The Unofficial Saurok Playable Race Discussion Megathread! 🐊

Community General Discussion
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So as I mentioned before, I did some research on the different tribes of Saurok in the game. I’ve found about 17 of them, and most of them just serve as angry mooks and quest jobbers albeit with a few interesting ones. There isn’t a whole lot on most of the tribes, outside what is on Wowpedia.

To be clear, my opinion is that none of these tribes really work as a faction for playable Saurok, and that playable Saurok should be a new tribe with some creative writing in the story-department. That said, let’s take a look at some of these tribes with most info taken from Wowpedia with a little side research:

Bladescale- A tribe that resides in Townlong Steppes. Said to be an “exceptionally small tribe.” Their leader is said to be into skinning, which as a race of meat-eaters, it would make sense that they would look into that profession. Not much else of interest.

Brinescale- This is the tribe that is part of the Bilge Rats pirate crew that was previously discussed. What is interesting to note is that these Saurok work together with non-Saurok races, showing that some of the Saurok in general are capable of working with others. It also shows that Saurok are sea-faring and travelers in some fashion. Whether they got off Pandaria before or after the mist was lifted, however, is left in mystery.

Darkhatched- These are the Saurok in the “Ancient Passage that leads between the Veiled Stair and Kun-Lai Summit.” I believe these are the Saurok that Garrosh wanted to take control of and create more of to fight for him…needless to say, it didn’t quite work out for him.

Deepscale- These are the Saurok that newbie Pandaren fight on The Wandering Isle. What is interesting to note is that this is the only currently known tribe that was able to have traveled off Pandaria through the mists. It’s believed that they may have swam off the continent, though I have a hard time imagining how they would have reached The Wandering Isle just by swimming. Still, the idea that the mists were escapable would be an interesting idea to work with in a playable Saurok storyline. Obviously not these guys, since they did attack Horde, Alliance, and Pandaren alike.

Glintrok- This is another interesting tribe. They consist of a raiding party in the Mogu’shan Palace, but they’re said to be more honorable than usual Saurok, with their leader inspiring “courage and loyalty” in the members of the tribe. Here is what the in-game adventure guide has to say about the leader:

“As the mogu clans battle for supremacy, the cunning Gekkan leads his fearsome saurok raiding party into the palace’s fabled treasure caches. Loyalty is not usually ascribed to these ruthless reptilian beings, but Gekkan’s courage and tactical brilliance inspire a sense of honor in his soldiers.”

What is interesting is that some Saurok are capable of the idea of “honor” to some extent. Not all, but some. It’s another reason I feel that a playable group of Saurok would fit right in with the Horde, though I wouldn’t know how much honor would factor into their society. It’s good to see some Saurok have something other than being all RAWR and stuff. I am also curious how the pecking order of this tribe is, as it seems like they have a bit more respect for each other rather than abusing members considered to be weak.

Hatescale- These Saurok live in the Veiled Stair and attack travelers. Not much more to them than that.

Mirelurk-Other than living on Un’Gol Ruins and Whispering Reef (both island expeditions islands), the only thing of interest with these Saurok is that they have assassins within their ranks, which is evidence that they are capable of being Rogues. In general interests, however, seeing Saurok on different islands tells me that some are capable of traveling and seeking places to live elsewhere. Whether they left before or after the mists went away around Pandaria is unknown, however. Still, something worth noting.

Mistblade-Small tribe that lives in the Dread Wastes around the Lake of Stairs and in an underground den there. Apparently, they really like the amber in the area.

Muckscale-These Saurok prowl in The Briny Muck in the Dread Wastes and are quest jobbers.

Paleblade- Sadly, these Saurok are mind-controlled by the Mogu in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. There doesn’t seem to be a way to free them and even if you could, I suspect they would be more likely to take you out for dinner afterwards…and I don’t mean to a fancy restaurant. Still, it gives me more reason to think that any playable Saurok would consider the Mogu their primary enemy.

Riverblade- Raiders in Krasarang Wilds. Attacking travelers and stealing their stuff. Not much else to them.

