Sauroks would be a great allied race
I mentioned looking for different types of scale patterns, colors, and features of different reptiles, and came across this neat video that showcases a few of these in bearded dragons:
This will be the first of likely many different forms of media I research on the subject to inspire some playable Saurok customization options, if they ever become playable of course.
I also wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday. Whatever you celebrate and plan to do in the coming weeks, please have a safe, happy, and fun winter holiday break!
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
Have you ever wondered if sauroks could do it as chameleons and have the ability to change color to blend into the environment, like a racial?
It would likely depend on what sort of lizards the evil Mogu gathered up to turn into Saurok. Itās possible some might be able to change color to a certain extent or under certain situations. Some reptiles are capable of doing that for survival in the wild. Far as I know, regarding in-game, I have not currently seen evidence of Saurok being capable of doing that.
As for going full on chameleon, that would be possible with the barbershop, so I donāt see them having the ability to permanently change their scale colors as a racial. Temporarily changing colors as a racial, likely as a form of stealth, could work, though!
Well it looks like we have an official release date for 8.3, which is January 14th:
As I said before, whatever Saurok activity that might be in our return to Pandaria, for better or worse, Iāll keep an eye on and report back here if anything appears.
Also on the subject of lizards and changing colors, I did find this youtube video that talks about chameleons and how/why they change colors:
As it turns out, camouflage does not appear to be the reason they change colors. In fact, I found this article that talks about that subject from National Geographic:
Still, color changing Saurok that can stealth blend into the environment when standing still, similar to the Night Elf racial, is a fun idea for a racial.
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
Well, 2019 is almost over, so happy new yearās eve to everyone! I wanted to make a few things with this post.
I realized that with new races comes new dances, jokes, and flirts, so I wanted to start throwing a few ideas. First, with dances.
To be honest, Iām not all too familiar with any dances or songs that are lizard/dinosaur related, but one potential dance I saw involves the song āWalk the Dinosaurā by āWas (Not Was)ā:
Youāll see the ācave womenā dance several times during the video, which is the dance I was thinking would work. That would be one dance, but another one would be needed. Iām not aware of any other well known dinosaur/lizard related songs, so if anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to suggest it.
Next are some jokes and flirts Iāve thought of. Please feel free to suggest some of your own.
Jokes
We try not to have beef with the Tauren, but sometimes it becomes a high steaks battle.
Of course we Saurok are smarter than we look! We learned how to speak from the wisest of our brood. We call them āThe Saurus.ā
I had a bone to pick with a Forsaken once, but we ended up just ribbing each other. We both found it very humerus.
Looks can be important, but sometimes we just have to scale back some.
Saurok Rogues are invaluable. They really know how to monitor.
Be careful in Orgimmar when the dinner bells ring. The roads will consist of saurus wrecks.
Members of the Horde keep asking us where the best place is to get mount and home insurance. I have no idea why!
Flirts
I can show you just how full of ādino mightā I am.
Did you know our mating is done tongue in cheek?
I can whisper sweet nothings, but I might talk your ear off.
If you can take a lickinā, Iāll keep on tickinā.
I assure you, I donāt suffer from āreptile dysfunction.ā
Iāll try to think up more gradually over time. Also I know the forums recently updated, but I am unsure if I can post more than three times in a row. Unless someone replies, Iāll have to edit this post with updates if I canāt post a 4th post in a row.
Anyway, happy new yearās eve all! Saurok research and support will continue on into 2020 and beyond!
Happy New Year.
A couple of general videos to share for some idea inspiration. The first video consists of some interesting facts about bearded dragons, which some Saurok share a few similarities in looks:
A neat aspect about them is the ability for males and females to puff out their throats, which turns black, as a form of territorial dominance or when threatened. Looking at the Saurok model, they do have a bit of loose skin under their throats, so Iād be curious if they are capable of puffing their throat out. They also make great climbers, which is something Saurok can do quite well as shown in a few areas on Pandaria.
