I guess I'm having a hard time thinking of how they could do a level 10 race storyline instead of a level 1. In my head it makes sense to have the NPE for new players and people who want to RP their character with an ambiguous backstory, and then racial storylines from level 1 to introduce them to their lore/culture.
I think this will be the case, I can't possibly imagine Blizzard wouldn't want to use the starting zone they made, and instead make new ones for each race. Rather, if a world revamp is happening, they will probably just keep it, and turn the old starter zones into leveling zones.
I don't think those gear will keep players content for that many levels though. It looks like either the gear players start in OR gear they get at lower levels and then replace.
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It would still serve the purpose of being there for new players though, who would still be forced to do it first. Then it just becomes an optional starting experience.
But yeah I guess they can make racial storylines for the 10-60 experience.
the awakening leak is only a logo? not info?
It's not about whether players are "happy" with them necessarily, more that they don't get gear they already have. And yes, these new gear pieces don't look amazing, but they do look good enough for me to think that if Blizzard made a set of 10-50 questlines then they would be good enough.
For that matter they could be incomplete though. They don't seem to have shoulders, and the belt could easily not have been added yet.
The world revamp dream will never die!
This is utterly damning. If I were you my top priority would be finding a new job in a different company.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law
"There is a pervasive myth that making content hard will induce players to rise to the occasion. We find the opposite. " -- Ghostcrawler
"The bit about hardcore players not always caring about the long term interests of the game is spot on." -- Ghostcrawler
"Do you want a game with no casuals so about 500 players?"
Let's hope they sneak in some additional race-themed buildings that signify new settlements. Nelf stuff got a great new update (with multiple tints, just like vanilla Kalimdor) in BFA and they're currently working on Human stuff (revamped Alterac Valley + the new houses Marlamin linked). I guess you could say WoD also brought in updated Draenei and Orc assets they could use.
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Also something that has been bugging me is that there is no toy item to turn into the covenant races (aside from Maldraxxus half-liches), and they usually introduce that when the race is intended to solely be an NPC. See: the Ankoan and Gilbin toys.
Bringing in playable races from the afterlife would be a huge jumping the shark moment.
Zandalari are still grounded. All this cosmic stuff... the example I always go to is Elder Scrolls, if you've played in that world. Going to the Shadowlands has been like going to Akavir. And playing as those races would be like getting playable Dwemer. Fantasy worlds have aspects of them that are interesting because they are mysterious background elements - to shine the spotlight on those elements is to rob them of what made them interesting in the first place.
I mean... the Zandalari are still a grounded Azerothian faction, them joining the horde isn't some unfathomable idea.
Whereas tge covenants are part of a cosmic plot and are meant to keep Death itself running, living mortals were never even meant to interact with them.
They aren't exactly comparable.
Formerly known as Arafal