Advanced Races in new expansion = $$$

[Mace]

Just a fortnight left to the introduction of the new expansion, and wanna bet a major feature of it will be advanced races?

It's never been done before, and people have been for a long as I remember, wanting to play the likes of High Elves, Dark Iron dwarves, Mag'har orcs etc etc - The thing is these aren't full new races, they're all based off playable raes. They're highly desired, and it just so happens blizzard has been working on new models for all the existing races.

Wanna bet they'd capitalize on their investment and introduce each races model with 1 or even 2 of the races racial factions? I know people talk about groups like high elves and others becoming playable races, but the truth is high elves, dark iron dwarves, mag'har orcs are not full races, they are factions of existing races. High elves are an alliance faction of the same race as the blood elves. Mag'har orcs are a racial faction of the Orc race, and Wildhammers a racial faction of the dwarf race.

So why do what they've done in the past, making 2 full new races with time consuming fresh models and months of animation and taking months to design new zones for them, when you can easily just use the work you're doing on the new models for the 10 races, and just add superficial alternative customizations like brown skin tones instead of green, blue eyes instead of green to make an advanced race. And since it's not a full new race, and they can start in their races start zone or get a phased version, you can do a hell lot more than just 2 new races, you could do 2 racial factions per Race

New Expansion feature: Play with up 20 new Advanced Races - including High elves, Human Forsaken, Mag'har Orcs, Forest Trolls, Dark Iron dwraves, Half-mecha gnomes and many more. Blizzard Entertainment's Turn of Tides Expansion coming 2014

= $$$$$ in the money from race changes and returned subscribers
and Advanced races >> New racial skins for a selling point

OPTION 1:
Introduce them as Advanced race that start at a high level. You don't meet the Mag'har storyline till Nagrand level 62, so, You can start a Mag'har toon from level 62. High elves don't play a major role in the storyline till Dalaran at level 75, so youc an play them from level 75... Dark Irons are met at level 8 now, so you can start them from that level. Some of the new ones like human forsaken and half-mech gnomes you can start with from level 1.

OPTION 2.
Introduce them as Racial factions at level 1. Races now become a Race Group instead that has 2 or 3 Racial factions. The Orc Race Group will start off with these racial factions: Normal Orc, Mag'har Orc and Dragonmaw Orc as the 3 options in character creation you can choose from essentially boiling down to the Orc model with green skin tones for normal orc, brown skin tones and a special "tribal features" customizaton for Mag'har orc, and grey/black tones for Dragonmaw. Every racial faction will have slightly different class selections, and may have different racials. They start at level 1 either in the main factions start zone, or some can have a phased level 1-6 of their homeland, example Mag'har could start in Nagrand level 1-6.

obviously high elf is a faction of the same race as the blood elves but on the alliance, they would be selectable either as a human racial faction or a night elf one, human forsaken would be a faction of both human and forsaken, but being horde it's obvious they'd be under as a forsaken racial faction.

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

Sounds like a horrible idea that would cause more subs to quit.

Also what the heck is with this sudden "race group" obsession?

[Gimlix]

Sounds like a horrible idea that would cause more subs to quit.

Also what the heck is with this sudden "race group" obsession?

I like the idea of you have to reach a current zone and level first till u can unlock that race.

[Rixis]

I wouldn't mind there being more model choices if/when they update the character models, to allow you to choose "sub races" (brown orcs etc) as a purely aesthetic thing (with a free change upon launch), but I doubt it would happen, aside from that, not much interest in sub groups as new races myself.

[CenariusTheForestLord]

I thought blizzcon was still 4 weeks away?
And do love the idea of unlocking race sub-groups while lvling a specific race.
But it would be awful having to lvl a night elf to say 80 only to start again from lvl 1 to get a high elf...
And the idea of starting at 80 is a bit weird since you then have 2 characters in your realm slot for the sake of having 1.
Meaning you either have to go through with the night elf or delete a lvl 80 toon and lose all those hours you'd invested in it..

I am positive blizz will come up with a great idea in which they have invested a lot of time.
I'll be happy with however they go from here. Loved MOP, hated CATA but I'm still playing.

[vindicatorx]

I wouldn't pay for it but sure whatever

[Roosky]

This idea has been thrown around for years now and could very much be a possibility with the new expansion, however I would be happy with current race models updated (mainly just trolls to look like voljin ) but me and my friends have always wanted this and have wished they would do it so we could play as dragonmaw orcs etc, also blizzcon is 3 and a half weeks away not a fortnight

[Mace]

I thought blizzcon was still 4 weeks away?
And do love the idea of unlocking race sub-groups while lvling a specific race.
But it would be awful having to lvl a night elf to say 80 only to start again from lvl 1 to get a high elf...
And the idea of starting at 80 is a bit weird since you then have 2 characters in your realm slot for the sake of having 1.
Meaning you either have to go through with the night elf or delete a lvl 80 toon and lose all those hours you'd invested in it..

I am positive blizz will come up with a great idea in which they have invested a lot of time.
I'll be happy with however they go from here. Loved MOP, hated CATA but I'm still playing.

wait isn't blizzcon first week november?

Anyway, if I were doing it, I wouldn't insist you had to level specifically a night elf to level 80 to access the night elf racial factions, As soon as you reach the level any racial faction is accessible, you can then play that race, from the level it's accessible, e.g. you don't go back to level 1, like DKs, you would start at the level the race comes in at. Example Level 62 for Mag'har orc.