Next is a rather long video about the Lizardmen from Warhammer that talks about their history and the type of units they use:
This video was created before āTotal War: Warhammer 2ā was made, where the lizardmen became a playable faction. It is a game Iāve been very much interested in getting because of that. Iāve also thought about getting into the Warhammer Fantasy tabletop game someday. Iām sure you can guess what army I would use.
Itās interesting to see that despite looking savage and primitive, the Warhammer Lizardmen do fight for what they view as order, among other interesting aspects about them. Seems like I should do a lizardman comparison from different games and media to inspire some ideas for Saurok, sometime.
8.3 also comes out in just a few days. Iām personally excited to make my Vulpera and MechaGnome characters, as well as see what all is going on in Pandaria. Iām not expecting much Saurok-wise, of course, but you never know.
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
Be interesting to play as a Saurok. Be even more interesting if we find them someplace where theyāve established an actual major home for themselves.
Finding a tribe that moved off Pandaria and made their own civilization is likely the best way to introduce them as a playable race, IMO. This can work either as an allied or core race, where the core race could work as the Hordeās base of operations for whatever expansion they appear in.
Not to mention that at least one tribe got off Pandaria through the mists around Pandaria, so it is possible one could have left then. Otherwise, the mists around Pandaria have gone down, and weāve seen multiple tribes that have arrived elsewhere in BfA areas, so some other tribes couldāve left by now.
Speaking of BfA and thinking more on the Brinescale Saurok, they do represent another aspect aside from working with others: gaining some intelligence.
When we see the Saurok on Pandaria, theyāre all RAWR and rather primitive, with Lorewalker Cho refers to them as āpea-brained.ā However, the Brinescale Saurok mustāve gained some form of intelligence to not only get the discipline to work with others, but to work as a crew member on a pirate ship.
Operating a pirate ship is no easy task. It requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and even some tactical planning. Sure, not every Brinescale Saurok that is a member of the Bilge Rats would be smart, but some intelligence would be needed to work and function as a part of the crew. Considering the Bilge Rats were the type of pirates on a form of conquest, the QuarterMaster at least would need some intelligence as they did rank very high on the pecking order. Not to mention the various duties they perform.
Now while not the smartest race in WoW still, it does seem that some Saurok are gaining intelligence, compared to how they were previously, as time go on. Whether this is a natural evolution or something to do with the flesh shaping magic remains to be unseen. A lot of time has passed, so maybe Saurok are, to a certain extent, evolving in some ways. Only time will tell to see where they go as a species.
Just some food for thought. Speaking of, more Saurok research to continue in the future!
Iām betting that like with the Furbolg its a matter of bias from the other races and the availability of resources that really defines how smart a tribe is. Joining a pirate crew probably does wonders for available resources form being a hard scrabble society, so perhaps they just donāt have to focus as much on finding food and shelter and can appear smarter when looking in from the outside.
Itād be neat to see that explored. have the Horde find them and think āAw man now we gotta fight through this.ā only to find the Saurok theyāve encountered and friendly enough and able to help them.
Availability of resources could be a factor, and it also could be that the Bilge Rats are more of a comradely band of pirates than, as far as I can tell, the Brinescale having been forced into servitude against their will. Still, as mentioned before throughout the thread, if a tribe of Saurok can work with a band of pirates to achieve some form of conquest, then the same argument could be said for a tribe potentially joining the Horde to work towards a greater purpose.
Likely a situation would need to arrive where, in theory, a Saurok tribe needs help and gets in contact with the Horde, who also need help with something, such as navagating a new expansion area and a base of operations.
Iāve mentioned before that there are a lot of similarities between Orcs and Saurok, and with Thrall currently part of the new Horde council, I could see him seeing aspects of the Orcs in any tribe of Saurok that do work with the Horde. Both were used as slaves, and there are likely some tribes of Saurok out there leading their people to some form of survival, much as Thrall did when he formed the Horde.
Iāll list the similarities I noticed again:
Both were intended on being slaves/tools for a group of evil creatures.
Both eventually broke out of their curse and rebelled against their former masters.
Both had some form of savagery in their personalities, although Orcs are a lot calmer than Saurok.
Both races lean towards a Shamanistic type of community.
