What would you have picked for Allied Races?

[Amnaught]

That is, if Battle For Azeroth had released a different set of allied races using the same base models as existing playable races, what would you have chosen to release?

For me:

Orc: Fel Orc. Anything to distance ourselves from the alternate timeline bullcrap.

Tauren: Taunka. There was no reason to introduce an entirely new race just to give tauren antlers, when we had a perfectly good candidate right in front of us.

Draenei: Man'Ari (For the Horde) Why did we get Draenei++ instead of Man'Ari, who have reason to join with the Horde now that Sargeras is defeated and they need to find their place in the universe without him, much like our orcs did?

Blood Elf: High Elf (For the Alliance) No comment.

Undead: Skeletons. Call them ancient corpses or something. It could work.

Night Elf: Nightfallen (For the Horde). The Nightfallen looked infinitely cooler than their arcane-empowered counterparts, and fit the Horde's theme better. The Arcan'dor should have permanently scarred or cursed them somehow to keep the wicked, arcane-drained look without killing them.

Troll: Dark Troll (Alliance), give them all of the edgy hairstyles that Void Elves got. Either that or a race of Kul Tiran wicker-people using the troll model, would have been sick.

Human: Vrykul, goddammit.

Dwarf: Wildhammer.

Gnome: Mecha-gnomes. Like, actual mecha-gnomes, that are completely mechanical, instead of a cyborg "Gnome++".

Worgen: Sethrak.

Goblin: Gilgoblin. But their style would be totally different from what we got in Nazjatar. Like holy hell, the last time we saw a gilgoblin, it threw its own excrement at us. They should be just as chaotic and crazy as goblins, but with a cave-man's intelligence, and it would be awesome. Pygmies would be an acceptable alternative.

[Wrath of the Bolvar]

There was no reason to introduce an entirely new race just to give tauren antlers, when we had a perfectly good candidate right in front of us.

It was not an entirely new race, the Highmountain Tauren were seeded in lore. They existed in lore before Legion was released. They were there in the War of the Ancients.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

The order: 7.3.5, 7.3.5, 8.0, 8.1.5, 8.3, 8.3.5.

Alliance: High Elf, Broken (I know it's not using an existing skeleton but the Argus variant was added in 7.3 and could have had one). Earthern. Kul'tirans (with skinny options for both genders). Sethrak. Mogu.

Horde: Nightborne, Highmountain. San'layn. Zandalari. Mok'nathol. Vulpera.

[Amnaught]

It was not an entirely new race, the Highmountain Tauren were seeded in lore. They existed in lore before Legion was released. They were there in the War of the Ancients.

Where did they exist in lore before Legion was released?

They were made up on the spot and retroactively crammed into the story, as far as I'm aware.

[Raugnaut]

It was not an entirely new race, the Highmountain Tauren were seeded in lore. They existed in lore before Legion was released. They were there in the War of the Ancients.

They weren't exactly Highmountain Tauren - Before Legion, we knew that they were all Tauren. After Legion, we now know that they were Tauren with moose antlers.

Like, the Tauren in the War of the Ancients could have even been Yaungol instead, as Yaungol are the original Tauren.

[Villager720]

When they announced the first allied races, I was sure we'd see Wildhammer, Taunka, Broken, and Mag'har coming down the line.
Still pretty confused how we are where we are.
Goggled gnomes in diapers? Humans the size of tauren that aren't vrykul? Blood elves that ate Wonka's experimental violet gum? Irrelevant fox people?
How they selected some of these over the options people had been relentlessly calling for with subraces boggles my mind to this day.

[Wrath of the Bolvar]

Where did they exist in lore before Legion was released?

They were made up on the spot and retroactively crammed into the story, as far as I'm aware.

I just said they were in the War of the Ancients. They were not made up in Legion. There was even a Highmountain Tauren in Storm Peaks in Wrath.

- - - Updated - - -

They weren't exactly Highmountain Tauren - Before Legion, we knew that they were all Tauren. After Legion, we now know that they were Tauren with moose antlers.

Like, the Tauren in the War of the Ancients could have even been Yaungol instead, as Yaungol are the original Tauren.

No, they were Highmountain Tauren.

[Hallowseve17]

Would've preferred if they gave us already established allied races, then give us the newer allied races. Here's hoping for the future.

[Nomads]

I'm pretty much on board with the OP's list except for Orcs, Draenei, and Undead...

Brown orcs have been requested for years, so Mag'har make perfect sense... Although, they should have come from Outland instead of AU Draenor.

Instead of Man'ari, it should have been Broken Draenei... been requested for years.

Instead of Skeletons, another version of an undead Horde races would make sense. Namely San'layn would have worked for BfA, but Undead Tauren, Orcs, or even Goblins would have worked too.

[Thelxi]

Something horde that can be druid that isn't a tauren or troll.

[Lambskin]

I just said they were in the War of the Ancients. They were not made up in Legion. There was even a Highmountain Tauren in Storm Peaks in Wrath.

- - - Updated - - -



No, they were Highmountain Tauren.

citation needed

[Muajin76]

That is, if Battle For Azeroth had released a different set of allied races using the same base models as existing playable races, what would you have chosen to release?

For me:

Orc: Fel Orc. Anything to distance ourselves from the alternate timeline bullcrap.

