🐟 The Ankoan and Jinyu Race Discussion Thread

Bagzak-rexxar · September 28, 2023, 8:47pm

I still very much have an interest in playable Ankoan and Jinyu. They’re one of the top races I want playable on the Alliance side right next to Furbolg. Granted, with the removal of the permanent water elemental pet for frost mages, which I’m not fond of that decision at all, I’m not sure if I’d still go frost mage for mine or not.

I also wanted to mention that I have my preorder still of Exploring Azeroth: Pandaria, which tentatively has a release date of Oct. 17th, with my copy’s ETA being Oct. 19th. I shall be going through it as soon as I get it and reporting on anything Jinyu related here. If the release date gets pushed back, which the other books in the series have done if I recall correctly, I’ll be sure to note that as well.

Looking forward to sharing any potential Jinyu news here!

Bavion-moon-guard · September 28, 2023, 9:44pm

Because people want fish people I guess.

Fenelon-wyrmrest-accord · September 29, 2023, 7:22pm

I’m going shaman I think. Feels best for me.

Frost Mage and even Druid seems interesting too… could also see going for straight up warrior or hunter…

Oh no… now I have ideas…

I’m curious to see if we’ll get a mention of the Pearlfin Jinyu and the Forest Hozen.

How amazing it would be to find out that they’re both still working happily with the Alliance and Horde and maybe even that they’ve started collecting more of their kind to their banners for both factions?

Bagzak-rexxar · September 29, 2023, 7:35pm

Well, there is that Hozen in the Kor’kron, so I assume those Hozen are still part of the Horde to have a foothold on Pandaria.

I see no reason why the Jinyu wouldn’t be working with the Alliance still, even if there hasn’t been much to indicate as such. It gives the Alliance a foothold on Pandaria and I’m sure there could be benefits for the Jinyu to keep working with them.

And while I’m typing in here, I assume the Ankoan may have gone back into the sea once Naz’jatar filled back up with water. Likely when Azshara decides to cause trouble again, I could see them approaching the Alliance again since the last time that happened, it didn’t go so well for them before the Alliance showed up.

I suspect the Hozen and Jinyu are still working with their respective factions. Hopefully, we’ll get more info on that as opposed to just a “Yep! They’re totally part of the Horde/Alliance alright!” from Chen and Li Li.

–35 days until Blizzcon starts (Nov. 3rd)!–

Bagzak-rexxar · October 4, 2023, 7:56pm

It was recently discovered that there was something labeled as “Gilgoblin cosmetics” that I assume came from a datamine of some sort:

Now, I’ve given my lengthy grumblings on Gilgoblins as a Customization race in the Kelfin megathread, but assuming this is Kelfin related, it kinda affects Ankoan in a way.

When it comes to Ankoan, I can see two things coming:

-First is that Jinyu become a playable race, with Ankoan being a Customization race for them.

-Second is the idea I mentioned before, where there is a term made for the fish men race that both Jinyu and Ankoan are a part of, with both being part of the playable faction of fish men, whatever the term would be, from the beginning and customization options available for both.

I don’t see this affecting the chances for playable Jinyu. It just seems like with Kelfin possibly being a Customization Race, that Ankoan will take a backseat unless Jinyu become playable.

My hope is that regardless of what is done, that Ankoan still get to have their own identity if they were to become a Customization Race for Jinyu. I’d like for them to still be referred to as Ankoan and have a presence in-game still, as opposed to having them being treated as and referred to as Jinyu.

Should Jinyu become playable, it is possible that it could open Hozen to be the Horde counterpart race, with Kelfin being a Customization Race for Goblins and Ankoan as a Customization race for Jinyu. Still, I don’t want Kelfin and Ankoan to be treated as second class citizens with the lackluster treatment Customization Races have gotten in general.

I do think discussion on this is important for those interested in playable Ankoan. Playable Jinyu is still a pretty good possibility in my opinion, and I’d like for Ankoan to be a part of it as well.

So for those wanting playable Ankoan, please share your thoughts so they don’t get forgotten or if they become a Jinyu Customization Race, aren’t given the lackluster treatment Customization Races have gotten in general.