Salyin- A group of Saurok that are in the Valley of the Four Winds. “Salyis’ Warband” is part of the tribe and even has a section in the in-game Adventure Guide:

“The ruthless saurok roam Pandaria, stealing what they can and harassing the island’s other inhabitants. The most infamous of these reptilian pillagers are Chief Salyis and his warband. For years, the saurok commander and his raiders have stormed through the Valley of the Four Winds atop Galleon, a colossal and well-armed mushan that is more a moving fortress than a simple mount.”

Mook tribe aside, it makes me wonder if mushan could be act as the racial mount for playable Saurok. I’m not sure where they would’ve gotten the eggs/young as well as transporting them off Pandaria, but it could work. It was brought up previously in the thread, and I think works as a contender for their racial mount.

Skumblade- I’ve talked about this tribe a few times in the thread. They reside on the Isle of Thunder, worship Kros who they think they came from, and really are gung-ho on the whole “strong override the weak” theme. Of all the tribes, it seems like they have the most worked on in terms of backstory and civilization. If you’re interested in checking these guys out, interacting with them, or running around the area as a Saurok, look up the ”Skin of the Saurok” Horde and Alliance quests. I posted links to them on Wowhead and a youtube video of the Horde version earlier in the thread here.

Slitherblade Clan- A clan of Saurok that are located in The Rotting Mire, Molten Clay and Un’Gol Ruins (again some island expedition islands) …that’s about it.

On another note, we have yet another tribe that managed to sail away from Pandaria, at some point in time, to find another place to live. So that would be four tribes I can think of that have done that so far. It seems my idea of the playable Saurok faction also traveling off Pandaria may be a possible thing to include in their storyline.

Slitherscale-These are the Saurok in The Jade forest that kill the cloud serpents there and drink their eggs. You deal with these mooks as you do the dailies to get the cloud serpent mounts there.

Viletounge-These Saurok appear in the “A Brewing Storm” scenario, where brewmasters attempt to brew a drink that can only be made if it is storming. I’m guessing these Saurok are quite thirsty for this brew, as they are capable of climbing mountainsides to get to it.

Wildscale- These Saurok live in the Valley of the Four Winds and Krasarang Wilds and live in a cave in Winds’ Edge, where they live out their lives as mooks and quest jobbers

Those are all the tribes I’ve found, so far. As I said before, I don’t see any of these tribes working as the playable Saurok faction. Despite that, this research has brought up a few interesting finds:

  1. Saurok being capable of forming some concept of honor or at least act honorable (to a certain extent) in some ways. (Glintrok)

  2. Saurok being able to escape the mists around Pandaria, either by swimming or by sailing. (Brinescale, Deepscale, Mirelurk, Slitherblade)

  3. Saurok being sea-faring and traveling to different islands and continents to find places to live and survive. (Brinescale, Deepscale, Mirelurk, Slitherblade)

  4. Mogu are big meanies and will forever be enemies of the Saurok. (Every Saurok)

Seems like we might have some stuff to work with when thinking up playable Saurok ideas, and these finds I mentioned would be interesting to implement in a playable Saurok tribe or clan storyline.

More Saurok research will occur in the future. Right now, I’ve got some BBQ food to munch on. :meat_on_bone::crocodile:

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I think this tribe has one of the most promising stories behind them to allow any sort of working with the factions. These folks seem like outcasts, and I’m sure they’d fit into the Horde. Pirates or not. We have pirates on the Horde anyway, I’m sure, we’re not exactly the most law abiding citizens at all times. :stuck_out_tongue:

These folks also seem to have high promise, due to their honor and integrity that was mentioned, in my opinion. If we can find the remaining members and potentially open discussion to them, we can possibly form an alliance, again especially on Hordeside.

All of the tribes though are interesting, and who knows where the future will lead them. I’d say there’s a lot of potential to continue building the story. Besides, many people have favored Pandaria races. I think Jinyu for Alliance and Saurok for Horde would be mighty interesting myself.

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Yes! me too!:crocodile:

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It’s not impossible for any of the current tribes to be written as the playable Saurok faction, though some are harder to write for than others. It has been a long time, in the game’s timeline I mean, since Pandaria came out, so who knows what the tribes have been up to or how they have evolved in some fashion since then.

