https ://imgur.com/a/JnzVrqr
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Racial Heritage armors are designed around the lore and culture of the actual in-game race… it has absolutely nothing to do with the armor that similar cultures from the real world wore…
Gnomes have a history as engineers and exceptional inventors, as well as having been the first race on Azeroth to build flying machines. As such, their heritage armor was a blending of a an engineer’s uniform with that of an ace pilot suit, with lots of nuts bolts, and cogwheels…
Goblins share some similarities to gnomes in the fact that they too are historically tinkerers and builders, but their innovations are often destructive, and it wasn’t long after gnomes took to the skies that goblins followed suit. Like gnomes their heritage armor also is a cross between an engineer’s uniform and an ace pilot suit, but rather than taking the tactical approach, they have gone more brash and in your face as to be expected of a goblin.
Blood Elves have a culture that is not as easy to capture in a single outfit, but they do however have one outfit that is highly iconic of their race, and worn by their elite guard and warriors, the Spellbreakers… so of course, their heritage armor is an updated and embellished version of that very same armor.
Worgen hail from the dark and gloomy walled kingdom of Gilneas, much of their culture is very reminiscent of Victorian Era England… they are one of the few races in which you can draw a direct parallel to a real world culture… Their heritage armor drew upon the popular coat and vest style of the era as well as Gilneas’ history as a maritime kingdom, giving a blend between Victorian couture and Naval uniform.
Tauren and Highmountain Tauren both share the same general culture which is based loosely on native american tribal beliefs. One with the land, using as little as possible while wasting nothing… so it comes as no surprise to anyone that their heritage armors were both designed around ceremonial and historic tribal garb.
Void Elves, being a fledgling race, they have no real history of their own to base their heritage on, instead their culture is drawn directly from the Blood Elves only twisted by the Void… so of course their heritage armor reflects this fact by being armor of Blood Elf design with void elements and colors.
Nightborne Elves were the high class portion of Night Elf society and masters of the arcane arts… So their heritage armor was designed around Night Elf motifs with excessive embellishments as well as a touch of arcane magic.
Lightforged Draenei have been born and bread as warriors of the light. Their entire culture since the Draenei exodus from Argus has revolved around the light and fighting fel demons with many of their number ultimately becoming paladins. So of course their heritage armor resembles the armor worn by a paladin, forged in war and refined over thousands of years of war with demons.
Dwarves and Dark Iron Dwarves have a shared heritage as master smith, however their cultural differences show in their craftsmanship and style. The Bronzebeard prioritizing style and elegance while still maintaining excellent practicality, while the Dark Iron prioritizing strength and durability above all else. As a result the Dark Iron heritage armor is ridged and heavy with fiery accents, while the Bronzebeard heritage armor is lighter with heavy fur accents as well as gilded embelshments.
Kul Tiran’s have a strong history as masters of the sea and are regaled as having one of the strongest naval fleets in all of Azeroth. It shocked no one that their heritage armor was designed around an admiral’s uniform.
Mechagnomes have built their entire culture around reversing the curse of flesh by mechanizing their own bodies. So of course their heritage armor is the mechanized armor of king Mechagon’s soldiers…
Mag’har orcs have seen more than their fair share of warfare, between wars amongst the tribes, to war with demons, Azeroth, and eventually the Draenei… the more warlike tribes of course would standout and as such their heritage armor is based upon the armor of those tribes’ greatest warriors…
The Zandalari Trolls have a culture based on loa worship, and an empire of gold. They see themselves as the pinnacle of creation and the ultimate race, all who don’t bow to them are little more than sacrifices for their Loa. Their archetechture and style does draw heavily from the ancient Aztec and Incan civilizations, but they have their own stylistic twists on everything that makes them distinctly Troll… Even their Heritage armor reflects this fact, through the inclusion of fetish iconography weaved within the gold, silk, and jungle woods that comprise it.
Vulpera are a race of nomadic desert scavengers and merchants, and their heritage armor reflects this fact perfectly.
With all of that in mind… we can fairly easily ascertain that the heritage armor for Pandaren will be built around a few key aspects of their culture. The two most prominant aspects of Pandaren culture are Peace and Cooking, with Brewmaster’s taking a forefront in that regard. It is highly probable that the Pandaren Heritage armor will be styled off of Chen Stormstout’s apperance in WC3 Reforged, which does mean that it will be seen largely as “monk armor” by the masses, but if we are 100% honest with ourselves, that is exactly what is expected of Pandaren Heritage Armor… and we all know blizzard will include the Keg as a back item or face backlash from a large portion of the community… (though personally I’d like to have the hat strapped to my back instead)
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It is OK that the design philosophy is not to my taste, I can respect that. I’m just giving my honest opinion.
When I hear the word ‘heritage armor’, I think of the armor you father or your grandfather wore in a war. What you describe is more like ‘ethnic garments’, with lots of character. When players from different races group together, wearing their national garments, they look like the Avengers.
That’s my problem, I don’t like superheroes, I think they’re ridiculous. I would rather them look like soldiers. In Pandaren’s case, I just want them to be taken seriously for once.
Pandaren heratage armor should be Shaohao’s outfit from the Burdens of Shaohao.
https://gamepedia.cursecdn.com/wowpedia/a/a4/Shaohao_BurdensOfShaohao.jpg
If you look through all of the existing heritage armors, that is exactly what they are… they arn’t typically “armor”… only the Mag’har, Blood Elves, and Lightforged Draenei thus far have actual armor, the rest are simply garments and outfits that embody their culture…