Main thread: No Zandalari Paladins?

[Netherspark]

Going to repost what I said in the Beta thread:

Player paladins are holy light-worshipping protectors of the innocent. Their gameplay, armor, spells, visuals and in-game lore are based entirely and solely on the concept of the original Silver Hand paladins, and this does not, nor ever will fit any kind of Troll. Look at the Sunwalkers as an example: Blizzard touted them as being their own separate thing, "they're not really paladins, they're Sunwalkers". But the reality is that in terms of gameplay, presentation and hell even lore now, Tauren Paladins are not sunwalkers, they are Silver Hand-style paladins. And it doesn't suit them at all.

So it's all well and good to say, "hey they're Prelates, not Paladins" but at the end of the day they are going to look and play exactly like a Silver Hand paladin, casting Holy Light and Hammer of the Righteous. Calling an apple a banana doesn't make it a banana.

In lore there are no Troll paladins, there are no Tauren paladins; there are Prelates and Sunwalkers, but you cannot play as a Sunwalker or a Prelate because the playable class is only portrayed as a light-worshipping Silver Hand-type paladin. Player paladins, whether Human, Blood Elf, Tauren or whatever are only one thing - normal Silver Hand type paladins. "Sunwalker" and "Prelate" are just empty words, because there is nothing that differentiates them from actual Paladins. A Troll paladin would not be a "Prelate", they would be a regular Paladin. And that does not fit the race at all.

They all wear the same armor and use the same spells. If Blizzard were to bother giving them their own spell effects and names that would be a different story, but as it stands Sunwalkers and Prelates do not exist for player characters - there are only Paladins.

[Chromu]

... Zandalari Freethinkers as paladins.... easier make gnomes paladins first.

Zandalari extract their power from nature, not from the light - LOA are PART OF NATURE, not LIGHT. People believe that freethinkers are paladins because a vendor long gone that gave paladin pieces to alliance players back in Zul Gurub raid. Same with Prelates. Prelates use paladin themed abilities, not that they are paladins.

In my opinion, Zandalari could only be paladins if, and if, dark iron could be druids. Not because of lore, but because of race balance and fairness. Trolls can already be 10 classes (except paladin and DH), the same as dwarves (except druid and DH).

And can you really believe in dark iron druids?

Allied races are done as mirror images between alliance and horde.
Void Elven: 7 classes - Nightborne: 7 classes
LF Draenei: 5 classes - Highmountain: 5 classes
Dark Iron: 8 classes - Zandalari = 8 classes

Dark iron probably will be: warrior, rogue, priest, warlock, shaman(or monk), mage, hunter and paladin...

see mirror image rule.

[Missed]

... Zandalari Freethinkers as paladins.... easier make gnomes paladins first.

Zandalari extract their power from nature, not from the light - LOA are PART OF NATURE, not LIGHT. People believe that freethinkers are paladins because a vendor long gone that gave paladin pieces to alliance players back in Zul Gurub raid. Same with Prelates. Prelates use paladin themed abilities, not that they are paladins.

In my opinion, Zandalari could only be paladins if, and if, dark iron could be druids. Not because of lore, but because of race balance and fairness. Trolls can already be 10 classes (except paladin and DH), the same as dwarves (except druid and DH).

And can you really believe in dark iron druids?

Allied races are done as mirror images between alliance and horde.
Void Elven: 7 classes - Nightborne: 7 classes
LF Draenei: 5 classes - Highmountain: 5 classes
Dark Iron: 8 classes - Zandalari = 8 classes

Dark iron probably will be: warrior, rogue, priest, warlock, shaman(or monk), mage, hunter and paladin...

see mirror image rule.

Nonsense. There isn't a single race apart from of course humans that better fits a Paladin class. They're regal and run a society built on religious beliefs. Paladins would fit Zandalari better than warriors, nevermind other classes.

[Deleted]

I'm glad it didn't happen. Last thing I wanted to see was trolls dressed up like Uther or Arthas.

So you're fine with Midgets,space goats,elves and cows being dressed up as uther or arthas.But it's absurd to see a slightly taller humanoid then human dressed up as uther or arthas.

[Funky Kong]

Just because you want something doesn't mean you're entitled to it. I wanted Lightforged Monks but that never happened.

[Missed]

Going to repost what I said in the Beta thread:

Player paladins are holy light-worshipping protectors of the innocent. Their gameplay, armor, spells, visuals and in-game lore are based entirely and solely on the concept of the original Silver Hand paladins, and this does not, nor ever will fit any kind of Troll. Look at the Sunwalkers as an example: Blizzard touted them as being their own separate thing, "they're not really paladins, they're Sunwalkers". But the reality is that in terms of gameplay, presentation and hell even lore now, Tauren Paladins are not sunwalkers, they are Silver Hand-style paladins. And it doesn't suit them at all.