I’m planning to look around at Glintrok stuff I can find to see if I can piece together anything regarding what considers them honorable. I also think that while they may have some form of honor, they may not be the same as being noble. Still, it’s something worth analyzing, in my opinion.

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I’ve done a little bit of research on the Glintrok tribe, and while not much does exist for them in-game, I figured I would analyze them a bit further.

For starters, we do have in-game text about them in the Adventure Guide. I’ll repost the text about Gekkan, leader of the raiding party you encounter, but first, here is how to access it in game:

  1. Open your Adventure Guide. (Shift-J as a default key)
  2. Go to the “Dungeons” tab.
  3. On the drop-down menu on the far right of the tabs, click “Mists of Pandaria.”
  4. Click “Mogu’Shan Palace” that pops up.
  5. Click on Gekkan.

Sure enough, the following text is in-game:

“As the mogu clans battle for supremacy, the cunning Gekkan leads his fearsome saurok raiding party into the palace’s fabled treasure caches. Loyalty is not usually ascribed to these ruthless reptilian beings, but Gekkan’s courage and tactical brilliance inspire a sense of honor in his soldiers.”

His abilities are as follows in the Adventure Guide:

Reckless Inspiration- “Gekkan inspires one of his subordinates, increasing haste by 25% and rendering them immune to many crowd-control effects, but also increasing damage taken by 25%.”

Reckless Cry- “On death, Gekkan utters a final rallying cry, granting Reckless Inspiration to all remaining members of his entourage.”

I mentioned that Gekkan was the leader of the Glintrok previously, but on closer reading, it seems like he is possibly just the leader of the raiding party within this dungeon. It’s possible he is the leader of the entire tribe, but since we don’t know much about him or the tribe itself, it’s also possible there is another leader of the tribe. To my knowledge, the Glintrok tribe only exist in this dungeon, so there isn’t much aside from speculation in that regard.

It’s interesting to see the followers around him get inspired by him, even after his death. It makes me think that this particular group may not be ruled with fear, much like that of the Skumblade tribe. The courage and tactical brilliance mention of Gekkan is even more interesting, and it is possible that he and other Saurok in the tribe may have successfully launched attacks or raids on the Mogu.

I’m not quite sure where the “sense of honor” really comes from, so perhaps someone could offer their thoughts and ideas. It seems like it may stem from loyalty and being a member of the tribe, in which members would likely get treated better than in other tribes. I have a hard time imagining their honor including a form of Saurok chivalry. Also, in this case, honor does not mean acting noble, as the Glintrok tribe won’t hesitate to attack you and loot your bodies based on Gekkan’s quotes in the dungeon:

Intro: I hear something…

Aggro: Stop them!

Reckless Cry: Slay them!

Killed a Player: Search its corpse!

Gekkan Dying: Such a waste…

They are, more or less, just jobbers put in the dungeon to act as an obstacle for players to kill. It’s not like Gekkan greets you and invites you and your party to their raid party so you can split the loot afterwards and have a friendly discussion over tea and crumpets. They just outright attack you, wanting the loot for themselves.

Likely, some of the flavor text was put in there to make it a bit more interesting to read and make the battle function differently than you might see with other Saurok without much more thought than that. Still, it’s important in that, as in-game text, it is something that shows that some Saurok can act differently than being angry lizards that hate anything without scales…and even with scales in some cases.

If there is some form of honor shown with this tribe, then Saurok in general are capable of this. As a result, honorable Saurok would fit right in with the Horde, who generally are all about the honor. Of course, the question is what exactly Saurok honor is and if it would be shown in some fashion for a playable Saurok faction. I don’t see Saurok as honorable as an Orc, but some sense of honor could be interesting if done correctly. I’m sure there are several ways you could write a playable Saurok faction, so a sense of honor isn’t necessarily the only idea for them.

While I’m at it, I’ll take a look at Gekkan’s entourage and the other Glintrok mooks in the dungeon to see if there is anything of interest.

