Still confused on some aspects, well, most aspects about this race:
-So, we are referred to as mortals, which tends to be a very loose term in WoW’s lore, does this mean we don’t age but can die or age and die? Just how “mortal” are we?
-Can the Dracthyr even reproduce or are they a one generation of super soldiers type of thing?
-After doing some of the Dracthyr exclusive quests(Or at least I think they are exclusive, haven’t leveled an alt yet) the whole visage thing seems to be a mystery to everyone including themselves but they describe it so vaguely I can’t rightly tell if there’s no real reason aside from devs wanting their visages to look like that or if they are going somewhere with this plot point.
-They can get addicted to magic? One of the Sundered Flames sidequests you had to deal with a group of possessed dragonkin, unfortunately I was half asleep and didn’t pay a lot of attention to the story being told but my character was offered a mana crystal by a nightborne to feed magical addiction, to which the NPC commented “Maybe your people and mine aren’t so different after all”. That part of the quest did peak my interest.
The info is barebones right now. But yes, you are a mortal. You should age and eventually die. We do not know if Drakthyr can reproduce, we do not even know how they were produced to begin with. They are effectively bio-engineered super soldiers, and someone as paranoid as Neltharion giving his supersoldiers the ability to reproduce seems a bit off to me. He was scared to even let them think for themselves.
Emberthal is researching all of these things, and is our lens into it for the expansion.
To be fair, dragons don’t have visible genitalia, nor do the majority of reptilian creatures. Most likely everything is internal until actual mating occurs.
There’s currently no in-universe reason that doesn’t contradict previous lore in some way. The answer’s purely meta: humans and blood elves are popular races, so Blizzard likely focused all of their efforts into beautifying one of each so as many people as possible would be interested in the visage mechanic. You’re screwed if you wanted anything else.
As for arcane magic, anyone can get addicted to it. Blood elves and nightborne took it a step further by being so affected by it that they’re physiologically dependent on it from birth. But for normal races, usually you’d start to acclimate to the highs a bit and need a “harder hit” to feel that same euphoria, which is where a lot of fel dabbling starts.
I’d wager dragons and dracthyr “not having genitals” has more to do with, “do we want to make our PG-13 game into an R or M rated because we added genitals?”
They appear to not have any in-game because WoW would probably have to bump up their maturity rating, which may cause some backlash, considering they were (or still are?) dealing with the whole scandal stuff not long ago.
As for if they can breed? Thats up to Blizz, and knowing them, theyll probably just shrug it off and say “sure they can” without giving it a single brain cell of a thought.
Personally, I really dont care either way. Everyone may end up headcanoning whatever they want, cuz some players are dirtbags and others may be scalies/furries (not saying they are the same people, some are one or the other, some might be both).
Even if they can’t naturally reproduce (which dragons can reproduce, mortals can reproduce…Neltharion had them under his control when he created them, so I’m sure he intended for his soldiers to be able to replenish themselves since all other dragonkin we’ve seen can reproduce ), I’m sure via dragon/titan magic McGuffin Alexstrasza could make it so before the expansion is out. Worgen are created via a curse and they can reproduce (even if the children are human and not worgen).
Yeah this depends on whether dracthyr can die of age. So far I have not seen proof of whether they are mortals or not. I’d entertain the idea that dracthyr can age only because they were basically spliced with mortals to create this hybrid between bipeds and dragons, unless Neltharion specifically made sure they wouldn’t die of age. Personally, if I were him, I’d have chosen the latter considering I’d be able to control them forever this way.
A big sense of agency comes from being able to birth new life, so it would surprise me that the first generation of dracthyr, being artificially made, wouldn’t want to know how leave a proper legacy behind after they are gone, especially after being exposed repeatedly (via quests, e.g.) to a recurring subject of this expansion that centres around life and its cycle. If anything it would back up their idea of “being free” and “building their own destiny”. Time will tell if they are actually capable of procreation, though. They can certaintly feel love and one of the bases of love is its biological significance that helps with the continuation of the species. Unless dracthyr are devoid of emotions such as lust, attraction and attachment, expect them to be very curious about how to make their people stand the test of time.
At one point early in the expansion when you arrive at the Wingrest Embassy Selistra says something related to this that goes:
Well, that is a curious question. Can a person only be a single thing? I have not found that to be true. In fact, I have found it far more likely for one to be many things simultaneously. You, I can tell, are far more than just a dracthyr or just an evoker. And I am more than just a dragon. Well, I am still a drake technically… But you see me now in my chosen visage: a vulpera. And I hope that, in time, you will see the rest of me as well. I am far more than “just an” anything.
I think essentially this means in theory you can be whatever you want as a visage or have none at all if you wish. As to why they look like that right now? Most likely the devs’ decision. Maybe game limitations. Maybe too much art work if they allow every race to be elegible for a visage. Maybe they think those models look the best with mail armour, who knows.
I just finished that quest yesterday and I was curious, too. It would make sense that they have a mana addiction because of what they essentially are and how much they rely on Blue abilities. Though after finishing the quest I never had that debuff (or buff thereof, that comes when you consume the mana crystal). Maybe it isn’t that bad after all- but certainly a nice little flair for rp purposes.
Those actually only fill in your current race and class choices, so I’m sure it’s meant to be a “a person can’t be defined by just one or two traits you see” and not talking about visages at all.
You’re right. I only considered it because of the subject of the question and how it relates to Selistra’s visage. But it’s true it fills in your current race and class.
That’s how Dragons refer to everyone that’s not a Dragon. Don’t put too much weight on it.
Unknown. they certainly however have the capability to emotionally bond to the level expected of mates.
And your question is???
Any being can be addicted to magic. Some are just more prone to it than others.
Blizzard doesn’t to full taxonomies on their races or critters. If it’s not brought up specifically in game in literature, the answer is generally “Blizzard didn’t think it important enough to worry about.”