Both races have multiple tribes that have differences in culture and personality, moreso with the Orc tribes.
As I mentioned before, the parallels are interesting, though it isnāt completely the same and there are differences between Saurok and Orcs. It would be a neat thing to implement in a storyline where a tribe of Saurok do join the Horde and Thrall forms a bit of a bond with the new Saurok.
Despite having an uphill battle in becoming playable, there are a lot of neat things you can do with writing playable Horde Saurok. Hopefully one day, weāll see them welcomed in Orgimmar.
Yes!
Blizzard could use more inspiration from other franchises or adapt something.
Lizardmen has very interesting units, especially crocodiles.
It would be easy to have a group of them occupy any point in the coastal regions of East Kingdom or Kalimdor, where there was little, preferably none, previous activity of the horde or alliance and this colony would be discovered by a group of travelers or explorers and had their existence and great existence. number in the disclosed area.
We see sauroks in various regions near bodies of water and even on turtle island, from which various other groups could have left and founded settlements in other regions of Azeroth.
And in one of these colonies, a smarter, or more cooperative group of sauroks could emerge that could be recruited.
Another video for idea inspiration! This an interesting lizard called the āBasilisk Lizard.ā
One of the neat things they are known for is running on top of water for a short period of time. They can also stay underwater for up to 90 minutes, as well as try to blend in the environment to hide. Another thing to note is that they have a unique crown, which can be a possible inspiration for different Saurok head option designs.
Now, I would think Saurok would be a bit too heavy to run on top of water, especially those with armor on, but an increased breath meter for being underwater, compared to other races, would be very fitting, in my opinion. I also still like the idea of some form of camouflage as a racial, and more head customization options (Horns, spikes, frills, crowns, etc) are always good.
If Saurok were to become an allied race and they didnāt have a city built elsewhere, it is possible their playable faction could get a section of land on Kalimdor to act as their racial hub base.
Iām not sure where the best locations would be, but the Horde could always place them in strategic locations to help as amphibious units in case enemy ships attempt to land somewhere on Kalimdor or attack coastal settlements in general.
Hearthstone also has Saurok in Unāgoro Crater, so they could also take up residence there. There are bodies of water, itās on Kalimdor, and plenty of beasts to hunt!
Also, 8.3 is coming soon with an 8 hour maintenance time. Soon as I unlock Vulpera and MechaGnomes, Iāll be exploring the new Vale of Eternal Blossoms area to see if there is anything of note to report.
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
Now that you have spoken, there is another would be interesting too.
The basilisk can also run over the water for a few moments.
Well, since I need to keep busy until 8.3 comes out, letās talk about another lizard and then consider some racial ideas for Saurok.
Introduing the Frilled Dragon/Lizard, also called the Bicycle Lizard:
These lizards are likely the ones that inspired the Saurok you see that have a form of frills on their head:
The Bicycle Lizard is known for running on its hind legs, usually to escape predators. My understanding is that lizards canāt breathe like people do when running on all four legs, but running on its hind legs allows it to breathe a bit easier and get more travel distance.
So in terms of Saurok racials, what can we get from this and the other lizards Iāve mentioned so far?
First, we could consider a dash of some sort, though we would need to make it unique so it isnāt just the Worgenās Dark Flight ability. An ability to walk over water while using this dash skill could be fitting especially as a form of escaping mobs, assuming you donāt get hit and fall faster than Michael Jordanās baseball career. Sure, it doesnāt make sense for a Saurok in heavy armor to be able to walk on water briefly, but then againā¦there are a lot of physics in WoW that would drive many a real life scientist mad trying to figure out, and it wouldnāt be the most confusing aspect of the game in that regard. :V
Second, with the basilisk lizard, another racial is to increase Saurok breath meters some. Somewhere between 1.5 to twice the amount could work, in my opinion. This can also go with the next part.
Third, Saurok should have a faster swimming speed compared to other races. Considering the Saurok tribes that have gotten off Pandaria, at least with the Deepscale tribe having swam through the ocean, it makes some sense for Saurok to have both a bigger breath meter and faster swimming speed to me.
