Brokers and Ethereals

[ro9ue]

The similarities are obvious but curious what people currently think about these two races atm. What's the connection?

To me it seems like the same 'race' but slightly different, sort of like Void Elves and Blood Elves. If you look at all of the Ethereal technology and architecture shape design in Outland and Argus then go look at Brokers in Shadowlands seems like cultural links are present.

Both Ethereals and Brokers seem timeless and not necessarily tied to life or death.

One thing I considered is maybe the body vessels are powered remotely like a drone from a distant planet.

I want to hear what everyone else thinks.

[TheFirstOnes]

Wouldn't be shocked if the Brokers were the ones that gave the Ethereals their robes.

[Blackthorn94]

We know that the Ethereals had a planet so maybe when they go to the shadowlands they have their own realm like how Bwonsamdi was taking trolls to his little slice of death so maybe the Ethereals have their own Loa/god like being that takes all their souls and turns them into Brokers.

[Selastan]

Wouldn't be shocked if the Brokers were the ones that gave the Ethereals their robes.

I like that idea. With the Ethereals loss of their world and their bodies, they flitted chaotically between dimensions, then the Brokers found and 'adopted' them into their society.

[username993720]

Brokers are, probably, a way to introduce playable Ethereals (go have a look at their animations).

[Alanar]

Did some one check if there are some Ethereal bits in the new broker dung in 9.1? just curious.

[Super Dickmann]

They have the same purpose (cosmic traders), design (floating clothes), gimmicks (portals, collecting, cartels, opulences/princes). It is so laughably on the nose that I can't seriously believe Blizzard don't intend for them to be connected somehow. What they lack is the backstory - the Brokers lack the loss of Ka'resh and any connection with the Void. What would be an easy thing is that they are what Ethereals ended up as on death. Knowing their trend of "Thing you know was actually inspired by the Shadowlands" I would assume @Selastan and @TheFirstOnes are right.

[Sagenod]

Brokers are, probably, a way to introduce playable Ethereals (go have a look at their animations).

God I hope so.

[Kokolums]

The Ethereals seemed really cool and I wanted to play them.

The Brokers are terriblly designed, huge downgrade, wouldn't touch them as a playable race.

[gcsmith]

Brokers and Ethereals are clearly related in someway. Not only are they both races of beings without bodies wearing robes, but their societies are structured in the same way, both have their trade families and travel worlds trying to acquire items.

[Soon-TM]

Brokers and Ethereals are clearly related in someway. Not only are they both races of beings without bodies wearing robes, but their societies are structured in the same way, both have their trade families and travel worlds trying to acquire items.

Both Ethereals and Brokers seem to be a galactic/cosmic spinoff of Goblins. Not terribly interesting in either case, although Ethereals' backstory does have some interesting bits, namely the loss of K'aresh.

Btw, is the Locus Walker (aka Alleria's sugar daddy trainer) an Ethereal?

[gcsmith]

Both Ethereals and Brokers seem to be a galactic/cosmic spinoff of Goblins. Not terribly interesting in either case, although Ethereals' backstory does have some interesting bits, namely the loss of K'aresh.

Btw, is the Locus Walker (aka Alleria's sugar daddy trainer) an Ethereal?

Yes, Locus Walker is an Ethereal.

[Hobbidaggy]

I thought blizzard said they weren’t related and that brokers were unique to shadowlands?

[Soon-TM]

I thought blizzard said they weren’t related and that brokers were unique to shadowlands?

Maybe they aren't, but they sure do look like close relatives.

[Iheartnathanos]

I'm being semi-cynical, but I honestly think the connection is creative bankruptcy or maybe even forgetting they had the Ethereals in the first place. Shadowlands lore is just rock bottom for me, and I survived Cata and WoD :P

[Sunderella]

I'm being semi-cynical, but I honestly think the connection is creative bankruptcy

^ This! This so much!

[username993720]

God I hope so.

They're only missing facial animations (which, i don't know if it applies to Ethereals, at all).
Their other animations are pretty smooth and up-to-date, like that of players. I guess they'll be using their skeleton rig for the Ethereals sometime in the future.

[shoc]

They don't look anything alike, cultures are nothing alike, only similarity is they are vaguely arabic capitalist-type beings. Lorewise they evidently have no connection, past or present.

[Luler]

There really is no reason for brokers to exist. Ethereals were mysterious enough with undefined limits to their greed and dimensional abilities, they could have simply replaced the brokers in the Shadowlands and no one would think it'd be weird.
But I guess they need to make new thing that is just old thing but better.

[shoc]

There really is no reason for brokers to exist. Ethereals were mysterious enough with undefined limits to their greed and dimensional abilities, they could have simply replaced the brokers in the Shadowlands and no one would think it'd be weird.
But I guess they need to make new thing that is just old thing but better.

I would have loved that. Would have totally made sense because they were suspended in between life and death by Arcane energies. Their having the ability to portal between reality and Shadowlands, and then taking economic advantage would have been so in character for them, it would have been epic - and potentially strung together with all the lore about Ethereals skulking around in tombs and shit back in TBC.