Sub-Race Photoshop Mockups

[Wildmoon]

You could make the same argument of modern technology. Our entire evolution has consisted in advances that have made us more and more dependent on our artifices. Likewise with the Highborne (and their descendants) or the Eredar and the arcane. All things have their costs and benefits. So again, what some may call 'corruption', others will call 'evolution', and like I said, the perspectives on the arcane in Azeroth are by and large written by unsympathetic druids.

Regarding the druids, interestingly many used to be arcanists.

No, they are mostly written by Kirin Tor mages who know about arcane the most in Azeroth. That's why they know it need to be taught in a right way.

[Zathrendar]

True, it's about conveying the right attitude towards it, or more cynically, scaring the competition out of it. That's my point, a lot of this stuff is written from a certain vantage point.

[Yig]

Not all night elf is that into nature though. Yes, they do live in the wild but they are not all druid-like.

I don't think you know half of what you're trying to talk about. But I appreciate your effort and enthusiasm.

EDIT: This came off sounding more asshole-ish than I meant it to, I wasn't in tip top shape at the time of the post. I meant that about the post I made and why I made it, I was kind of kidding around about owls and just wanting racial armor, didn't mean to try to stir up anything about all night elves being the same.

But on that subject overall I'd say all Night Elves are raised with a reverence for nature, the Ancients, the Aspects, and the Titans, with special names for many of them in their old language. Some people like to RP snarky Night Elves covered in engineering gadgets and using dwarven accents, but it ends up seeming like more people are trying to be atypical than actual typical night elves over the years. I love to see people being typical night elves, but most everyone is all casual and snarky like we're in a Douglas Adams novel, the nerd sense of humor will not be stopped It ends up creating a funny affect when the norm becomes exactly what you would expect as the exception to the norm.

I like a good pissed off female rogue mogged out in Warden armor or a Sentinel. Especially if they're harassing me for praying in the Temple of the Moon.

I like a good serious ancient being of cold demeanor and formal speech myself.

Anyways, I didn't mean to say you don't know what you're talking about, that came out wrong. I meant to say I basically wasn't clear about what I was talking about in the post you replied to and my reply just came off with my foot in my mouth.

/apology

- - - Updated - - -

On a side not, I made a post asking Robinson about the update of this face, and if they plan on giving it more of a tattoo or actually indulge demon hunter fans with a permanent 3d Cursed Vision model.


Because at this point in the game, the demon hunter's future is just looking grim, they've cannibalized their hero unit mechanics between rogues and warlocks, and the lore is just all fucked up with Knaak's book contradicting the WC3 lore.

We're left with being a wannabe demon hunter it seems for all time. No night elf warlocks, no melee dual wielding warlocks, no warglaives to transmog for rogues, these simple gaps are the only thing left giving me hope a demon hunter concept is being reserved tol be fleshed out when the time comes for a full on Burning Legion expansion. But I'm so sick of 9 years of talking about this issue along with Pandaren being put into the game. At least I got to stand on the mountain of skulls of the assholes who insisted Pandaren would never happen. I still see a class here rich in custom dramatic animations and themes with highly acrobatic maneuverable charges and flourishes and whirling dervish combo chains, I'd love to go into this more but I'm off topic.

But I'm weary of trying to defend them as more than Illidan wannabes. And people who don't like them love to make then all into nothing but Illidan wannabes. So just give me some glaives I can mog and let me be a pathetic half neutered demon hunter wannabe in peace so I can go in the corner and die a happy man,...

/wrists

[shoc]

@Yig

There were a couple concerns regarding how well the old facial features would translate onto the new models, so I made this little comparison between the old and new Forsaken Iron-jaws.



If we can expect this level of fidelity from the Undead, I can't wait to see how the Night Elves turn out.


Also I got bored and wrote up a quasi-demon hunter class concept, check it out.

[Feali]

I never knew this was supposed to be iron. I just thought it was rotten to the point of turning grey. Well..

[shoc]

I never knew this was supposed to be iron. I just thought it was rotten to the point of turning grey. Well..

That's the beauty of the new models, now we finally know what we are looking at. I wonder what else we've been misunderstanding.

[Deleted]

I really want to know what those black things on my priests face are. :/ Make up? Scars? Rotting eye fluid?

[shoc]

I really want to know what those black things on my priests face are. :/ Make up? Scars? Rotting eye fluid?

Probably the same eye markings that Sylvanas has. And jesus female undeads are going to look terrifying with hollowed out eyes and decaying jaws.

[Hyde]

Probably the same eye markings that Sylvanas has. And jesus female undeads are going to look terrifying with hollowed out eyes and decaying jaws.