Fourth, if Saurok are able to puff their throats out, they could get something out of it. Such a thing could be used used to give the Saurok some extra stats, a form of intimidating mobs, or lowering mob stats briefly. This is one I could use some more ideas for.
Fifth and lastly, in order to utilize the tail, a ātail spinā skill could be used that knocks all mobs around the Saurok for a second or so, interrupting any spells being cast. I mean, if youāre an angry lizard, youād likely want to utilize all of your body as best as possible.
A few racials were mentioned earlier in the thread, but I figure it was good to look at them again since racials are a huge part of new races. All I know is that playable Saurok will likely make a huge splash in the game. :V
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
They could always give Worgen Darkflight as a targeted jump ability (like the grappling hook of rogues) and then give Saurok the sprint.
A Worgen pounce is very fitting, come to think of it, but Iām more of the sort to add to races than take away. ^^;;
I also forgot a few other important racial ideas: some form of regeneration and natural armor.
A lot of lizardmen races have some form of regeneration in MMOās, though I know that Darkspear and Zandalari Trolls have different forms of regeneration also, so Iām not sure what the best direction to go with Saurok would be. Iām more use to the form of natural regeneration, which the Darkspear Trolls have. Iād make it roughly the same rate, so long as it isnāt too overpowered.
Iām also of the opinion that just because a race has one type of racial, it shouldnāt mean that other races that become playable should never have a similar racial. For example, just because Forsaken can go underwater indefinitely shouldnāt stop a playable aquatic race, like Gilblins or Ankoan/Jinyu, from being able to breathe underwater. On a more similar note, if Gilblins became playable, it shouldnāt stop playable Ankoans/Jinyu from being able to breathe underwater either or vice versa.
Regarding natural armor via scales, this is something Iksar from Everquest had. It shouldnāt be too huge of a buff, like what Highmountain Tauren have, but it is also another possibility with the right balancing. Scales could offer quite a few protection options, be it physical or even some magical resistance.
Lots of potential racial ideas to think about here, so if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to share them!
To my surprise, we have a Saurok sighting in the new Vale of Eternal Blossoms! It looks like a new tribe, also.
The mob in quest is called āEnslaved Clearscale.ā To my knowledge, this is a new tribe of Saurok, as Iām not familiar with the name at all. I originally thought they were albino, but some seem to have a light green color. Not sure if they come in any other color. I couldāve sworn I saw a few albino ones, but I may be mistaken.
I found the majority of them between Guo-Lai Halls and Ruins of Guo-Lai on the map, north west portion. They appear to have been enslaved by one of the Mogu clans in the area. Sadly, they were all red and angry to me, I mean you would be too if you were forced into being the Moguās slave, and to my knowledge, I did not see a way to free them. Knowing the Saurok, they might try to eat my face even if I did free them, but if I could, I still would! <- <;
Another thing of interest is regarding Lorewalker Cho, who stated that he seems rather happy and excited to have found what seems to be a peaceful clan of Mogu around. Now, given that the Mogu in general have been a real pain in the backside to Pandaren for ages, to see him open like that with the Mogu tells me that the Pandaren on Pandaria may be alright with Saurok if they were ever to make some form of diplomatic relations of some sort, which they are likely still trying to accomplishā¦at least, I hope.
Anyway, it seems like there could be other tribes of Saurok on Pandaria we donāt know about, so maybe weāll run into other tribes in the futureā¦or maybe weāll be able to help the Clearscale somehow. Guess weāll have to wait and see what comes up.
If I see any more Saurok sightings, Iāll be sure to post them here. So far, the Clearscale just seem to be angry mooks meant for you to kill for something, but hopefully there might be a way to show them the true meaning of Winterās Veil and get them to help us against NāZoth.
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
So I was thinking of Sauroks myself after seeing them during island expeditions. Sauroks obviously are very comfortable and have no problem with water the ocean especially and it reminded me of a type of lizard, the marine iguana. I wonder if there was a bit of inspiration for Sauroks from that considering Sauroks travel the ocean without boats. Marine iguanas could be an interesting lizard to base some customization for Sauroks off of.