So why can't Highmountain Tauren be Sunwalkers?

[Zephyrrdragon]

So this is a question I posted on the main forums but I wanted to post it here and see what everyones thoughts are on the subject. Below is what I wrote on the WoW forums

So this has been a burning question I have had since I got home from Blizzcon.

When playing the demo at Blizzcon, I tried out the new allied race, the Highmountain Tauren. I wanted to see their customization options, their new racials and more importantly...what classes they could be!

To my dismay, the only classes they could be were Druid, Hunter, Shaman, Warrior, and Monk. Sounds quite natural as those classes were the standard options for them since Vanilla besides Monks.

This is a genuine question! Why can't the Highmountain Tauren be Sunwalkers (aka Paladin and Priests) especially if they have the option of being Monks (curious how all the Allied Races can be monks)?

Just like the traditional Tauren of Kalimdor, the Highmountain revere and worship the Earth Mother and her two eyes An'she and Mu'sha. Sunwalkers are warriors who wield the power of An'she, the sun in Tauren mythology. I know for a fact that they worship An'she no different then the Tauren of Kalimdor. So why can't they be Paladins and Priests?

Would really love to hear everyone's thoughts!

[Deleted]

So this is a question I posted on the main forums but I wanted to post it here and see what everyones thoughts are on the subject. Below is what I wrote on the WoW forums

So this has been a burning question I have had since I got home from Blizzcon.

When playing the demo at Blizzcon, I tried out the new allied race, the Highmountain Tauren. I wanted to see their customization options, their new racials and more importantly...what classes they could be!

To my dismay, the only classes they could be were Druid, Hunter, Shaman, Warrior, and Monk. Sounds quite natural as those classes were the standard options for them since Vanilla besides Monks.

This is a genuine question! Why can't the Highmountain Tauren be Sunwalkers (aka Paladin and Priests) especially if they have the option of being Monks (curious how all the Allied Races can be monks)?

Just like the traditional Tauren of Kalimdor, the Highmountain revere and worship the Earth Mother and her two eyes An'she and Mu'sha. Sunwalkers are warriors who wield the power of An'she, the sun in Tauren mythology. I know for a fact that they worship An'she no different then the Tauren of Kalimdor. So why can't they be Paladins and Priests?

Would really love to hear everyone's thoughts!

The Sunwalkers and Seers were orders created by Aponi Brightmane and Tahu Sagewind after the war against the Lich King. They were more or less a direct consequence of the Northrend camapign.

I could totally see Highmountain Tauren becoming Paladins and Priests (in lore) after they got to spend some time with their Thunderbluffian brethren, but for now it would make little sense, considering the story behind those classes.

[Cosmic Janitor]

The Sunwalkers and Seers were orders created by Aponi Brightmane and Tahu Sagewind after the war against the Lich King. They were more or less a direct consequence of the Northrend camapign.

I could totally see Highmountain Tauren becoming Paladins and Priests (in lore) after they got to spend some time with their Thunderbluffian brethren, but for now it would make little sense, considering the story behind those classes.

And yet we still have to level through outdated content with these new races, while having to pretend that they could only learn other classes way later. Then we have NPCs in our order halls, which break all of the class restrictions in an instant. I'm looking at you Moonfang clan.

[Villager720]

Maybe reverence of the light just isn't a big part of their culture. They could just, as a people, have no interest in it - like the Night Elves (excluding you, Moonfang Clan...).

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

We don't know. We also don't know why they can be monks. Lore team must be high or something

[Fenixhart]

Sunwalkers are a Horde Tauren development.

Highmountain are newcomers and unlikely to really have any in large quantities

[Deleted]

My prediction is that they can't at launch, and then in the expansion afterwards they will say "the HM have been looking at the sun in mulgore and have learned the secrets! buy a race change for your paladin now!"

[Deleted]

We don't know. We also don't know why they can be monks. Lore team must be high or something

Seriously, this doesn't make any sense. Even for nightborne. They could have add for them atleast demon hunters if they can be monks.

[ThatOnePsycho]

Seriously, this doesn't make any sense. Even for nightborne. They could have add for them atleast demon hunters if they can be monks.

My assumption (for Highmountain monks) is that some shaman was screwing around with Spirit, discovered it made his hits stronger, and taught it to some other people. That the moves are the same is just one of those breaks from reality, like Tauren Priests and Paladins using the exact same spells as the regular ones despite drawing power from Anshe.

Alternatively, a Panda made it to the Isles before we did (hey, if the Lich King did it, why not them?) and taught them.

On the Paladin front, as has been said, they're a relatively new development, made as a push back of many Tauren ( unintentionally) gravitating towards worship of Mu'sha/Elune due to their ties to the Night Elves. Seeing as the Highmountain Tauren never had that problem, they never developed Sunwalkers. They might start learning, but the implication of us starting at level 20 means we've already had training. We start as the cannon fodder for real heroes (read the ones at 110+) and make our way up.

[Deleted]

So this is a question I posted on the main forums but I wanted to post it here and see what everyones thoughts are on the subject. Below is what I wrote on the WoW forums

So this has been a burning question I have had since I got home from Blizzcon.

