I also agree with this. I just don’t see how something like what a particular player does with their specific character affects the health of the story. No one said that the race needs to delve into a particular direction just because one player-character decided to make a choice. And the player should not be disallowed from making choices that would seem unconventional to their race.
Except there isn’t a clear distinction. Because by opening it up to someone of that race, you open it up to everyone of that race. I’m not really sure what sentence I took out of context, but you’re not really looking at the bigger picture here.
Using Tauren Rogue as our example, Blizzard doesn’t feel that Tauren as a people are good at rogue-ery. They’d have problems with sneaking because of their hooves, horns, and their size. Part of how they control their narrative there is they don’t allow players to play as a Tauren Rogue.
The tradeoff becomes that Tauren are good at other things instead. Namely their connection to nature. This is what I mean when I say that class/race restrictions help to enrich the surrounding lore of the class/race choices that we get. Exclusivity adds value to something for the person who has it.
Before I get into that, honest question: why exactly do we need to open up the DH class to other races?
Here’s my thoughts on allied race DH’s.
Void elf - likely impossible as there is an active contradiction between mixing an infusion of void and fel.
Lightforged draenei - likely impossible both due to an active contradiction between an infusion of light/fel and for draenic cultural reasons.
Dark Iron Dwarf - unclear. They bear an infusion of elemental fire, but this hasn’t been shown to be an impossible mix with fel energies that I know of. More than likely to explode at attempting to contain both energies. Probably an unlikely choice for DH due to dwarf DH looking silly.
Kul’tiran - not technically impossible due to no magic infusion, but probably unlikely due to them looking silly. Fat human with wings.
Mechagnome - unclear but unlikely. How do mechanical limbs metamorphose?
Vulpera - not technically impossible. Unlikely due to look and aesthetic reasons.
Mag’har - not technically impossible, but unlikely due to Mag’hari cultural reasons. Mag’har can’t be warlocks even though Orcs can. Seems like a conscious choice was made about the Mag’har and how they feel about fel energy.
Highmountain Tauren - not technically impossible but very unlikely due to aesthetic purposes and cultural reasons.
Zandalari troll - possible. Zandalari Demoniacs are actually basically the same thing as a demon hunter. A personal theory of mine is that the night elves who figured out how to become demon hunters without Illidan’s aid borrowed the concept from Zandalari Demoniacs. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Blizzard decided not to give DH to Zandalari. Zandalari Demoniac also could serve to justify Zandalari having Warlock as a potential class. But I believe Blizzard decided not to give them Warlock because it would make Zandalari able to be every non-hero class. I could see them deciding not to give them DH’s for similar reasons.
Nightborne - I actually have no clue. This one could go either way. Nightborne are arguably infused with arcane magic. They lived underneath the Nightwell’s shield for thousands of years, they drink arcwine. But DH tattoos are made of arcane energy to help them contain the demonic power inside of them. Arcane is considered, IIRC, the natural counterpart to fel energy.
So on the one hand, the infusion of arcane energy could either add a level of instability to the infusion of fel energy and increase the likelihood the NB explodes… OR… the arcane in their bodies helps to better imprison the fel energy within the Nightborne and actually make them better at containing the demonic energy.
Quotes are working again 
“Why not?” I pretty much agree with most everything you’ve said throughout this entire thread - except for this. This is the only singular thing that has been limiting a lot of choice and agency. Many are happy as things are. Great! Many aren’t. It is precisely the people repeatedly asking for these things that creates the need.
I appreciate your taking the time to do this - I was thinking more of races yet to be discovered, but it’s still nice to see. Thank you.
They decided not to give the DH to any existing class. Their official answer: “It is not in our practice to re-visit old content, but rather to focus on new content.” So… I suppose I wouldn’t be surprised either.
This is actually an interesting point. You’re right that things must be grounded in the lore enough to make sense and not break out of game. I understand and even support that. What I find interesting is the number of people that do want to play other combinations. Would I have an issue if people could play any class/race combo - probably not. At the same time, I do understand why some choices just don’t make sense. That being said, you brought up some interesting points when you were going through the races. It really makes me wonder how many of those choices could easily fit into lore, but just haven’t for so long. Those poor Draenic Warlocks…
I also must point out just how many of your “unlikely” determinations were based solely on aesthetics. I mean… we just got through talking about how these decisions should be based on the lore - not on what people want to see.
