The Unofficial Saurok Playable Race Discussion Megathread! 🐊

Bagzak-rexxar · November 2, 2022, 10:11pm

With November having arrived, many of us have US Thanksgiving to look forward to. Even some reptiles get to enjoy in the festivities, such as komodo dragons:

Pilgrim’s Bounty takes place November 23rd through the 30th in-game, I think. I’ll be sure to take some Saurok screenshots for the occasion. After all, a holiday where you get to eat delicious meals including lots of meat? Definitely something they’d want to get in on!

Hope whatever plans everyone has for the month, you all have a fun, happy, and safe November!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 3, 2022, 7:53pm

With a new month, another round of in-game playable race request suggestions has occurred!

At the beginning of each month, I usually send in-game feedback for each of the races I want to see and refer to their megathreads on here for more information. I figure it can only help to gain some interest in our requests of what we’d like to see, though no guarantees it’ll lead to that ever becoming a reality.

If you’re interested in doing something similar for your wanted playable races, I made a guide in the following post that explains how to do it in steps:

Gotta do what I can to help show off support for Saurok as a playable Horde race!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 5, 2022, 6:00pm

I found a video that shows off the part in Dragonflight involving Pandaria briefly. However, said video seemed to have a spoiler in its title, so I’ll link to its youtube page via text link to avoid spoilers. There are plenty of cutscene spoilers in said video, so only look at it if you don’t mind seeing them.

The Pandaria part starts at roughly the 9:09 mark: Dragonflight Cutscenes (Work in Progress) Video by Athelarius on YouTube

While nothing Saurok related is shown with it, I thought I’d go over it briefly in a spoiler tag.

Click here to read my thoughts on this part of Dragonflight

You’re going through different time periods very briefly, running through areas until you reach a checkpoint where you jump into another point in time.

The part shown in the video is very brief, though it doesn’t seem like it involves much exploration at all. Even then, it seems like it’s just Mogu fighting Pandaren, at the point where Pandaren were trying to free themselves. I assume no Saurok are involved, and even if they were, they would likely still be utilized as slave soldiers by the Mogu at this time. Although I think the Saurok broke free from the Mogu before the Pandaren Revolution, though I’m not 100% sure on that.

When Dragonflight launches, I’ll look at it myself and see if I can go into more detail…well, as much detail as I can given how brief this part is. And as usual, I’ll keep an eye out for anything Saurok related in the expansion to report back, though I don’t really expect much. Best not to leave any stones unturned when it comes to Saurok research!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 6, 2022, 7:17pm

Got a neat YouTube video recommendation of a collared lizard, which has some beautiful scale colors. Found a couple more to go with it to share as Saurok scale customization option inspiration.

First is this video, which also briefly has a snake in the beginning. A finger does get chomped, but it isn’t serious aside from a smallish cut on the finger. Video is here:

Next is a montage of eastern collared lizards and the various scale colors and patterns they can have:

And some general collared lizard facts:

These lizards have some really beautiful scale colors and patterns. They’d make for some great Saurok scale customization options. They’re also known for being pretty fast, which is something I’m sure Saurok would be as well. I’ve mentioned before that if they got a dash racial, they could have water walking while dashing since some lizards are known for being able to run on top of water.

I’ll continue to keep an eye out for more IRL reptiles to share here for playable Saurok idea inspiration.

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 8, 2022, 5:38pm

We’re now one week away from Dracthyr releasing:

I thought I would go over some general coverage plans with them. The reason being that I generally look at reptilian or reptilian-like races in various media for Saurok idea inspiration, and for Dracthyr, some of their features can actually be utilized for playable Saurok if they ever become playable.

First off, I’ll likely look for post-release videos and such of their creation. Things could have changed since beta, so having an up-to-date video will be helpful. I’ll likely also repost some info, like racials.

Second, everyone is free to share Dracthyr screenshots here. They’re a race that has a lot of neat customization options, so seeing other players’ creations will be helpful in seeing what people can come up with. I’ll also be sharing some screenshots of mine when I get them made and situated in-game.

Third and final, I’ll be doing a comparison post in the future between Dracthyr and Saurok. Not to complain, of course, but to help make a case of them being unique compared to each other and showing how Lizardmen fantasy can still add to the game. I still firmly believe that both Saurok and Sethrak can add a lot to the game alongside Dracthyr, even if more classes eventually open up for them other than Evokers. After all, we have four flavors of elves and other races. I don’t see why different species of reptiles would have no chance of getting in now, given how different they would all be compared to each other.

