The Alliance needs a Barbarian Race

[Florena]

Alliance already has Human, Smaller Human, even smaller human ... even Worgen are Humans that turn into Human Dogs ... you can describe both elves as Purple humans with point ears and then you have two space goat squids.

Then orcs are big green humans, goblins little green humans, tauren big furry humans, blood elves pointy eared bumans, trolls blue lanky humans...

[Deleted]

There's nothing in the Alliance that states/implies homogeneity. What would be interesting is if there was a more barbaric race that joined the Alliance and had different ideals of nobility and justice.

what about the fact that in practice every race in the alliance has assimilated to the mold of Human.
Even the night elves who where pretty much druids and amazonians, now they're just kind of... tree Asians, who outside of religion apply the same cultural norms as humans despite being seen as demonic forest spirits by the orc less than a single generation.
I mean you had literal aliens land on the planet and they instantly became blue humans. if that's not cultural homogeneity oxford need to redefine it in the dictionary.

Now that I think about it night elves don't even really have their own religion now. Elune kind of becoming a aspect of the light, being the mother moon who guides her children in the dark. that's pretty much just the light, you know the light of Elune and all that jazz.

[Unholyground]

Height isn't really a problem as it can be readily changed/retconned. Similar to how Zandalari average 10' in-lore and like 7'-ish in-game. Same applies to tauren and ogres, which are both around 10' in lore with tauren be shrunken down to 8' for gameplay purposes.

Dude, Tauren STILL have trouble getting under things mounted, there are tons of places other races just easily move by and Tauren get stuck, so ya if they make them smaller than Tauren sure lol.

[Riistov]

Alliance needs something, that's for sure.

Short end of the stick in terms of allied races, bigger raiding scene horde side, bigger m+ scene horde side, bigger pvp scene horde side, better racials for pvp and pve. The alliance raiding scene has been bleeding out for the past couple expansions, this could be the final nail in the coffin.

[Techno-Druid]

Let's see: besides Humans, Alliance already has 1 short race (soon 2), 1 tiny race, 1 animal race, 2 weird/demon/spacegoat races, 2 Elven races (just like Horde).
Frankly I don't see any "need" to diversify, and Kul'Tirans look "barbarian" enough to me.
Alliance doesn't "need" any race added, it's just the OP looking for reasons to get Vrykul added because he happens to like them, but I believe their chances to become playable are close to zero because of their size causing obvious problems.
And frankly, I don't think a giant human would add any more value to the game than a fat human.

Explain how Kul Tirans fill the barbarian archetype?

Not knocking them, because they do fill a sort of strongman role, but they're far from barbarians. In fact they are the second race outside of standard playable humans to basically be culturally human. A barbarian race, whether vrykul, Wildhammers or furbolgs would at the very least clash aesthetically and culturally with the other races.

I don't understand why the Alliance needs to be a one-dimensional faction.

[Zandalarian Paladin]

Last time i checked heavy lifters don't have beer belly. This KT human have bigger beer belly than fcking dwarf.

Also female heavy lifters don't looks like this abomination you call female KT. Looks like the heaviest thing she lifted in her life was bowl.

So yes, they have a beer belly, but that's it.

[Deleted]

So yes, they have a beer belly, but that's it.

Those women have clearly defined muscular arm and leg muscles, they LOOK like a power house. The Kultiran females, however, do not have a clearly defined arm and leg muscles, they just look chubby. I would love to see them actually get some proper muscle definition, infact all it would take is probably a change on the texture for arms and legs.

[Zandalarian Paladin]

Those women have clearly defined muscular arm and leg muscles, they LOOK like a power house. The Kultiran females, however, do not have a clearly defined arm and leg muscles, they just look chubby. I would love to see them actually get some proper muscle definition, infact all it would take is probably a change on the texture for arms and legs.

They've already got it, mostly. I don't disagree that the female model could use a more defined muscle texture, but the 3D model is already on point.

