Should nightborne become a full playable race?

[Mace]

Should nightborne be a full playable race? or would you prefer that to go to the likes of ogres/naga/ethereals etc and nightborne instead a playable sub-race if those become a thing.



Summarised Background
For all who don't know, unlike current modern day night elves, nightborne are ancient nightelves who remained in the pre-sundering arcane Nelven culture and civilization (minus the madness that characterised the end of Azshara), these night elves kept on advancing hidden away in their ancient city, and came to depend on their pure source of arcane energy, called the nightwell through which they evolved

They are very arcane and very royal
They are not like blood elves who formed a new society and very distinct appearance but rather are ancient night elves with new bodies.
They are not true night elves any longer like current night elves, but have evolved.

Nightborne are the first new night elven based elven race since WC3, but lore wise they're not new, they're actually very old, they remained in the old night elven ways whiles the current night elves chose to become druidic.

It is worth noting nightborne are not addicted to magic like the blood/high elves were at all. They are instead dependent and reliant on their Nightwell as a source of nourishment. Over the millenial the nightwell source has become corrupt causing nightborne who do not feed on it to starve like you would if you don't eat and transform after a few months, turn into mindless corrupted creatures called Withered ala inverse Sunwell. This plays a central role to their story arc and why they are in the situation they are in currently with the Legion and why you fight with their resistance.

It's worth noting nightborne could go either way, like forsaken are based off human and became a wow race, and like Worgen also based off Human but are a separate race, so to could nightborne.

Similarly, as Ice Trolls or Zandalari are based off trolls but remain a sub-race of Trolls, or Yaungol are too Tauren, Earthern to Dwarves, or Mechagnomes to Gnomes, so too are nightborne to night elves - blizzard deciding to do something new for these ancient night elves.

Short History Background Clip

[Yattz]

Id love Naga for Alliance and these guys for horde.

[Caerule]

Honestly, I don't know enough about these guys yet, but I'd love for them to team up with the Blood Elves, maybe find some sorta redemption in the Sunwell. Because that Nightwell clearly isn't a good thing.

They could game-mechanically become a "sub-race" of Blood Elves after Legion, giving people dark-skinned elves to play, which I have heard requested plenty. When they start handing out sub-races and alternate options, I mean.

[ravenmoon]

Honestly, I don't know enough about these guys yet, but I'd love for them to team up with the Blood Elves, maybe find some sorta redemption in the Sunwell. Because that Nightwell clearly isn't a good thing.

They could game-mechanically become a "sub-race" of Blood Elves after Legion, giving people dark-skinned elves to play, which I have heard requested plenty. When they start handing out sub-races and alternate options, I mean.

you really want them with the blood elves? wouldn't that just make them dark skinned moon/star based BElves, adding nothing new? Wouldn't they be far more interesting on the same side as their ancient kin the night elves complimenting their sorely lacking arcane expertise? Do the blood elves need yet another highly intelligent arcane group just like them? Surely it would be far more interesting if they were on opposite sides. And surely the night elves who recently re-embraced the arcane would need their kin a lot more. Besides I doubt Tyrande / Malfurion / Illidan / Maiev/Jarod would like it too much that their ancient home city just returned to them is no longer accessible to them because it's horde aligned - you know they could have family amongst the nightborne.

Also, didn't the blood elves abandon all night elven ways including nocturnal, moon/star theme? these are still very much part of the nightborne. And though night elves abandoned the arcane but they've picked it up again with gusto, and remember the reason they had stopped right? They sacrificed it's use for noble if wrong reasons, thinking it would bring the legion back rather than out of spite like the BELves did with their NElven-ness

I would definitely like them playable - I'm not sure as a full playable race, I wouldn't do that for sure, but maybe that should go to more unique races, they seem perfect as a night elf sub-race on the alliance. They could be a night elf sub-race on the horde, but something tells me the horde players would rather hulking Vrykul, than skinny night elves elvenaising the horde more. Blood elf player pop is already the vast majority of the horde. And the horde populace is looking very very Elfy.

[Thrif]

I don't think Blizzard will ever introduce sub-races, but if they did, these guys would suit perfectly. Similar enough to be a sub-race, yet distinct enough to be interesting. I would probably remake my night elves into these if possible.

