And I thank you for the work you have done, for the research and enthusiasm you have expended, including in other megathreads.
You must be one of the most positive people on the forum, for always collaborating in a super pleasant way.
So itâs no surprise that so many people come out and show support for sauroks as a playable race.
Well after having my power knocked out for 11 hours last night thanks to a really severe thunderstorm and getting no sleep at all because of it, I need to get my mind off there being too much blood in my caffeine system by talking more about Saruok.
Specifically, I wanted to talk about the new allied race and Pandaren Death Knight starting area and future races being Death Knights. Letâs start with the starting area first.
So awhile ago, Blizzard opened Death Knights for Pandaren and allied races, mainly as a pre-order bonus for pre-ordering Shadowlands, complete with their own starting area. You can see the experience here:
The question here is considering this starting area is time locked to when Bolvar was the Lich King, and that we know Sylvanas goes coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs which leads to there being no more Lich KingâŚdoes this affect future Death Knight races?
I bring this up because if we ever did get Saurok as a playable race, one of the characters I want to create is a Saurok Unholy Death Knight. Itâs based on my first ever Everquest 1 character, which was an Iksar Shadow Knight. At the time of seeing Death Knights revealed for allied races and Pandaren, I had thought weâd see future races be able to utilize this starting area in order to get the Death Knight class.
However, with what goes on with Bolvar makes me wonder about that possibility. We donât know whatâs going to happen after Shadowlands and whether there will be a new Lich King afterwards. Itâs a bit hard to see that when the glowly helmet of death and edgelord incarnate has become a very difficult Tetris puzzle to solve.
While I would say that Death Knights for future races would still be a possibility, would Blizzard just wait for new races and create another time-locked area for those new races? Seems a bit of a waste of resources to do that when they could just edit this new Death Knight starting area. Sure, the time-line wonât make much sense, but then again, new races would likely start either at level 1 or whatever new level allied races would start at, then have to trek across an expansion of their choice, then go through BfA, and then Shadowlands and whatever follows it. Time is a really confusing thing is the game as youâre going to go back and forth between past and present so many times.
My opinion is that they should just edit this area for future races. Sure, it wonât make too much sense time-wise, but then againâŚa lot doesnât really make sense in this game. The new area serves the purpose well (for the most part) and all you really need to do for it is add a NPC of new races along the line of Death Knights standing there.
My hope is that Blizzard wouldnât just withhold the Death Knight class from future races just to do yet another time-locked starting area and make it a pre-order bonus for another expansion. For allied races and Pandaren, this area was needed to make sense in the storyline and streamline the experience, even if it is a bit disappointing.
This thought doesnât just affect Saurok, but it affects any new races added to the game in any fashion going forward. Whenever we see new races, whatever they are, weâll see how they treat the Death Knight class for them. Hopefully, as I mentioned, they wouldnât withhold it with comments of âwell it doesnât make sense at this timeâ for long periods of time. It especially makes sense to add Death Knights to some races, like Sanâlayn or potentially any races that existed during Arthasâ tyranny, such as Ogres. May as well add them to any new races going forward, in my opinion.
So Iâd like to ask what everyone thinks. Is it likely that the new Death Knight starting area would be used for new races going forward? Iâm sure it can be edited to include new pairs of races as we go forward in the game, and given how we go across timelines to make Dr. Who confused, I think it would please everyone to just update it as new races come out. Not to mention that it likely wouldnât be too much work to implement Death Knight customization for new races and put a NPC or two in that area.
All I know is that I want my Saurok Unoly Death Knight as one of my Saurok characters. If they become playable and donât have the Death Knight class, Iâll be vocal about my support for them. 
More Saurok research to continue in the future! 
Heya ^^
I didnât add shadows to this piece, I will admit, but this is my Saurok concept 
That is an awesome picture. Definitely someone I would not want to ever make angry. Is this character related to the one you wrote the Saurok story for? There was a different name used, but I was reminded of that story seeing that image.
For those interested in a neat Saurok story, Fallynn wrote an awesome short story awhile ago involving a female Saurok in this post:
Itâs a great read and shows how Saurok can evolve into being more than just angry lizards.
Could be! Her name could be âHeldremys Blazeheartâ, with the nickname of âRubyâ. I havenât rolled her as a roleplay character yet though, I might eventually.
Eh, Iâd rather go fully draconic if weâre going to get a reptilian race.
