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  1. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by The Stormbringer View Post
    I think masks are fine as a cosmetic option, so long as there's plenty of other options, like bandages, or fog, or different energy glow, or a black and empty void, etc. There's nothing wrong with having lots of options, y'know?

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    Incorrect. There are plenty of named Ethereals from TBC, or Transmog NPCs, or the guys who did Void Storage, and so on.

    Quote Originally Posted by hulkgor View Post
    Aren't there dozens of named Etheral NPCs in Outland, specifically in the Netherstorm?
    Random civilians or shopkeepers are not characters of note and are practically non-existed in the actual Story. Locus-Walker is the only Ethereal character who played a major role in the main storyline in the last 10 or so years.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skirdus View Post
    Those are void ethereals though.

    If we get regular, standard ethereals as a playable race, they'll no doubt be neutral solely because A) that's their whole thing, just like goblins (who are only Horde because regular goblins had prior connections with the Horde and it plays into the story of the goblin starting zone), and B) playable ethereals will most likely originate from the Consortium / Protectorate, who resent the Ethereum - aka other void ethereals with an "ends justify the means" mindset strikingly similar to that of the ren'dorei - just as much as they would Alleria & Umbric's void-flinging possy
    As we are clearly heading for a Void expansion, it would make the most sense to make Void Ethereals playable.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Varodoc View Post
    As we are clearly heading for a Void expansion, it would make the most sense to make Void Ethereals playable.

    Actually, it would make sense to make regular Ethereals playable, given the lore of their planet being eradicated by the Void, thus transforming them into Ethereals in the first place.

  3. #23
    The Unstoppable Force Gaidax's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FuxieDK View Post
    Not easy peasy, since ethereal are neutral and brokers are evil.

    Ethereal can easily go to both factions, brokers can only swing towards Alliance.
    After they pulled Void Elves out of their behind, they can do whatever they want.

    I find these "can't be because X" funny, I also used to be that guy, but given the evidence - they can decide whatever they want and conjure lore fart to wrap it up in in a jiffy.

    Explanation of why X is a thing is easy for them. It's like everyone DK, because Blizz decided so. So here you go they make some intro for that and it's done. Same with Void Elves "we want blood elf model for alliance", there you go outcasts that tried Void juice done.
    Last edited by Gaidax; 2021-09-20 at 08:15 PM.

  4. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by Hitei View Post
    Part of the entire visual/conceptual identity of the Ethereal is that they are formless energy beings loosely given humanoid impression by their wrappings, [...]
    I mean, I agree that the masks just look weird, but in general, exactly that their body shape is artificial helps justify a lot of customization options. What would be anatomy on fleshy races is merely ornaments to them, both in the lore as well as in the character creation/barbershop.

    While they don't need "a face" though, customization has to focus on the "head" , like for other races. How the ends of the bandages look like (quasi-hair) or how they are wrapped in the front, how much of their internal glow shines through, whether they suggest eyes like on Rafaam, or rather something very un-face-like.
    Jewelry would be placed in spots familiar to our perception, either just as a design decision by the art team or as deliberate in-lore attempts by the Ethereals to appear more humanoid, either to remember their history, or to maintain an appearance that's not too uncanny valley to the fleshlings: "ear"-rings, adornments of the chin as either "beards" or the chin jewelry of the Nightborne.

    Quote Originally Posted by Varodoc View Post
    As we are clearly heading for a Void expansion, it would make the most sense to make Void Ethereals playable.
    While I personally didn't hate it, do you remember how people wanted Mechagnomes and became outraged when it was merely Gnomes with bionic limbs?

    "Void Ethereal" might be a customization, but if that was the only version of playable Ethereal, many players would hate it.
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  5. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Nathanyel View Post
    While they don't need "a face" though, customization has to focus on the "head" , like for other races.
    Why? This was the case in like... the early game where the only visibility option was turning off your helmet, but now you can turn off the majority of your armor. Most customization is for the head on normal races because that's how we tell normal human-like things apart, if there are limited options then two night elves look like clones. That isn't how we tell something like a dog or cat apart though. You can pour those options into body customizations. We've already seen with the updates a switch from <different earings> to all sorts of jewlery, headdresses, tail jewelry, body jewlery, tattoos and warpaint, leg and arm customization for mechagnomes. Why take a step backwards?

    Make their jewelry bangles, bracers, amulets, rings, secondary outer wraps of cloth embroidered with gold, claws like the void ethereals have; make their bandages made up of several independent layers so you can have a base "skin tone" and then outer "tattoo" bandages of a different hue or darkness. Instead of giving them pseudo hair, make the "hair options" be different configurations of energy leaks coming off their body, make it individually selectable by limb so you can really customize the look, much like hair/beard/mustache is separated. Instead of hair color and eye color you have inner glow color and an emission color, so you can get energy that is bright pink deep in the body darkening to a deep red or tinting to purple outside in the "leaks". "face" selection becomes the configuration of bandages on the head, add a selection for various configurations of the main "skin tone" body bandages ranging from tightly-wrapped like the void ethereals to totally loose.

    Don't bother doing individual male/female models since they look identical, and instead make voice one of the options in regular customization with a couple male and a couple female options.

    Now you have an absolute ton of customization options and can make your ethereal visually distinct without the masks or goofy bandage bears/ponytails.

  6. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Nathanyel View Post
    While I personally didn't hate it, do you remember how people wanted Mechagnomes and became outraged when it was merely Gnomes with bionic limbs?

    "Void Ethereal" might be a customization, but if that was the only version of playable Ethereal, many players would hate it.
    The problem with Mechagnomes is that they are gnomes.

