(BFA) 8.1 Gnome Patch Incoming? Models and Datamining (Spoilers)

[EbaumsTipster]

While I know theres an ongoing thread about this in the Lore forums, I figured I'd bring attention to this mystery on here and include some other findings .

To start I'm going to quote user Nimzie from the Wow forums, who wrote up a great summary of findings so far.

https://us.battle.net/forums/en/wow/...2147136?page=1

Greetings, fellow nerds and nerdettes. Recently, a new discovery was made in Tiragarde. A place called 'The Rusted Vault', a massive scrap-heap, guarded with laser turrets and mecha-puppers. Here are some pictures:

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https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...4.01.48.61.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...4.04.57.82.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...4.04.38.18.png
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Now, while exploring this place, we come across a strange symbol. An anchor overlaid atop a cog. Here it is below:

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https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...4.05.19.42.png
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Strange, yes? What happened here? Well, we best turn to a nearby questgiver and see if we can get some answers. Parin Tinklocket is in a cave nearby, we can find a destroyed mech on the way. He gives us two quests, pictured below:

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https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...4.26.32.51.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...4.26.36.63.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...4.26.08.82.png
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All the gnomes have vanished from Boralus? Curious. Parin confirms these robots are of Gnomish craft, so the mystery of what happened here thickens. After doing some surveying with a flashy-floodlight, and dismantling some Hord-I mean, mecha-puppers, we turn the quests in for a couple of lines of "Thanks" dialogue, and then a speech bubble, pictured here:

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https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...4.30.45.68.png
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A cliffhanger, sadly. Nothing I can see that continues this for now. So, we've got a mystery on our hands here in Tiragarde Sound - the Gnomish population has gone missing, and the only clues are to be found here in this semi-unfinished junk heap.

So let's hear some theories! Could this be a potential tie-in to an allied race? Mechagnomes? The Blingtron war? A mass genocide of the Kul Tiras Gnome population? Exciting stuff, to be sure.

TL;DR : Gnomes have a sizable population on Kul Tiras, but all of them from Boralus have vanished. There is an area called The Rusted Vault featuring completely new gnome architecture models and a new symbol for Kul Tiran gnomes, where an Alliance gnome is looking into the disappearances and has you do a few quests before telling you he'll send in the results to Ironforge and keep you updated. You currently cannot enter the vault.

Now, this isn't the only new thing relating to gnomes in BFA. Lets go look at one of the first Alpha builds.

http://www.wowhead.com/news=281085/b...ta-build-25902


This build featured names for zones that have not been featured yet in BFA, including Nazjatar (heavily implied to be the Azshara raid) and Plunder Isle. Relating to gnomes however are the following:

8.0 Islands - Junker Gnome Caverns - Prototype

NEW Mechagnome Island

Now, we've seen neither of these islands yet in the BFA Island selection. Caverns also don't sound exactly like an Island at all, and sound more like what the Vault may lead to. What a "Junker Gnome" entails isn't exactly clear but it definitely SOUNDS like an allied race ( "___ Gnome" as opposed to "____gnome"). It's important to note that Mechagnomes don't have women... but they are closely related to Titan/Keeper things and may play a part as we move forward towards N'zoth.

Finally, a bunch of new Gnomish themed models was datamined recently (credit to Allifeur) and posted on the BFA General:




Keeping this all in mind, there seems to be a pretty heavy implication that Gnomes will play a part in a future BFA patch, or maybe even a future build of launch seeing as how Alliance side is now the focus of the art team and devs.

What do you think it all means?

EDIT: Shoutout to Marlamin for linking some new Gnome buildings!

Some buildings are in the files too. Unsure if they're used yet as they've only been in the files for like 2 weeks. Many textures and filenames have references to "junker" gnomes as well.

world/wmo/kultiras/gnome/8gn_gnome_house01.wmo
Screenshot - Modelviewer

world/wmo/kultiras/gnome/8gn_gnome_house01_ruined01.wmo (very unfinished)
Screenshot - Modelviewer

world/wmo/kultiras/gnome/8gn_gnome_house02.wmo (same as house01?)
Screenshot - Modelviewer

world/wmo/kultiras/gnome/8gn_gnome_house02_ruined01.wmo
Screenshot - Modelviewer

world/wmo/kultiras/gnome/8gn_gnome_platform01.wmo
Screenshot - Modelviewer

EDIT 5/15:



Blizz has finally added the icon for the "Cyborg Prairie Dog": it has the name "Junker" in its filename and its colors look similar to the gnome props shown in Boralus so far. It is also the ONLY "cyborg" prairie dog with the others being full robot or full regular (or undead).

