New Shaman Ascendance forms are...a thing.

[Mic_128]

They look like armoured banshees. I'd honestly rather keep the old one than this.

[Biomega]

Clearly Shamans were too popular and too well designed so they had to be reined in a little bit.

Who had "Elemental Killer Clowns" on their TWW bingo card?

[Mysterymask]

Honestly looks like Oni Akuma to me

[Ereb]

Looks like a version of bwomsamdi to be I think they look bad ass and its about time they updated that damn near 15 year old model

[Aleksej89]

the lack of shoulderpads and any kind of runes or effects on the clothing bothers me.

its just... rags.

the female one in particular looks awful because the chest energy effects are completely hidden, making it look more like a mummy.

[Baraden]

I just want the ability to hide the visual, my big orc looks weird that he gets smaller and slimmer during his main CD

Literally just give it a glow effect with a glyph

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They look good for a troll, they have that tiki vibe - but for a draenei or tauren? very odd

[Khaza-R]

Looks absolutely atrocious.

I don't know why they didn't just copy the primalist ascendance form visuals which seem much more lore appropriate whatever that neon clown is supposed to be.

[Mekkle]

I mean i think they look fucking sick, but there should be an option to turn them off. It's such a ridiculous thing to restrict.

[BrianTheBeast]

Those faces though. Maybe they should have gone full elemental (like a druid shape shift). Not sure I want to load up looking like that.

[Floot]

Personally I never really understood the fantasy concept behind even the original ascendance form, what is it supposed to represent? A half-human / half-elemental form? Is the idea that it ends up making our shaman look as something inhuman?

Just trying to understand what the general idea behind it is, perhaps if I understood that I could appreciate the design of it more...

Can someone help out clarifying the fantasy behind it? I'm truly at a loss...

[Ereb]

They look good for a troll, they have that tiki vibe - but for a draenei or tauren? very odd

Damn now I agree with you each race should get their own ascendant form

[Khaza-R]

Personally I never really understood the fantasy concept behind even the original ascendance form, what is it supposed to represent? A half-human / half-elemental form? Is the idea that it ends up making our shaman look as something inhuman?

Just trying to understand what the general idea behind it is, perhaps if I understood that I could appreciate the design of it more...

Can someone help out clarifying the fantasy behind it? I'm truly at a loss...

Same. I always thought it was a Twilight's Hammer thing, so it seemed weird tying it to normal shaman.

I don't know why they don't just go with a scaled down version of the primalist's asdendance form. Seems way more shaman-y to me.

[Zodiark]

Honestly looks like Oni Akuma to me

I mean that's a good thing to me! I always loved Akuma. Ever since he was a secret character you could unlock.

[WeAreNotSmilesTimes]

It ALMOST works. The face and the hair need to be redone though. Maybe just the hair and the face will be fine? I dunno. But they are laughably terrible at the moment

[Flaks]

Same. I always thought it was a Twilight's Hammer thing, so it seemed weird tying it to normal shaman.

I don't know why they don't just go with a scaled down version of the primalist's asdendance form. Seems way more shaman-y to me.

Hard agree this would be amazing. Only issue is it's a little less recognizable (with how much I'd imagine they'd have to nerf the size/visual).

Then again when we've got allied races and horde night elves and alliance blood elves I don't know if that matters any more.

[Zodiark]

Personally I never really understood the fantasy concept behind even the original ascendance form, what is it supposed to represent? A half-human / half-elemental form? Is the idea that it ends up making our shaman look as something inhuman?

Just trying to understand what the general idea behind it is, perhaps if I understood that I could appreciate the design of it more...

Can someone help out clarifying the fantasy behind it? I'm truly at a loss...

The ultimate goal of a shaman is to be at one with the elements. Elementals themselves are like the final form of a shaman. So while it is more or less impossible to become a full Elemental lord, eg Ragnaros. It is possible with their strengthened bond with the elements to achieve a sort of hybrid form that being the Ascended. For a short time the shaman fully embraces the elements and a new fusion is formed. This can only ever be brief in dire circumstances, ex combat, or else they would themselves be destroyed by the very elements they are harnessing.

That being said, maybe an option to turn this feature off would be a good thing because SOME shaman players might not envision their character taking things to that extreme.
My above explanation would be more suited RP-wise to players who wanted to take the whole elemental dominance thing to it's highest levels. Stopping at nothing to achieve elemental control.

[Flaks]

The ultimate goal of a shaman is to be at one with the elements. Elementals themselves are like the final form of a shaman. So while it is more or less impossible to become a full Elemental lord, eg Ragnaros. It is possible with their strengthened bond with the elements to achieve a sort of hybrid form that being the Ascended. For a short time the shaman fully embraces the elements and a new fusion is formed. This can only ever be brief in dire circumstances, ex combat, or else they would themselves be destroyed by the very elements they are harnessing.

This new ascedance form in no way harkens to any familiar elemental.

[Doffen]

Shaman worthy

[The5thVegetable]

Personally I never really understood the fantasy concept behind even the original ascendance form, what is it supposed to represent? A half-human / half-elemental form? Is the idea that it ends up making our shaman look as something inhuman?

Just trying to understand what the general idea behind it is, perhaps if I understood that I could appreciate the design of it more...

Can someone help out clarifying the fantasy behind it? I'm truly at a loss...

From a lore standpoint, Ascendance is something that came about during Cataclysm when the Twilight's Hammer Cult started carrying out rituals to twist mortal shamans into Elementals in the form of Ascendants. Other Shamans later figured out how to turn into Ascendants too- evidently temporarily in the case of player shamans.

So it's essentially like a kind of 'divine' (in an elemental context) ascension to shed one's mortality and become one with the elements that was originally invented by an evil doomsday cult.

[Zodiark]

This new ascedance form in no way harkens to any familiar elemental.

I understand that. But my headcannon is that like I said, a shaman can't fully ever take on an elemental form. So this is sort of a hybrid/best they could muster sort of thing. These ascended forms were actually NPC's/ enemies in older expansions. My belief is that those we fought back in Cata, etc were shaman who started out as mortals and through corruption/manipulation became permanently transformed into Ascendants who violently lash out at all those who come into their path. I'm assuming whatever was left of their minds was lost upon the fusion. These forms represent the player taking a moment of that power and harnessing it for themselves.

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From a lore standpoint, Ascendance is something that came about during Cataclysm when the Twilight's Hammer Cult started carrying out rituals to twist mortal shamans into Elementals in the form of Ascendants. Other Shamans later figured out how to turn into Ascendants too- evidently temporarily in the case of player shamans.

So it's essentially like a kind of 'divine' (in an elemental context) ascension to shed one's mortality and become one with the elements that was originally invented by an evil doomsday cult.

Yeah that's basically what I was implying above.