Nothing wrong with that at all. We all have our preferences, and that is what makes character creation in general so interesting to me when seeing people passionate about specific races and how they design their own characters and backstories. I think Iâve seen people mention that Dragon Men of some sort were considered as a Cataclysm race, though I honestly donât know much of the details of that.
Lizard Men are just my own personal preference, as theyâre my favorite fantasy race. Itâs a reason I strongly support Saurok as a playable Horde race. 
The important thing is that we need to get some reptiles on that character creation screen! 
Indeed. Honestly, my best case scenario is playable Dragonmaw Orcs with a Dragonsworn-type class. Let me be my favourite flavour of Orc, and allow everyone to enjoy being a little draconic.
If it depends on wants and efforts like yours, in promoting a draconic race (something Blizzard has no desire or motives in lore to allow a race of NPCs to join the factions in their childish nonsense), something like that will never happen.
And it is easier to have a class with dragon skills than a race of dragons who want to get involved in alliance matters or forget everything the horde has done with dragons whenever it was convenient to satisfy some insane warchief.
You can still want a draconic race. But just wanting and not promoting something like that in a megathread to gather support and demonstrations of interest from the community about draconics, like what is done here with sauroks, will not make the idea more widespread and shared.
But, you know what? Wanting sauroks does not make a draconic race impossible or makes a draconic race excluded.
But since people just ask for something like draconics in threads that donât have draconics as a topic, they will never have a chance to show how much they are wanted, if they are really something that people want.
Thatâs because of how tenuous the âdraconicâ concept is. It could be drakonids, dragonspawn, or dragons themselves. Dragonsworn could be worked into either a race (think Worgen) or a class unto itself. Or, it could manifest as something on the periphery of being draconic, like Dragonmaw Orcs.
Having a desire for a general sentiment rather than a specific idea is much harder to promote. Particularly when you donât have the proper forum permissions to do it fancy.
My summer class is finally finished! Huzzah! \ ^ o ^ /
This means I should be able to get some more posts gradually typed up during the rest of my summer before my fall semester starts! Speaking of which, todayâs post will involve Progenitus and Primordius, who I mentioned a few posts ago.
The interesting thing about these two mobs is that itâs implied these were the first Saurok created. Iâll start with Progenitus, since I already linked him before.
Progenitus
Entires from Wowpedia and Wowhead:
Progenitus is apparently part of the Skumblade Tribe, stated by Wowpedia, and has the title of âThe Firstborn.â There isnât much more to him, other than being part of the âChampions of Lei Shenâ achievement, where you have to kill 10 rare elite mobs on Isle of Thunder:
So pretty much a jobber. Still, the scale color patterns are neat and could be used as a Saurok customization option.
Now, letâs talk about Primordius:
Primordius
Entires from Wowpedia and Wowhead:
Primordius is a boss in the Throne of Thunder raid instance. The in-game adventure journal has this to say about him:
âDeep within the bowels of Lei Shenâs island citadel, mogu flesh-shapers formed the saurok out of a magical substance of unknown origin. When the citadel was abandoned, some experiments languished in the dark pools for far too longâŚâ
Interesting to note is that there is an Encounter Design listed on Wowpedia, which I assume was taken from a preview of the Throne of Thunder raid as the source link for it leads me back to the official WoW main page. Here is what it says:
"The fact that the mogu created the saurok (among other creatures native to Pandaria) is something that may not have been obvious to players who were exploring the continent and learning about its inhabitants. This encounter provided us with a chance to âshow, not tellâ this piece of Pandariaâs history. The actual mechanics of the fight evolved from discussion and brainstorming around the themes of evolution and mutation; a few of us had also recently watched the movie Prometheus, and the vaults of black goo in that movie helped inspire the overall vibe of Primordiusâ lair.
Primordius could be one of the first Saurok created, though maybe not THE first one since Progenitus has that Firstborn title. Itâs also possible Primordius was one of the first Saurok the Mogu experimented on when working on their flesh-shaping magic, given the nature of the location and how he looks.
Sharing both of these is an interesting look at seeing what could have been among the first Saurok created. At the very least, they offer some unique scale colors that would work well for customization options, but I donât really see many of their modelsâ features being utilized as playable Saurok customization options. Also, it adds to the pile of proof that the majority of Mogu are jerks that need to be beaten up, and gives even more reason for Saurok to consider them their mortal enemy.