[Usernameforforums]

If so, finally gnomes are getting recognition in WoW. Been since vanilla with gnomeregon and wotlk with mimiron

[The7]

...semi-unfinished junk...

Yep, looks like a new allied race for the Alliance.

[Codah]

This is cool. I really want to roll a gnome but they're so goddamn ugly. An allied gnome race that isn't balding would be the tits.

[Veldoranz]

Blizzard needs to go ahead and delete Gnomes. They were a last minute addition in Vanilla and it shows.

[EbaumsTipster]

Blizzard needs to go ahead and delete Gnomes. They were a last minute addition in Vanilla and it shows.

Oh boy, here comes the out of touch boomer-style posts.

[Azelas]

it's cool. I don't like gnomes and don't have any gnome character (as an Alliance player) but it's about time they get a bit of a spotlight, however minor.

[Cosmic Janitor]

It's iike blizzard really does not want me to like their expansion, if actually true.

[willtron]

it's cool. I don't like gnomes and don't have any gnome character (as an Alliance player) but it's about time they get a bit of a spotlight, however minor.

No, takes away from modelling another Horde Warchief. The only thing that matters in the game.

[Deleted]

Seems like a reskin of most vanilla gnome furniture models. Nothing relevant for itself.

[Dracullus]

If Mechagnomes will be a thing, I think it's possible that we will get 7 or 8 AR per faction. If this is a case, I think we will get:

Alliance
- Turalyon: Lightforged
- Alleria: Void Elves
- Moira: Dark Iron
- Genn Greymane: Kul Tiran
- Mekkatorque: Mechagnomes
- Velen: Broken from Argus
- Tyrande: I'm not sure (Night Elf Worgens?)
- Aysa: Jinju

Horde
- Liadrin: Nightborne
- Baine: Highmountain
- Eltrigg: Mag'har
- Rokhan: Zandalari
- Nathanos: Sen'yan
- Gallywix: Vulpera
- Ji Firepaw: Hozen

Problem is, Horde 8th NPC was Saurfang and he's no longer there. So either they add another NPC or someone from Alliance won't bring new race.

[Deleted]

I recall in wotlk the titan mecha gnome was reversing the curse of flesh on gnomes.

I'm guessing here is the same, but this leads to mecha gnomes allied race.

- - - Updated - - -

If Mechagnomes will be a thing, I think it's possible that we will get 7 or 8 AR per faction. If this is a case, I think we will get:

Alliance
- Turalyon: Lightforged
- Alleria: Void Elves
- Moira: Dark Iron
- Genn Greymane: Kul Tiran
- Mekkatorque: Mechagnomes
- Velen: Broken from Argus
- Tyrande: I'm not sure (Night Elf Worgens?)
- Aysa: Jinju

Horde
- Liadrin: Nightborne
- Baine: Highmountain
- Eltrigg: Mag'har
- Rokhan: Zandalari
- Nathanos: Sen'yan
- Gallywix: Vulpera
- Ji Firepaw: Hozen

Problem is, Horde 8th NPC was Saurfang and he's no longer there. So either they add another NPC or someone from Alliance won't bring new race.

I think I missed something on how this list was constructed, but for the 8th AR I'm guessing Mok Nathal?

[therealbowser]

Gnomes will get a patch dedicated to them when hell freezes over. That's well beyond what's too good to be true... I won't believe that they'll get a patch focused on them (let alone solely dedicated to) until it's released and playable.

If they are getting any attention at all though, that's a huge deal and very exciting!

I've theorized (not actually expected, purely wishful thinking) that Mechagnomes might potentially be considered as an allied race, but I didn't think it had even a remote chance of happening. I still don't think it's going to happen, really... but this does open that door at least. It's technically possible now.