–30 days until Blizzcon starts (Nov. 3rd)!–

Bagzak-rexxar · October 20, 2023, 4:50pm

So I recently got Exploring Azeroth: Pandaria, and I wanted to make a report on the Jinyu mentions in it…which there aren’t very many.

The Pearlfin Jinyu are still on Pandaria, though still bearing scars from being attacked by the Horde. What they’ve been up to isn’t talked about, however. They just show off their ability to talk to the lake and then tell the history of how during the Mogu wars, they helped and were betrayed by the Hozen and then enslaved by the Mogu, and then allied with the Pandaren to overthrow the Mogu.

Speaking of the Hozen…that is about the only mention, other than the lake where they tend to get eaten by crocolisks while fishing. So we don’t even know what the tribe allied with the Horde is up to. It’s a bit odd, though the book series in general doesn’t seem to go into specific detail of several denizens of the continents they go over, which is a bit disappointing.

The only other mention of Jinyu was pointing out Inkgill Mere, but nothing is done with the Jinyu there and nothing is talked about them either, other than being close to waterfalls. That is about all I can recall seeing about Jinyu mentions and unfortunately.

Also, since I’m at three posts in a row, if I could ask someone to make a post in here so I can continue to make posts in the future, I’d appreciate it. I can only post three times in a row in a thread I didn’t create. Otherwise, it yells at me to wait until someone else posts before I can make more posts. Thank you in advance!

If I see any other Jinyu and Ankoan news, I’ll be sure to help report it here!

—14 days until Blizzcon starts (Nov. 3rd)!—

Fenelon-wyrmrest-accord · November 4, 2023, 4:45pm

With Blizzcon going and seeing the Earthen being added I do hope that races like the Jinyu who have already joined us and the Ankoan who have all but are considered for the future.

Bagzak-rexxar · November 4, 2023, 4:57pm

The Q&A thread has opened and I asked a questions on behalf of a few race request megathreads. I’ll post a link to the post and the question, which is of importance to both Kelfin and Ankoan, I asked for this megathread below:

“Since the Unshackled have been hanging around on the shores of Durotar since the end of BfA and that Azshara is still out there and likely up to no good, will we see more of them and the Ankoan in the future when she becomes a threat again?”

Worth a try, even if it will likely not get answered.

Since the Allied Race system is being utilized again, it could be something of importance for Jinyu and Ankoan. They could also be Core Races, with the other as a Customization Race, but it is still worth nothing.

I’ve a lot to think and type about with the recent expansions announcements, a weird thing to type out, but I still need a bit to gather my thoughts and type up. Will post as soon as I can!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 7, 2023, 9:54pm

As mentioned before, the Allied Race system is being utilized again, and with Azshara still out there and up to no good and with a good Horde equivalent to Ankoan with the Kelfin, I feel like it’s good to start up some discussions again.

However, thinking on it, I’m wondering if it could be possible to see Ankoan and Jinyu as separate races instead of one being a Customization Race for the other. There are some differences between the two, culturally and in aesthetics, and if we can have multiple flavors of Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and so on, it might be too farfetched to see Ankoan and Jinyu be separate races.

Otherwise, if we’re going to deal with Azshara, I feel like Ankoan would be most likely to be the parent race or, if separate from Jinyu, would be more likely to appear first if I were to guess. I’m assuming Azshara is going to be a big bad we have to beat up at some point, and bringing in the Ankoan and Kelfin would work very well for that storyline.

I still think Jinyu could be likely in a way, though I don’t really know when there would be a reintroduction to them unless there is a questline to connect them to the Ankoan, given that the Ankoan population was a bit low from my understanding. Could work to get Jinyu as a Customization race that way or get them as their own race.

As far as Blizzard favoring Neutral races, I don’t really see every playable race in the future being neutral. Sure, it does save development costs, fits with some races (Sethrak, Tuskarr, Ethereals, etc), and having Horde Dwarves kinda throws faction identity into a whirlpool, but I don’t really see Ankoan as a neutral race. Kelfin maybe, but Ankoan were standoffish before, and it’s hard for me to imagine them being open to the Horde. It makes sense with the Alliance, since they helped the Ankoan and Azshara is still a threat, but not really with the Horde.