Glintrok Hexxer: Normally I consider hexxers to be of the shaman class, but in this case…its skills seem more warlock-like than anything. It has “Hex of Lethargy,” which causes shadow damage and reduces spell-casting speed for a few seconds, as well as “Dark Bolt,” which causes shadow damage. The armor worn seems light-clothing related as well. I’m not sure whether this is meant as a kind of warlock or what, but still interesting.

Glintrok Ironhide: Has an ability called “Iron Protector,” which reduces taken from nearby allies. Interesting to see a Saurok that protects others, in a sense, but likely other tribes might have a similar mob. Saurok need tanks after all, much like they need healers to survive.

Glintrok Oracle: This Saurok sounds a bit more like a shaman, though its skills are a bit different. It has “cleansing fire,” which is a fire-based healing spell (I guess these Saurok like to soak in hot tubs), and also “Fire Bolt.” It operates differently than a mage’s “Fireball” spell, in that it does fire damage (of course) equal to a melee swing. I’m guessing this is meant as a shaman, as player character shamans do have spells that are fire-related.

Glintrok Skulker: Has a skill that specifically shanks people. I’m guessing this is why said skill is called “Shank.” Another mob that is evidence that Saurok can be Rogues.

There are three mooks you encounter in the dungeon (Greenhorn, scout, and pillager), but according to Wowhead, none of them have anything to note (and no skills to speak of). Other than you getting more cash loot from pillagers, if they spawn, theres not much else to say from them…though it does make me wonder what the Saurok do with the treasure. They might collect it because of “shinies!” but I do wonder if they actually barter with other races or Saurok tribes in some form of trade.

That is about it that I found in-game regarding the Glintrok tribe. Are they a potential candidate to be the playable Saurok faction? It’s possible, given some creative writing, but they’re likely hostile to non-Saurok, considering you interrupt their raiding party. Since they are just meant as jobbers, all we have for them right now is some sense of honor in flavor text and “shinies!” Not to mention potential evidence that Saurok Warlocks may exist in the game.

On the other hand, it seems turtles aren’t the only reptiles that fight with honor. More Saurok research to come in the future! :meat_on_bone::crocodile:

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I really, really want a Lizardfolk race. Saurok for the Horde would be perfect, and I’d honestly race-change my main to one.

As for their classes:
Warrior - Obvious, given their temper
Paladin - Nope
DK - Would take a lot of loop-de-looping by Blizzard to justify this

Hunter- They have enough of a connection to the wild, being Lizards and all. Plus, as a tribal society, hunters would be necessary to bring food to their people.
Shaman - This is an obvious yes. Lizards and shaman go together like biscuits and gravy.

Demon Hunter - No
Rogue - Would work VERY well, especially since reptiles can hold their breath underwater a long time, as well as being able to hide their heat signature. They’d be capable of virtual silence. Saurok pirates also justify this in the form of Outlaw rogues.
Druid - it COULD work. Maybe. If they start worshipping a loa of some form. It’s a possibility. Although it may take something away from Zandalari druids.
Monk - It’s about as likely as not. While they’re fierce fighters that are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with an enemy unarmed, I’m not sure if they possess the “mellow” that’s necessary to be a true blue monk.

Priest - Maybe? It all depends on how they’re written.
Warlock - This would work well.
Mage - It could possibly happen, it could also possibly not happen.

Unfortunately, it feels like Blizzard has completely forgotten about them outside of a few island expeditions. While they’d be the ultimate among potentially cool and unique races, it seems nobody really appreciates what they bring to the table.

That said, it’s all the more important that we try to bring them, and their potential, into the public eye. So, we have to make certain that we mention them and their potential whenever the discussion for potential ARs comes up, just so we can get them on the table.

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Happy to see another lizardman fan. :smiley:

Saurok have more or less been in the game as a mook race for players to kill. While there is a bit more to them than that, it’s still an uphill battle for them to potentially become a playable race in the future. As I mentioned, a lot of creative writing will need to be written for them.