As a full race I'd rather have something very distinct though. Nagas, Ogres, Ethereals all sounds way better imho.

[Flurryfang]

Too many elfs! Also, they share the same model structure as other elfs, so that is not gonna work.

They should really just stop making more races for quite a while. The game is not really in need of more race choice.

Also, the sub-race thing needs to be worked on a lot to even be a thing. Haven't seen anybody yet, who could come up with good enough choices for all races, so undtil then... NO SUB-RACES!

[Beloren]

Nightborne on the horde might not be a good idea unless you want 80% of the horde to be elves. Even as a sub race. I think you want to avoid new elf races on the horde. Vrykul might be very good for the horde, attractive, possible eat out of the BElf population and attrace more alliance? Nightborne are nice, but they're still uglier than BElves.

[Kelthos]

Too many elfs! Also, they share the same model structure as other elfs, so that is not gonna work.

I really don't understand why this is constantly brought up as being an issue for something becoming playable (lack of a unique skeleton). Blood Elves used the Night Elf skeleton until they were introduced as their own unique race, Goblins used a modified Dwarven skeleton. Part of Blizz making a new race is giving them a unique skeleton and animations. This arguement is completely invalid.

That being said, I don't want Nightborne as a standalone race. They'd be best as a Night Elf subrace.

[Flurryfang]

I really don't understand why this is constantly brought up as being an issue for something becoming playable (lack of a unique skeleton). Blood Elves used the Night Elf skeleton until they were introduced as their own unique race, Goblins used a modified Dwarven skeleton. Part of Blizz making a new race is giving them a unique skeleton and animations. This arguement is completely invalid.

That being said, I don't want Nightborne as a standalone race. They'd be best as a Night Elf subrace.

You are indeed right, that they could make a new skeleton for the model and make it unique, but then they could might aswell just make another race all together. Both factions already have an elf race. I dont think Blizzard would use the time and energy to make a new model, just for it to compete with an already existing elf model.

So its still an argument, since if the model was already unique, the job would be much easier for them to make them a race, if they wanted to.

[Biotec]

I voted yes but I'd like it more if they were mostly the "drained" kind that became playable. The Alliance needs it's ugly race,Draenei and female worgen don't count.

[Musta]

There are already enough races. Ah, and Naga is NEVER happening.

[Aux]

Id love Naga for Alliance and these guys for horde.

It would be the other way around, keep dreaming though.

[Yattz]

It would be the other way around, keep dreaming though.

Ah the Alliance could use another beastly race other than worgens just as horde could use another pretty race and theres no reason why it HAS to be either way. Races could spin any which way and worse case scenario they could always do another panda dual faction thing.

[RedGamer030]

No. End the thread here.

[Bathory]

I like the normal Nightborne, but I'd love the wretched model for the BE subrace

[Mace]

There are already enough races. Ah, and Naga is NEVER happening.

why won't Naga happen? it's not a gear thing, the only issue i can see them possibly having is with mounts, but don't the naga already ride mounts on some of their invasion campaigns? oh am I mis-remembering.

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It would be the other way around, keep dreaming though.

yeah, I don't see the naga going alliance with the night elves and high elves around - man I don't see how on the horde either, but at least their is less heat against them their. It's hard to judge others when you've been on the dark side yourself and come out.

[Skaiya]

Would definitely support Nightborne becoming a sub-race. It baffles me sub-races aren't a thing yet, given that there's private servers that already have them. It's a matter of just slapping skins over the already existing skeletons; at least in regards to things like Brown Orcs, Wildhammer Dwarves, etc. I think Nightborne is a unique skeleton though, so I don't know if we'd get it as a sub-race, especially considering they're just Highborne with a fancy new name that live in Suramar.

[ravenmoon]

. I think Nightborne is a unique skeleton though, so I don't know if we'd get it as a sub-race, especially considering they're just Highborne with a fancy new name that live in Suramar.

no, nightborne is the exact night elf skeleton, only the thinner, and the male head is different, that and the skin tone is a darker purple black. Otherwise, identical. Same height, moves and walks the same, casts the same too.

[Flacko]

why would this be a playable race ? same thing as night elves.

[UnluckyAmateur]

Id love Naga for Alliance and these guys for horde.

Other way around and you might be on to something.