All in all, I am excited for the Dracthyr and making new characters, but I’m still committed to supporting playable Horde Saurok as best as I can. I think that character creation screen could use some more reptilian races anyway!

In the meantime, I look forward to making my Dracthyr characters. Still leaning on both of them going Horde, eventually making an Alliance one when I can make more than one on a server. It’s exciting to see new playable races in general, and dragons are pretty neat in general. I’m also looking forward to seeing the excitement in-game of people enjoying their Dracthyr characters and what they’ll come up with for customization designs!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 10, 2022, 12:45am

Got another art piece from DeviantArt to share! This time it’s some of the Seraphon/Lizardmen army from Warhammer Fantasy. This one comes from DiegoGisbertLlorens and was uploaded to the website on June 8th, 2017.

“Total War: Warhammer 2-Lizardmen” by DiegoGisbertLlorens on DeviantArt

As you can see, it’s a really neat art piece of an army of the Lizardmen. Makes me imagine Saurok in such an image, complete with the mounts they would use, armed to the teeth (probably literally knowing them), and ready to take on the world (of Warcraft!). It could be a pretty fearsome and awesome sight if they ever got fleshed out…preferably without the Mogu flesh shaping magic, of course.

As usual, I’ll continue to keep an eye out for more art pieces to share for playable Saurok idea inspiration!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Fenelon-wyrmrest-accord · November 10, 2022, 1:29am

https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/db855932-46eb-4402-8e3a-938793b4da42/dbbzaiv-d2eb89dc-b9fe-4eb3-b393-da40581b5e7d.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2RiODU1OTMyLTQ2ZWItNDQwMi04ZTNhLTkzODc5M2I0ZGE0MlwvZGJiemFpdi1kMmViODlkYy1iOWZlLTRlYjMtYjM5My1kYTQwNTgxYjVlN2QuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.KbR-8jganwoYG4uGV5ftRxC2xJbyfq4ksOyfwbxSMn8

Bagzak-rexxar · November 11, 2022, 12:50am

Something I realized recently is that with Saurok being able to become Shamans, they would need their own totem of some sort.

I assume there are some NPC Saurok Shaman mobs in the game. However, like with most NPC race shamans, they usually utilize a generic totem that isn’t specific to their race. Race specific totems are usually made for playable races.

Unfortunately, I’m not especially creative, so I can’t really draw up any examples. It’d look like someone threw some various fruit pies at spots in MS Paint if I attempted to. However, a couple of ideas did come in mind for Saurok totems.

One could be a bone totem of some kind, assuming we go with the idea of Saurok utilizing all parts of a kill from a hunt, including bones. Maybe there is some special ceremony Saurok Shamans would perform in order to turn bones into a totem with powers of some kind.

The other idea I had was a reptilian-like totem. I imagine it would have scales on it, maybe with some spikes as well. A bit hard to explain with words, but I could see something like this also be used for Saurok totems.

It’s something I’ll have to think more on, but if anyone has any ideas, please feel free to share!

Playable Saurok for the Horde, please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 12, 2022, 9:05pm

Came across a neat video that talks about a pygmie gecko and how waterproof they are:

Aside from the usual scale color customization inspiration, it reminded me how Saurok are capable of traveling long distances swimming in the ocean. Aside from possible magical reasons, something similar to that gecko up there could also help explain how Saurok can survive long periods of time swimming. They would need to breathe, obviously, but water shouldn’t be something that bothers them. Especially since a lot of Lizardmen related races often reside near bodies of water to swim in.

As usual, I’ll continue to share off info on RL reptiles for playable Saurok idea inspiration!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 13, 2022, 7:20pm

Got another art piece to share today, and it’s a little different direction this time. I came across some architecture built by the Lizardmen/Seraphon from Warhammer Fantasy. It was created by the user named EthicallyChallenged and was uploaded to DeviantArt on October 23rd, 2017.

“Lizardmen prosperity” by EthicallyChallenged on DeviantArt

Architecture is a pretty important in showing off a race’s culture. It’s something that can really say a lot about them, and really can give them a unique sense of identity.

Saurok mostly have been nomadic as a NPC race, but thinking of a racial city, I could see something similar to the image above. Waterways I feel are pretty importance to many Lizardmen societies, such as the Iksar from Everquest and the Lizardmen/Seraphon from Warhammer Fantasy. I do think Saurok would at the very least have some bodies of water within a racial city or nearby a racial hub, if given the allied race treatment.

