5) Grummles. I love them and their constant talk about luckydos is amazing. I especially like how their name is their luckiest luckydo, so some of them have names like “Half-eaten Fish” and “Wooden Spoon”.
6) Naga. The quests in Vash’jir where you are a Naga Battlemaiden are great, because you get to see how cool as heck Naga are. Turns out they’re refined, treat their underlings reasonably, and act with respect and decorum! Also they have that crazy spinny-blade blender move that minces everything.
7) Iron Vrykul and Iron Dwarves. Rock-based robots covered in baller glower runes? Yep I’m okay with that sign me up please.
8) Tol’vir. Yesssss these guys are also baller as hell. Hanging out in Uldum being big old cat-taurs looking like they really do deserve to be in charge? Do want.
9) Arakkoa. I wanted to be one of these bird-people when I first saw one in Hellfire Peninsula all those years ago, and I still want to. Because creepy bird-people.
10) Aqir. Yes more bugs. I like being a bug! I want to be a bug leader of a gigantic, terrifying hive-mind that consumes the world, deal with it!
11) Faceless Ones. Tentacles and a complete inability to have pronounceable names add together for a pretty amazing race.
What about the rest of you guys? Any races in particular from the WoW setting you want to run around doing dailies as?
> ethereals
YUSS. I was so sad when Blizzard decided to forget about them in Wrath…
Tuskarr. These are top of the list, and should have been playable since Wrath
instead of addingas DKsThere. I fixed it for you. “We exist only to serve him, shalaska.”
Ahahaha that’s awesome, would pay dosh for that.
Ethereals > Arakkoa > Tuskarr > whatev’ man
Am I the only one who really really really wants to play a murloc?
vrykul (who else wants to be a 9 foot tall barbarian?)–>Taunka (the tauren that look like bison in Wrath…and I’d totally racechange my current tauren)—>mantids—>tuskarr
Murlocks dude! And when playing a warrior murlock and using Charge the gargly soundfile should play. Their racial will be a +50% damage to players/npcs below lvl 20 as the buggers are (or at least were) deadly to low lvl noobs :S
I’m quite happy with my trolls. Though, I’d give serious consideration to playing a Hozen.
“Riko’s got this bitch on lockdown!”
Oh, dear god, High Elves. Helves should have been playable since day one for the Alliance; I’d give my left leg to play as a Helf hunter instead of a Belf, and I’m only half-kidding here. I like EVERYTHING about the Alliance better than the Horde…except the Horde has the best elves. And so I skulk around in the stinking pit known as Orgrimmar instead of the gleaming city on a hill that is Stormwind, all so I can play a Quel/Sin’dorei, High/Blood Elf, w/e.
The idea of a neutral race, or a race split between the Alliance and Horde, was something I actually thought of a few years ago, as a way of facilitating the introduction of Helves as a playable race AND of reintroducing them back into Quel’Thalas. The way I’d do it now is to center it around Alleria’s return (a blue about a month ago or so said Alleria and Turalyon’s story would continue in WoW at some point), and the resulting conflict with Sylvanas. However you want to resolve that (talk about a storyline ripe with possibilities), the now-ruling Sin’Dorei uneasily agree to allow the Quel’Dorei to return to their homeland to begin the process of reunification, and Quel’Thalas from there on in becomes more or less the Switzerland of Azeroth…though of course, individual elves can continue to fight for whichever side they think would be in Quel’Thalas’ best interests. I think this would be an epic way to go about it as opposed to simply saying “Okay Alliance, you now have Helves, they start in the human starting area”, and making them another orphan race, and as Blizzard has now shown that it’s possible to have a neutral race from standpoints technical, gameplay, and lore, it certainly seems as if they could take it this way if they so desired. If you rly wanted to get crazy…yeah, why not? How about this: you can roll either Helf or Belf, but don’t have to make your decision til the end of the starting area, just like the Pandas. Finally, since this’d be taking a capital city away from the Horde, and they’d want a new race of their own, give ’em the Naga. The Naga are my favorite NPC race after the Helves, and I’d love to play one. Plus, underwater capital! Another WoW first! :D
As for my current Survival Hunter Barbie-looking Belf main, what would I do with her? I don’t think I’d race-change her, but man, I’d run to the counter to faction-change her, despite what it would mean as far as my in-game relationships and so forth. That’s how much I simply want Helves in the game, so I can play one but not have to be in the Horde. But…I have a feeling her twin sister, who never imbibed in the fel magix of the Burning Legion and thus stayed loyal to her kind and the Alliance of Lordaeron, would suddenly feel the need to take up the bow in defense of her nation, her people, and the Alliance. =) Oh lord, how glorious would WoW be then? Well, I’d personally be in heaven anyway. Enjoy. :D
Take that bear stranger. You deserve it.
Furbolgs.
Another almost destroyed race.
Why does it have to be Alliance or Horde how about any race can become neutral…can not particiapte in BG’s and can only group with other neutral players …can be ganked by either side or another non-grouped neutral?
Not iron-iron dwarves from Northrend, but just ordinary Dark Iron dwarves, grey skin, red eyes. Doesn’t even need any real changes, just slightly more pigment options in character creation.
My Dwarven DK was Dark Iron. His backstory was that he had been an architect or someone part of a Dark Iron expedition to the Ulduars and such up north (what? Brann might be the only one who actually got there, but was he the only dude who’d wanted to?). So he gets grabbed and LK zapped along the way. The older Ragnaros mind control and newer Lich King mind control kinda cancel out, he rebel with the rest of the rebel DK, and so it goes. Given the choice of joining the Horde and going to kill Ironforgers, or heading into the Alliance, he said “damned if I’m drinking Orcish beer!” and hopped over to sign on with the Humans. While his goal was the eventual freedom of his people, he mostly just got drunk in Ironforge, the only Dark Iron at the time who was able to walk around ‘openly,’ and marvel at the splendor of the Great Forge.