Vulpera Discussion Megathread (Part 1)

Eevee-malfurion · January 12, 2019, 6:49am

So does anybody want to speculate on when the next allied races will be announced? It seems like something worth asking

Relart-amanthul · January 12, 2019, 6:52am

March or April, hell even next Blizzcon sounds like a good excuse for them.

It has to be after the Zandalari and Kul’tirans are fully released and this requires the final wing of LFR to be out so the whole playerbase has a chance to unlock them, this isn’t cynical thinking its just profit based business thinking because people will rush to spam race changes on the two new big races that also conveniently have powerful racials after that they’ll release info on the next two or the build up hype to bring back folks and new race change sales.

Rìsìka-stormrage · January 12, 2019, 6:56am

I’m guessing shortly before 8.2 hits the PTR. Which will probably be a good month or two after 8.1.5. Blizz seems to be very tight lipped about upcoming content this expansion, not giving us much info until just before releasing it.

Eevee-malfurion · January 12, 2019, 10:04am

Are there any major events coming up in which Blizzard may want to make some hype or are we just going to learn about Vulpera in the ptr patch notes?

Fahrenheit-doomhammer · January 12, 2019, 1:29pm

If it were to happen, I suspect it’ll be due to data miners ferreting out tidbits from 8.2 or 8.3 PTR data. Might not get the official grand reveal till Blizzcon. I think I’m in the Vulpera/Sethrak will be similar to HM Tauren/LF Space Goats boat. Meaning, they and maybe one other pairing will be a new player races come 9.0 pre expansion patch.

Eevee-malfurion · January 12, 2019, 1:37pm

cries on the inside

…and the outside

Fahrenheit-doomhammer · January 12, 2019, 1:43pm

I say that because I think those two races are that cool, and would have the gravitas to help sell an expansion. I very much believe you’ll have yourself a Vulpera avatar one day, but I’m not convinced Blizzard would make something so unique playable 2/3 through an expansion. I suppose we’ll see though. Hang tough!

Byucknah-agamaggan · January 12, 2019, 1:53pm

Uhhhh, beats me. I know gamescom is in august but that’s a ways out, unless they are an 8.2.5 thing like Zandalari and Kul’tirians are for 8.1.5.

Even then that seems like a ways out. Probably won’t be announced via event :S

Topazios-tichondrius · January 12, 2019, 2:12pm

You’re being quite naive my friend. The vulpera bring as much if not more of what allied races are give to their faction.

Markerability.

Alamara-goldrinn · January 12, 2019, 4:23pm

I think next allied races will be announced around April, near patch 8.2 hitting the PTR.

Muir-kelthuzad · January 12, 2019, 11:48pm

Sadly, I think it’ll happen from datamining rather than Blizzard outright presenting it UNLESS that presentation happens to be at Blizzcon.

Reason being we first learned of Allied Races through data-mining stuffs and they weren’t properly announced till Blizzcon.

My guess is that because they are being so incredibly tight-lipped on future patch content then once that 8.2-8.3 PTRs hit we’re probably going to have a lot uncovered and more of a solid idea on how the rest of the expansion will go.

Kahlua-stormrage · January 13, 2019, 12:58am

I agree with this. I’ve been saying for a while that I’m certain we won’t find an ounce of datamining info or anything of the sort until the KT and Z-Trolls are live.

So, I agree with the notion that we won’t be discovering anything new for quite a few months, especially since SO much was discovered on Vulpera and Sethrak before more news was even released on the two AR currently coming up.

I truly feel like the Vulpera and Sethrak have the most heart put into them since they’re the two most…detailed and worked upon. So they wanted to put the hype on the entirety of the AR concept, not just 2 races.

However, with the information that was put out, and the statement of ‘have customization options open for easier NPC building’…that’s such a weak lie but is strong enough to still cause a lot of people to doubt when there has been nothing to go off of in almost a year since the massive leaks were made involving the two AR candidates.

Both have way too much care and creativity, too much work and effort, when it could have been spent on much more within the expansion to keep people drawn in. I still have high hopes on both of them being released and feel them best slotted to be released together simultaneously.

The Vulpera have had such a strong story placement that it’s just waiting for their counterpart to be equally prepared store-wise. I feel like something BIG is going to happen that will require both factions to need further allies and equally something to really be a threat to the Sethrak (or if some other AR is planned alongside Vulpera).

