Zandalari Paladin - Aye or Nay?

[The Stormbringer]

Wait your turn, we'll get ours when and if it makes sense. The current 3 don't make any sense as Druids. If you're mad, be mad at the choices for Alliance allied races not that they didn't shoe-horn one of them into a Druid.

Why not open up Draenei Druid? They've plenty buddy-buddy with the Elves. Or Human Druids trained by Gilneans. Or Pandaren Druids because they're bear people who already had a better connection to nature than Humans!

[McFuu]

The Horde has not had another Paladin race since Cataclysm. We're long overdue.

Why Zandalari Paladins should be added?

• Horde is lacking a new Paladin race.
• Zandalari Paladins already exist in lore and in game
• They look cool as hell.
• We need a savage version of Paladins.

PS. Zandalari Priests are called Confessors.

Undead Paladins have been in lore pre-vanilla. Yet I'm still not seeing them in game.

Still I would love Zand Pallys because Cows and Elfs are the worst races. Well to be fair it's their animation that just sucks and I don't want to look at.

[Hugnomo]

Lore-wise are called Prelates (https://wow.gamepedia.com/Zandalari_Prelate). It's implied that they get their powers from the Loa, like the troll priests.
It's the same with almost all of them in-game.
Draenei priests and Exarchs get their powers from the Naaru.
Blood Knights get their powers from the Sunwell (they used a captive Naaru before the Well was restored). I dont remeber if the BE priests did it to, but it seems logical.
Tauren priests and Sun-Walkers get their powers from their Sun-god An'she.
Night Elf priests get them from Elune.
Gnome priests use the Light like it was another type of arcane magic, just like a tool.

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Zandalari can't be DKs nor DH. I don't think they'll be monks neither, and i doubt about warlock.

Okay I was thinking apart from the expansion ones. Still a butload of classes.

[bufferunderrun]

Zandalari witch doctor

[Lyvefire]

Why not open up Draenei Druid? They've plenty buddy-buddy with the Elves. Or Human Druids trained by Gilneans. Or Pandaren Druids because they're bear people who already had a better connection to nature than Humans!

Humans can't be druids, the reason Gilneans have them so easily is the cultural base in the harvest witches and its natural affinity to the Worgen form. Regular humans would take a hell of a long time to even get the fundamentals.
Pandaren would kindoff defeat the purpose as then you'd have 5 Horde races to Allys 3. :P
Good question on the Draenei though. Draenei are probably the closest race Ally have to an additional viable Druidic race but there are a few stumbling blocks:

Lore:

- Lightforged make absolutely no sense as Druids. Their entire culture revolves around literally searing the light into their bodies and a neverending war with the Legion. they've never ever seen druidism, nevermind comprehending it.
- Regular Draenei have little experience in the druidic arts. They became Shaman yes but that took a lot of work and they are implied to be very rare in Draenic society. Draenor however did not have druids as we know them (Botani are something but i wouldnt go that far) so the draenei never got that experience. HOWEVER, somehow there are Lost Ones who can shift into animals like owls on Outland. How the hell that makes sense has gone completely unexplored but its an angle, albeit a shakey one.

Gameplay:
- As far as we are aware BfA is not adding any additional classes to main races. The emphasis is clearly on the Allied ones this time. Therefore with lightforged impossible, Draenei are not likely to get Druids unless we get an indication they're considering more classes for the base races.
- Adding Druids is actually a hell of a lot of work. Setting aside any extra flavour like the troll bat form, each Druid race needs at least 3 completely new models for Bear, Cat and Flight form and touchups for the other 3. This is a lot of work and is what i'd imagine the main reason we get new Druid races so rarely is. Allied Races get to cheat on this as they are likely to get only minor ammendments from the parent races model (Highmountains bolted on moose horns). This means adding Draenei Druids is a lot harder than adding the other two allied races.
- Furthermore, there is already a pretty large movement for Zandalari Druids to get dinosaur forms. If Draenei got entirely new forms i'd expect the Horde would feel they were owed the same and push that angle hard.

Personally I think they really screwed up adding Lightforged Draenei, if they'd gone with the Argus Broken then Druids would have made a lot more sense and helped sell a feature. Incidentally, they screwed up with Dark iron here too as Wildhammers could've made decent druid candidates. Now they're unlikely to come about for at least another expansion while the other 3 Ally races get their turn.

[ZazuuPriest]

undead paladin

/thread

[Lyvefire]

Pretty much this. It doesn't suit them at all. Night Elf Paladins would come far before Zandalari ones.

[*]Zandalari Paladins already exist in lore and in game

You've missed the boat on that one by over a decade...

[TheFirstOnes]

Sure...

They have the Loa, so why the fuck not?

[Lyvefire]

And there's a literal Night Elf Paladin follower that was heavily focused on for a while, already in game and we aren't getting those this expansion. What the hell do you expect?

Here you go: https://wow.gamepedia.com/Delas_Moonfang

I'm aware of Mrs Moonfang. She's a INDIVIDUAL from the latest expansion. Freethinkers are from vanilla and are an established sect of the Zandalari tribe cited from multiple places. The scale of difference there is monumental. Zandalari Paladins are way more established racially and seeded then they are for Night Elves.

Note: I expect both to come at some point but Zandalari are way more likely, evidence notwithstanding but also because Allied races are the big feature they're gonna push this expack and we have no indication that base races are getting any new class combos.

[Lyvefire]

An individual big enough for her own storyline. They're obviously building her up for something. Didn't Illidan train his Demon Hunters? Why can't she convert others to being Paladins? I must be missing something with Freethinkers? The link doesn't establish anything to show they are Paladins of any sort. Nor does the "confessors" ones that sound awfully a lot like Scarlet priests. Which are just indeed, priests.

