Some Theming/Minor Flavor Suggestions on Co-op Prestiges

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Hey all! So I like the prestiges a lot, and I for most of the names they knocked it out of the park (really like the Khalani little pokes at Ankundlar and Anak Su’n). But I’m a big lore fan, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t complain about the tiny things, so I have a few bits of feedback to try to get in before the patch launches:

Small Prestige Name Suggestions

Raynor: Backwater Sheriff -> Backwater Marshal

This one’s super minor and honestly works either way, marshal was just his actual role, and they usually have slightly different responsibilities.

Zagara: Apex Predator -> Overqueen

After Legacy of the Void, Overqueen is the title Zagara takes as ruler of the Swarm, and fits her better as the supreme solo queen. Apex Predator is already used by Dehaka in Heroes of the Storm so is generally associated with him more. While the Overqueen only happens after Legacy (and thus TECHNICALLY doesn’t fit into the timeline), so does half of Nova’s kit.

Fenix: Unwavering Vindicator -> Unconquered Spirit

This one I feel strongly about. For those who don’t know it’s a reference to the SC1 quote “there is no shame in defeat so long as the spirit is unconquered” in regards to him being wounded and put in a dragoon. This works perfect with the theming of this ability, which is about losing shells and having the “spirits” (Purifier personalities) continue fighting in new shells, unconquered. Heroes of the Storm used a similar talent for OG Fenix in their kit for him.

The Odin Portrait for Tychus’s Dutiful Dogwalker

So for those who don’t know, Dutiful Dogwalker makes it so Tychus can call down the Odin while he’s still on the field. The issue is that the portrait is still Tychus. So now you have two Tychus’s on the field.

Heart of the Swarm had a really cool solo Odin portrait for the mission “The Reckoning” that got overlooked for how cool looking it was, but I think would fit perfect:

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/starcraft/images/c/c3/Odin_SC2-HoTS_Head1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151206185704

For quotes it could just use the regular thor quotes, but it still puts a firm line between Tychus and the Odin, and i think would be a cool touch.

The Name of Unbound Fanatic

So Artanis’s Prestige, Arkship Commandant, makes it so that every time you orbital strike, a Golden Age Archon is summoned that does damage around them. Lorewise this has awesome implications, since the Spear of Adun was made in the Golden Age of Expansion, so these are like psionic spirits of protoss from the age the Spear was built coming to help fight.

But the name “Unbound Fanatic” sounds like a protoss strapped themselves to the Spear of Adun cannon and got fired onto the field. Not very majestic protossy.

I don’t have a firm suggestion on this one, but I liked “Unbound Echo” to keep with the crazed energy idea, but gives it the idea that it’s the echo of an ancient protoss. Ideas I also had were Twilight Echo, bringing it back to Adun’s title of the Twilight Deliverer (Anak Su’n), since the ship is named after him and also that’s a big theme of Artanis, or Golden Phantom (to match with the Spear’s gold theme, and the Golden Age of Expansion).

Not sure which specifically, and I love the implications of the talent, I think the unit needs a name the reflects those implications.

Only done a few in the PTR, but I hope it’s something to consider! Let me know if you all have any other theming ideas.

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Hi Subsourian, do you know if some of Tychus’ skins (SCV, Rattlesnake) are Umojan in nature or if it’s just the case that there were unused art assets? Asking because the Umojan Cyclone in Miner Evacuation (Eradicator bonus area) has a MULE portrait. I thought it would be neat for the Odin to be fitted with an AI, maybe the ARES portrait.

Walking a “dog” with a human pilot inside felt strange to me. I guess degrading is the word? But in real life we already see people being followed by drones/robots. An example of this would be Boston Tech and their Spot robot.

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I admit Unbound Fanatic for Artanis really threw me off lol.

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So Tychus takes a lot of Umojan tech even lorewise (which is I expect a Devils’ Due reference, since he had Umojan contacts to help him get tech to pull off a bank robbery with Raynor), but I think it’s mostly model reuse since he also has a ton of Moebius and KMC tech as well as tech from the various PMCs of the sector. But I think for the Odin keeping with a badass Odin pilot keeps with the rough and rugged Heaven’s Devils motif. The unpiloted Cyclones I expect is moreso a reference to the Cyclone’s initial design where it was an AI driven drone, but the Dominion changed it to have a pilot due to their “unpredictability” as well as giving a justification for them to attack you (since human pilots would be helping). While it certainly wouldn’t break canon or anything I think the MULE one is just a bit dull for something as badass as the Odin. ARES wouldn’t super work because the portrait has the guns of the robot pretty prominently displayed.

But I do think the Odin pilot gives it a more distinct Odin “flair” over just using the MULE portrait (or most terran robot portraits), which are fairly generic. Plus, it’s a criminally underused portrait for how cool it looks. So moreso a preference thing, I can see the case for using an AI, but I think most robo-portraits and quotes just lack a lot of the flair of the second Odin one. You could say he’s being a Dutiful Dogwalker by making sure the Big Dog gets walked, even if it’s by hired help. :stuck_out_tongue:

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Zagara not being called Overqueen is a huge missed opportunity. I support that entirely! And boomer pilot for Odin too!