Blizzard REMOVED Zandalari Warlocks.

[derpkitteh]

Well, looking from their perspective:

The last time they saw relevant use of Fel magic was when the Burning Legion invaded ancient Kalimdor, which resulted in the Sundering, from which Zandalar escaped only because of a increndible magical barrier they had to make. Sadly, they didn't have enough time to protect the surrounding lands with the shield.

Nowadays, they live in a extremely religious society, where they worship powerful Nature beings and some Zandalari devouts are even capable of wielding Holy (and, by logic, Shadow) magicks thanks to their faith.

Can you imagine what the use of Fel means in such society? Such practiccioner not only thinks that sacrificial magic such as Fel is a better tool than the Loa's gifts, but also is willing to consume souls from their sacred land to power him/herself. They know that some Loas like Hakkar, or some tribes like the Nazmir folks, like similarly sacrificial magic, and they aren't very friendly with such beings.

Fel is too dangerous for the trolls and the divine Loa, and such, by law this school of magic should be forbidden to be learned by Zandalari Trolls.

their last run in with fel magic was their demoniacs, which summoned and forcibly bound demons inside of their selves for incredible power.

we don't know anything more than that, just that it was an accepted practice. how long it was accepted for, when, the level of acceptance, all kinda unknown.

"The ultimate symbol of power amongst the Zandalari is the garb they wear in battle. A demoniac's robes have fused fine runecloth and devastatingly powerful mojo into a single fabric. The visage of the robe is said to instill fear into the minds of all who see it... especially the demons that the demoniac will eventually dominate."

it seemed to be quite widely accepted, if feared by the common folk. but they used mojo along with fel, so it's not like they didn't still respect their cultural practices. the zandalari seem unique in their fel use, most other races you see with it, they desecrate and care little for their former cultural identities, giving over fully to demonic urges.

it's just a shame, and there was no reason to disinclude zandalari locks. it's them forgetting their own lore, and it makes it painfully obvious that the devs don't even play their own game.

[Syegfryed]

it's just a shame, and there was no reason to disinclude zandalari locks. it's them forgetting their own lore, and it makes it painfully obvious that the devs don't even play their own game.

the excuse its just obnoxious

"zandalari do not have connection to the fel"

this, beyond being freaking lie, cause they do, don't even make sense when most of the warlock spells right now don't even use fel, most of warlocks use just void/fire magic

at this point im pretty sure they do not play it, or just don't read anything, just do a raid weakly maybe.

[Aleksej89]

If a zandalar troll became a warlock they would be exiled or executed by the zandalari empire.
It is flat out illegal, under pain of death, to be a warlock in the zandalari empire among other things like (i guess) blood magic and what not.

Most races still dislike warlocks but they will not execute or exile their own members on sight for attempting to become a warlock.
However some races like Draenei and Zandalar will exile/execute their own members for becoming warlocks as soon as they are found out.
Im sure they would exile/execute ANY warlock if there were no political (or basic gameplay) consequences to consider.

But blizz can always go down the "Monk" route and disregard any shred of lore/sense by letting everyone be whatever....

[melzas]

Honestly, classes for allied races have been a big mess so far. Zandalari Warlocks aren't any more far fetched than a lot of other class/race combinations like Tauren Paladin for example, and most importantly than Zandalari Monks, which is a complete and utter BS. Zandalari and Pandas are historic enemies, even though they are in the Horde now, I find it really dumb to have Horde Pandaren to be friendly enough towards them to teach them their traditional ways (the best I would expect from them ending up in the same faction is cautious neutrality).

There are more weird picks for allied race classes. Why no Highmountain Paladins and Priests? They weren't any HM druids NPCs either, but it didn't stop them from adding them to available classes. Why no LF drenai monks? Their philosophy would go well with monk class, there are some monk-ish background WQ in Macaree and most importantly EVERY other race (expect from cata races for whatever reason) can be monks. Dark Iron and Kul Tiran shamans, KT druids, Zandalari Paladins had their lore created/bended to allow this race combos (which is fine IMO, these classes needed more race variaty), but suddenly making an NPCs or two explaining Zandalari Warlocks would be too much to ask for?

Dunno, their choices for class/race combinations for allied races seem like being made by different people who don't consult them with each other. There is just no consistency in what eventually ends up in the game.

