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.
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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! 
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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Now that you have spoken, there is another would be interesting too.
The basilisk can also run over the water for a few moments.
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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! 
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They could always give Worgen Darkflight as a targeted jump ability (like the grappling hook of rogues) and then give Saurok the sprint. 
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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!
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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!
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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.
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Thatās actually my favorite type of iguana! Iād love this!
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Thank you for mentioning this lizard. Iāve never heard of them, myself, and I can definitively see some Saurok inspiration in them. Iāll be sure to do some research on it and talk about it in a future post. 
Iāve played around in the new Vale of Eternal Blossoms and did more of the Magni questline, and there is another Saurok sighting to talk about I found as well as some general analyzing.
When going into the Moguāshan Palace with Magni, you eventually open a hidden staircase path, which happens to have some āTrapped Saurokā within. They seem exactly the same as the āEnslaved Clearscaleā I mentioned in my last post. Sadly, they are not really appreciative of your letting them out since they just attack you. Some of them died from the traps and likely from each other going hungry since there are a few small groups hovering around their own corpses, so being hungry and angry (hangry) could be a reason. If I had known there were Saurok down there, I wouldāve brought them some meat lovers pizza and attempt to make friends. How they got there and how long theyāve been there, along with why they are there is a good questionā¦one I donāt have the answer to, sadly.
So far, unless I have missed any rare mobs, those seem to be the only Saurok sightings in the new Vale area. I did want to think about a few things.
First, I saw no sign of the Paleblade Saurok. Likely, they broke free of the Moguās mind control and since it was mentioned they were displaced and moved to the Vale, they likely headed back to where ever they live on Pandaria.
Second, the āEnslaved Clearscaleā could be under mind control, as I really donāt see them just going with being enslaved by one of the evil Mogu clans. If they are, I am still unaware of any way to free them. Even if you could, given your encounter in the palace, I doubt they would join you or be appreciative, unfortunately.
Third, the Clearscale seem like most of the Saurok we came across on Padaria, which is being primitive and rather uncivilized. Itās interesting how some tribes can still be primitive while others, like the Brinescale, have evolved to where they can work with other races as part of a pirate crew for a living. Also makes me wonder what the Skumblade are up to, as no doubt theyāve grown in power some and are up to no good. I can see them attempting to dominate other Saurok tribes and it being a reason some tribes might want to leave Pandaria to seek fortune elsewhere.
Fourth, doing a google search on Enslaved Clearscale leads to a PTR WoWhead link that talks about one of the assaults, named āWarring Clans.ā This assault involves you beating up evil Mogu of different clans in the area, and it seems that the āEnslaved Clearscaleā mobs might count for increasing the percentage. Disappointing, but as I mentioned before, I wasnāt expecting much in the way of any Saurok sightings, let alone expecting any Saurok to be in the area, so I canāt say Iām too distraught about it.
Fifth and finally, the Clearscale is, to my knowledge, a new Saurok tribe we havenāt seen before. I didnāt see anything about them when I did my post regarding all the Saurok tribes. Iām guessing they were either hiding or hadnāt formed when we came to Pandaria in MoP. Who knows what the other Saurok tribes are up to on Pandaria or how many tribes have left? Still, itās likely there are other tribes we donāt know about, so some hope remains. Of course, itās still an uphill battle for Saurok, but hey, thatās why Iām here to help them out.
Honestly, if Blizzard can make the Gilblins be more than mindless mooks and can put a clan of Mogu through one of the top 10 anime redemption arcs, I donāt see why Saurok couldnāt become more than what they are right now. Besides, Iād love to see them get some revenge on the evil Mogu still around, seeing as several clans are still active and likely gaining some power over time. Who better to do it than Saurok?
That said, I still plan to support Saurok as a playable Horde race as best as I can. In the meantime, I feel like beating up some evil Mogu. Iāll keep an eye out for any more Saurok sightings and report them if I see them, for better or worse.
More Saurok research and support to continue in the future!
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Keep up the great work. 