I might make the restriction factional. i.e the level unlock only works for the WHOLE factions sub races, i.e. if you're alliance toon hits level 80, only the alliance racial factions unlocked at level 80 and lower are accessible, to get any of the horde ones you will need a horde character of the same level. And it's account bound, so your high toon could be on another server.

And it won't be 2 characters in your realm for the sake of 1, rather it would be 2 for the price of 1. You literally get a new class at a higher level. Say you hit level 75 with your night elf and unlock high elf, you can then create a high elf character that starts at level 75 in Crystal song forest. And you can choose any high elf class

[ravenmoon]

I wouldn't pay for it but sure whatever

what if they start a price plan:

You have to buy the expansion to access the races - and can unlock them through levellling or:

Accessible to anyone:
Pay $5 to unlock each racial group: e.g. you unlock the full Dwarf racial group i.e Bronzebeard, Wildhammer and Dark Iron
Pay $25 to unlock everything (special holiday bonus pack offer)
- you can have access without buying the expansion.

Furthermore they'll make $$$$ in race changes. New models will certainly cause some race changes, but you'll have a lot more with Race groups.

[roahn the warlock]

what if they start a price plan:

You have to buy the expansion to access the races - and can unlock them through levellling or:

Accessible to anyone:
Pay $5 to unlock each racial group: e.g. you unlock the full Dwarf racial group i.e Bronzebeard, Wildhammer and Dark Iron
Pay $25 to unlock everything (special holiday bonus pack offer)
- you can have access without buying the expansion.

Furthermore they'll make $$$$ in race changes. New models will certainly cause some race changes, but you'll have a lot more with Race groups.

Sure, no wait how about this, a one time easy payment of 15 dollars after buying the expantion gets you a month of game time and all these fun features

[Seezer]

What do you mean by human forsaken?

[Gimlix]

what if they start a price plan:

You have to buy the expansion to access the races - and can unlock them through levellling or:

Accessible to anyone:
Pay $5 to unlock each racial group: e.g. you unlock the full Dwarf racial group i.e Bronzebeard, Wildhammer and Dark Iron
Pay $25 to unlock everything (special holiday bonus pack offer)
- you can have access without buying the expansion.

Furthermore they'll make $$$$ in race changes. New models will certainly cause some race changes, but you'll have a lot more with Race groups.

Or.... we don't pay for anything? We're already paying for a monthly payment which is clearly getting dated, if they are going to let us pay for more things, then i would become pretty upset, because then you basicly need to pay for ANYTHING =/

[Thelxi]

I don't see that specific thing happening, but I do have an ominous feeling that Blizzard will get a bit more greedy with WoW next expansion. Trying to squeeze in the cash shop during MoP is a bad sign.

- - - Updated - - -

Not to mention how carelessly they destroyed the diablo franchise in the name of a few extra dollars. Not a good feeling about it is all.

[Evilfish]

Or.... we don't pay for anything? We're already paying for a monthly payment which is clearly getting dated, if they are going to let us pay for more things, then i would become pretty upset, because then you basicly need to pay for ANYTHING =/

Don't try to make sense of this. Some people are dead set on playing something that's not available to the game or to their faction and they would mortgage their houses, sell their organs and so on... to do that.

Sure Blizz can do it. Hell they can make everything pay-to-use, like SWTOR, but that would not mean more $$$$$$$$$$, it would probably mean a lot less. 7-8 million players is still a pretty decent income for a MMO on today's market where most have less than 3 million. So why ruin that deal?

Anyway if they do add this then they'll have a few buyers, no doubt, but I suspect rational people will wave bye-bye to WoW and never return.

[Deleted]

micro transactions wouldn't work unless Blizz offered a F2P version. they're already treading lightly with current Blizzstore

[Roosky]

Don't try to make sense of this. Some people are dead set on playing something that's not available to the game or to their faction and they would mortgage their houses, sell their organs and so on... to do that.

Sure Blizz can do it. Hell they can make everything pay-to-use, like SWTOR, but that would not mean more $$$$$$$$$$, it would probably mean a lot less. 7-8 million players is still a pretty decent income for a MMO on today's market where most have less than 3 million. So why ruin that deal?

Anyway if they do add this then they'll have a few buyers, no doubt, but I suspect rational people will wave bye-bye to WoW and never return.

Lol why would people quit wow if they introduced sub races...

[Evilfish]

Lol why would people quit wow if they introduced sub races...

I wouldn't.

I'd quit if they start making you pay for unlocking things in game and other crap like that.

[Deleted]

Lol why would people quit wow if they introduced sub races...

Because they feel shafted for buying an expansion + subcribtion only to be told they need to spend more on a key feature

[Slowpoke is a Gamer]

I like the idea of you have to reach a current zone and level first till u can unlock that race.

Oh yeah. I actually considered the idea of Hero Races that function akin to Hero Classes. You have to hit a certain level, and (at least while it's the big new thing) you can only have 1 at a time.

I actually considered that as a way to implement Dragonkin as a race.

[Celista]

Also what the heck is with this sudden "race group" obsession?

A lot of it has to do with people wanting to play a high elf. >.<

Anyway, I'm not against sub-races but I don't think players should pay a premium for them.