Yep! That’s the one.
Going the usual Dimorphism route WITH options for skinny and buff bodies would have prevented this complaint.
Or at the very least mitigated it.
But they just had to make it androgynous and leave nobody happy.
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Yeah, the more options the better.
Honestly, I prefer what we got. The concepts look less gawky, but much more awkward. As for the “buff” redesign… it misses the point. Again, if they go in that direction, they may as well give us full dragons.
How would that work?
When people say, “They should have let us play Dragons.”
What does that mean? What would that look like?
Do you mean playing a full quadrupedal Dragon?
I think the benefit of a human form is that Dracthyr are open to other classes. As was mentioned in an interview.
if they did the full 4 legged dragon then that would have been limited
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I’ll just add that “Dragons” is a broad term that encompasses a lot
There actually are anthropomorphic Dragons in myth, and I’m not referring to Dragons that disguise as people. I mean Dragons that walk on two legs.
The greater point is that Blizzard asked themselves that question, decided that playable dragons in full (in the strict WoW sense, not a broadly mythological sense) wasn’t a fit for WoW, and hacked away at the concept until it fit the mold of a playable race/class. It would be counterproductive for them to take what was trimmed from Dracthyr Evoker and tack it back on. It would compromise the distinct identity that they have, which is already a deliberate compromise.
Drakonid are what you would get if you took all those scraps and fit them into another playable draconic humanoid shape.
- They lack powerful wings and tails so you don’t need to strain credulity when they use weapons.
- They only have as much draconic spellcasting talent as is afforded to them by their patron Aspect, so they can use non-draconic magic without straining credulity.
- They have the sheer mass and imposing physical presence of dragons that Dracthyr lack (and do not need, given their innate gifts).
- They could have the sexual dimorphism that a vocal segment of the community was expecting with a draconic race.
- They’ve had a presence in the game since Blackwing Lair, culminating with a recent quest line detailing that they are free to forge their own fates.
They should be distinct from Dracthyr. Just giving a Dracthyr muscles and access to more classes both irrevocably compromises the distinct vision of the Dracthyr and wastes a ton of potential for everything that would be gained by making Drakonid playable.
Or, check this out, you don’t compromise at all, give every race more BTs, expand class selection for all races, and add Drakonid!
Saying ‘they were never meant to be muscular’ is like saying KT were ‘never meant to be skinny’ when we know skinny KT exist, we just need access to the BT!
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To both of these points I’d have to say, what is more realistic for Blizzard to do?
Because it’s really going to be one or the other, from a practical stance.
Just as Dracthyr were a practical compromise for playable dragon race which could participate and farm for gear - while still having the Dragon fantasy. Fire breath, flying, tail swipe, etc.
Blizzard has recently stated that they plan to add more customization options down the line, this was evident with the recent Draenei skin options.
But is it likely that they’re going to add more BTs to every race?
(The kul tiran skinny option isn’t just a Body Type, it’s a completely different skeleton. Dracthyr body types range from very slender to muscle lean - that’s not a skeleton change. Like you’re proposing)
On the other hand is it likely that they’d add another a whole other race - that is not even a reskin of already existing player race?
However, that might be easier than trying to separate the Evoker from the Dracthyr because so much of class experience comes from what the race is. The line between Dracthyr and Evoker is very blurred.
Something to think about. But I’d say bet on what you think is more practical over what you hope for.
(personally I would like to have Drakonids but I do not see Blizz adding more than one Dragonkin race into the game - even though it obviously would be awesome)
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another thing to clarify is that in WoW - just like IRL has a broad idea of Dragons - so too does “Dragonkind” in WoW encompass alot of different kinds of creatures, which includes Dracthyr.
I did not clarify that earlier.
Not analogous in the slightest. Unless I’m
unaware of a Kul Tiran eugenic breeding program to select specific traits.
Dracthyr were designed. There are no generations of divergence in culture, physical traits, and so on. All the Dracthyr are first generation. Parentless. Created for a single purpose, held to a unifying standard, and frozen in time the second the mere possibility of free will manifested. We don’t even know if they can procreate.
You’re seriously trying to use the ‘robot defense’ here? The Dracthyr are individuals, with individual tastes and preferences. We also know that all Dracthyr are not Evokers, there were those that failed to harness the powers necessary and so those Dracthyr may pursue other paths to power.
That ‘free will’ is more than enough to justify them exploring other classes.
There’s no ploy being used. That’s the story as written. I can only assume that you’ve not played as one at this point.
I have played as one for a few levels, enough to get them out of their personal tutorial zone. This doesn’t change anything about what the Dracthyr are. They’re not a hive mind, their interests, talents, and capabilities are going to diverge. Some have already failed to be Evokers properly. Others may find their power wanting and other methods more to their satisfaction. That’s the entire point of having free will.