Architecture of various Lizardmen races is something I’ll have to look for to see if I can give any inspiration for Saurok architecture. It’s not as common to find, but it’s something I’ll definitely have to hunt for in the future.

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Fenelon-wyrmrest-accord · November 13, 2022, 8:55pm

Bagzak-rexxar · November 14, 2022, 8:09pm

Tomorrow is the big day for dragon fans! It’s when we should be able to make our Dracthyr Evoker characters!..depending on whether extended maintenance, extended extended maintenance, or the dreaded extended extended extended maintenance happens.

Speaking of, maintenance is currently estimated at roughly 8 hours tomorrow. Hopefully things will go relatively smoothly, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it could go into the evening for most people. Best to keep an open mind and be patient, in my opinion.

Making new characters in general is always fun, and it’ll be really neat to be part of the launch experience and see others enjoying their new characters, how they designed them and so on. Not to mention seeing how the character mugshots will be like on the forums and the armory. It’ll be an interesting day for sure!

We’re also two weeks away from Dragonflight launching, which is also exciting since the expansion seems much more interesting than Shadowlands to me. As I mentioned before, I don’t expect much in the way of Saurok stuff to report, but I’ll be keeping an eye out for anything of interest.

So at some point, I’ll make my Dracthyr characters and share them here. As I mentioned, others are welcome to share their Dracthyr characters here if they want to. Playable Horde Saurok support will still continue onward, of course. We just like to look at reptilian or reptilian-like races to inspire playable Saurok ideas, and there are some things from Dracthyr that could be applied to Saurok.

Hope everything goes well with the maintenance tomorrow and that players can enjoy their new characters as soon as possible. I know I’m excited!

14 days until Dragonflight releases!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 15, 2022, 11:29pm

So maintenance for Retail WoW seem to have gone up on time, surprisingly. Albeit with some things that’ll need to be fixed, I’m sure.

I went ahead and took a screenshot of the new character creation race select screen with Dracthyr on it. I think the Horde side is bugged, as they’re looking the other way, but it still is something I can share in the meantime.

This was also taken on a laptop with a roughly 17" screen, so things may be a bit more condensed compared to other computer screen sizes and resolutions. Check it out here:

Interesting thing to note is that Dracthyr are in the column where all the core races are, as opposed to the column where the allied races are. I’m curious if Blizzard is keeping them in separate columns or if they’ll combine them as we get more races in the future. I could see it going either way, I suppose.

But hey, as you can see, there is plenty of room for new playable races on there. Both for core and allied races. And I can definitely think of several that would go very well on each side that would please a lot of people. We can only hope we see them on there someday!

Also, I’ll be trying to get my Dracthyr sorted out and situated this evening, so I’ll likely try to share them both tomorrow. I’m pretty excited, but we’ll see if the servers remain stable or blow up in spectacular fireballs. Maybe fire breathing dragons won’t help with that, but hopefully, the servers will hold out until any needed maintenance occurs.

13 days until Dragonflight releases!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 16, 2022, 4:54pm

So I’m still working on getting my Dracthyr characters designed. It’s a lot of work with all the customization options. In the meantime, I did come across the race that resembled Saurok that I mentioned before:

They kinda resemble Saurok, albeit with more of a dragon than lizard flair. They weren’t exactly looked upon with much respect, so they were mostly used as training fodder by the Dracthyr. No wonder they decided to join up with what I assume is at least one of the big bads of the expansion. They also were apparently uplifted by the Dragon Aspects to become the first drakonids.

Despite resembling Saurok, they don’t really have any relation. These guys seem naturally born and are much much older, while Saurok were transformed into what they are by the Mogu. Not to mention that Saurok have more of a chance to be friendly than these guys, who were likely designed to just be angry mook jobbers for this expansion with all the depth of a raindrop on concrete. Also Tarasek are dragonkin while Saurok are Lizardmen, so big difference there.

Still, it’s interesting to note the Tarasek. Once Dragonflight releases, I’ll see if there is anything else of interest to report on them, but since they have no relation to Saurok, I don’t really see much of interest out of them. Maybe some potential customization options for Saurok at best or maybe they could be a customization race for Saurok depending on how their story goes in Dragonflight, which would be neat to see to be honest. Preferably with Saurok as the parent race, so to speak.

Anyway, I’ll keep an eye out on them and for anything Saurok related to report back once Dragonflight releases.

12 days until Dragonflight releases!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 17, 2022, 6:58pm

As you may know, I’ve been farming the Son of Galleon mount for quite some time. A few years of cycling between all my characters each week, getting close to the 5,000 mark of attempts. It’s something I’ve been trying to get since it is kinda Saurok related and would be a good mount for any potential Saurok characters, should they become playable.

