Edit: While i cant bump the thread anymore it appears i can still freely edit my posts regardless of CC rank or not so i will keep the thread “updated” as long as people redirect threads to me one way or another.
First and foremost i want to highly apologize for letting the people that asked me wait for half an eternity. This thread was always at the back of my head but due several issues (including laziness and not wanting to do anything at one of my few off days) and i was thinking about it but never really managed to work on it.
I remember Blizzard (might have been Ion) saying that they don’t take adding Allied Races lightly. And ye sure to some extent I can understand that given Racials and stuff (which I’m highly opposed to outside of cosmetical or insignificant stuff since they always have caused issues during the entirety of the game in some form or another) and Lore reasons (cough). But people have been incredibly vocal on some of them. And not just vocal but they also poured in an ridiculous amount of work into it.
Just to name a few threads plus the one from Halite and Dynja since it can be combined with this one:
(6.1k posts. Up for nearly 4 years)
(1.9k posts. Up for nearly 2 years)
(13.5k posts. Up for nearly 4 years as well)
(1.1k posts. Up for nearly 2 years)
(1.5-1.6k posts. Up for nearly 3 years)
I will not link the respective stuff within these threads as i find it incredibly rude towards them that made the effort throughout the years. You (Blizzard) should read these threads yourself.
Followed by a barrage of numerous small post and threads across US and EU. Including about my personal desired race the Arakkoa.
I am quite sure i was also linked an ogre thread by someone but it seems i didnt bookmark that post or thread and would like to have it relinked to me so i can add it towards the list since i believe it was quite old and large as well.
The Kelfin and San’layn in particular, if one really doesnt want to make an allied race out of them, they could at least be added to the game through character customization so one could RP as them. It would also avoid the Racial debate in regards about them.
And the current era of Alliance and Horde having ceased their hostilities in its entirety (especially with cross faction) its also a splendid time to introduce double faction allied races such as the Sethrak who have possible connections to both Horde and Alliance. Or the Saurok even if they have no connection to either side as of now. Im not a huge fan of the limitations of adding Allied Races into the game unless its some absolutely “ehm excuse me?” option like the Eredar for the Alliance (If there is anyone that wants it please dont bring it to me. Convincing me in regards of Eredar is impossible). And unlike the Pandaren they wont be met with the issue of “what if i have to slay my best buddy from the isle?”. Adding them to both factions also removes the question of whom they would fit more. Ofc that question still applies to races such as the Ogres (Horde obviously).
A numerous amount of new races or customizations, potentially without having to unlock them, would also be quite attractive to new players at least in theory in regards of what could strike their fancy. Lack of customizations also being something that has been mocked pretty much always by players from within and outside of WoW even if it has been reduced due to increased customizations throughout the last few years.
The world of warcraft is vast and we all know that. We have made contact with a lot of different races and tribes/clans/etc and yet we never invited them to our cause until very recently and even those we did never managed to become part of us players like the Revantusk tribe. And those we did “invite” in the past was only for some temporary gain like for a quick battle (jade forest says hi). The question is why. This should be build upon either through more customizations for existing races to match these tribes/clans/etc or through more allied races. But ofc this will clash with the, in my opinion, absolutely atrocious system called racials.
But despite all of this general customization is still a concern for many and it has been brought to my attention (ofc from an elf) that even the customization put in the game feels half butted. In this regard its aimed at the Hair animations with Nightbornes being presented to me as an example. I’ve checked other races and its true there as well. The hair seems to be glued to the characters back. Same case with other races. Yet NPC counterparts as found out by people do not share this and have proper animations. Their hairstyles also being more detailed in comparison at least for the Nightborne.
A playable race should at least in terms of quality not fall behind an NPC model and i highly assume its the case because of “Well, players use helmets for transmog anyway”. I can understand, even if i don’t share it, that this puts people off especially since the stuff is already in the game and people also found out that stuff like this can be applied to the playable races. But that’s just the hair and ofc this can be extended to other customization parts of the races. I personally wouldn’t even mind if you had to unlock them in the game through stuff (No. Time. Gate.)
Of course I don’t expect them to come anytime soon if you decide you will pursue this but over the course of Dragonflight or into the following expansion step by step would also be welcomed. As long as there is frequent communication with the community regarding it if its intended to happen.
The constant being kept in the dark part is nothing short but annoying if someone always has to pray its either getting randomly announced somewhere or at Blizzcon or something only having to wait for another year if it wasn’t mentioned. Something like a constantly accessible and updated roadmap would come to mind.