A case for Zandalari Druid Feral and Guardian Forms

[Sethrak]

Hello, and thanks for clicking on this link. I'm going to have to preface this by saying I know Blizzard said that Zandalari Druids were not going to be getting any special forms besides their Travel Form (which they said was going to be a raptor). However, I believe that since we also got a Flight Form that Blizzard may have changed their mind on what Zandalari Druids will be using as their shapeshift forms and I will be assuming that they did. If this upsets you then please stop reading now and have a nice day. Now back to the topic at hand, due to recent evidence I feel like it was necessary to compile all information about what the Zandalari Druid Feral and Guardian forms may be. Notice I said Feral and Guardian, this is because I think Zandalari won't be getting your standard Cat and Bear form but will get a Ravasaur and Direhorn form. We already have seen the Travel Forms which look absolutely amazing in my opinion and are allow us to peer into what Blizzard could have in store for us in Battle for Azeroth.

The Evidence

In the first Alpha build for BfA under the "Uncategorized Spells" spells like Ravasaur Form, Direhorn Form, and a second Direhorn Form were added into the game. This is significant because they are in the same section as Form of the Great Eagle which we know is the Highmountain Flight Form.

Looking at the form changes they all stem from a Zandalari druid named Loti and I think she is giving us a preview of what Zandalari druids will be transforming into. The good thing about the Direhorn and Ravasaur form is that we already have models to base the Incarnation form on, for the Direhorn you have the armored direhorns from the Throne of Thunder and for the Ravasaur it can be based off from the recently added Raptor Loa.
Now in the most recent build we gained access to Zuldazar which and while I combed through the images this instantly made me think of this theory again.

Raptari Druid... I'm going to let that sink in. Also, if you check out what the male troll is saying he calls the druid a "raptor fanatic". Now this could mean the druid is specialized in their ground travel form but I think their Feral Form is actually going to be a raptor.

The Possibilities

In Hearthstone there is a Tortollan Druid that chooses to transform into either a Raptor with Stealth, a Direhorn with Taunt or a Devilsaur with both if you have Fandral on the field since he combines your choose one effects. Now who do you think taught this Tortollan how to be a druid, well my theory is that the Zandalari did. Now I know this is just Hearthstone but the team has inspired the WoW team before by adding Tortollan into the game.

Conclusion

Now I know I just talked about the Zandalari in this post but the customization doesn't have to end with them. If you could, imagine a Tauren druid that doesn't transform into a bear but a Kodo or a Worgen that transforms into a wolf instead of a cat. These options would be glyphs or something related to a class quest like Warlock's green fire but I just want to hear people's opinion on how likely they think this will be and how hyped they would be if this were true.

[Rukario]

Interesting theory, i think it would be fun to have Zandalari with dino forms.
Actually i think it would only make sense...so yeah, let me change from my raptor travel form into a cat so i can fight you...that would stupid as fk wouldn't it?

[Khrux]

The possibilities? Endless.

What blizzard will actually invest time and resources into? Nothing.

Ion has explicitly said bears and cats are staying as bears and cats, because it makes sense based on abilities names and people know a bear is a guardian druid, a cat is a feral druid etc. This is all bullshit, but the game director made this statement so its all that matters.

The different forms datamined from BfA are an npc spell, because Zandalari have been "Dinomancers" for years. Something similar, but not the same as Druids. We're not getting dinosaur forms for anything other than flight, and no matter what reason Blizzard make up, it comes down to a single decision - time and resources.**

**(They'll be unofficially tied into a contract with players that states they must now deliver new forms for every race all over again, if they gave Zanda's dino forms)

[Rukario]

The possibilities? Endless.

What blizzard will actually invest time and resources into? Nothing.

Ion has explicitly said bears and cats are staying as bears and cats, because it makes sense based on abilities names and people know a bear is a guardian druid, a cat is a feral druid etc. This is all bullshit, but the game director made this statement so its all that matters.

The different forms datamined from BfA are an npc spell, because Zandalari have been "Dinomancers" for years. Something similar, but not the same as Druids. We're not getting dinosaur forms for anything other than flight, and no matter what reason Blizzard make up, it comes down to a single decision - time and resources.**

**(They'll be unofficially tied into a contract with players that states they must now deliver new forms for every race all over again, if they gave Zanda's dino forms)

Ion also said no huge class changes would be made...have seen the alpha footage?

I am not saying the odds high, but i wouldn't trust anything the devs say

[Kathranis]

Unless they change the name of those forms to something other than Cat Form and Bear Form, it's not happening. The reason they have leeway to do different stuff with Travel Form, Aquatic Form, and Flight Form is that the names are non-specific.

At this point there's no reason to think they'll be changing those names, though it's certainly always a possibility for the future.

[ChairmanKaga]

Unless they change the name of those forms to something other than Cat Form and Bear Form, it's not happening.

Uh aren't they called Feral and Guardian officially not Cat and Bear?