That's actually a metal plate, not a decaying under-bite.

[Deleted]

Probably the same eye markings that Sylvanas has. And jesus female undeads are going to look terrifying with hollowed out eyes and decaying jaws.

Sure hope so. Gotta look lovely while using my Cannibalize racial!

That's actually a metal plate, not a decaying under-bite.

Nah, mines the decaying jaw one. They do look super similar though.


Edit: The metal jaw also leaves the eye glow intact ingame while the bone jaw takes it away.

[shoc]

Sure hope so. Gotta look lovely while using my Cannibalize racial!


Nah, mines the decaying jaw one. They do look super similar though.


Edit: The metal jaw also leaves the eye glow intact ingame while the bone jaw takes it away.

Speaking of cannibalize, their new animations are probably going to involve some higher-def tearing and chewing.... I can't wait!

[Damedrius]

Speaking of cannibalize, their new animations are probably going to involve some higher-def tearing and chewing.... I can't wait!

Doubt it, after all it is blizzard. They half arse nearly everything they do.

[Deleted]

Doubt it, after all it is blizzard. They half arse nearly everything they do.

When trolls got a cannibalise animation back in Wrath, it was not remotely half-arsed. Neither are any of the new model animations that we have seen so far.

[Kelthos]

Highbourne also work well - those Mages who never left with the High Elves.

As a person who has a Night Elf for their main and participates in a lot of Night Elf RP, I don't think Night Elves need or should get a sub-race just for the sake of having one.

Highborne are literally just a title for noble-born Night Elves. They are not special save that they typically have white hair and blue skin. Other than that, they are Night Elves. Want a highborne? Make a Night Elf with blue skin and white hair.

As for Dark Trolls, the last tribe got annihilated when the Twilight's Hammer invaded Hyjal. Not to mention they haven't had a really big presence in any of the Warcraft games so putting them in would just feel forced imo.

[Zathrendar]

Well bear in mind most proposed subraces would feature very minor cosmetic adjustments, e.g. the Wildhammer. The Highborne are not necessarily visually distinct from most NE, however their aesthetic style could differentiate them, and perhaps their eyes could be given an azure glow. They are, however, distinct in terms of their innate ability for arcane magic and (arguably) higher intelligence*. The arcane altered them in what was originally described as a painful transformation, and aeons of selective breeding formed a caste highly proficient in it, so you could justify them as a subrace on account of the fact that subraces could potentially (according to the blues that touted the idea) feature minor racial perks. I'd agree on the Dark Trolls feeling very forced.

I do think NE would be an excellent vehicle for a HE subrace, as it allows Blizzard to bring in what is a widely demanded and prominent (in terms of faction engagement and representation) race without having to sacrifice a race slot for them. The best of both worlds. Like Yig mentioned, this could easily involve greater acceptance amongst the kaldorei of their quel'dorei brethren, given that they now have accepted in their midst the Highborne, but also the Gilnean refugees, and have had much time to become better acquainted with their cousins.

It is worth bearing in mind that the Shen'dralar have engaged in some pretty questionable practices themselves (with Eldre'thalas being an administrative centre during Azshara's reign, and also the epicentre of a demon being drained for the local residents to retain their immortality; even if the Shen'dralar did not directly engage in such acts themselves, the suspicious kaldorei could've engaged assigning guilty by association), so it was no small act of desperation and re-examination of their values that led their brethren to accept them back. Surely the quel'dorei who resisted the temptation and perceived necessity of fel have done just as much to prove themselves to the kaldorei. As is the case no doubt for those blood elves who now have forsaken it and are re-considering their old faction. A lot of the bad blood between all these kindred races resides in actions that took place in the heat of the moment, and time does heal many wounds. This could also be a great lore vehicle for the restoration and integration of Eldre'thalas into the lore as a Highborne/quel'dorei hub, along with their other natural concentration points, Dalaran & Stormwind.

*I say this because both BE and HE possess this trait. It makes sense that this was a trait that set in place from their evolution into Highborne and onwards, and possibly so for Naga females as well. You can argue Old God influences with the Naga females, but I think it's likelier that the males became a little dumber than anything else, such that they're now on par with a human in intellect on average. This is all reliant on the WRPG which cannot be taken as 100% canon, but suffices as a good guide to such things.

[Graeham]

If they do eventually add high elves then I hope they give them a distinct culture that doesn't revolve around them fawning over the Alliance. They might loathe the Horde and dislike what their fel-tainted brethren have done in order to survive but it's all too often ignored by the high elves that the Kirin Tor and Alliance are responsible for quite a few of the obstacles and issues that the blood elves and high elves have had to deal with over the last few decades. If handled well it could make for some pretty interesting intrigue.

