They were originally going to add horde priest in orgrimmar in the next patch. These priest were orcs and tauren. These priest would have had a more human take on priest. Which didn’t seem right at all for orc and tauren culture. The priest bore titles like “brother” and “sister”.
I think it was smart to remove them and for blizzard to have a better approach to them next time. Instead of giving them a human type of priest culture, make them more in line with their own. Tauren already have an’she, why not use that? Orc priest could be similar to mag’har or the orcs seen in BRS.
They did make a comment about adding them in the future. I just hope they add them back with the feedback in mind. I think orc players want to play an orc priest not a green human priest.
Good news ! Let’s hope they come up with a connection to the class that’s actually consistent with the lore this time. There are many possibilities, be it through cultural contact with the Arakkoa (Rukhmar), the Tauren (An’she), the Sin’dorei (the spiritual and aesthetical motif of the Sun), or a brand new facet of purely Orcish culture
Titles are a matter of culture. And the NPCs were literally wearing white and golden albs lol
I think culture is more then just a race, take Monks for example, the same titles, outfits and aesthetics are for every NPC. This is actually the same for most classes in the game.
Whole thing seems like a none issue really.
Instead of focussing on aesthetics, I’d prefer actual in-depth lore about orc religion. If Orc priests dress like shamans, talk like shamans and work with shamans, what makes them different from shamans? Is there a conflict between priests and shamans? How do they fit into the whole “spiritual renewal” started by Thrall? What do Orc priests think of human priests?
IIRC, the lore on Monks is that all the ones in-game learned from the Pandaren or from those who were taught by Pandaren. So it makes sense that they all are culturally similar.
This is because it’s a well-known lore fact that the factions learned the way of the Monk upon discovering Pandaria through their contact with the Pandaren. By adopting the way of the Monk, they adopted the whole cultural package tied to a very specific way to wield a natural Element (that of Spirit). However a race that has a tradition of wielding Spirit but never had any sort of meaningful contact with the Pandaren obviously shouldn’t call its Spirit practicioners Monks (and shouldn’t call Spirit ‘Chi’).
Now let’s be honest here, the reason why the Orc and Tauren ‘Brothers and Sisters’ thing is especially problematic is also that it is painfully reminiscent of real world realities (Humans’ Holy Light tradition being obviously based on Western Christianity and Tauren being obviously based on Native Americans for instance).
Yea and it sucks. We’ve been complaining for ages about how Kaldorei philosophies, narratives and aesthetics are enforced on races who have widely different Druid traditions like Trolls and Kul Tirans.
I wonder why we have Orc, Troll and Tauren priests at all (except maybe for gameplay mechanics). Warcraft 3 already gave Trolls and Orcs a class of spiritual leaders who can heal: Farseers, shamans, shadow hunters and Witch doctors.
I know people were bothered by the priests in particular. I was fine with it. The Light is pretty universal.
However, if Blizzard changed their minds, I guess that shows some consideration on their part, so that is a good thing. It shows that they are taking a second look at their decisions, as well as listening to feedback.
I do not have a big issue with Priests being doled out to all races. I believe that was more of a game play concern, with the lore being hammered around it. I can forgive that sort of thing in a video game story - it is a game.
On that note - my guess is that the Lightbound Orcs under Yrel will be all about the light in the usual way - they likely will not have some unique Orcish take.
So I have heard this about a lot of things and I do not believe it. Not only do I not believe that was their intention I also think it’s highly offensive to both cultures involved to say that.
Sure they can be based on the cultures but to say “this video game event is just like when-” like…no.
As for the rest of what you said I agree, it would be neat for them to have their own made up thing but as I said I don’t think there’s a problem with how it is. I really don’t mind either way though.
Which I honestly think it would be cool if human priests started to teach Orc priests. We could even do the vice versa and finally allow humans to be shamans
I don’t think it was Blizzard’s intention at all. It just comes off pretty tone-deaf, especially when there’s a pattern of that. What I think likely happened was that the priest NPCs were designed with their holy/disc/shadow specs in mind, but holy/disc is basically WoW Christianity already, and shadow got retooled into babbling kooks that don’t represent any racial religion at all.
The frustration doubles up when it feels as if the horde’s spiritual depictions aren’t given as much care in the first place. The tauren priest was especially jarring because they already had an untapped beat of An’she worship from at least way back in Cataclysm, only for this addition to be dressed human-like instead. Like I wrote above, the NPCs were likely trying to go for “holy spec”, but as that’s synonymous with alliance churches, it runs headfirst into clashing with other races’ aesthetics.
The Horde spirital identity could use some work, especially in recent times. But as I mentioned before with the whole Monk and Pandren thing, if people are okay with accepting that because there is lore backing it I don’t understand why people are not okay with Alliance helping Horde to learn about the light.
I think its people looking for something not there, bordering on being insensative to the people they are trying to defend.
Yea I believe Troll priests have been largely interpreted as Witch Doctors by the community haven’t they ? But that’s still nothing but fanon at the end of the day
Not saying it was their intention. However you don’t get to complain about people linking ingame content with real world realities when nearly every single one of your fictional races are so obviously based on very real peoples & cultures (“Rastakhan” I mean come on). Adding to that is the fact that WoW has a persistent Human Exceptionalism problem (especially when Warcraft Humans are all based on European cultures) so people are twice as insecure about Human hegemony.
For the sake of the debate, let’s also collectively remember that the Tauren are not only Warcraft’s take on Native Americans, they’re also Warcraft’s take on the Noble Savage trope unfortunately
I think the difference is that pandaren are a neutral race and were bringing in an entirely new class as they came. While I wouldn’t mind some diverging in how monks are done, I know it’s way too late for that.
Another problem is that this isn’t the first time alliance themes were being pressed on the horde. All of druid, for example; first with tauren to prevent one faction from having two unique classes, but then again with trolls in Cataclysm as everyone got folded into the Cenarion Circle. And arguably yet again in Dragonflight, since for some reason Wardruid Loti of Zandalar is responding to the call to defend the Emerald Dream alongside the other CC members.
There was also a line that got cut in the Legion beta about Aponi Brightmane being helped to learn “the truth of the light” or something like that in the paladin order hall. And to be fair on the alliance side, it does happen with a night elf who chooses to abandon being a priestess of Elune in favor of training to be a paladin, which wasn’t well-received. Then again with mages as we see orcs and vulpera in Dalaran attire.
I don’t think we ever see this happening the other way from the horde, though. No alliance races being written about wanting to adopt horde practices or beliefs. And the class halls lean harder toward being alliance-themed to begin with so there’s really nothing the horde has to offer, if players would even want that.
Honestly, after BFA, I think alliance fans would likely revolt at the idea of night elves or worgen learning shamanism from the horde over dwarves and Kul’tirans.
I can understand that, i actually had secretly hoped Kul’Tiras would be Aulstrallian based (not sure why, just thought it woukd be cool).
I am just always cautious to label anything fictional towards anything real world even if it is based on it.
I wouldn’t, in fact I think that would be cool as hell.
That’s a good move. Pretty baffling they’d go with a Human interpretation of the Light.
Especially Tauren. I figured their Light and Shadow were more manifestations of An’She and Mu’Sha.
As for the Orcs I figure the most expedient way to explain it would be to tie them into the CotFS or Earthmother worship or Loa veneration. Or whatever it is the Belves do. Holy hot tub parties.