Would a neutral "race" group actually work? Could it fix problematic faction issues?

[Mace]

Note: This is not a 3rd faction, it's still only 2 factions, neutral race characters must choose a side to align with.

I wonder if this could really fix a lot of the problems with faction identity, race squabbles can cause without breaking the games 2 faction system. It's not a 3rd faction, only 2 playable factions exist, but these independent races allow the individual to choose.

This will move certain races to the neutral column. Meaning they are independent races whose individuals can choose to join either the horde or the alliance. This is not a 3rd faction, only 2 playable factions exist. If this was implemented from the beginning this is what we would have had.

Classic: Night elves, Undead = neutral (A:3, H:3, N: 2)
TBC: Draenei and Blood elves = neutral (A:3, H:3, N:4)
Cata: Worgen = alliance, Goblin = horde (A:4, H:4, N:4)
MoP: Pandaren -=neutral, horde, alliance
Allied races: Void elves, Lightforged, Nightborne, Vulpera = Neutral

Each of the neutral races are their nations group, but as a player you have to choose one of the factions to be in.


Now it's far too late for that, even though it would have worked in a 2 faction system, horde /alliance keeping their identity, other races not really a part of them doing such. BFA would be very different too. However, question is CAN it work now going forward?


What if in 10.0 blizzard moved the identity problematic races to neutral races?


Neutral Races:

The following shift to Neutral races

• Night elves, Nightborne
• Blood elves, Void elves
• Draenei, Lightforged
• Undead, Vulpera
• Pandaren

Horde Becomes:

• Orcs, Mag'har orcs
• Highmountain, Tauren
• Darkspear, Zandalari Trolls
• Goblins

Alliance Becomes:

• Humans, Kul'tirans
• Dark Irons, Dwarves
• Gnomes, Mechagnomes
• Worgen

• Neutral races is not a faction, they're just races gone independent (events that lead to this are explained in a book).
• Existing characters remain in their factions. New characters of neutral races can choose their faction.

Is this a viable solution , make for much better storytelling, without breaking the 2 faction basis or identity. Would you be happy with this?

[LorDC]

It is way past time to simply remove faction barriers altogether.

[cocomen2]

Just made factions divide , or 3rd faction.

a)
Good alliance leader race = Humans
Bad alliance leader race = Night Elfs

Good horde leader race = Orcs
Bad horde leader race = Undeads

b)
1vs1vs1 (free for all faction war : cold war)

Alliance VS Horde VS Union.

[iosdeveloper]

you have to reinvent a lot of stuff to make 3 factions work in a 2 faction game
I wouldn't do it, too hard and too risky, doesn't fix anything and introduces a ton of new issues

[AcidicSyn]

The word Neutral is a bit odd though, just look at the Night Elves.

They are certainly not neutral. In this model they could be non-alliance aligned, but they would certainly be hostile to the horde.

I remember before vanilla came out people used to think reputation would play a role in this, and that you'd be able to join groups based on your reputation with them and even learn their language by finding primers around the world, etc.

[Phaelia]

I don’t agree with the wording in the vote for no, but that’s my vote. If they ever removed any sort of faction barrier it would be letting people group together. The quests and the areas would still be the same, but raids and dungeons (and maybe world content but probably not) could be filled with either side. It just doesn’t make sense for them to have to rework their entire system to make some races neutral after this long.

[Saltysquidoon]

Why would the Draenei be neutral? Velen and Anduin are bros and you know the whole orc thing
Why would the lightforged and the void elves be neutral? Both of their leaders are explicitly alliance heroes and are 0% pleased with the new horde being allowed to exist.

Further, shouldn't goblins be neutral. I know Gazlow and Thrall are bros, but I mean they're goblins.

Edit; I'm all for cross-faction (instanced) PvP and PvE but I would be content to allow it to be a gameplay abstraction as opposed to a lore thing.

[Nathanyel]

It is way past time to simply remove faction barriers altogether.

Exactly. No need to create a "neutral" faction (that would require a severe overhaul of any previous expansion to accommodate for this) or even shove existing races into them.
Any "neutral" races in the future should be like Pandaren in that they choose a faction, mostly for gameplay purposes, or to gain access to faction-locked transmog.

[Blackmist]

It is way past time to simply remove faction barriers altogether.

Especially for PvE content, guilds, trading, etc.

They've already taken it out for PvP (with mercenary mode) which is the one area where it made sense to keep it.

[Mace]

you have to reinvent a lot of stuff to make 3 factions work in a 2 faction game
I wouldn't do it, too hard and too risky, doesn't fix anything and introduces a ton of new issues

It's not a 3rd faction. There are only 2 factions. You get a neutral race column because these races are not in either faction but you have to choose to join one of the factions.

[Ielenia]

<snip>

Well, ignoring that the majority of the races you mentioned wouldn't be 'neutral', I think you're missing a key bit of information here:

How would "neutrality" be handled, both as a game mechanic, and lore?