If Mechagnomes will be a thing, I think it's possible that we will get 7 or 8 AR per faction. If this is a case, I think we will get:

Alliance
- Turalyon: Lightforged
- Alleria: Void Elves
- Moira: Dark Iron
- Genn Greymane: Kul Tiran
- Mekkatorque: Mechagnomes
- Velen: Broken from Argus
- Tyrande: I'm not sure (Night Elf Worgens?)
- Aysa: Jinju

Horde
- Liadrin: Nightborne
- Baine: Highmountain
- Eltrigg: Mag'har
- Rokhan: Zandalari
- Nathanos: Sen'yan
- Gallywix: Vulpera
- Ji Firepaw: Hozen

Problem is, Horde 8th NPC was Saurfang and he's no longer there. So either they add another NPC or someone from Alliance won't bring new race.

Stop this madness; there isn't a need to derail every thread with allied race theories. If you want to talk about mechagnomes, that would be fine, but the rest of this is just really, really out there and has almost nothing to do with the post.

Either way, mechagnomes would be really cool, but they have not been confirmed or even really hinted at yet. Let's not jump to conclusions just yet. First the race itself must be confirmed, after that we can consider what it might imply for anything else.

[EbaumsTipster]

I recall in wotlk the titan mecha gnome was reversing the curse of flesh on gnomes.

I'm guessing here is the same, but this leads to mecha gnomes allied race.

I actually think it'll be an inbetween Mecha-Flesh gnome freak, similar to the Void Elves. It would be a quick way to give them a buddy with a similar affliction (guys forcibly changed due to void/old god shenanigans) and cyborg Gnomes would be a different aesthetic that hasn't been done before.

[Vynestra]

If Mechagnomes will be a thing, I think it's possible that we will get 7 or 8 AR per faction. If this is a case, I think we will get:

Alliance
- Turalyon: Lightforged
- Alleria: Void Elves
- Moira: Dark Iron
- Genn Greymane: Kul Tiran
- Mekkatorque: Mechagnomes
- Velen: Broken from Argus
- Tyrande: I'm not sure (Night Elf Worgens?)
- Aysa: Jinju

Horde
- Liadrin: Nightborne
- Baine: Highmountain
- Eltrigg: Mag'har
- Rokhan: Zandalari
- Nathanos: Sen'yan
- Gallywix: Vulpera
- Ji Firepaw: Hozen

Problem is, Horde 8th NPC was Saurfang and he's no longer there. So either they add another NPC or someone from Alliance won't bring new race.

I still don't see how hozen/jinyu are an allied race.

[Phaelia]

I still don't see how hozen/jinyu are an allied race.

Because they literally are Horde and Alliance allies, respectively?

[Jorgee]

My main is a gnome, has been since about late B.C., but didn't really get into the action until Wrath. I'm looking forward to seeing where they take this...

[Dracullus]

I recall in wotlk the titan mecha gnome was reversing the curse of flesh on gnomes.

I'm guessing here is the same, but this leads to mecha gnomes allied race.

- - - Updated - - -



I think I missed something on how this list was constructed, but for the 8th AR I'm guessing Mok Nathal?

Mok Nathal is actually very good guess. Maybe even Saurfang return at some point of story and help our recruit them or just Rexxar will join Embassy.

I base this list on NPCs that sits in each Embassy. There is Sylvanas/Anduin (they leave after you recruit race) + 7/8 important NPC, not necessary faction leaders. There is theory that Blizzard put them early to hint all races that will be available in BfA patches.

So far 3/8 on each faction are kinda confirmed and we know that Rokhan/Genn are working pretty closely with Zandalari/Kul Tirans. Also future hinted races (Vulpera, Sen'yan, now Mechagnomes) fits perfectly to other NPCs in Embassy that don't have "their" race yet. So this theory is pretty valid.

I still don't see how hozen/jinyu are an allied race.

Honestly, for me their are least interesting and don't fit as well as other AR. But I can't deny that for some reason Aysa/Ji are sitting in Embassy and Jinju/Hozen have outposts in Boralus/Zuldazar.

[EbaumsTipster]

Because they literally are Horde and Alliance allies, respectively?

Right, but Jinyu and Hozen don't have distinguishable women, and only Jinyu shares animations with another existing race.

[frogger237]

If they seriously half ass another Ally allied race and give Horde something as amazing as Vulpera I'm going to be pissed.

Also if they don't give the Horde Vulpera I'm going to be pissed I really want to race change my goblin shaman to Vulpera, its the only char I haven't been completely happy with.