Ankoans: the Alliance's answer to playable jinyu?

Community General Discussion
1

~Spoiler~

It seems the Alliance will be interacting with some sort of deep sea jinyu and farming rep for them in Nazjartar? Could this be the playable jinyu we have been seeking?

https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/wowpedia/9/95/Ankoan_BlizzCon_2018.jpg

"The Ankoan are a new race of “deep [jinyu] found in [Nazjatar] They are allied to the [Alliance]”

They look like they may use a modified worgen rig.
Or perhaps the pandaria pair may come sooner than expected?

– Recap on the original Jinyu
-Source WoWpedia

Alliance adventurers encounter a jinyu named Bold Karasshi and enlist his aid in rescuing Admiral Taylor from a hozen prison. After escaping their captors, the Alliance and jinyu prisoners seek sanctuary in Pearlfin Village, home of the Pearlfin tribe. After discovering that the Horde has allied with the hozen, the Alliance group attempts to recruit the jinyu into the Alliance. After consulting with their water spirits and the spirit of the former jinyu emperor of Pandaria, Rassharom, the Pearlfin jinyu agree to ally themselves with the Alliance. The Alliance group train the Pearlfin in their superior military knowledge and arm them with weaponry. In exchange, the Pearlfin pledge their support in the Alliance’s war against the Horde.
–

Since their introduction as allies to the Alliance has since sparked some desires in the community to play as these fish men, who share the night elven model rig, however did not have any females.

These new jinyu appear to have two versions, suggesting that they may have a model for both genders. While their rig appears similar to that of a worgen (from the peeks that we have seen so far) they would fit well in the spot for the pandaren allied race, answering the call for playable Jinyu on the Alliance.

It appears they may have an upright standing, and hunched model (like the worgen male and female)

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/534572091844984833/567797610635722762/Screen_Shot_2019-04-16_at_2.43.30_PM.png

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/411187738520322050/567807432076558338/836071.png

11 Likes
2

I fully support this idea myself. They do look super cool. But where’s the Jinyu/Ankoan megathread? Come on, someone make a detailed one with Jinyu history :slight_smile:

4 Likes
3

ALLIED RACE NOW

7 Likes
4

Yes this must be done

yes ples

5 Likes
5

I was figuring the deep sea variant was so they’d have additional customization options when they made hozen and jinyu the races recruited by the pandaren ambassadors.

The jinyu and ankoan are both built on the male night elf rig.
I’d be neat to see what a female might look like unless they’re androgynous like Sethrak.

It’d be neat to see them added as well as Night Elven Worgen, and their inclusion being used to bring in the proposed Naz’dorei, sea elven werenaga. I’d play one =D

6

Angler Fish AR hype train, toot toot!

1 Like
7

I wouldn’t exactly call it a spoiler, as we knew about it since BlizzCon.

8

While i will admit that they look decent, i really hope that if it comes down to this or Sethrak, that Sethrak win out. If they want to do both, cool. But I always thought the Jinyu looked dopey, and even these polished models don’t feel anything like what a playable race should be. Can’t see them emoting or making good expressions with that goofy fish head.

4 Likes
9

Unfortunately, Ankoan only have one model currently, with different equipment models baked in and able to be toggled on or off as necessary. Outside their gear, the only difference between any two Ankoan are their scale colors.

So, right now we’re looking at another sethrak, where the Ankoan use creature models instead of the more detailed, customizable player models we actually experience the game with.

I want to get hyped and dig into everything we can learn about these fishfolk, but so far it’s not looking like they’re planned as an allied race. Granted, gilblins look like they just stepped out of Cataclysm, so maybe we won’t see the final product until 8.2.5 or later into the PTR.

Several UI elements related to Ankoan followers are currently prefixed with PH_ in their filenames, which suggests they’re placeholders.

10

One can hope, I have been wanting to play as the Jinyu since I first saw them.

1 Like
11

Sethrak and AnKian are both awesome, they’d both be a great new nonhuman race for the Alliance. They certainly need that flavour

1 Like
12

Rather have the Jinyu developed further - they’re already part of the Alliance.

Naming conventions might be a little tricksome, though.

13

Honestly, the more I look at these things, the less interest I feel in interacting with these people!
Jinyus does not even look like ankoan.

Can they be a success for the Alliance? Yes, they can! But they do not please my eyes!
Their faces are ugly and not at all friendly!

14

Totally in favor of playable Jinyu/Ankoa! After all, I did make this thread :3

Still, I’m quite curious as to where you’re getting your info. Those screenshots don’t seem to imply anything like a hunched/straight back position, probably just an ankoan in the middle of an attack-ready animation.

Also, Jinyu have always used the night elf rig. Where does it look like the worgen rig is being used, or is there something I should know?

15

You know, there’s just something about the female gilblin and Ankoan models that reminds me of the early vulpera. I wonder if they were all made around the same time? Maybe there’s a chance we see Ankoan get upgraded the same way vulpera did…

16

Gonna upset Horde posters with even suggesting The Alliance get something cool.

2 Likes
17

I, for one, would be happy to help them go extinct if they formally join the Alliance.

18

It’s the male Nelf rigging. Same as the normal Jinyu. I don’t know who got the idea they used a Worgen rig.

Here’s the in game model:

1 Like
19

these new models are improved on the original jinyuu imo. i would love them as an allied race. still holding out hope one day i will get my reptilian race in wow but fishpeople are cool too (but not cool enough to make me go blue). :wink:

20

It’s from the banner thing using the male night elf battle ready stance.