[Rhlor]

Well bear in mind most proposed subraces would feature very minor cosmetic adjustments, e.g. the Wildhammer. The Highborne are not necessarily visually distinct from most NE, however their aesthetic style could differentiate them, and perhaps their eyes could be given an azure glow. They are, however, distinct in terms of their innate ability for arcane magic and (arguably) higher intelligence*. The arcane altered them in what was originally described as a painful transformation, and aeons of selective breeding formed a caste highly proficient in it, so you could justify them as a subrace on account of the fact that subraces could potentially (according to the blues that touted the idea) feature minor racial perks. I'd agree on the Dark Trolls feeling very forced.

I do think NE would be an excellent vehicle for a HE subrace, as it allows Blizzard to bring in what is a widely demanded and prominent (in terms of faction engagement and representation) race without having to sacrifice a race slot for them. The best of both worlds. Like Yig mentioned, this could easily involve greater acceptance amongst the kaldorei of their quel'dorei brethren, given that they now have accepted in their midst the Highborne, but also the Gilnean refugees, and have had much time to become better acquainted with their cousins.

It is worth bearing in mind that the Shen'dralar have engaged in some pretty questionable practices themselves (with Eldre'thalas being an administrative centre during Azshara's reign, and also the epicentre of a demon being drained for the local residents to retain their immortality; even if the Shen'dralar did not directly engage in such acts themselves, the suspicious kaldorei could've engaged assigning guilty by association), so it was no small act of desperation and re-examination of their values that led their brethren to accept them back. Surely the quel'dorei who resisted the temptation and perceived necessity of fel have done just as much to prove themselves to the kaldorei. As is the case no doubt for those blood elves who now have forsaken it and are re-considering their old faction. A lot of the bad blood between all these kindred races resides in actions that took place in the heat of the moment, and time does heal many wounds. This could also be a great lore vehicle for the restoration and integration of Eldre'thalas into the lore as a Highborne/quel'dorei hub, along with their other natural concentration points, Dalaran & Stormwind.

*I say this because both BE and HE possess this trait. It makes sense that this was a trait that set in place from their evolution into Highborne and onwards, and possibly so for Naga females as well. You can argue Old God influences with the Naga females, but I think it's likelier that the males became a little dumber than anything else, such that they're now on par with a human in intellect on average. This is all reliant on the WRPG which cannot be taken as 100% canon, but suffices as a good guide to such things.

I want to clarify one thing the high elves and blood elves that were separated by absorvian mana of mana wyrm.

fel was not the reason, and civilian blood elves did not know that the crystals were fel.

[Zathrendar]

Yes, it's a pity Blizzard decided to go with that rather dull, unnecessary twist, as I thought their desperate situation made their acceptance of fel understandable. Alas, shades of moral grayness are lost upon players who just want to view everything in fantasy as a Manichaean struggle between black and white evil and good. When I speak of fel, I am referring more so to how the kaldorei would perceive them, and the similarity between their situation and those of the Shen'dralar who drained Immolthar. You're right, however.

[Yig]

Doubt it, after all it is blizzard. They half arse nearly everything they do.

The hell you say. Blizzard is known for over indulging what has their attention to the point of absurd obsession. The sheer number of unique tree models in this game,... nevermind, you're obviously existing in a bubble made up of knee jerk canards and I'm but a bleating sheep in tin foil white armor defending they who can do no wrong.
The shit people take for granted in this game is astounding. Go look at any other MMO in 2004 and dare to tell me they half assed this game's roots. All you are doing is trolling or no less guilty of tunnel vision for the exceptions to the rule I think. Whatever, their work speaks for itself. As if a custom animation set and model base for every single race and sex each is the norm in MMOs even today.

[Rhlor]

http://wowpedia.org/The_Warcraft_Enc...ia/Blood_Elves

"Even so, the prince's relatively quick acceptance of dire measures (e.g., draining magic from demons) is by no means characteristic of blood elves in general. The blood elves of Outland have by now discovered Kael'thas' agreement with Illidan, and they have for the most part become convinced of its necessity. Most blood elves still live on Azeroth, though. Few of these elves know of Kael'thas' pact with Illidan, and many would be horrified if they discovered it. Draining magic from small mana-bearing vermin is a far cry from draining magic from demons. Yet, as their hunger grows, blood elves--particularly those in Outland--are becoming increasingly inured to the things they must do in order to obtain more magic."

is nothing new