It’s hard to know where the Ankoan went after BfA, since they aren’t hanging around Stormwind like the Unshackled are with Orgrimmar from what I’ve seen in my searching, but I don’t see why they couldn’t be reintroduced when Azshara eventually appears again. Not like Nazjatar is particular safe for that matter.

At any rate, I think it’s worth having discussions again, and I’ll be making some more posts as I think of stuff to type about. Hopefully, we’ll see more of the Ankoan and Unshackled in the future.

Bagzak-rexxar · November 23, 2023, 4:55pm

Happy US Thanksgiving!

Hoping the Jinyu and Ankoan get to enjoy Pilgrim’s Bounty someday!

And if someone could make a post since I’ve done 3 posts in a row, I’d really appreciate it! I can’t post more than three times in a row in a thread I didn’t create. Thank you!

Whatever your plans are today, please have a fun, happy, and safe holiday!

Domalian-drenden · November 23, 2023, 5:23pm

I’m posting! All I have is hopes but I hope for many more races playable in the future for me to lose myself altaholicing with! Whee! And for better people to main! LOL!

Owyn-moon-guard · November 23, 2023, 5:55pm

Jinyu Monk is a dream combo for me. Hopefully one day.

Fenelon-wyrmrest-accord · November 28, 2023, 6:55pm

I really really want the Jinyu/Ankoan to join the Alliance. I think along side the Furbolg and Broken they would be the best races to add right now to embellish and expand the Alliance.

Emet-zuljin · November 28, 2023, 7:03pm

Helmets and shoes would be a nightmare on Jinyu. Maybe gloves too.

But that isn’t an issue when we have stuff like Dark Iron Heritage leggings stabbing the only race that can wear that set.

Owyn-moon-guard · November 29, 2023, 9:53pm

Yeah the clipping in the game is downright shameful. Cloaks clipping into calves on Blood elves (and now Void elves) has been bothering me since BC.

Emet-zuljin · November 29, 2023, 10:00pm

Cloak clipping is why I don’t wear them anymore. It’s just downright horrid and will never be fixed.

I use Backpacks often too to hide weapons/shields that have major clipping issues.

Bagzak-rexxar · December 19, 2023, 7:36pm

Winter Veil has been up for awhile and as is a bit of tradition, I go around taking festive screenshots for some of the race request megathreads I frequent. In particular, one of my favorite activities is the magical sleigh ride, in which I picked out an Ankoan to be this year’s Santa Fish. Off to spread holiday cheer in the Alliance and hopefully grant the wishes of Ankoan and Jinyu to come true!

Screenshots with fitting music below:

Hoping that the Ankoan and Jinyu get to enjoy Winter Veil with the Alliance someday!

Fenelon-wyrmrest-accord · December 19, 2023, 8:56pm

Imagining a Jinyu experiencing the first Winter’s Veil.

Just finding that these people go through this ritual of showing each other gifts in fanciful boxes and such. It must be so weird and yet probably similar to some of the Jinyu’s own rituals.

I don’t know. Just the first time a Jinyu gets to experience it would be a wonderful thing to rp. They’re not a primitive race by any means but they’re not normally depicted as one living beyond a simpler lifestyle. The over-capitalistic Goblinized Winter’s Veil must be so different.

The Jinyu otherwise would add so much to the Alliance. Them and the Furbolg are my two main desires for the Alliance. Both could do so much for the faction.

Bagzak-rexxar · December 25, 2023, 4:01pm

Happy Winter Veil Day!

Whatever your plans are for today, please have a fun, happy, and safe holiday!

Fenelon-wyrmrest-accord · December 25, 2023, 10:26pm

The Jinyu and Ankoan have already effectively it actually joined the Alliance and should be an Allied Race.

Honestly they’d be a very welcome and different race for the Alliance to have while still easily fitting in with the Alliance people.