Battle for Azeroth Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[JakeCC]

Also, one major issue with this theory.

No mention of Wound or Blood of Azeroth.

Although it is a big thing, we don't know if that would just be the pre-expansion hook, say. There still may be a mini-raid patch in the wound for instance. We just don't know otherwise at this rate.

[Varolyn]

WoDs hook was garrisons. Obviously we know how that ended, but it did sell copies.

When WoD was announced and in beta, Garrisons didn't really seem to be the thing that got players' attention right away. I mean some people were hyped for it but I felt that WoD's biggest hook was going to Draenor itself, and that isn't much different than a new continent. Hell, I think the cinematic was WoD's biggest selling point that got people really hyped for it.

[Ningjinq]

If that’s real evidence there’s no way that’s all there is. I don’t see any world they add sub races and don’t add the different Dwarf clans at minimum and probably uncorrupted Orcs as well.

[Beloren]

Remember this post?

Well, I decided to dust off my level 104 Rogue, give it the Glyph of Disguise and go around pickpocketing mobs to see if changing my appearance would also change my tooltip.

Positive results for:
- Forest Troll (males only; females will list you as just "troll". I guess this happens because females just use regular troll models with unique skins)
- Fel Orc (again, only those with their own models; The normal orc models with red skin appear as just "orc")
- Ice Troll (didn't remember any female to try and test, but I guess it would be the same result as Forest Troll, above)

I couldn't remember any place where there would be a hostile Tuskarr, so headed to old Dalaran and tried using the Sewer Elixir to turn into a Tuskarr. I had no luck, thought.

The glyph does not work on undead targets, so testing them on Skeleton/Northrend Skeleton was pointless.

So, that confirmed that at least most of the races present in the file were put there so our tooltips would change when we used some transformation effect. That left Highmountain Tauren, Lightforged Draenei, Void Elves and Nightborne to be tested. Lightforged Draenei are all allies, so I can't test them (I could, I guess, use that Eye-collect item to turn hostile to them, but I'm not level 110 yet to try it); Void Elves do not exist in-game. So, I went Highmountain, trying to find some some hostile tauren there.

I would only find them in Stormheim. I copied Highmountain Tauren, both male and female, and the racial tooltip changed just to "Tauren", indicating that the game identifies the HM model as regular tauren. So, that entry in the race list was not meant just for transformation effects. Weird, uh?

(BTW: Eredar transformations change your tooltip to "Draenei")

So, my last teste was to copy Nightborne appearances. I expect for it not to work, since the nightborne disguise in Suramar does not change your tooltip. I went to Azsuna, where there are hostile nightborne bellow level 110.

On the way, I stopped by a naga camp to test the tooltip change, confirming it works on both naga males and females. However, while I was able to copy a Naga Brute, the tooltip didn't change, so the game does not identify their model as "naga".

Finally reaching the nightborne, I confirmed they do not change your tooltip. So, their model is not the one linked to the "nightborne" entry in that list either. This could either indicate the entries were made for some other purpose, or that the true racial "nightborne" model is not identified with the NPC ones in-game.

And with that, I ended my experimentation.

(Additional Note: Interesting enough, Vrykul males change your tooltip; Vrykul females don't, despite having their own models)

the experiment means nothing.

since in transitioning to player models they will all have new models. The existing ones in the game wiull all change. Just like the high/blood elf models in classic wow (based on night elf) changed when blood elves became a playable race, they had a completely redone model, my gut feeling tells me the entry is correct.

We will have 4 sub-races: Highmountain, nightborne (horde), and Void elf, lightforged draenei (alliance)

[DeicideUH]

If that’s real evidence there’s no way that’s it. I don’t see any world they add sub races and don’t add the different Dwarf clans at minimum and probably uncorrupted Orcs as well.

They could be just skins rather than classified as sub-races.

And don't take 7.3 files as basis of everything that will be in 8.0. This is obviously just the start of it all.
Take the files as evidence (not proof) of sub-races coming, not as the totality of sub-races that we will get.

[EbaumsTipster]

Also, one major issue with this theory.

No mention of Wound or Blood of Azeroth.

Most of the leaks involving Silithus have been horrid. Most things point to the Wound being a permanent mark in Azeroth history, and not just an expansion hook.

[Therougetitan]

Also on another note it feels balanced. Giving Nightborne to blood elves makes sense from a lore perspective but not a model one since it is the night elf skeleton. But since Void elves are a night elf subrace and use blood elf skeleton. It balances out.