    If they were Mecha-humans or Mecha-elves or even Mecha-orcs instead they would have been far more popular.

  7. #27
    Sounds like an awesome race to add, probably best to give it proper attention and make it neutral; to me that would fit the best for these guys.

    Perhaps they could offer various silhouettes rather than focus on more traditional customization options centering around the head and face, it'd tie in with the currently fashionable gender / self presentation obsession of society at large as well, while simultanously catering to one who is face-blind such as myself. ^^

    And it would certainly be a welcome change of pace from literally every other race; they're very unique in a positive way.
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  8. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Varodoc View Post
    Random civilians or shopkeepers are not characters of note and are practically non-existed in the actual Story.
    No one is talking about random shopkeepers or civilians. But keep preaching man, have fun with it.

  9. #29


    Wanted to share something my girlfriend made since I felt she did a great job!

  10. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Toxuvox View Post
    I think that out of all the possible races to become playable, the Ethereals make a lot of sense, however, limiting them to the Alliance would be a massive mistake given the level of interaction with both factions over the years, and general popularity among the player base. I'd go further and suggest that should Blizz proceed with playable Ethereals, Locus Walker probably wouldn't be the Alliance affiliated Ethereal leader given his whole Void leaning thing not sitting particularly well with the rest of the Protectorate/Consortium types.

    This has neutral race written all over it, with some new named characters as Alliance/Horde leaders, and new racial areas in SW/Org.
    After all, it isn't like Blizzard has made a race side with one faction over another despite working with both in the past before.

    Oh wait, they did.

  11. #31
    I would love this! Ethereals and Arrakoa are my dream additions to the game.

  12. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by SloidVoid View Post
    https://i.postimg.cc/43gTX8m9/image0.jpg

    Wanted to share something my girlfriend made since I felt she did a great job!
    Chibithereal <3
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  13. #33
    Space mummies? Not before Saberon or Ogres. I feel they wouldn't offer much in the way of customization and different colored bandages aren't that appealing to me, but I would have taken them over some of the more uninspired choices we did get like Highmountain, Brown Orcs and Mecha Gnomes.

  14. #34
    A solid background and argument!

  15. #35
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    I would love to see them available, they can even serve both factions, as Alleria is already in connection with one kind else they should start like the Pandaren, with the option.

    Though, considering the lore of the Ethereal, it wouldn't happen unless there was a valuable outcome for them, like fighting the Void lords (the same ones who ruined their homeworld).
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  16. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by Divada View Post
    I would love this! Ethereals and Arrakoa are my dream additions to the game.
    Of Arakkoa, I'd love to have both the regular outcast Arakkoa, as well as the WoD ones as playable race.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gehco View Post
    I would love to see them available, they can even serve both factions, as Alleria is already in connection with one kind else they should start like the Pandaren, with the option.

    Though, considering the lore of the Ethereal, it wouldn't happen unless there was a valuable outcome for them, like fighting the Void lords (the same ones who ruined their homeworld).
    Sorry, no can do there. Dimensius was already killed in BC questline, and then later retconned for Legion. It's now been defeated by Naaru of which the holy priest artifact is a shard of. So now that it's integral backstory of the artifact, it's not going to be retconned away from it.


    It's kind of amusing how void lords are now the super cosmic megabad above sargeras, when one, the first and only we ever met, was already splatted in BC without it having been a big deal.
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  17. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Azadina View Post
    Sorry, no can do there. Dimensius was already killed in BC questline, and then later retconned for Legion. It's now been defeated by Naaru of which the holy priest artifact is a shard of. So now that it's integral backstory of the artifact, it's not going to be retconned away from it.

    It's kind of amusing how void lords are now the super cosmic megabad above sargeras, when one, the first and only we ever met, was already splatted in BC without it having been a big deal.
    I know, hence I wrote 'Void Lords' there are more than ham after all.
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  18. #38
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    I have always loved the idea of ethereals and I like your ideas, just a couple things.

    1. How would they be tied to the brokers exactly? I feel like this is a main point to consider. The similarities are just too great and, in this case, I wouldn't want a half-assed attempt at an explanation by Blizzard.

    2. Please let's give them a proper capital. Those 2x2 metres ruins in Netherstorm were pitiful even as a forgettable quest hub. Let's just go to K'aresh for some reason or other and recruit them properly

  19. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by Azadina View Post
    Of Arakkoa, I'd love to have both the regular outcast Arakkoa, as well as the WoD ones as playable race.

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    Changed Arakkoa for Horde and Flying Arakkoa for the Alliance would be nice! Races with wings would be a nice change from the standard appraoch.

  20. #40
    I feel Pandaren missed the potential of a neutral race a lot, and it's not that I don't like the idea of a race having a political divide -I love that- but the fact that we have alliance, horde and then the overwhelming neutral pandaren majority doing nothing, doesn't service either perspective.

    Neutral Ethereal, as a true mercenary third party "joining" either faction on a more individual basis for profit could just be such a good idea, and it's a shame IMO we haven't seen neutral races introduced that way yet.

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Pebbleton View Post
    I have always loved the idea of ethereals and I like your ideas, just a couple things.

    1. How would they be tied to the brokers exactly? I feel like this is a main point to consider. The similarities are just too great and, in this case, I wouldn't want a half-assed attempt at an explanation by Blizzard.

    2. Please let's give them a proper capital. Those 2x2 metres ruins in Netherstorm were pitiful even as a forgettable quest hub. Let's just go to K'aresh for some reason or other and recruit them properly
    On the other hand, imagine Netherstorm as a zone now having growing on ethereal influence and being completelly reworked as their capital city and starting area, would be fun to go to K'aresh for a couple missions, but a revamped Netherstorm could be awesome.

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