Tauren: Taunka. There was no reason to introduce an entirely new race just to give tauren antlers, when we had a perfectly good candidate right in front of us.

Draenei: Man'Ari (For the Horde) Why did we get Draenei++ instead of Man'Ari, who have reason to join with the Horde now that Sargeras is defeated and they need to find their place in the universe without him, much like our orcs did?

Blood Elf: High Elf (For the Alliance) No comment.

Undead: Skeletons. Call them ancient corpses or something. It could work.

Night Elf: Nightfallen (For the Horde). The Nightfallen looked infinitely cooler than their arcane-empowered counterparts, and fit the Horde's theme better. The Arcan'dor should have permanently scarred or cursed them somehow to keep the wicked, arcane-drained look without killing them.

Troll: Dark Troll (Alliance), give them all of the edgy hairstyles that Void Elves got. Either that or a race of Kul Tiran wicker-people using the troll model, would have been sick.

Human: Vrykul, goddammit.

Dwarf: Wildhammer.

Gnome: Mecha-gnomes. Like, actual mecha-gnomes, that are completely mechanical, instead of a cyborg "Gnome++".

Worgen: Sethrak.

Goblin: Gilgoblin. But their style would be totally different from what we got in Nazjatar. Like holy hell, the last time we saw a gilgoblin, it threw its own excrement at us. They should be just as chaotic and crazy as goblins, but with a cave-man's intelligence, and it would be awesome. Pygmies would be an acceptable alternative.

Skeletons...as if half skeletal forsaken race isn't good for ya??

[Rollo]

I never liked how allied races were explained at the end of Legion. While it makes sense that HM Tauren and Nightborne to join the Horde, it just didn't seem 'balanced' for them to get those races and Alliance got two 'new' races from the final patch. In my opinion, both sides should have received a race or races from the Argus patch. I think Void Touched Krokul would have been a good race either as a Horde race alongside Void Elves for Alliance, or as the Alliance race instead of VE and Lightforged Draenei. Lightforged Nathrezim would also have been a good race, either alongside LF Draenei or in place of them.

If you still want to keep a pre Argus race, it should have been 1 for each faction. Nightborne for Horde and Vrykul for Alliance (granted they would have needed to flesh out a better Alliance/Vrykul story than they did). Then do Void Elves for Alliance and Void Touched Krokul for horde. This leaves Turalyon out of the storyline as a race leader, but I'm sure they could have explained it away that he rejoined for another reason, or that his story follows Illidan and he leaves Alleria, and Arator (once again).

[Wrath of the Bolvar]

citation needed

For what? That they were in the War of the Ancients? It's canon lol

Read War of the Ancients

[Kyphael]

LEGION/BFA PRE-PATCH
Alliance: High Elves / Horde: Mok'nathal
Alliance: Dark Iron Dwarves / Horde: Nightborne

BFA LAUNCH
Alliance: Jinyu / Horde: Mogu

BFA MID-PATCH
Alliance: Kul'tirans / Horde: Zandalari

8.3
Alliance: High Arakkoa / Horde: Vulpera

Mag'har, Lightforged and Highmountain would have been customization options for Orcs, Draenei and Tauren.

[Raugnaut]

I just said they were in the War of the Ancients. They were not made up in Legion. There was even a Highmountain Tauren in Storm Peaks in Wrath.

Are you refering to the DK Tauren in Wrath? Trag Highmountain?

Despite the Highmountain in his name, he has NO relation to the Highmountain Tauren of the Broken Isles. There is a seperate Highmountain tribe that was part of the Horde before this. It's possible that they are also descended from Huln Highmountain, but they are NOT Moose-antlered Tauren, like how Huln was portrayed to be.

So, no. There was not a damn thing indicating Moose-Antlered Tauren pre-Legion. Not a SINGLE thing.

[Rollo]

For what? That they were in the War of the Ancients? It's canon lol

Read War of the Ancients

Having just skimmed through book 3 of the trilogy, Huln Highmountain is only ever described as a Tauren with a pair of "treacherous-looking horns." The story of of Cenarius gifting Huln with moose antlers in the fashion of Eche'ro comes from Legion. The story of the land Huln is from becoming known as Highmountain, or his Tribe becoming the Highmountain Tribe, comes from Legion. Amnaught's argument is that the race was created to be different from Tauren in Legion, with a character that was present in WotA. Huln Highmountain was seeded in Lore. Highmountain Tribe (and specifically moose antlered Tauren) was created in Legion.

[Amnaught]

For what? That they were in the War of the Ancients? It's canon lol

"Pfff, of course midichlorians weren't invented just for the Phantom Menace, Darth Vader has them, it's canon!"

Moose-antlered Highmountain Tauren were not mentioned in the War of the Ancients. It was a retcon.

[nonameelf]

I would have just made them customization options instead of being separate "races."

[Amaterasu65]

LEGION/BFA PRE-PATCH
Alliance: High Elves / Horde: Mok'nathal
Alliance: Dark Iron Dwarves / Horde: Nightborne

BFA LAUNCH
Alliance: Jinyu / Horde: Mogu

BFA MID-PATCH
Alliance: Kul'tirans / Horde: Zandalari

8.3
Alliance: High Arakkoa / Horde: Vulpera

Mag'har, Lightforged and Highmountain would have been customization options for Orcs, Draenei and Tauren.

This covers me.