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Well I found a Saurok rare, and apparently itās the Clearscale Chieftainā¦who has sadly been corrupted:
āVeskan the Fallen spawns at 86,41 in Vale. He appears only during the Black Empire assault.ā
I figured there was at least one Saurok rare somewhere. We now know there was a Clearscale leader and also what happened to them. At least weāll be able to kick NāZothās butt soon.
I will continue to keep an eye out on for any other Saurok sightings in 8.3, for better or worse.
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
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Got a few things to discuss in this post. First, I looked up the marine iguana, and it is indeed an awesome reptile:
One of the key features is their ability to hold their breath for a long period of time, making Guybrush Threepwood proud, and be able to dive fairly deep when foraging. Increased underwater breath bar is something I thought Saurok should have, along with a faster swim speed. Itās similar to how Iksar in Everquest 1 function in water.
It also mentions that marine iguanas spend a lot of time on rocks in order to get heat, since being cold blooded means they canāt generate body heat. It gave me the idea that where ever playable Saurok live or even in Orgimmar as they take up a presence there, they should have a heat rock area where you can go and lie on a heat rock as a fire beneath burns, likely from fire mages, to heat the rock to warm levels. It could also work as a toy you buy when exalted with them, called a āPortable Heatrock.ā Just plop it down and click on it to lie on the rock and enjoy the sun!
The next part I wanted to touch on was a book you can find in MoP, āThe Saurok and the Jinyu.ā
Itās a book meant for fun and is based on āThe Scoprion and the Foxā story. You can find this book in Krasarang Wilds, but Iāll copy and paste the text:
Click here to read The Saurok and the Jinyu Story
"A jinyu once sat by the side of a river, contemplating this and that, when along came a saurok. The jinyu was nervous at first, and prepared to lunge in to the river to get away.
But the saurok raised his hands and said āI wish only to cross the river, but I do not know how to swim. You are a swimmer. Perhaps I could ride on your back to the other side.ā
At this the jinyu replied: ābut you will stab me, or bite me, or try to eat my head.ā
The saurok laughed at this and claimed: āand this would kill us both. For if I kill you I would drown.ā
The jinyu thought on this and then agreed. With some effort the heavy saurok climbed on the back of the jinyu and the two began to swim across the river.
But as they travelled deeper in to the water, the saurok, without thinking, slew the jinyu with a simple, practiced move of his claws.
As the jinyu sank to the bottom of the river, so did the heavy saurok.
Even at the risk of his own life, the saurok could not escape his nature."
This, of course, doesnāt take into consideration that some Saurok are able to swim quite well and was written before BfA, where the Brinescale actually prove Saurok can āescape their nature.ā Speaking of which, I went to the Freehold area to do a world quest on an alt, and near the gladiator pit was a Saurok who appeared to be doing the male Worgenās /flex and /bow in front of two human pirates that werenāt from the Bilgerats. Quite different from the primitive Saurok that weāve seen in MoP, isnāt it? Seems like the Brinescale Saurok are the gift that keeps on giving if they can work with others even not part of their pirate crew.
Lastly, classes start for me very soon. Iām not going anywhere of course, but posts might slow down a bit depending on my work load. Iāll be sure to find some time to continue to add more to this thread, of course. Iām also still keeping an eye out for any other Saurok sightings in 8.3, and I can always find time to beat up the evil Mogu in the areaā¦not that I ever need a reason to beat up evil Mogu, mind you. :V
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
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I got confused thinking this was a sethrak thread XD
Oh man Iād love to play a Saurok based off a Galapagos Iguana. lol
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One of the reasons Iāve been doing some research on the different types of lizards in the real world is to offer ideas for different types of potential Saurok customization options. After all, the evil Mogu gathered a huge number of lizards of different types to turn them into Saurok, so it makes some sense that there would be different lizard types that Saurok would consist of. Weāve currently seen this with regular and frilled Saurok.
There is quite a lot you can do with lizardmen customization options. Different types of horns, frills, spikes, scale color patterns, etc. It also helps for coming up with racial ideas, too.
There are plenty of lizards and other reptiles to do some research on, too! If anyone has any suggestions, please be sure to post about them and offer your own thoughts and ideas.
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