Apparently late last night, the drop rate for it and some other world boss mounts have been “greatly increased.” By what amount is currently unknown and I can only assume and hope it’s a permanent change.

More info is here:

Of course, this change occurred when I was near the end of my weekly attempts, so not much luck this session. I could get a few more attempts if I can level up some lower level alts I made, though it wouldn’t surprise me if I had to wait until next Tuesday at least.

I did see people mention that they allegedly got the mount at least three times as I was finishing up farming for it, which is better than only seeing it happen to others twice in my years of farming the mount. So hopefully that means the drop rates are a decent and more reasonable chance.

All in all, a good change in my own personal opinion. Now if Son of Galleon would finally drop would me… < - <

11 days until Dragonflight releases!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Fenelon-wyrmrest-accord · November 17, 2022, 7:10pm

I hope you get it. You very much deserve it at this point!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 19, 2022, 8:30pm

I recently noticed a couple of interesting parallels between Dracthyr and Saurok after doing the Dracthyr starting area. One of which I think I’ve mentioned before.

The first is that they were both created to be utilized as soldiers. Granted, the circumstances and likely the processes of their creation was likely different. Both also became free in different ways as well.

The second one I recently noticed is that their antagonists both seem to utilize the power of lightning and storms in some fashion. Mogu are known for that pretty well while a lot of the enemies Dracthyr face in the starting area also utilize storms. I assume we’ll see more of that on the Dragon Isles when Dragonflight opens up.

Seems like a very interesting parallel. I feel like Saurok and Dracthyr would have some interesting discussions when talking about their history with each other. I could see them getting along just fine. I’ll be curious to see if there are any other parallels that pop up in Dragonflight.

9 days until Dragonflight releases!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 21, 2022, 2:57am

US Thanksgiving is this week, which I’m sure a lot of people are busy with. Some reptiles also get to enjoy the the holiday too, like these ones:

Pilgrim’s Bounty has also started in-game. I’ll try to take some screenshots for it. Still hoping we’ll see actual Saurok get to enjoy the the holiday someday! I’m sure they’d love all the food!

For those of you planning to do stuff for US Thanksgiving this week, I hope you have a fun, happy, and safe holiday. And also get to eat a lot of delicious food of course!

8 days until Dragonflight releases!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 21, 2022, 9:14pm

The Saurok ambassador seems to be enjoying Pilgrim’s Bounty. Lots of delicious food to munch on! Remember, a full Saurok is a happy Saurok!

I tried to take as good of an angle as I could. I almost had to do another run to get the Saurok illusion on via Glyph of Disguise, which thankfully still works, as the timer on the illusion buff almost ran out. Luckily, I managed to take an image that looked decent.

I know come Thursday, I’ll likely be unleashing my inner Saurok with the appetite of an Ogre on some delicious food. Hope everyone else celebrating US Thanksgiving has a good time and lots of good food to munch on too!

7 days until Dragonflight releases!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!

Bagzak-rexxar · November 23, 2022, 11:11pm

So I did a round of Galleon farming, one of the world bosses that had the mount drop rate “greatly increased” recently, with 51 characters. Unfortunately, no luck had in obtaining the Son of Galleon mount. -o -

Oddly enough, 99% of the time, I got the bag of gold on my characters. I only got an equipment item one or two times. Likely, it’s a bit of bad luck, since I did see one person claim they got the mount in my farming session, which goes with the three others I saw in my previous farming session. So the chance of the mount dropping did increase compared to how it was previously.

It’s something I’ll continue to try to get, given it is kinda Saurok related and would go well with any Saurok characters I’d get to make if they ever become playable. Still, it has been a few years since I started and I’m getting close to 5,000 attempts, so I am a bit burnt out on doing that every week. I’ll be happy when the mount finally drops for me. Seeing others get the mount to drop gives me hope that the RNG gods will take pity on me in the near future.

On a more positive note, Dragonflight’s release date is quickly coming up! I’ll likely be waiting a bit before I jump in, mostly for any inevitable bug fixes to pop up and also doing my weekly round of Galleon farming in the meantime. It’s much different than with Shadowlands, where I was just so apathetic and really dragging my feet to actually playing it that it really killed a lot of my interest in WoW in general. I’m actually excited this time to jump into the new content and see what awaits us there!

5 days until Dragonflight releases!

Playable Saurok for the Horde please!