[cparle87]

Easy solution was to not give blood elves priests. Mage / warlock sure. They could just explained it that all the priesthood left became blood knights, since they lost sunwell and swapped to channeling M'uru as the source of light. That was in the world where not 90% of the races had priests btw, Gnomes & Tauren didn't (so didn't Orcs and they don't to this day, however Mag'har do... logic). It was Cata when they started loosening the class / race restrictions.

Also I still dunno why when they added Gnome Hunters they didn't give Horde extra class / race combo for parity sake.

Priests were too iconic for high/blood elves, though. The priest unit you played in WC3 was a high elf.

Are you really surprised that orcs who were either fel possessed or their parents were can't be priests while those who were never corrupted can? Mag'har got priests same way all the races got monks, through cultural osmosis. They did live and work with the draenei for nearly 3 decades before the latter went crazy.

As for the gnome thing, I think they did it to even the class/race ratio. I think Horde were still ahead by one.

[Santern]

"Zandalari have no connection to Fel"

Yeah, neither did gnomes, humans, nightborne, blood elves, forsaken, trolls, orcs, feltotem, vrykul, worgen, goblins, void elves, dark iron dwarfs, murlocs, whatever race we have seen in the game so far, until they were exposed to it or acquired the knowledge to use it.

We don't have a single playable (and a lot of non-playable) race that started their humble existence with warlocks in their society. They all learned the art from a source, whether it was through deceit or seeking occult knowledge, and then formed covens around it.

So why would an empire-sized society, where 2/3 of their dominion is filled with blood cultists and exiles, not have the capacity to spawn a group of warlocks where every other type of scholar already exists? What's stopping some enthusiastic Zandalari troll to be in Vol'dun, trip over a dead Alliance or Horde Warlock's body, loot it, grab their grimoire and learn to summon an imp? Does every single troll on Zandalar have a Rastari guard standing over them judging what they do?

Warlocks aren't a norm or standard in any society, they are outcasts. At best they are weaponised and tolerated members of the Alliance or the Horde who have to hide their affiliation before some lynch mob forms to rip them apart or otherwise get ostracized.

Oh wait, so why don't Draenei, Pandaren or Maghar orcs have warlocks too? They can learn, right?

Those races had development and lore that contradicts having warlocks in their culture. Where is that development or lore among the Zandalari, who have shadow magic users, cultists, hexxers, ritualists, make pacts, worship a literal death god and have entire regions filled with a population that doesn't care about the standard or norm their empire sets?

There's absolutely no justification for the asspull to cram in Paladins instead of Warlocks or keeping Monks around. I can't wait to call upon the Celestial Gods of Pandaria as my fucking Zandalari troll.

[Syegfryed]

If a zandalar troll became a warlock they would be exiled or executed by the zandalari empire.
It is flat out illegal, under pain of death, to be a warlock in the zandalari empire among other things like (i guess) blood magic and what not.

i would want the source on that

[Archmage Zana]

If a zandalar troll became a warlock they would be exiled or executed by the zandalari empire.
It is flat out illegal, under pain of death, to be a warlock in the zandalari empire among other things like (i guess) blood magic and what not.

Can you back up your claim?

[Verazh]

i would want the source on that

There is none. He pulled it out his arse.

[derpkitteh]

i would want the source on that

Can you back up your claim?

There is none. He pulled it out his arse.

actually, it may be the case that this is true. which is retarded, but still true.

there is one zandalari warlock in bfa, he's called something "the grifter"(can't remember his name), and he's an exile in vol'dun that you're tasked to kill by a wanted poster.

[Sylaz]

actually, it may be the case that this is true. which is retarded, but still true.

there is one zandalari warlock in bfa, he's called something "the grifter"(can't remember his name), and he's an exile in vol'dun that you're tasked to kill by a wanted poster.

True, but the only reason for killing him was that he stole from other exiles, it had nothing to do with whatever magic he used:

"To any with honor and a sharp blade: Find and kill the thief, Za'roco. Those that betray their fellow exile don't deserve to live. Any who can cross his name off this list will earn a fitting reward"


I personally would love to see Zandalari playable as warlocks. Even if they aren't permitted by society as a whole we can go back to vanilla warlocks in Stormwind. This may have changed since I've played alliance back then, but did they not have to hide in a secret basement location to practice their arts? Wasn't the trainer in Northshire Abbey around the side in the graveyard avoiding the gaze of most people? Warlocks were represented as on the fringes of society, and the implication was that they weren't tolerated in the open. They hid, and most likely presented themselves as commoners or even mages, as most modern warlocks started out as anyway. It wasn't until War Crimes (unless I'm mistaken) that a mention of them being a proper part of society was given, when Varian looks at a warlock helping in the fight towards the end of the book and remembers back to when they weren't to be trusted.

