Ethereal, next playable race all but confirmed? [Spoilers]

[Serenais]

In my personal opinion, given how the ethereals look and work, I think we're more likely to see them as one of the most, if not THE most important antagonist race in 8.0, than that we'll see them as a playable race. They still lack any serious customisation option (for example, a face) that would have to be added for them to work as a player race. On top of that, their homeworld has been taken over by a void lord, which would additionally give support to them being a likely antagonist race, given that the next expansion is heavily hinted to be void-themed.

[Futhark]

Well, their new model is a strong argument for their being a playable race. They wouldn't be remaking anything, this new model would be the remake for the playable race.

Vrykul got new models for Legion. Ones that allow armor to be worn. They are a seafaring race. Your arguments suggest Vrykul are the next playable race.

[Ghargatuloth]

To your first question, Naga, possible, but probably not due to all the conflicting mechanics involved with their lower bodies. Yeti? Nah, the race has to atleast be sentient for them to even be considered, but I think you know that.

I agree naga would be more relevant as well, but once again Blizzard is a business and the last thing they're going to do is invest the ridiculous amount of time, effort, and money it would take to make Naga's playable, not to mention the shoddy lore bridge they'd have to build. Just because the naga work with the Illidari does NOT by any means support them being invited to join the Horde and ESPECIALLY not the Alliance considering their history with Night elves. Not to mention all the armor remodeling they'd have to do. Finding a way to make literally all mounts work for them, it's just not realistic or a sound investment. Naga are cool, but it's not like they're gonna get a Legion turn out nest expac just for some slithery snakes.

The pre-built assets, functionality, and new models alone make Ethereal's much more likely than naga without lore implications.

Hell, Sub-races are more likely than Naga. All Blizz would have to do is throw the new skins on the same models, or throw in already created and polished models, and slap on a couple extra customization tabs and they're all done. Albeit, they'd have to explain each sub-race in the lore, but that's the easy part, really.

Once again, nothing is truly confirmed, I'm not dense. I just think it's hard to imagine any of the other races pulling out ahead with current knowledge, but like you said, I'm open to all possibilities.

You seem to misunderstand... I was not saying naga were going to happen, I was only saying they are more likely than ethereals.

I agree the leg issue is one that would have to be overcome, but it's not as though it would be overly difficult with an ounce of creativity to bypass it. If Blizzard thinks it will fit the story, they will make it work.

As for the shoddy lore bridge... Worgen already exist there. The worgen had NEVER been able to control the curse, the original worgen were night elves and had to be banished away. It's bizarre they suddenly found a way to grant them humanity in Cata. Just the same, the Forsaken are ridiculous in that the undead were NEVER accepted by the living until WoW's launch. Then we have the DRAENEI, who up until a shit ton of retconnery existed only as the most evil of demons to plague the nether, being the original masters behind Sargeras' corruption.

In short, your arguments against ANYTHING are invalid, Blizzard will do whatever they do and no one can stop them. ANYTHING is possible, including ethereals... They just aren't "most likely" as you stated.

[SaintDingus]

What I'm pointing out is that his "reasonings" are not based off evidence, it's only based on assumptions, not evidence. He asked what we thought. I told him. I believe there is little evidence to think ethernals will be a playable race and i pointed out faults in his reasoning.

The Model update and playability are not reasoning. The race REALLY DID get a model update and the race REALLY WOULD BE easy to implement into the game. While the next expansion theme is by no means confirmed, it is pretty unanimous as a community with all the evidence in this expac, that the next expac will be at the very least old gods themed. You didn't point out any faults, you just said I was wrong and that I shouldn't read into things. Once again, I never claimed there were not other possibilities or that I couldn't be completely wrong, I just stated why I felt it was very likely.

[meowfurion]

Ethereals will never be a playable race because they don't live on Azeroth, and will never have any loyalties to either Horde or Alliance. They don't care. Their very nature prohibits them from being a playable race. Hell, I could fathom Naga as a playable race before Ethereals. At least Naga used to be elves.

[SaintDingus]

You seem to misunderstand... I was not saying naga were going to happen, I was only saying they are more likely than ethereals.

I agree the leg issue is one that would have to be overcome, but it's not as though it would be overly difficult with an ounce of creativity to bypass it. If Blizzard thinks it will fit the story, they will make it work.

