BfA Patch Speculation thread (8.3 and later).

[Pheraz]

It's going to be another horde centric expansion for sure. I fear they are so obsessed with their new way of rubbing their stories in the player faces that maybe something like "look the horde is so nice and rainbows" expansion might happen. With the evil alliance teaming up with the void (what kinda already happened with the goth elves)

[George Costanza]

Allied races should be just reskins or something like highmountain taurens at best.

[Fahrad Wagner]

Even though Vulpera and Mechagnomes are likely to be paired together, I'd agree one is a little underwhelming compared to the other.

An ideal pairing for mechagnomes would be mechagoblins. Some faction of goblins from Kezan, with a crazy taste for body-modifications and engineering, but with a stronger Mad Max vibe, whereas mechagnomes would have this sleek polished engineering aesthetic.

That being said, I'm still quite certain Vulpera are going to be an allied race, but eh, we could be surprised. No one expected the turn of events from the end of Legion with AR.

[derpkitteh]

Then its a good thing blizzard does something with them that isn't just a random midget joke.

i'd rather they be left to nothing.

even their appearance is a joke.

[rda]

It's going to be another horde centric expansion for sure. I fear they are so obsessed with their new way of rubbing their stories in the player faces that maybe something like "look the horde is so nice and rainbows" expansion might happen. With the evil alliance teaming up with the void (what kinda already happened with the goth elves)

I think Horde-first happens mostly because the devs predominantly play Horde themselves and it's already a tradition. I don't remember where I saw it stated that the devs are mostly Horde, but it was said, 100%. I guess it didn't start like that and mostly developed over the years - maybe Metzen's enthusiasm for orcs was too contagious and he managed to infect most of the new hires at some point, hard to say. But it's been mostly Horde for quite some time now and when that happens, it's just natural to do Horde first and Alliance second, and natural to have enthusiasm for Horde and have less enthusiasm for Alliance (just look at that story with a Blizzard guy supposedly self-inserting into the lore by roleplaying the Sylvanas servant a little too hard - there's a reason this also happened for the Horde instead of for the Alliance), and it all flows from there.

This doesn't mean that the Horde have it better in terms of lore, because "better" is a loaded term. But the attention is definitely balanced towards a single faction, and there's no fighting it, really. (I personally just have two mains: one on Horde and another on Alliance. Same class, same specs, same everything.)

[Graden]

Metzen's enthusiasm for orcs was too contagious and he managed to infect most of the new hires at some point, hard to say.

Metzen's love for Thrall/Orcs is known, and yet he always mained a human paladin. I remember him saying that and also back in Legion I recall a picture of his holy pala on twitter. He always gave me the impression he is a big fan of the Alliance of Lordaeron from the strategy games, considering some of his past Blizzcon speeches etc.

[rda]

Metzen's love for Thrall/Orcs is known, and yet he always mained a human paladin. I remember him saying that and also back in Legion I recall a picture of his holy pala on twitter. He always gave me the impression he is a big fan of the Alliance of Lordaeron from the strategy games, considering some of his past Blizzcon speeches etc.

He was also on the Alliance bike team when they were doing Horde / Alliance bikes, but I could never tell whether that was genuine love for the Alliance or an attempt to avoid complaints regarding the Horde bias (I never watched the videos about how they were making those bikes, for one thing, my loss, I guess).

[huth]

Doesn't really matter. In no f*cking way you can give Alliance Mechagnomes and Horde Vulpera. No way.

Well, true. The Alliance would get a very short stick on that.

[Graden]

He was also on the Alliance bike team when they were doing Horde / Alliance bikes, but I could never tell whether that was genuine love for the Alliance or an attempt to avoid complaints regarding the Horde bias (I never watched the videos about how they were making those bikes, for one thing, my loss, I guess).

Oh haha I had no idea he did that. I too, never watched the videos.

[Fahrad Wagner]

Oh haha I had no idea he did that. I too, never watched the videos.

From what I remember, it felt a bit forced. But don't take my word for it.

[Harbour]

Well, its possible for people to like multiple races and characters. You can love Malfurion, be the fan of brutality/spirituality of bigass green guys and still like classic image of Human Paladin, in badass plate armor, with Holy Halo and bigass 2hander.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Metzen's love for Thrall/Orcs is known, and yet he always mained a human paladin. I remember him saying that and also back in Legion I recall a picture of his holy pala on twitter. He always gave me the impression he is a big fan of the Alliance of Lordaeron from the strategy games, considering some of his past Blizzcon speeches etc.

He also knew what would happen at Wrath's end, same with Cata and Mist and probably a bit of whats coming for us. He had way more insight then we did and I'm sure he's genuine when he likes the Alliance. He's kind of like a hype machine not the typical corporate hype you'd see from other companies, it was sincere and not fake.

OT: I don't really think mechagnome is bad for an allied race, just because I'm not a fan doesn't mean the billions of other people on the internet won't.

[Kereberus]

Are people really going to get that mad if Alliance get Mecha while Horde get Vulpera? You picked the boring fantasy faction, so you get the associated races.

[George Costanza]

its nice to see people like towelliee even saying that if 8.2 fails wow is doomed.

- - - Updated - - -

And we are not getting junker gnomes or vulperas as AR.

There are less vulperas than high elves.

[Kereberus]

its nice to see people like towelliee even saying that if 8.2 fails wow is doomed.

- - - Updated - - -

And we are not getting junker gnomes or vulperas as AR.

There are less vulperas than high elves.

Doesn't stop the High Elf thread from filled with crazy people who think Blizzard will give it to them.

[George Costanza]

High elves is basically a perfect example of allied race that should happen compared to vulperas. They should be reskins that use the base model (not just skeletons)

[Raetary]

And we are not getting junker gnomes or vulperas as AR.

There are less vulperas than high elves.

Numbers stopped working as an argument the moment blizzard released void elves.

[George Costanza]

Numbers stopped working as an argument the moment blizzard released void elves.

numbers work as an argument because blizzard used the argument no matter what logic says.

[Sentynel]

vulpera are better than any goblin-based thing. especially gilbins, fuck those things.

mechagnomes alone are a waste of an allied race. it's always been a stupid joke race, and it's dumb they're getting so much focus in 8.2. now they waste a new race slot on them as well, when it could have been something cooler, like wildhammer dwarves or something.

Wildhammer dwarves are even worse than HM Taurens lol. I'd take the gnomes with robot legs over tattooed dwarves.

[Varx]

High elves is basically a perfect example of allied race that should happen compared to vulperas. They should be reskins that use the base model (not just skeletons)

Except that helves are not a reskin but a carbon copy of its parent race. Unlike every other AR to date.