Anyway, Iâll be gradually doing more posts in the near future, so please stay tuned for more fun Saurok related stuff! 
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
I prefer it to be a dragon-based class. For all players.
As the allianceâs popularity and notion of value is eroded,
if the horde catches a dragon race wannabe, it would be another brick thrown at our blue foreheads.
And since blizzard seems determined to always give ally something diametrically bad when compared to what the horde gets, I imagine we end up with some exotic colored blood elf, a wooden gnome or a human with elephant ears. And horses.
IMHO, I confess that I do not consider that the horde deserves a race from dragons that are related to orcs.
That would be an insult to dragons, after all the orcs did and continued to do with dragons.
In the end, it will depend on how much the devs will want and how much it will humiliate the alliance.
Bazgak has a new mog
Nothing related to the thread but I noticed
i like the helmet
Oh he does! I like it.
Well, it kinda relates to the thread as I finally got a full set of the green Saurok Stalker armor from farming normal Throne of Thunder:
In-game, when you look at the set under collections, it mentions several pieces than what Wowhead lists, some of which you can buy the look of from this NPC with gold:
Otherwise, you have to run Throne of Thunder a bunch and get either the specific items you right-click to turn into the Saurok gear, get drops in that instance that give you the transmog look, and in some cases get a specific item drop, such as the Quakestompers from this mob in the Throne of Thunder instance:
Some items the set mentions has the same look on other items. The in-game set mentioned needing âAbandoned Zandalari Arrowlinksâ for one of the pieces, but a drop I got gave the same transmog look to my collection. You can always look up the item on Wowhead and look for items that give the same look to see what other options you have.
I mentioned the different sets awhile ago in this post if anyone is interested in getting any of the sets for your own:
Just bear in mind that you may need a few more pieces than listed on Wowhead if you look at the set in-game.
Anyway, I figured I should show my Saurok pride in-game. Plus, it kinda fits being the creator of this megathread and all. I may eventually get the blue and red sets for fun when Iâm done leveling my alts during this double exp event. I know the red set is from the LFR version of Throne of Thunder while blue version is the Heroic version. I assume there is some way to get to the LFR version solo as a max level character.
Itâs a neat transmog, but I still hope to be able to make real Saurok characters on the Horde side someday!
Awhile ago, I did a screenshot story involving a Saurok Ambassador visiting Orgrimmar. I was recently inspired to do another story for him, this time taking place in Thunder Bluff. The purpose of this story is meant primarily as a fun story, but also serves to help show what Saurok would look like in Horde cities and such.
That said, letâs begin!
The Saurok Ambassador Visits Thunder Bluff
The Saurok Ambassador arrives at Thunder Bluff! He was granted an audience with the leader of the Tauren, Baine Bloodhoof, to help make his case for his tribe of Saurok to join as members of the Horde!
The meeting begins. The Saurok Ambassador and Baine have a pleasant talk. While nothing is promised, it is something that will be considered. The Horde currently has its hands full of trying to hunt down Sylvanas to accept new members at present. The Saurok Ambassador promises to keep an eye out for her in their tribeâs territory.
The Saurok Ambassador was granted time to visit and enjoy Thunder Bluff, where he notices an interesting smell. Turns out, there was a fish merchant nearby! He proceeds to purchase a fish to munch on. He learns from the nearby merchant where the fish the ambassador caught came from.
Turns out, there is a small pool of them on one of the plateaus. As much as he would rather jump in and nab some, he decides to try his hand at fishing a few while enjoying the water.
During his stroll in the city, the Saurok Ambassador notices the lift system the Tauren have. He knows that the Saurok would be able to just climb the walls to get to the top, and guesses not many of the Horde members would also be able to do that. Perhaps he could use this skill as an advantage at getting his people as part of the HordeâŚ
The Saurok Ambassador visits the Pools of Vision, where he learns that one of the Forsaken there has dropped a ring. Eager to get some swimming done, he jumps in to seek it out. Perhaps this could help get his people on the Forsakenâs good side!
Close to the end of his visit, the Saurok Ambassador stares at the distance, pondering many a thing: His visit to Thunder Bluff in general, his discussion with Baine, hopes of having made a good impression on the Tauren, and most importantlyâŚwhat to have for dinner?
The Saurok Ambassador secures a flight to head back home. The visit was worthwhile, and he enjoyed seeing new things and eating new foods. He hopes heâll be able to visit again someday!