As much as I do want them, it would likely be awhile before we even seen them considered for playable race status. It’s not impossible, as Dark Iron Dwarves and Mag’har Orcs become playable after so long with people wanting them playable. On the other hand…something like Ogres, my most wanted race, have been asked for since Vanilla WoW and they’ve sadly not been made playable yet. <- <

At any rate, it’s not a guarantee that Saurok will become a playable race in the future, but my opinion is that it is better to show some support for them instead of no support. Despite that, I’ll always have some hope for them and other races I want playable! :meat_on_bone::crocodile:

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I would be so down for this. In any RPG the lizardfolk is what I always choose first. They are usually off-beat, weird, and not pretty but cool looking in their own way. Plus, there are (usually) no boobs so you can play a beast race without creepy whispers.

Snake folk would be even cooler! Can we trade Gnomes for them? 0:)

EDIT oops, confused Saurok and Sethrak. My apologies. Point still stands though, and I would happily play either race!

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Insert the “both is good.gif” here. I think both Saurok and Sethrak would be wonderful additions to the game. Sethrak are more regal and controlled, whereas Saurok are savage and beastly. They are contrasting yet have similar aesthetic themes. They can show two sides to the same coin.

I’d wager Saurok for Horde and Sethrak for the Alliance would be a cool pairing, in my opinion. I mean, Void Elves and Nightborne were paired together… and both of them are elves. We could have another ‘thematically similar’ pairing. Or wait was it LFD and Void elves? Bah, either way, four were added together, two of which were similar.

Indeed, I’d roll both.

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I don’t know now whether I want sethrak or Saurok more.

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concerned.jpg

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Whoops silly autocorrect.

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I had to, you gave me a giggle. /fangedsmirk

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I do the same as well. If I played the Elder Scrolls games, I would always make an Argonian character first in all of them. :smiley:

Sethrak are neat and I would definitely make one if they become playable. It’s also possible to have both Saurok and Sethrak playable, as they’re quite different in terms of looks, culture, and lore. They both would bring a lot to WoW if they were playable.

Also, if you were looking for the Sethrak Megathread you can find it on that link there. They have some neat ideas and discussions in there. ^^

Heres hoping we see both playable! :meat_on_bone::crocodile:

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I wanted to bring up a quote from Lorewalker Cho in MoP in Jade Forest regarding the Pandarens on Pandaria trying to communicate, with little success, with the Saurok on there.

During the If These Stones Could Speak quest, you get ambushed by a Bloodthirsty Saurok, whose tribe is unknown. Lorewalker Cho states the following:

“Lorewalker Cho says: The saurok have plagued this land since the time of the mogu. They are impossible to negotiate with. But we never stop trying! We fight them only as a last resort.”

The first interesting thing to note is that this quest and text, to my knowledge, is only given to Horde players. Alliance players, again to my knowledge, do an entirely different questline where they are chasing after the boy-king, who is out adventuring armed with a smile, sunshine on his back, and a virtuous sense of being-full-of-himself. I don’t recall any mention of Saurok peace-negotiating that occurs there. I doubt this foreshadows anything, but it’s just an interesting part of the questline that I found.

Given the amount of tribes, I’m wondering if the Pandarens on Pandaria reached out to all of them or only just some of them. Of course, I doubt attempts of peace would work at all with any of the tribes, and more often than not, Saurok are attacking settlements which causes the locals to go “Welp, this is happening again. Time to solve this with punching!”

Now, I haven’t done a whole lot of MoP questing, something I need to fix sometime, but what I have done, I haven’t seen any attempts of reaching out to them. Then again, attempting diplomacy with something with sharp claws and is snapping at you likely wouldn’t result in you talking about the local economy and accounting practices.

There are a few main points of interest regarding what Lorewalker Cho says here.

The obvious point is that the Pandaria Pandarens keep trying to make peace with the Saurok. If, say, Blizzard did consider making Saurok playable, and wanted to use one of the existing tribes, it’s possible that either they haven’t contacted all the tribes or that eventually, as time goes on, perhaps Saurok evolve and change, which could lead to some negotiations finally where things could be worked out. It’s hard to imagine this, given how all the tribes are, so this is just me thinking out loud. Then again, if the Brinescale can work with others, nothing is saying that other Saurok tribes couldn’t work with others, given a situation that might call for it.