[Deleted]

There is no way blizzard will add new form for druid when they give it only to horde.

[Kathranis]

Uh aren't they called Feral and Guardian officially not Cat and Bear?

[ChairmanKaga]

I don't have a druid, so they named the Specs one thing but left the spell form names that way. That seems odd. Why not just name the specs bear and cat then?

[Deleted]

They should have disassociated feral and guardian forms from cats and bears years ago. Wish my Worgen druid became a wolf not a cat

[kaid]

Unless they change the name of those forms to something other than Cat Form and Bear Form, it's not happening. The reason they have leeway to do different stuff with Travel Form, Aquatic Form, and Flight Form is that the names are non-specific.

At this point there's no reason to think they'll be changing those names, though it's certainly always a possibility for the future.

It would be pretty simple to just change it to guardian form and feral form which then opens up more options for future druid classes or even existing ones.

[Zorish]

while i am not againts your theory... There still one big flaw in it.
The big sh**storm from Aliance playerbase (till they do something for their druids), and little from horde. And then even biggest from both when priests, paladins and DK start demanding same treatement for their skills (sun, "bloody", pale, loa light for paladins, shadow (+paladins list) for priest, void/fire/blood/frost for DK).

[ChairmanKaga]

while i am not againts your theory... There still one big flaw in it.
The big sh**storm from Aliance playerbase (till they do something for their druids), and little from horde. And then even biggest from both when priests, paladins and DK start demanding same treatement for their skills (sun, "bloody", pale, loa light for paladins, shadow (+paladins list) for priest, void/fire/blood/frost for DK).

Aside from adjusting Druid forms for Ally (like making Worgen's not cats etc) what is this rest of this gibberish short hand?

[dcc626]

Ion also said no huge class changes would be made...have seen the alpha footage?

I am not saying the odds high, but i wouldn't trust anything the devs say

actually, he said only classes like demonology and survival would get larger scale changes. like they have on the alpha.

[Rukario]

actually, he said only classes like demonology and survival would get larger scale changes. like they have on the alpha.

Again, have you looked at the footage...

[Amnaught]

**(They'll be unofficially tied into a contract with players that states they must now deliver new forms for every race all over again, if they gave Zanda's dino forms)

Fuck off maybe I want my Kodo Guardian form

[Edlarel]

Here's an option. Give druids their own tab in the transmog closet that lets them pick their form. This opens up options for druids to go "collect" forms similar to how we collect leather now. Then they can introduce these forms by making them drops in raids from bosses that make sense.

This means you can keep your "traditional" look that blends some of your racial stuff in, or change it like the mage tower appearance from artifacts.

Then, when they introduce tinkers in the next expansion for the races that don't have druids (pandaren will get druids instead), they each get to use that tab too!

[Leodok]

The Darkspear druids were teached by a Loa named Gonk. It's a raptor Loa. If it was a similar situation with the Zandalari (which is likely, since Gonk is there), it makes sense for troll druids - any troll druids - to be called raptor fanatics, even if they don't specialize in their raptor form.


About delivering new forms for the other races... would it really be that hard? There's already a lot of high quality models they could use as new worgen, tauren, troll and night elf druid forms.

[Yarathir]

At the very least, I hope we get a glyph to change bear into Direhorn form. I'm okay with cat remaining cat, because I have no idea what the alternative could be. Devilsaur are too big, and raptors are already the travel form.

Aquatic form should be a Threshadon, though.

[Sethrak]

while i am not againts your theory... There still one big flaw in it.
The big sh**storm from Aliance playerbase (till they do something for their druids), and little from horde. And then even biggest from both when priests, paladins and DK start demanding same treatement for their skills (sun, "bloody", pale, loa light for paladins, shadow (+paladins list) for priest, void/fire/blood/frost for DK).

This is true I'm sure the Alliance would be upset, but this void/fire DK stuff is interesting to me I don't see how you get void and fire from Unholy/Frost/Blood but I'm open to more customization with glyphs.

Uh aren't they called Feral and Guardian officially not Cat and Bear?

I remember them being changed to this also but on live it still says Cat and Bear.

The Darkspear druids were teached by a Loa named Gonk. It's a raptor Loa. If it was a similar situation with the Zandalari (which is likely, since Gonk is there), it makes sense for troll druids - any troll druids - to be called raptor fanatics, even if they don't specialize in their raptor form.


About delivering new forms for the other races... would it really be that hard? There's already a lot of high quality models they could use as new worgen, tauren, troll and night elf druid forms.

Yeah I see where your coming from here.

At the very least, I hope we get a glyph to change bear into Direhorn form. I'm okay with cat remaining cat, because I have no idea what the alternative could be. Devilsaur are too big, and raptors are already the travel form.

Aquatic form should be a Threshadon, though.

Yeah Threshadon would be pretty sweet, or a shark. I'm all for glyph improvements and changes.