The fan design came out immediately after they were announced and I really wish that’d have been an option. They’re much more draconic looking. I’m fine with the options we got, but I still wish there’d have been beefier options and ones with more jaw and such.
Drakonid would be a great option as well. I’ve kinda been hoping maybe they’ll be one of the expansion finale surprises, but I wouldn’t put any money on it.
The more options the better.
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They are too tall for most doorways.
It absolutely does, though. They have a collective identity, bred for a singular purpose. To a specific standard. To fall short would be to be discarded, dead and forgotten 20,000 years ago. They all have draconic spellcasting ability - it is only the degree of mastery that differs (Evokers are not the standard, but prodigies beyond that standard). All are masters of at least one flight, though. You’re promoting an idea and due to your deliberate ignorance of their story.
In fact, their entire story is about trying to forge a new cultural identity given their shared and specific history. The only cultural difference we see is whether they are progressive or conservative in this aim - regardless of where they fall on the spectrum, they are beholden to that singular past.
I genuinely suggest you play through their story, or at few watch a few YouTube videos or something on the topic. You’ll see how incompatible your suggestions are once you have all the information, I’m sure. 
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I would put a couple bucks down. It seems very strange that we had that throughline of the whole drakonkin rebellion and reconciliation without it really paying off (materially, anyway).
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Basically we’re missing masculine dragons. With dracthyr the options are female or femboy. Weird choice for a game called warcraft primarily marketed to men, but hey this is 2023 and companies like to burn money to push political agendas.
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Say it with me, slow and steady: Dracthyr. Are. Not. Robots.
They are capable of free will. They are capable of deciding their own paths. And their own paths might bring them to places other than Evoker.
This is not 20,000 years ago. Times Change™, and the Dracthyr have had a chance to learn this. Failure to become an Evoker is not a death sentence any longer. That alone may entice Dracthyr to explore other classes since, again, mortals have demonstrated their ways can be superior to dragonkind. So it makes complete sense for a Dracthyr to look at the fact that their greatest avatars got bodied by some groupies with staves and swords and go ‘huh, maybe we should check that out’.
You really can’t square why being labeled ‘a super-soldier’ that doesn’t know how and shield and sword work and can’t take a hit is more than a little dumb?
Reductio ad absurdum is not a semantic technique that applies when you’re completely ignorant of the topic yourself.
They are. But we play them in the present.
They do. That’s the story of playing as one. Maybe in another twenty years, your suggestion will make sense for them. But that moment 20,000 years ago is a couple weeks ago for Dracthyr as a race. Not enough time for generational cultural diversity to establish itself.
Say this slowly with me: It. Never. Was.
All Dracthyr are inherently draconic spellcasters. Not just Evokers. Evokers are just the best at it. Again, learn about the Dracthyr. Inform your opinion.
I’m not saying it wouldn’t make sense for a Dracthyr to pick up a weapon. It wouldn’t make sense of them to pick up that weapon and ignore their inherent biological spellcasting, fire-breathing, flying, and the like.
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Your entire premise is ‘oh they all think and act alike because they were frozen in time 20,000 years ago so they simply couldn’t fathom being anything else’. Except then you go ‘well some might be more traditionally-minded while others might be more willing to hear outside ideas.’ Do you know what form ‘outside ideas’ takes? Class training.
The amount of time is ambiguous in how long it takes a character to get from 1-Max level. Maybe the entirety of Mage can be mastered in a weekend, that’s how long it took me, but if that’s the case, then it shouldn’t matter that the Dracthyr woke up so recently. Take a mail course and get your Dalaran Certification, grab a staff, and enjoy Arcane Blasting into the future.
As far as ignoring their inherent spellcasting, fire-breathing, and such, it actually does; Evokers are the ultimate expressions of draconic ability. If a Dracthyr hasn’t been able to arrive at that level of proficiency (and, thus, not be an Evoker, which we know exist), then it makes sense they would compensate with training elsewhere at the expense of their draconic ability. So their fire breath would be much weaker, their flight clumsier, their spellcasting far more limited or outright absent as a muscle not exercised atrophies. A Dracthyr Warrior is probably not going to be too fussed; they have more than enough capability with their weapon proficiency to make up for their poor spellcasting. A Dracthyr Mage isn’t really going to care; they have alternate access to magic that is incredibly powerful. A Dracthyr Rogue won’t mind all that much; they have training and skills that allow them to manipulate the battlefield on their own without having to rely on draconic power. Rinse and repeat for every other class.
Races being utterly beholden to a singular class makes no sense except for the most extreme of hiveminds. If they have free will, they will invariably have instances that explore other avenues than the ones provided to them.