[Broken Fox]

Should take notes from the Diablo art team

[Dellis0991]

Maybe not short term, for this expansion, but long term the Alliance could really benefit from having a more primitive/tribal race, for cultural and ideological diversity. Obviously the more barbarian-leaning races have traditionally been reserved for the Horde, but with the Horde having three races that can be considered a part of high civilizations (Blood Elves, Nightborne and Zandalar), more primitive races may actually make great counterparts to the high culture Horde-side.

The issue arises with what could fit within the Alliance. Personally, I think there are only four established races that fit the bill:
- Wildhammer Dwarves
- Vrykul
- Furbolgs
- Broken

Three of these are somewhat problematic though as they would end up being secondary allied races to races that already have them.

Tell me what you think.

We still don't know who Tyrande and Malfurion will introduce but its either furblogs, dryad or dark trolls (I just dreaming so don't hurt me)...but I would roll a vrykul in a heartbeat.

[Techno-Druid]

They've already got it, mostly. I don't disagree that the female model could use a more defined muscle texture, but the 3D model is already on point.

Really it's the faces of Kul Tirans that bother me. Female Kul Tirans just look so dead inside and the male Kul Tirans just have weird ape faces with pumpkin chins. Not major changes, but it would be nice if their faces were more angular.

[Deleted]

Humans are the perfect Barbarian race though. Problem is WoW doesn't have many items that look barbaric, that's why most Orcs who are very "barbaric" look like standard Humans because the armor is just full-plate for Warriors.

Look at Varian as a Gladiator, he was basically Conan, THE most iconic Barbarian.

[Paraka]

I know...

... Savage Elves.

[Deleted]

Tideskorn Vyrkul fit the bill.

[EbaumsTipster]

Really it's the faces of Kul Tirans that bother me. Female Kul Tirans just look so dead inside and the male Kul Tirans just have weird ape faces with pumpkin chins. Not major changes, but it would be nice if their faces were more angular.

The men have two faces, one is a scarred version of the other, and the women have a single flat face. It's hard to judge when it's so incomplete.

[bufferunderrun]

the problem with the alliance is that every new race you give them they become human lapdog, vrykuls aren't added because they couldn't write a credible story for them being under Anduin leadership, size mean nothing.

[seleri]

Vrykul or gnolls (mostly because I want to see what playable gnolls would look like). Kul Tiran don't fit the barbarian niche at all.

[Deleted]

Initially the Night Elves were kind of noble savages, the barbaric race of druids and amazons. It was ruined later and now they're nothing but a clumsy hippie fairies, anyway... if any existing Alliance race would be made more barbaric, NE should be the first going that way.

About Kul Tirans... They're not barbaric. They are harsh, ruthless and strong. But there is nothing wild in them. I like them still, anyway, also I think females need more ruthles and angry facial options. But Kul Tiras are as civilised, as Gilneans or Stormwind humans.

[Zandalarian Paladin]

I know...

... Savage Elves.

Not to be a party pooper, but that’s what Trolls, the race, are. Elves have trolls as ancestors, literally. They’ve just evolved past it.

Trolls are savage elves.

[Deleted]

Explain how Kul Tirans fill the barbarian archetype?

Not knocking them, because they do fill a sort of strongman role, but they're far from barbarians. In fact they are the second race outside of standard playable humans to basically be culturally human. A barbarian race, whether vrykul, Wildhammers or furbolgs would at the very least clash aesthetically and culturally with the other races.

I don't understand why the Alliance needs to be a one-dimensional faction.

Then please explain to me what is the point of the "barbarian" archetype from a player perspective besides lore, which we can already enjoy because of the NPCs?

You cite Wildhammer Dwarves - who actually are just closer to nature than other Dwarven tribes, and they're not savages – and furbolgs – who will never be an allied race (since they are not related to any of the current playable models) and have a very low chance of ever becoming a new playable race.

I mean, what's the difference between a Widhammer, a Dark Iron or a Bronzebeard Paladin once you cover them from head to toe with the Judgement amor set? At the and of the day, from a player perspective a DI dwarf is just a dwarf with red eyes and greyish skin, and a WH is a regular Dwarf with tattoos which are going to get hidden by most amor sets anyway (unless you enjoy hairy short men in slutmogs).