Until that moment, Vulpera will be on the side, awaiting that RIGHT moment to be released, which I’m sure we’ll find out more, hopefully, when 8.2 is being tested on PTR. It’s pretty clear that 8.2 is going to start going towards Old Gods once more and with the Naga having a clear, straight forward connection, something is surely to happen that will shake things up for the denizens of Vol’dun.

Eevee-malfurion · January 13, 2019, 10:06am

So is it possible there won’t be an 8.2 or 8.2.5 allied race at all? I have trouble believing that.

Fallynn-wyrmrest-accord · January 13, 2019, 11:20am

I doubt it because they said no ARS until 8.2, meaning we will likely see some exactly then. We likely don’t know atm what they’ll be Or how many due to the Zandalari issue

Xenophontes-madoran · January 13, 2019, 11:27am

It will probably happen. If it doesn’t i will be suprised. Sad to say it (since I’m a huge support of high elves in the Alliance), but this will have a much higher success chance of happening then what I want.

Alamara-goldrinn · January 13, 2019, 12:05pm

So far, it seems that every patch 8.X will have a Warfront, and every 8.X.5 will have an allied race pair.

A few things to consider

The allied race banners in the character selection screen can hold up to 12 allied race icons (6 per faction).
We currently have 8 allied races either released or to be released soon.
If BfA ends up having the same patch structure as Legion, then we will have two more major patches (8.2 and 8.3), so two more pairs of allied races, completing the total of 12.
Blizzard said that the allied race system was devised to be expanded, so more races could be added without the need of a new expansion.
Blizzard also said that there would be more allied races eventually

I think it’s pretty safe to bet in 12 allied races by the end of BfA. I think the system will be scrapped or reworked and used rarely after BfA, but for the expansion’s life cycle you can bet on getting four more races.

Vulpera is the only one that totally makes sense. It fits perfectly and has models almost up to playable quality. I’m betting on them being the Horde race for 8.2.5

Alliance counterpart will probably be junker gnomes. For some reason, I think the devs are really excited about the little freaks. They also have been hinted in game files since alpha.

The final pair, thought, is up in the air. I’m thinking/hoping for ogres or mok’nathal (based on the amazing details hidden behind the mask of the Rexxar model) for Horde. (Check it out here: https://imgur.com/gallery/OCb75AA )

For Alliance, I have no idea, but considering Rexxar model is based on kul tiran’s, maybe the final Alliance race will be based on a Horde race? That has led me to conjecture it may be Calia’s “redeemed” undead group, but that’s a baseless assumption and shouldn’t be taken seriously for now.

Kahlua-stormrage · January 13, 2019, 12:07pm

remember that back during the interview with Ion last spring about ARs and such…one thing they said specifically: ‘what AR should we have this major patch?’

To me, that makes me feel like it’s heavily hinted that each major patch segment will have an AR. 8.0 had some, 8.1(.5) has one…so it’d make sense that 8.2(.5) and 8.3(.5) or whatever .x number they throw at us to make said AR available.

Eevee-malfurion · January 13, 2019, 12:27pm

Vulpera in 8.2! Along with the brand new universally-loathed PvE mechanic, Ice floor physics!

Grayphus-nemesis · January 13, 2019, 1:42pm

This would be the worst case scenario possible
I would practically spend more time playing in the horde, leveling vulperas and practically making players neglect the Alliance, in favor of a race of the horde, since its equivalent would be an absolute zero

We would revive the phenomenon of Blood Elves on the Horde
My heart would be broken, if all that the Alliance received were these vile junkgnomes, as counterpart to the vulperas

Alamara-goldrinn · January 13, 2019, 1:52pm

Do not doubt it, thought. There’s a lot to support that.

And Blizzard seems completely lost about what Alliance players want. It seems like their priority is to create “cool new ideas” instead of actually looking into what people want.

High elves? No, we got loreless void elves pulled out of nowhere.
Broken? No, we got lightforged draenei, which should just be character customization for standard draenei.
Vrykul? No, we will get fat humans whose appearance is very niche.

Dark irons were really the only one done right.

And, considering the models still available for allied races are gnome and worgen (and undead if we consider another faction swap for allied races), the future is not looking very bright.