The End
Hope everyone enjoyed it. Again, this was meant as a fun story, but seeing Saurok in Horde cities and such, pretending the model is a player character model helps a lot at visualizing them as a member of the Horde. I, for one, hope the day will come that weâll see Horde Saurok all over the world.
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
I officially have an A in my summer class! So lets celebrate with some Saurok inspiration stuff! \ ^ o ^ /
First, I wanted to show off Petopiaâs section for tamable lizard pets. Specifically, the Saurolisk section because they have some neat scale pattern colors:
Iâm sure many, if not all of the scale color patterns here are based on real life lizards. IncludingâŚ
A gilla monster scale pattern! Iâve mentioned before how a black scaled Saurok with orange patterns, stripes, etc would look pretty good for some classes like Death Knights. If itâs an option for playable Saurok, Iâd consider it for one of my Saurok character ideas.
Next, I wanted to share the box art for the Everquest Ruins of Kunark expansion to show off an armor design:
The design is pretty neat for a Shaman. Note the skulls on them as well. Iâve of the opinion that Saurok should utilize bones as armor, and Iâm sure skulls would be very useful in different experiments or ceremonies.
Looking at this boxart brings back a lot of good memories. The Iksar were one of the big reasons I got into Everquest, and I remember fondly going through Field of Bone as a newbie lizard. Itâs still my favorite expansion to this day.
Next is some concept art I found on the official Total War twitter for Warhammerâs Lizardmen Temple Guards:
It shows off a pretty cool armor design. Note the skull helmet being worn, as itâs a cool concept that I could see inspiring some Saurok heritage armor. Given that Saurok were inspired by the Lizardmen/Seraphon, theyâre something I need to search more images for.
Thatâs all for this post. Speaking of, Iâm at three posts in a row again, so if I could get someone to reply so I can do more posts, I would appreciate it!
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
Iâd love it if they took inspiration from Warhammer lizardmen for Saurok if they become playable. Always loved the armor and design of lizardmen.
For sure my friend!
Hunt well! 
Awhile ago, I did a post to start the first benefit to the Horde for allowing Saurok to join up. Iâve decided to type up another benefit for this post. Itâs meant for fun, but does kinda show a point most people wouldnât think about.
Imagine, if you will, being part of a Horde strike force. Youâve been tasked with taking over an Alliance base for your own, and through a mighty battle, youâve become victorious in battle!..now you have an outpost littered with many dead Alliance all over the place.
Whatâs a member of the Horde to do? You canât just let them rot there! Itâll smell and do a number on the Feng Shui! Sure, the Forsaken can raise the dead humans, but you still have a problem with the other dead Alliance races. The Forsaken could also munch on them, but their metabolism in general is questionable, and their stomachs are rather small if theyâre intact to begin with. Surely there is something to do other than waste man power gathering all the bodies and either dumping them somewhere or burning them!
Enter the Saurok! Having helped won a glorious battle, theyâll be more than happy to help clean up the dead enemies, along with making sure they donât cut into the rations for the army regularly. Dwarf kabobs anyone? Perhaps some pickled Gnomes? The possibilities are endless! Not to mention that the Saurok wouldnât be too picky, seeing as eating the meat of those they conquer makes them both stronger and happy! They also could team up with the Sanâlayn, who would be more than happy to cleanup the blood everywhere. Now thatâs what I call some clean work team work!
Of course, you still have the issue of skeletons littering the area. No problem! Skeletons can always be used to adorn armor or as decorations. Seeing an Orc with the title of Alliance Slayer run into battle with skulls adorning his armor would likely terrify his opponents! Rituals could also be used for the skulls gathered, such as those used by the Trolls or even the Saurok themselves. Not to mention the creation of bone tools, toothpicks, statues, toilets, and other innovations Saurok would have.
Everyone talks about the glory of battle, but nobody ever thinks about the cleanup that occurs afterwards. Saurok can make mighty warriors, but they can also do some really practical janitorial work as well. Besides, what better way to celebrate a battle being won than with a big BBQ party afterwards? Provided by the Alliance, of course!
Remember, a clean base is a happy base, so invite some Saurok the next time you go into battle with the Alliance. Happy lizards means a happy Horde!
More Saurok research to continue in the future!
This game has some of the best versions of lizardmen in the world.
The ones that look like crocodiles are also great but the temple guards are the ones that come closest to something that we could see in warcraft.
And here, something to please the eyes!