So it's all well and good to say, "hey they're Prelates, not Paladins" but at the end of the day they are going to look and play exactly like a Silver Hand paladin, casting Holy Light and Hammer of the Righteous. Calling an apple a banana doesn't make it a banana.

In lore there are no Troll paladins, there are no Tauren paladins; there are Prelates and Sunwalkers, but you cannot play as a Sunwalker or a Prelate because the playable class is only portrayed as a light-worshipping Silver Hand-type paladin. Player paladins, whether Human, Blood Elf, Tauren or whatever are only one thing - normal Silver Hand type paladins. "Sunwalker" and "Prelate" are just empty words, because there is nothing that differentiates them from actual Paladins. A Troll paladin would not be a "Prelate", they would be a regular Paladin. And that does not fit the race at all.

They all wear the same armor and use the same spells. If Blizzard were to bother giving them their own spell effects and names that would be a different story, but as it stands Sunwalkers and Prelates do not exist for player characters - there are only Paladins.

Of course. Also, all rogues use the same abilities, although Im pretty sure cultural and social differences between races would have a human rogue use different skills than a troll rogue.
What you're talking about goes without saying. Of course they can't replace "holy" with "loa". That doesnt mean a Tauren paladin is your classic human pally only cause the skills are named the same.

[Poppets]

@Netherspark
Not all "Paladins" were based on the Silverhand formula. I still have the original polearm u got if u levelled a Blood Elf Blood Knight. You got ur own tabard, u got seal of blood. The quest u got as a Blood Knight was nothing along the lines of Silver Hand. The level 40 epic mount quest was very different for Blood Knights than their holier-than-thou Silver Hand counterparts. Now that the Sunwell has been cleansed and is more "light" based( saying that i also know that at some point the very naaru that powers the sunwell was consumed by void) I can understand the Blood Knights that were are no more. It is a travesty that Tauren werent given the same chance to shine that the original Blood Knights had to be different even if it was surface deep (mount quest/tabard/spells). Tabards would be nice to get back for each "Paladin" order and maybe just a seal or two difference in naming/effect.

To further go along with what Missed is saying. Druids. Troll druids are not ur Cenarius nelf/tauren druids neither are the worgen. Since we are apparently getting Zandalari locks, those dont even fit the Demoniacs style however to Blizz they are close enuff to suit. Priest....gnomes! Goblins, shamans priest (lets face it goblins dont really fit most classes lol) So there are multiple examples of races getting classes despite it not "fitting" the status quo of what we think they should be.

[Yuelle]

This sucks so much. I was looking foward to Zandalari paladin SO MUCH, they've been hinting at it forever and they just give us these boring choices instead. Meanwhile dark iron will get paladin and shaman. Right... Loosen up, Blizzard.

[Missed]

@Netherspark
Not all "Paladins" were based on the Silverhand formula. I still have the original polearm u got if u levelled a Blood Elf Blood Knight. You got ur own tabard, u got seal of blood. The quest u got as a Blood Knight was nothing along the lines of Silver Hand. The level 40 epic mount quest was very different for Blood Knights than their holier-than-thou Silver Hand counterparts. Now that the Sunwell has been cleansed and is more "light" based( saying that i also know that at some point the very naaru that powers the sunwell was consumed by void) I can understand the Blood Knights that were are no more. It is a travesty that Tauren werent given the same chance to shine that the original Blood Knights had to be different even if it was surface deep (mount quest/tabard/spells). Tabards would be nice to get back for each "Paladin" order and maybe just a seal or two difference in naming/effect.

To further go along with what Missed is saying. Druids. Troll druids are not ur Cenarius nelf/tauren druids neither are the worgen. Since we are apparently getting Zandalari locks, those dont even fit the Demoniacs style however to Blizz they are close enuff to suit. Priest....gnomes! Goblins, shamans priest (lets face it goblins dont really fit most classes lol) So there are multiple examples of races getting classes despite it not "fitting" the status quo of what we think they should be.

exactly why I think this is a missed opportunity.

[Poppets]

same i really wanted to roll Zandalari, but the husband cant roll Pala with them. I would feel too guilty playing the race he wanted so badly. He uses that Darkspear troll trinket off every cd >.<

[Missed]

This sucks so much. I was looking foward to Zandalari paladin SO MUCH, they've been hinting at it forever and they just give us these boring choices instead. Meanwhile dark iron will get paladin and shaman. Right... Loosen up, Blizzard.

Boring choices indeed. As it stands the Zandalari as a society, are lacking warrior-priests. And to be honest, considering their lore and culture, it makes no sense not to have them.

