One thing I’ve noticed here on the forums or anywhere new WoW races are being discussed is a stubborn myth.
The perfect example is the concept of Naga as a playable race. One of the cited reasons it supposedly wouldn’t work is gear pairing with their unique bodyshape.
The truth is that it doesn’t have to matter. Blizzard could easily program playable characters that just don’t use whatever gear might be problematic. To balance them you just have to alter the base stats of the character to compensate.
It is perfectly possible to create characters that only equip rings, trinkets and a weapon and it be playable and viable for gameplay. Or any combo of gear that they wanted to.
I’d love to see some of the non-humanoid races playable using this type configuration. It would open up anything to be a playable race.
We could also mention the running and mount travel issues but literally all of it is easily bypassed by not making them conform to the current standard of humanoid travel.
It’s time to move away from the deadlocked standards and break some new ground that will help revitalize the game.
Yes it will take manpower hours to do but this is a subscription and purchase based game. They have surges of capital coming in at sale and then a constant flow from subscriptions. I’m thinking if they want it to stay that way then it’s time for them to start putting forth the effort.
Nothing is impossible. Blizzard said for years they would not sell gold or give us a Classic server yet here we are.
However, I would say anything with more or less than two legs is highly improbable. Blizzard has poured blood, sweat and tears into the 800+ mounts in the game plus the hundreds of available pants. I just don’t see them giving us a race that can’t use any of that stuff. Plus, flight paths are an integral part of WoW and again, I don’t see them adding a race that can’t use them without looking extremely stupid (deer riding a bat? A snake’s tail clipping through the gryphons?)
I’m sure you’re right about Blizzard’s mindset and that’s the problem. Be an awful shame for a limiting mindset to be more rocks weighing down a sinking ship.
As far as the flight points though, they’ve already created the perfect adaption to them in BFA. The turtle flight points that turn the traveler into a wisp like ball that does the traveling.
This would be an excellent solution, as would replacing all flight animals with kites, but there’s still the fact I don’t think Blizzard would ever add a race that can’t use mounts or wear boots and pants.
But that’s why I called it a myth. It’s not actually a design or function limitation, it’s a choice by Blizzard to not do it.
It’s entirely possible. My point is that it would be something they could do but it’s yet another thing they simply refuse to do.
this is why my shapeshift+new spec per class, is viable solution since it offers odd body types, but like the druid, has preset appearance. when you fly/mount, you revert to your actual race unless your race has a flying shapeshift (example, druids)
While I don’t see new races coming next expansion, I do agree that the argument that “Blizzard is lazy thus they can’t add cool new stuff to the game” is a rather tired and ultimately dumb argument.
Because while they re-used models they gave us 10 sub-races, each with fairly unique racial abilities, mounts, lore, and customizations (in the case of Druids and Shaman their own unique forms and totems). I don’t necessarily agree that Kul’tirans and Zandalarians should have been a part of that, but whatever. The point is that I wouldn’t call the addition of 10 sub-races “lazy”.