Why couldn't the Zandalari warlocks have a small coven in some forgotten passageway or room tucked within Dazar'alor? I see not allowing Mag'har, as that would quite literally just turn them into the green orcs we've had for some time, history has proven that. With something like the Draenei, they are a group of people who chose to reject the fel and warlocks, and the player character most likely was there thousands of years ago for that choice. Given the "immortality" of the Draenei, it doesn't make sense to have a character with no recollection of what happened on Argus so long ago. For any other race capable of using arcane magic, the jump to fel isn't that much of a stretch.

All that being said, I would like to see much looser restrictions on race/class combos. This is no longer a world where the different races live in isolated societies. Given how much individual cultures come in contact with one another in the main cities these traditions would doubtless rub off on some outliers. Would a Tauren mage be a common thing? I doubt it, but it's within the realm of possibility that a Tauren was interested and dedicated enough to pull aside a Blood Elf and learn to use the arcane. We already have NPC examples of some of these rare exceptions to the rules, so why not let players do it as well? If numbers is the issue, remember how many playable races are canonically the "few survivors" and supposed to be small in number.

[Syegfryed]

actually, it may be the case that this is true. which is retarded, but still true.

there is one zandalari warlock in bfa, he's called something "the grifter"(can't remember his name), and he's an exile in vol'dun that you're tasked to kill by a wanted poster.

he is a exiled who happen to be a warlock, there is tons of exiled who are not warlock, never stated tht he was exiled because he was warlock, could be lots of things, just like the other ones.

saying that, there is not a single source saying tis illegal, and people who do would be executed or exiled, the only magic forbidden and illegal, as far we saw its the blood magic, who warlocks don't use

- - - Updated - - -

I see not allowing Mag'har, as that would quite literally just turn them into the green orcs we've had for some time, history has proven that. With something like the Draenei, they are a group of people who chose to reject the fel and warlocks, and the player character most likely was there thousands of

i don't think they would become green just because they are warlocks, not anymore, like we saw warlocks now barely use fel, and they control the power to not be corrupted, if not, every warlock would spot horns and wings with time.

the maghar forbidden the warlocks in their society as a whole, that is indeed fact, because what happened in WoD, the sitgma they did, was rly big, and they didn't their power like the green orcs did.

[Gratlim]

actually, it may be the case that this is true. which is retarded, but still true.

there is one zandalari warlock in bfa, he's called something "the grifter"(can't remember his name), and he's an exile in vol'dun that you're tasked to kill by a wanted poster.

True. But that may be an exception. By Blizzard logic it means "No connection to the fel energy" by the same way Kanrethad / Guldan can transform into demons but every other warlock suddenly forgot about it after years of using it. Great RP move right there. They are exceptions as well.

Same for skinny Kul'Thirans. Guess they are not playable because they are exceptions (?).

The honest answer is ofc. lazyness on Bli$$ side and saving development costs.

[Mamut]

Im still so sad that I cant race change my lock to Zandalari. Basically every transmog set I checked on wowhead looks incredible on them

[Lurker1]

It wasn't hard really when they gave normal trolls warlocks anyways probably seem pointless to them to have them avb imho so they went with paladins instead.

[CuchuCachu]

"It's okay because the lore changes Blizzard introduced at the same time as the decision say so"

[Florena]

It wasn't hard really when they gave normal trolls warlocks anyways probably seem pointless to them to have them avb imho so they went with paladins instead.

It may just because of sheer class options zandalari have, with the addition of paladins they would have every non hero class otherwise.

EDIT: And I just realized this is an older thread, whoops.

[Villager720]

It may just because of sheer class options zandalari have, with the addition of paladins they would have every non hero class otherwise.

EDIT: And I just realized this is an older thread, whoops.

Yeah well, they shouldn’t have had monks. Less lore explaining that than warlocks.

And no worries, sometimes we, like blizzard, make errors I judgement.

[Florena]

In my defense Cuchucachu posted first!

But I guess it would have come down to warlock or monk for them. The only exclusion that really irks me is lightforged monk and mostly just because they have zero leather classes because of it.

[Shefu]

Still a shit decision, all these months later.