[OGXanos]

I'd also say keep in mind this is just whats in the files now. Who knows how much more has or hasn't been worked on yet. The next build could introduce another 2-12 variants, who knows. They could even stagger sub races (if it's real) across patches if needed.

[DeicideUH]

the experiment means nothing.

since in transitioning to player models they will all have new models. The existing ones in the game wiull all change. Just like the high/blood elf models in classic wow (based on night elf) changed when blood elves became a playable race, they had a completely redone model, my gut feeling tells me the entry is correct.

We will have 4 sub-races: Highmountain, nightborne (horde), and Void elf, lightforged draenei (alliance)

You misundertand the purpose of the experiment.
I tried the NPC races first to see if the tooltip name for my race would change. Worked very well (except for female vrykul).
However, when I tried on the "new sub-races", none of them worked, which indicates their actual models are not in the game, thus those data entries were not just for player transformations.

[Whatever Dude]

What if the Kul Tiras armor that was later removed was intentional misdirection by Blizzard and we get a void expansion in space instead?

The Blizzplanet article talks about "Void Elves".

[EbaumsTipster]

Note that for all these sub-races we helped establish new leaders. This may play a part in their introduction: they want us to feel like we "earned" the new races by helping Highmountain, or the High Arcanist, or Turalyon, or Alleria (and Locus-Walker by extension).

[Marlamin]

You misundertand the purpose of the experiment.
I tried the NPC races first to see if the tooltip name for my race would change. Worked very well (except for female vrykul).
However, when I tried on the "new sub-races", none of them worked, which indicates their actual models are not in the game, thus those data entries were not just for player transformations.

There might be some Lightforged models that this would work on. Those seem to have references in other places, unlike the other 3.

[MarilynMaelstrom]

You misundertand the purpose of the experiment.
I tried the NPC races first to see if the tooltip name for my race would change. Worked very well (except for female vrykul).
However, when I tried on the "new sub-races", none of them worked, which indicates their actual models are not in the game, thus those data entries were not just for player transformations.

That really means nothing. Blizzard can add the new "sub-races" models without ever editing the creature model data.
BTW, the female vrykul model is not a character model. It's the same as the nightborne, listed under "creatures" without entries in the character DBCs.

[Beloren]

You misundertand the purpose of the experiment.
I tried the NPC races first to see if the tooltip name for my race would change. Worked very well (except for female vrykul).
However, when I tried on the "new sub-races", none of them worked, which indicates their actual models are not in the game, thus those data entries were not just for player transformations.

ah gotchya. good find, but i was already convinced we shall see this next expac. looks like you get your wish about nightborne, but as a fellow blood elf fan , i'm like.. why? I don't really want them here, they don't bring anything to us, (and i don't really want night elves on our side).

[Hitei]

Also on another note it feels balanced. Giving Nightborne to blood elves makes sense from a lore perspective

e____e

Note that for all these sub-races we helped establish new leaders. This may play a part in their introduction: they want us to feel like we "earned" the new races by helping Highmountain, or the High Arcanist, or Turalyon, or Alleria (and Locus-Walker by extension).

On an equally interesting note. This development would put Ethereal far closer to Alliance than Horde as a potential future race.

[Therougetitan]

There might be some Lightforged models that this would work on. Those seem to have references in other places, unlike the other 3.

That's interesting. Worth a try but I don't have a rogue. Someone else try maybe? You can be hostile to Army of the Light by using the Gift of the All-Seer item or clicking the all-seer eyes that spawn in antoran wastes in random locations.

On an equally interesting note. This development would put Ethereal far closer to Alliance than Horde as a potential future race.

No more than Chen did for pulling Pandaren to Horde. Locus-walker doesn't seem to care for factions only the ability to handle the void.

[Wildberry]

@Northem
So, Blizzard might finally have given you what you want. High Elves in permanent shadowform?

[Beloren]

maybe it drives a nail in the coffin of a united Quel'thalas ever happening. (or a united kaldorei for the nelf fans) - dragging on the division by installing high elves on the alliance as playable.

i'm also worried that if we get suramar, htey will never fix Silvermoon, because they'd be like - hey you got a new city, we've given you enough . and i really like Silvermoon, i think fixed it would look better than Suramar.

[Hitei]

No more than Chen did for pulling Pandaren to Horde. Locus-walker doesn't seem to care for factions only the ability to handle the void.

Sort of my point.

Right now Locus is like Chen... but if there is an entire faction of void-handling (i.e. interesting to him) elves on the Alliance...

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I feel like the sub races hype isn't there yet. I dunno, just got a feeling not to get too excited for it, evidence or not.