Nor can I agree that "Zandalari Paladins" will come first or are "more established". Night Elf Paladins are feasible and understandable. The "evidence" for Zandalari Paladins just flimsy, is there any actual confirmation? Could they really be established as actual Paladins that line up with our current ones?

If anything, they sound like an entirely new class.

Fair enough, it appears i've fumbled my post a bit. Freethinkers are just part of a potential lore branch, the Prelates is the more important link. In particular:

Abilities
Judgment of the Loa-Unleashes the Loa's judgment on an enemy, inflicting 5000 Holy damage for each application of Mark of the Loa.
Light of the Loa-Blesses an ally with the light of loa, healing them for 25% of their maximum health.
Mark of the Loa-Inflicts 5000 Holy damage every second for 15 sec. This effect stacks.

Those are very clearly troll inspired variations on Paladin abilities. That combined with the implications behind the Freethinkers (and them being the suppliers for the Paladin ZG gear from vanilla) makes for what I feel is a much stronger case.

Yes Delas got a lot of development and could eventually train other Night Elves but she could also be unique. Plenty of people were expecting and in fact very excited for Nathrezim Paladins with Lothraxian but he turned out to be one of a kind. What says she won't be too?

[Khaza-R]

Yes. One of the distinctions of the Zandalar is that they supposed be strict, rigid and lawful compared to the other more primal troll tribes.

[The Stormbringer]

Humans can't be druids, the reason Gilneans have them so easily is the cultural base in the harvest witches and its natural affinity to the Worgen form. Regular humans would take a hell of a long time to even get the fundamentals.
Pandaren would kindoff defeat the purpose as then you'd have 5 Horde races to Allys 3. :P
Good question on the Draenei though. Draenei are probably the closest race Ally have to an additional viable Druidic race but there are a few stumbling blocks:

Lore:

- Lightforged make absolutely no sense as Druids. Their entire culture revolves around literally searing the light into their bodies and a neverending war with the Legion. they've never ever seen druidism, nevermind comprehending it.
- Regular Draenei have little experience in the druidic arts. They became Shaman yes but that took a lot of work and they are implied to be very rare in Draenic society. Draenor however did not have druids as we know them (Botani are something but i wouldnt go that far) so the draenei never got that experience. HOWEVER, somehow there are Lost Ones who can shift into animals like owls on Outland. How the hell that makes sense has gone completely unexplored but its an angle, albeit a shakey one.

Gameplay:
- As far as we are aware BfA is not adding any additional classes to main races. The emphasis is clearly on the Allied ones this time. Therefore with lightforged impossible, Draenei are not likely to get Druids unless we get an indication they're considering more classes for the base races.
- Adding Druids is actually a hell of a lot of work. Setting aside any extra flavour like the troll bat form, each Druid race needs at least 3 completely new models for Bear, Cat and Flight form and touchups for the other 3. This is a lot of work and is what i'd imagine the main reason we get new Druid races so rarely is. Allied Races get to cheat on this as they are likely to get only minor ammendments from the parent races model (Highmountains bolted on moose horns). This means adding Draenei Druids is a lot harder than adding the other two allied races.
- Furthermore, there is already a pretty large movement for Zandalari Druids to get dinosaur forms. If Draenei got entirely new forms i'd expect the Horde would feel they were owed the same and push that angle hard.

Personally I think they really screwed up adding Lightforged Draenei, if they'd gone with the Argus Broken then Druids would have made a lot more sense and helped sell a feature. Incidentally, they screwed up with Dark iron here too as Wildhammers could've made decent druid candidates. Now they're unlikely to come about for at least another expansion while the other 3 Ally races get their turn.

I don't care about the Horde having more, they can have more, I just want the Alliance to have more too.

As to justifications, I'm sure Blizzard could come up with something if they really wanted to.

[Sky High]

A troll inspired pally set would be sweet.

[Astalnar]

To be honest, not just Zandalari. Jungle Trolls, Night Elves, Worgen and Forsaken should be able to be Paladins too.

[Khaza-R]

Only if the Alliance gets a new Druid race. Seriously Blizzard, give me more than ugly chihuahuas and Night Elves!

You’ll get Tortollan who can be shellshifters

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To be honest, not just Zandalari. Jungle Trolls, Night Elves, Worgen and Forsaken should be able to be Paladins too.

Nah, and thank goodness it doesn’t look like they are expanding any more terrible race/class combos

[Steampunkette]

I really -deeply- hope we get Zandadins.

I've been wanting to have a Horde Palitank Raider since freaking Cataclysm, and a Zandalari would give me an amazing opportunity to do it.

Am I the only one who hates how female Belves hold their shields -behind- themselves when they enter into a combat stance? Like... honestly, what good is it going to do back there?

[Stevano]

If they made Paladins fun again, especially Retribution, it would have been fun to play a Zandalari Paladin

[Deleted]

We don't know the classes yet and I will be very surprised if they won't be able to be paladins.

[Dalheim]

Hmmm....Could you define that for me? Or is defiling corpses, butchering innocents and sacrificing people tasteful among the Zandalari society?

The Zandalari under Rastakhan doesnt do that. The followers of Zul however, do.

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I really -deeply- hope we get Zandadins.

I've been wanting to have a Horde Palitank Raider since freaking Cataclysm, and a Zandalari would give me an amazing opportunity to do it.

Am I the only one who hates how female Belves hold their shields -behind- themselves when they enter into a combat stance? Like... honestly, what good is it going to do back there?

To be fair, only human female and orc male holds their shield in a good position.

[Kazlofski]

I think Zandalari really fit as a paladin, unlike normal trolls that we have now.