As for the shoddy lore bridge... Worgen already exist there. The worgen had NEVER been able to control the curse, the original worgen were night elves and had to be banished away. It's bizarre they suddenly found a way to grant them humanity in Cata. Just the same, the Forsaken are ridiculous in that the undead were NEVER accepted by the living until WoW's launch. Then we have the DRAENEI, who up until a shit ton of retconnery existed only as the most evil of demons to plague the nether, being the original masters behind Sargeras' corruption.

In short, your arguments against ANYTHING are invalid, Blizzard will do whatever they do and no one can stop them. ANYTHING is possible, including ethereals... They just aren't "most likely" as you stated.

I can't even argue. Fair.

[Jujudrood]

Maybe I'm just weird, but I don't want a new race or a new class.
I just want them to open the doors a little more on race/class combos and rework the existing models while adding additional customization features.
Making a DH is kinda cool because they have like 9 or so options, each with a handful of options to cycle through, whereas everyone else has 5.
Let's get more flavor and customization into existing models before we add a race of mummy-men.

[Polybius]

What I'm pointing out is that his "reasonings" are not based off evidence, it's only based on assumptions, not evidence. He asked what we thought. I told him. I believe there is little evidence to think ethernals will be a playable race and i pointed out faults in his reasoning.

Actually, his reasons are based on evidence. Just not the strongest or more apparent. You're right in that other models have received updates, but you're dismissing the TBC and Cata races (which slowly evolved from minor touch-ups) over a small percentage that carried over to next expansions.

For all we know, if we get races, they're still working on them in Alpha.

[Ghargatuloth]

Actually, his reasons are based on evidence. Just not the strongest or more apparent. You're right in that other models have received updates, but you're dismissing the TBC and Cata races (which slowly evolved from minor touch-ups) over a small percentage that carried over to next expansions.

For all we know, if we get races, they're still working on them in Alpha.

They were hardly touched up, High/Blood elf models were largely just reskinned Nelf models. When BC launched they literally dropped in the new models in the pre-patch.

Worgen were literally NEVER touched and continued to use an outdated and basic mob model up until Cata pre-patch as well, where most of the worgen out in the world just sort of vanished and were replaced by more competent versions of worgen.

Goblin is probably the ONLY race that got any form of improvements prior to them being implemented as a playable race. Which kind of doesn't even matter since they received a major overhaul that was dropped into the game for pretty much all existing goblins in Cata's pre-patch as well.

Again, I'm not saying ethereals will not be playable. I am saying these models are not capable of being "playable". The things cant even wear armor other than the presets they are built with.

[shaunika123]

It's also speculation. OP based the reasoning on model update, storyline, expansion theme, and playability.

Other past model updates that had playability were ogres and that's it. Blizzard scrapped their entire ogre continent that could've served as continuation to WoD. All other models reused skeletons, even the arrakoa.

Reasons as to why it couldn't be ethereals: no gender, no reconfigured skeleton, no custom features.

a lot of those were true to worgens also were they not?

[Netherspark]

Well, their new model is a strong argument for their being a playable race. They wouldn't be remaking anything, this new model would be the remake for the playable race.

Their new models are actually a very strong argument for them NOT being a playable race - they do not have player animations, they do not have changeable gear, and they do not have changeable features. They are simply not suitable for player models, and quite clearly are not designed to be.

[Demona3]

I just wanted to get a bit of feedback/input on this topic since everyone is theory-crafting for 8.0.

As the title indicates, I'm fairly certain with everything we know about Blizzard's content pattern for expansion releases, i.e. Race, class, race, class, etc... We're all pretty sure that a new race is coming next expansion. Furthermore, with what we know about Sargeras plunging his sword into Silithus, the whispers of Il'gynoth yet to be relized, the oddly large amount of old god presence in a legion based expansion, and the constant references to this looming threat of the void, I'd say the next expansion is certain to be old god based. That's fair to assume at this point, I believe.