I felt it’s worth mentioning because there’s another factor in play when it comes to DH. Edginess is arguably the DH aesthetic. Lore is arguably the more important when it comes to picking a class/race combo, but the aesthetic plays a factor too.
On a technical basis, it’s possible for a pandaren to do the demon hunter thing. But pandaren aren’t considered an edgy race. A big ol’ pandaren gliding through the air on bat wings to squash his enemies would be about the goofiest looking thing this game has ever seen. It would be hilarious, sure. But for a class based in edginess? That choice would arguably dilute it.
To clarify, I mean in a hypothetical future where Blizzard found an appropriate lore catalyst to open up the training of new DH’s. No one would be considered retroactively an Illidari from the Legion era.
Well, biggest reason at the moment is that there isn’t a requisite catalyst for the training of new demon hunters. I suspect that somewhere down the line we’ll see a return of the legion expansion or something and Blizzard will use it to open up the DH class to to other races. Personally I wish they’d just leave DH races as they are, but that’s just me.
That’s exactly what I mean. That’s why I see a choice - to allow newly-encountered [allied] races to “undergo the ritual”, as it were, or to never touch the DH again. sigh
I really enjoy BlizzCon every year. I’m always excited to hear what’s coming into the world I love. Something about the DH just rings true to me, and I will continue using it as my main - frankly no matter what happens with this. That being said, I can’t help but lose much of that excitement knowing that none of it will ever be playable for me. But like you said, that’s just me.
Personally, I don’t like being a Night Elf, but made the transition to Alliance for friends. Now… I’m stuck playing a race that I don’t “identify” as (in quotes since… it is a game, after-all). Still, though, there’s really nothing to be done - there are no choices. Likewise, and off-topic, as they keep dumbing down our DPS rotation, I don’t have another spec to switch to. Again, there are just no choices.
It’s the lack of choice that has me dismayed. I know the multitude of reasons why I shouldn’t have that choice - but at the end of the day, as a player, I just want to be able to make choices about my character. Isn’t that the point of an RPG? (I agree, not at the expense of Lore - I wish there were an easy answer to bring choice and lore together, but I can’t see one personally)
Oh, and personal note to you, Elfangar - I appreciate your keeping everything level with me - I hate it when conversations get out of hand, and it’s so hard to make a point and not seem too forceful by text. So thanks for bearing with me
Sounds like a personal problem in which you sacrificed personal preference for friends (peer pressure)
Nothing to do with lore
If you want to make an argument for game-changing elements, anecdotal is not the way
I didn’t like being a blood elf either, but you know what - I really don’t think that wanting player agency in a game is a personal problem. But… perhaps you are partially right, and we shouldn’t actually play an mmo with others.
If only I had made other points in my statements…
…we can’t all be winners…
Elfanger took the extraneous amount of time to counter your logical ideas about allied races being available for dh.
I simply countered the idea of personal preference.
Actually, the whole thread is about weighing players’ personal preferences vs. the importance of holding to in-game lore, and finding a balance between the two.
I’m also fairly certain that we all want the same thing in the end - a game world that we can play in and enjoy. Why are there sides, when we all should be finding compromise. That’s how happiness is made.
Well the thread is absurd.
The premise will never happen.
Pick what you believe to be the most logical alternative dh race
Actually… at BlizzCon, they stated outright that they care more about how you are personally affected by policy. …not that they’re really reading these… sigh
I’m sorry you feel that way. It’s been shown time and time again that player agency vs. a strict interpretation of lore is something that has been affecting gameplay on both sides of the table. Last Blizzard announced, they were wanting to expound on such agency. I’m sorry you feel that anything other than your opinion, to include compromise is… as you put it… “absurd”.
Ignoring that, which race among the alliance and/or horde do you believe makes the most sense for a demon hunter, and why?
Void elf is absurd.
Also.
zandalari demonaics have been ret-conned. Why people bring them up is beyond me, but please ignore them
I want Kul Tiran Demon Hunters. I think that would be funny to see them with little wings popping out of their back.
Excuse me we’re having a very serious discussion about lore and what makes sense
How dare you recommend a race with a beer gut gets wings
This post needs more than 10 characters, but I’m really not sure what to add on this point. Maybe this:
…which leads us back to…
…that would look interesting…
…imagine the metamorphosis!
But the thread is asking for void elf dh’s, which is why I said the premise of the thread is absurd.
If your response is races yet to be discovered, I can’t really disagree with you, because you’re talking about yet to be made up lore for a yet to be introduced race
Oh! I misunderstood. I’m caught up