I would prefer two new races. Each to their own faction.
TBH I prefer the facton aligned races because they fill niches and, in the case of horde races, get more development later on.
I can't picture Pandaren being relevant to a whole lot after Pandaria, or showing up a whole lot in say, a legion expac.
The issue with Alliance races is that, because each time Blizz has tried to give them something 'new' it's been something that hasn't fit as well and so they've sort of atrophied whereas Blood Elves have the whole sunreaver thing going on.
Twas brillig
We need snake elves though.2. We REALLY don't need more elves, we have two elf races already and they outnumber pretty much every other race.
Good to know it was meant to be terrifying lol.
I like the idea of neutral races because either way they pay more attention to one faction or anothers counterpart. Who got more attention? Blood elves or Draenei? Worgen or Goblins? Such a thing doesn't happen without the inevitable faction bias and they are free to develop the background story of races in a more meaningful way.
The answer is obvious: Leper Gnomes for the horde, High Elves for the alliance.
Faction-aligned, it feels weird to kill off a fellow pandaren in bgs. Pandaren should have been the beginning of a third faction imo.
No it's not. They're the same race, demonic corruption and all. There was a lore panel a while back that went over this, blue-eyed high elves aren't even a thing anymore. Apparently demonic magic is similar to nuclear fallout in that it permeates the landscape and continues to affect those exposed to it, so the high elves that didn't take on the demon magic like Kael's followers still have the corruption. They've technically been the same race the whole time, it's just that the "high elves" didn't like the idea of turning to demon magic to sate their addiction, while "blood elves" were on board. Now with the cleansing of the Sunwell and what not, I'd be surprised if they didn't rejoin into a single faction.
He is the life of guilds he has never joined.
He once had a noobish moment- just to see what it felt like.
If he were to beat you in a duel, you would have to fight the strong urge to thank him.
The Lunar Elders have a holiday in which they honor him.
He can speak Darnassian. In Orcish.
He is: The Most Interesting Man in the World of Warcraft.
As they were originally conceived, they'd still have made a perfect bi-faction race. As for their place in Garrosh's Horde, it's kind of a double-whammy. Most of their interaction with the Horde to that point had been with quirky goblins and honorable, big-hearted tauren. Orgrimmar was a serious case of culture shock, and sometime between Garrosh's tirade and the arena deathmatch, it's implied that Ji and the Huojin Adventurer realize they've passed the point of no return and had gotten themselves in over their head. Aysa, Jojo, and the Tushui Adventurer have a similar moment when Varian makes it clear (though regretfully so) that they can't maintain friendships across faction lines due to the security risks involved (while the pandaren can trust each other to be sensible, their allies can't).
It basically served to establish how Varian and Garrosh had developed since their last appearances in Cataclysm and Tides of War while introducing the pandaren to their new home factions--Varian treats the pandaren with respect and expects the pandaren to aid in return for being given aid, Garrosh makes it clear that he expects you to help prop up his legacy, your culture be damned.
Be seeing you guys on Bloodsail Buccaneers NA!
I really don't get the whole Pandaren faction concept.
Fine, I'm a dude who prefers action to talk. I join the Horde.
My buddy on the other hand prefers diplomacy to action. He joins the Alliance.
We meet on the battlefield. We can't communicate with one another for lord knows what reason despite coming from the Wandering Isle anyway. Then we kill each other because we chose to be on different factions...? What sort of messed up logic is that? Sure as heck doesn't seem to fit the Pandaren.
Keep entire races on one faction, I say.
The problem with factions at large is one side is always going to preferential treatment while the other side is just given a second thought at best and thrown out there.
Metzen himself said he has trouble writing story for the Alliance; if you can't write a compelling story for both sides of the faction divide you generated in said story for the specific purpose of compelling lore you are failing miserably at telling the story. The one option is to stop writing and let someone else take over, but that is dangerous. It's not that writers can't possibly write anything good. It's that they only write for what interests them and that clearly falls along a faction boundary. I think if writers can break free from the BS of "it's easier for me to write for (Horde) because I can (insert thought process/reasoning) and I just lack the creative ability to write anything for (Alliance) that isn't falling into a tolkien reference at its best." they could make a far better story.
That's because the things NOT tied into factions, like Pandaria's lore, with mantids, mogu, Titans, and ancient mysteries etc. are so very well done.
They actually covered that at Blizzcon. You're not out there screaming For the XYZ! when you're in a BG. Pandaren look at battlegrounds as high-stakes contests of skill. If a Tushui and Huojin pandaren meet on the battlefield, in-lore they're a lot more relaxed and friendly about the combat, but due to the way the game's set up and the community's proclivity for trash talk, they can't do that ingame.
Be seeing you guys on Bloodsail Buccaneers NA!
Yeah think I read that. It's still pretty absurd to me. I mean it's a faction war with causalities unless they mean to imply Pandaren don't take death in these faction wars seriously. In which case I'm even more stumped; There's your childhood buddy going to get slaughtered by your comrades and you're okay with that?
I voted [Pandaren style neutral, pick a faction]. I liked how Blizzard handled the neutrality of the Pandaren and I think it just makes sense that any future races we meet, be they from Azeroth or another planet, would be divided as to which faction to join.