- - - Updated - - -

same i really wanted to roll Zandalari, but the husband cant roll Pala with them. I would feel too guilty playing the race he wanted to badly.

I never got to play paladin. First because im a Horde only kind of guy since warcraft 2, second cause I really dislike blood elves. This would have given me the chance to freshen up my game a bit.
As it stands I cant see any class that really gets me as zandalari. I already play Trolls, and they satisfy my shamanistic, natural, tribal needs. Zandalari are supposed to be more regal. Theyre not supposed to feel THAT tribal.

Ah well...

[MrDragon]

Just because you want something doesn't mean you're entitled to it. I wanted Lightforged Monks but that never happened.

I personally say you should be entitled to have a Lightforged Monk, it's such a cool combo.

[Aeula]

How can they justify Cow Paladins and not Zandalari? The former has literally 0 reason to exist beyond memes. The latter exists in lore.

[Poppets]

oh that reminds me...how do they Lightforge now...without Xera? and surely...any race/class should be able to Lightforge....sory offtopic >.<

[Faerillis]

... Zandalari Freethinkers as paladins.... easier make gnomes paladins first.

Zandalari extract their power from nature, not from the light - LOA are PART OF NATURE, not LIGHT. People believe that freethinkers are paladins because a vendor long gone that gave paladin pieces to alliance players back in Zul Gurub raid. Same with Prelates. Prelates use paladin themed abilities, not that they are paladins.

In my opinion, Zandalari could only be paladins if, and if, dark iron could be druids. Not because of lore, but because of race balance and fairness. Trolls can already be 10 classes (except paladin and DH), the same as dwarves (except druid and DH).

And can you really believe in dark iron druids?

Allied races are done as mirror images between alliance and horde.
Void Elven: 7 classes - Nightborne: 7 classes
LF Draenei: 5 classes - Highmountain: 5 classes
Dark Iron: 8 classes - Zandalari = 8 classes

Dark iron probably will be: warrior, rogue, priest, warlock, shaman(or monk), mage, hunter and paladin...

see mirror image rule.

Loa aren't part of Nature. Loa are any great entity that Trolls praise and that is just the term they use. Not all Loa are Wild Gods for example, many are entities from the Shadowlands as well. In fact it would not be at all a stretch for some Trolls to have treated a Naaru of some caliber OR whatever aspect of Elune is wrapped around the Naaru and Light as a Loa and could have gotten their powers from there.

Now I would have played a Zandalari Paladin, I was excited for them, but we Hordies made out like Bandits and I am pretty damn sure that they were in development and Blizzard pulled them because giving the Horde an extra Paladin would stir up more shit than them not giving Zandalari that class despite it absolutely existing in the lore. In fact, I am pretty damn sure that our Collector's Edition Mount is so cool by comparison because it was originally going to be the Pally Mount for the Zandalari.

My biggest hope for the Zandalari Prelates is that Blizzard actually gives a reason in-game for their exclusion. Perhaps all the Prelates have aligned themselves with The Prophet Zul and thus wouldn't be playable since he's an antagonist, or maybe they all had deployed to the Isle of Thunder and were wiped out by player characters. As long as Blizzard acknowledges that yes, they 100% were a thing.

[Barnabas]

How can they justify Cow Paladins and not Zandalari? The former has literally 0 reason to exist beyond memes. The latter exists in lore.

zandalari only get 8 classes to play and paladin wasnt picked? it's a pretty simple concept.

[Faerillis]

oh that reminds me...how do they Lightforge now...without Xera? and surely...any race/class should be able to Lightforge....sory offtopic >.<

They don't really go into it but it seems like, at least with what we've seen in game and in the Audio-Drama, Xera can forcibly Lightforge people but that the process for willing participants is known to the Army of the Light — Turalyon wasn't assaulted either. But yes it would be possible for almost all races/classes to become Lightforged, Void Elves and Undead excluded obviously.

[Aeula]

zandalari only get 8 classes to play and paladin wasnt picked? it's a pretty simple concept.

Why should they only get 8 classes? What's the point in setting a number?

[Syegfryed]

That's not the point. The point is that the very art and style of a human pretty white knight will be applied to a Zandalari troll, in return completely killing their art and style. If they make Zandalari paladin armor with leather, chainmail and warrior plate styles, then that's fine. If they're going to look like Uther, then it isn't.

its gameplay mechanics, im totally fine with that, you can fix with your own transmog

with so many races different from humans as paladin, blizzard can start to giving other paladin development and asthetics and not only human centric, because at least trolls and taurens will be different fom human/elf draenei shenanigans.

[Barnabas]

Why should they only get 8 classes? What's the point in setting a number?

for game balance reasons. its why troll only gets 10.