Piggybacking off of that, with this large void presence, we've also got brand new models for the Ethereal race, which could most definently just assert the likelyhood of void/old god based content in the next expansion, but when determining what new races could be created for WoW in a void based expansion, it seems self-evident that Ethereal's would be the logical choice. Their lore has yet to be fleshed out much at all, they've been a presence in the game since BC, and fans have been asking to be able to play as Ethereal since their introduction. On top of that, they'd most assuredly be a nuetral race being able to pick between Horde and Alliance which means even less work for Blizzard while still servicing the fans.

Overall, I could be totally wrong, especially considering a lot of people make a strong case for the next expansion being an ocean-based expansion, which is just as if not more likely than a strictly void based expansion. I still believe Ethereal's could be a strong canidate for a race in a South Seas journey.

What do you guys think?

If you go aboard the vindicator (sp?), look behind the mission table. See those 2 NPCs? Click on them (one of them will have a chat bubble). The chat is voiced. I'm leaning towards the Nightborne becoming a playable race for the horde. No idea on the ethereal, but it could be very possible.

[Ghargatuloth]

a lot of those were true to worgens also were they not?

This right here.

Prior to worgen being released they had very little sign of being a possible playable race. No gender difference, no functional skeleton, no custom features... Damn things couldn't even jump properly.

Worgen, draenei, and pandaren are pretty much a testament to the fact that they will literally build something from the ground up for an expansion if they think for a moment that it'll fit.

[Polybius]

They were hardly touched up, High/Blood elf models were largely just reskinned Nelf models. When BC launched they literally dropped in the new models in the pre-patch.

Worgen were literally NEVER touched and continued to use an outdated and basic mob model up until Cata pre-patch as well, where most of the worgen out in the world just sort of vanished and were replaced by more competent versions of worgen.

Goblin is probably the ONLY race that got any form of improvements prior to them being implemented as a playable race. Which kind of doesn't even matter since they received a major overhaul that was dropped into the game for pretty much all existing goblins in Cata's pre-patch as well.

Again, I'm not saying ethereals will not be playable. I am saying these models are not capable of being "playable". The things cant even wear armor other than the presets they are built with.

Worgen got touch ups for WotLK. They were able to wear armor and they received animations. We also saw the halloween masks they added before release. There's even a speculation page here: http://www.azzor.com/content/2009/07...ins-and-worgen

It's not the only page, it was discussed in other sites. Not saying this confirms Ethereals, though we speculate with what we have.

[shadowmouse]

Has no one asked ... baba ji? I think I saw his phone number somewhere around here.

[Ghargatuloth]

Worgen got touch ups for WotLK. They were able to wear armor and they received animations. We also saw the halloween masks they added before release. There's even a speculation page here: http://www.azzor.com/content/2009/07...ins-and-worgen

It's not the only page, it was discussed in other sites. Not saying this confirms Ethereals, though we speculate with what we have.

Erm, actually you happen to be wrong there. The worgen models in WotLK cannot wear armor, they only wear the armor built into the somewhat newer models designed for Grizzly Hills.

But to the credit of Ethereals as a potential race, it's sort of the same in that the current new ethereal models also wear "built in" armor... Either way, the worgen model in WotLK's zone is still built off of the old worgen rig. The mask was a neat little tease by Blizz though!

[onesBronson]

I'm all for having new races in the game, but be realistic. Lorewise, what or how do Ethereals benefit from whichever faction they join?

[Lodreh]

I don't believe we'll be getting playable Ethereals anymore than getting playable Naga... both seem unlikely. I would honestly be more excited about Vrykul for the Alliance and Ogres for the Horde. Both "could" work in a South Seas expansion.

Just my 2 coppers,
Kalium

[Mushkins]

I foresee that Ethereals will crash-land on Kul'tiras, which will become their starting zone in 8.0

[Polybius]

Erm, actually you happen to be wrong there. The worgen models in WotLK cannot wear armor, they only wear the armor built into the somewhat newer models designed for Grizzly Hills.

But to the credit of Ethereals as a potential race, it's sort of the same in that the current new ethereal models also wear "built in" armor... Either way, the worgen model in WotLK's zone is still built off of the old worgen rig. The mask was a neat little tease by Blizz though!

Torment of the Worgen from Karazhan kind of gave it away. They were able to use emotes and mount. They were also able to wield weapons. An interesting fact about Karazhan, it foretold Algalon and Ulduar.

Currently Ogres are the only unplayable race that can use a variety of emotes.