[Skytotem]

I feel this poll would've benefited from an 'other' option, because some I can agree with and some things I'd have done very differently.

[Zyrinx]

Seems like Tauren and HMT are the most obvious candidates for neutrality among horde races.

[Mace]

Well, ignoring that the majority of the races you mentioned wouldn't be 'neutral', I think you're missing a key bit of information here:

How would "neutrality" be handled, both as a game mechanic, and lore?

It won't. Like the Pandaren, the individual MUST choose a faction, even though his race has gone neutral, he will choose. There is no neutral faction only 2 .

End state in the lore is going to be horde, alliance is going to be alliance. No more writing the horde filling it with elves, and since the alliance was always writing humans anyway, nothing has to change on that from, some of their races going neutral would actually help them.

- - - Updated - - -

Seems like Tauren and HMT are the most obvious candidates for neutrality among horde races.

Kept them horde cos they have a strong horde vibe and identity to horde. But then Tauren as far as I know have no alliance friends. Tauren druids, which is a tiny fraction of taurens, work with night elf druids in the Cenarion circle druidic faction that is open to several races. Tauren are not friends with night elves. HM while having lived close to night elves have 0 interaction with them in Highmountain, the Val'Sharah night elves have no Tauren interaction and friendship or enmity.

In contrast we see blizzard made effort to show Tauren/Vrykul interactions in neighboring Stormheim. Frankly they fit the horde very well and don't contribute to the identity issue.

[Darknessvamp]

Alternatively go the way of Warcraft 3 and split the two factions so that there are four with players getting the option to choose either of the two new factions as their faction e.g.
Keep the Horde and Alliance, introduce a united faction that is tired of the faction war with leaders actively making a effort to work between the different races and inevitably causing a friction with the Horde and Alliance and another evul for shits and giggles faction whose leaders have never cared for the factions and just see the formation of another faction causing further strain on the Alliance and the Horde as an exploitable opportunity to their benefit with backstabs and betrayals to boot and no issue with villain batting it.

[Sluvs]

I really dislike the BEs as neutral and the NEs aswell.
The draenei seems a little bit forced too. Vulpera is.... fine I suppose? I mean, they are recent enough to become neutral I suppose.
Pandaren fit very well with the neutral idea.

Undead area bit trickier, while I can see Why they would be put there with Calia and all, it would be incredibly tricky to distance them from the horde, but shadowlands would be an ideal moment to do just that I suppose.

I don't really like this idea at all.

[HateTrain]

Sounds like a shitload of work on Blizzard's side for what ends up being basically nothing? I think gameplay wise we'll get cross faction play, but the fundamental 2 faction setup they have going isn't going to change much.

Also your poll is shite.

[Nathanyel]

It's not a 3rd faction. There are only 2 factions. You get a neutral race column because these races are not in either faction but you have to choose to join one of the factions.

Then I see no need for changes to existing races, once cross-faction play is implemented.
Night Elves and Draenei might work with the Horde in the future, but I can't see these races identifying as "exclusively Horde".
No need to make Blood Elves available on Alliance, as Void Elves will fill the "Alliance High Elf" niche in 9.0
Goblins might be neutral in general, but the Bilgewater have a bond to the Horde, comparable to that of the Darkspear and Tauren.

Give cross-faction groups (Warmode off) a way to enter settlements of the other faction, make opposing guards neutral since you're with a player of that faction. Maybe even make vendors etc. accessible. If you leave the group, you're teleported to the nearest graveyard, to prevent griefing.

[CalamityHeart]

What problematic faction issues are you even trying to fix with this suggestion?

And as chaotic as you think factional divides might be now, why do you figure that erasing some of those lines would be less chaotic and not more? Why would effectively splitting apart the population of several races give those races more identity and not irreparably diminish their identities like Pandaren?

[Ielenia]

It won't. Like the Pandaren, the individual MUST choose a faction, even though his race has gone neutral, he will choose. There is no neutral faction only 2 .

End state in the lore is going to be horde, alliance is going to be alliance. No more writing the horde filling it with elves, and since the alliance was always writing humans anyway, nothing has to change on that from, some of their races going neutral would actually help them.

You misunderstand. I'm not talking about "neutral factions". I'm talking about "neutrality" as a gameplay concept, and lore concept.

The reason why the reason why the Pandaren don't have a centralized city/hub (like Stormwind, Orgrimmar, Darnassus, Silvermoon, etc) is, in my opinion, because of they exist in both factions. Because they're "neutral". Another thing that drives the story, the conflicts, is the lore. When we have so many neutral races (you listed nine), the lore of "factions" become blurry: "Here we have the Alliance. Some of the races in this faction are: night elves, vulpera, draenei, undead. And here we have the Horde. Some of the races in this faction are: night elves, vulpera, draenei, undead."

And, again: how would it be handed gameplay-wise. Where would the Alliance blood elves' base be? They can't go into Silvermoon, because Silvermoon is Horde. Likewise, where would be the Horde draenei's base of operations? etc, etc.

In short, it feels like way too much work for very little gain, if any.