When playing the demo at Blizzcon, I tried out the new allied race, the Highmountain Tauren. I wanted to see their customization options, their new racials and more importantly...what classes they could be!

To my dismay, the only classes they could be were Druid, Hunter, Shaman, Warrior, and Monk. Sounds quite natural as those classes were the standard options for them since Vanilla besides Monks.

This is a genuine question! Why can't the Highmountain Tauren be Sunwalkers (aka Paladin and Priests) especially if they have the option of being Monks (curious how all the Allied Races can be monks)?

Just like the traditional Tauren of Kalimdor, the Highmountain revere and worship the Earth Mother and her two eyes An'she and Mu'sha. Sunwalkers are warriors who wield the power of An'she, the sun in Tauren mythology. I know for a fact that they worship An'she no different then the Tauren of Kalimdor. So why can't they be Paladins and Priests?

Would really love to hear everyone's thoughts!

I think the answer will be. The tauren lost the knowledge of sun walking as a race long long ago only to be revived by brightmane in the Cataclysm after what she witnessed in North rend. As the high mountain and thunderbluff didn't have contact aponi hasn't been able to share sun walking with the high mountain.

That would be my logical answer but the new race av seem to all be able to be monks for some reason..... Them pandas sure do get about for a reclusive race.

- - - Updated - - -

My assumption (for Highmountain monks) is that some shaman was screwing around with Spirit, discovered it made his hits stronger, and taught it to some other people. That the moves are the same is just one of those breaks from reality, like Tauren Priests and Paladins using the exact same spells as the regular ones despite drawing power from Anshe.

Alternatively, a Panda made it to the Isles before we did (hey, if the Lich King did it, why not them?) and taught them.

On the Paladin front, as has been said, they're a relatively new development, made as a push back of many Tauren ( unintentionally) gravitating towards worship of Mu'sha/Elune due to their ties to the Night Elves. Seeing as the Highmountain Tauren never had that problem, they never developed Sunwalkers. They might start learning, but the implication of us starting at level 20 means we've already had training. We start as the cannon fodder for real heroes (read the ones at 110+) and make our way up.

All in game monks are Pandaran style tought by Pandaran master's - blizz's official line.

Was Finaly put out after the constant arguing about people wanting to rp as monks like the ones Dreani have in that place there dead go.

All monks use the Pandaran style, taught to them in the starting zone.

Also it's been explained that tauren paladins and priests use the same light all outher paladins and priests use. The humans call it the light and have no personification for it the tauren call it the light an fb belive it comes from aunshe but it's the same thing.

Aunshe is probably like elune in that it is/was a prime naruu as the outher naruu and the draini keep trying to tell the night elves but they don't listen.

[ThatOnePsycho]

Can I get a citation on the bit about the Sunwalkers having the same power? Because I'm almost certain they don't.
Because under the logic you just gave, Balance Druids are also using the Light for everything.

And don't say 'They're all in the same order'. That's a necessary weasel, otherwise Tauren and Blood Elves would have no way to get their Artifact. There's at least one instance of the Sunwalkers using a fire-y light (and it radiates from their mount).

[Flurryfang]

Because they werent together with the Bloodhoof Clan when some its members decided to try out being Paladins.

[thrill]

Besides lore, maybe they didn't want to add another paladin race to horde? It seems pretty likely zandalari will have a paladin option.

[bryroo]

It's a gameplay decision.

The lore is an after thought

[Zephyrrdragon]

Really do appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions on the subject

[Therougetitan]

Lore-wise they should not even be druids. Malfurion taught Hamuul who taught Thunder Bluff tauren. Doesn't make sense for Highmountain. Never saw a druid while questing with those tauren.

[Gaidax]

I was about to open my mouth about how these new races could not be X because X was available to only certain group of certain race after they did something to discover it (example: Sunwalkers), but then they go ahead and slap monk to it and I'm like... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Lochton]

The Sunwalkers and Seers were orders created by Aponi Brightmane and Tahu Sagewind after the war against the Lich King. They were more or less a direct consequence of the Northrend camapign.

I could totally see Highmountain Tauren becoming Paladins and Priests (in lore) after they got to spend some time with their Thunderbluffian brethren, but for now it would make little sense, considering the story behind those classes.

Basically this...

[MechaCThun]

I feel like the Highmountain tauren are like the Wildhammer dwarves of the tauren race. The Wildhammer were more "tribal" or "wild" than the mountain dwarves of Ironforge.

They are more attuned to nature, wild magic, the hunting and/or bonding with animals.

Although tauren in general are like this, and paladins and priests just being "sun druids" fits that theme... albeit poorly.

I

[Talvindius]

Because Sunwalkers are very weird as far as Paladins go, they're not traditional Paladins to begin with. They worship a Druid god instead of the Naaru or the Light itself, which may be semantics but either way they identify differently.

Highmountain Tauren are just not that much in tune with the druidic side of things to the point where they have Sunwalkers. If you look at the NPCs as you quest through Highmountain most of them are Warriors, Hunters or shamans. There is little druid presence if any at all.

It wouldn't bother me if they could be Paladins TBH even though I despise Sunwalkers because the lore behind them is pretty goofy but clearly it's not goofy enough to justify Highmountain Tauren Pallies.