A second point is that at the time of MoP, none of the tribes have successfully been contacted to talk things out. If the playable Saurok were to be a new tribe that doesn’t currently exist, then it’s possible they never met with the Pandaria Pandarens. Either they would have left through the mists surrounding the continent somehow, which isn’t impossible, or left shortly after the mists without having much contact with them.

A third point makes me wonder if Ji Firepaw would possibly be the mediator between the Horde and Saurok if they were to be a new race. The Huojin Pandaren, who lived on the Wandering Isle, likely spent a good amount of time on Pandaria, during and after the events of MoP. Some likely would have come across research or have learned from the Pandarens there about the Saurok and the attempts at peace. It could, in theory, give a bit more of an advantage in being a mediator when meeting potentially friendly Saurok (ones who would become playable). This could work with Ji either being the one who brings them into the Horde as an allied race, assuming Hozen don’t become one (to be clear I fully support Hozen as a Horde allied race), or meeting them as a core race. Granted, I’m not sure if Ji is the best choice of mediator, but it is an interesting idea to think about.

What Lorewalker Cho says is interesting, but as I said, I doubt it foreshadows anything. Saurok still have an uphill battle when considering them as a playable race, but despite that, if Saurok were to ever become playable, there are several ways to go about doing it, and putting ideas out there is part of the fun of a megathread. :smiley:

More Saurok research to continue! :meat_on_bone::crocodile:

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Keep the Saurok in the past.

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You mean just like human only Pala-oh wait that was never a thing to begin with.

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So interesting developments on the PTR is that the Stormwind and Orgimmar embassies are being revamped. You can see screenshots on Wowhead with comparisons with the old embassies also here:

One interesting point is that the main race leaders in the Horde/Alliance are no longer there…except for Ji/Aysa, who are now diplomats to the allied races.

So far, it seems like they send you on the quests to unlock previous allied races, as well as replay previous scenarios of allied races you have unlocked. Until we see new allied races, I’m unsure if they will come with you in all future allied race scenarios or just send you to meet with a NPC that helps you recruit.

What is interesting about this is that future allied races might not need a specific NPC or leader to suggest recruiting an allied race and come with you. It also seems to allow possibilities for more races if an NPC can be used to help recruit more than one race.

I previously mentioned that Ji could be used to recruit Saurok, assuming a faction of them appear and are helping/being helped by the Horde, but now theres nothing saying that he couldn’t be used for both Saurok and Hozen unlock scenarios if either were to become an allied race. Not a guarantee either would be an allied race, of course, but just using it as an example.

The embassy itself seems to have been rearranged some. With the new one in Stormwind, theres room for about 5 more flags/banners while the Horde embassy has more room to work with. Of course, they can always be rearranged to accommodate more flags/banners as new allied races are added in the future, and the character creation screen can always be revamped for more core/allied races.

My hope is that this change opens more doors rather than closes them in terms of future allied races. It seems to have been made to make it more expansion neutral, meaning we could always see new allied races in future expansions. Maybe not 4+ like we see for BfA, but having a pair or two an expansion would keep my interest for sure.

I’ll keep an eye to see what they do with the embassy in general as the PTR develops. In the meantime, I should sit down with Ji and talk to him about the merits/benefits of getting Ogres/Saurok/Vulpera/San’layn into the Horde. :meat_on_bone::crocodile:

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Fascinating.

Ironically also makes Aysa and Ji more important, if only slightly.

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I think having them being diplomats is a great idea. Pandarens in general seem naturally inclined to being diplomats and mediators.

I mean, most of the Saurok tribes on Pandaria have been raiding and attacking the Pandaria Pandarens for awhile, but according to Lorewalker Cho, they still keep trying to make peace with them and only fighting them when it is necessary. It stands to reason that the Wandering Isles Pandarens would be act very similar when talking to other races to make peace with and join the Horde or Alliance, making them both quite valuable to their respective factions.

It may not necessarily mean we’re more likely to see races from Pandaria as allied races, but I like the concept of Aysa/Ji as diplomats. Plus, it does give them some more importance, which is awesome to me. :meat_on_bone::crocodile:

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