Farstrider and Highborne customisations for Elves - PLS

Community General Discussion
33

I think that’s just a case of blizzard not doing a specific customisation for them yet, when they eventually do things like that, they always go back and change all the associated NPCs

Blood elves and Zandalari are famous examples, as are Demon hunters too, prior to doing them properly they used standard Night elf and troll models.

I would assume this is the case with the Highborne they show in Azsuna and Darnassus. Should they want a customisation option to specifically be linked to Highborne, they’d likely change the NPCs or all the new ones henceforth would use that. It depends on how they’ve indexed them.

You auto random the indexed ones with the new custoimsation options. If not indexed, it’s too much work to go back and change all, you just show new ones that way…which works for Highborne ibecause old ones can pass off too as highborne, where this was not the case for blood elf, Zandalari or Demon Hunter.

So if Highborne aren’t indexed specifically do not expect existing ones to change, unless it’s a major character given a unique model.

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This would be the logical thing to do.

35

But this isn’t a case of Night Elf model/Highborne model because both are the same. The Highborne are simply Night Elves and vise-versa.

But that would be an NPC thing. You won’t stop people from playing a Night Elf Death Knight or Night Elf Rogue, also using, what you would consider the “Highborne model.” That is something that would simply, happen.

We can’t be having these “let’s change the model for these select classes” because it doesn’t work like that. It’s not how Blizzard operates and they don’t operate like that because they can’t. I play a Night Elf Death Knight. Why should I be disallowed from using the Highborne model? I can RP my Death Knight as a former Highborne.

36

Sadly, so far, no sign of either. Whiles the new skins are appreciated, nothing screams Farstriders.

Nothing screams highborne either. WE continue to wait.

37

Well actually, black hair and orange hair can be “Highborne” style.

The Highborne Elves in the Azshara Warbringer had black hair and the orange hair…well, it looks gaudy. Highborne are known for gaudy clothes and poor fashion sense. :woman_shrugging:

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This has been a great discussion so far, thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone!

What other customisation options would you like to see based on what’s been shown so far?

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39

Night Elf jewelry, like earrings.
Gaudy jewelry to drive the point, home.

I’d also add purple eyes and tattoos to influence an “Arcana” influence.
We’ve seen male Night Elves receive upper-body tattoos, both arms and facial, but I think the skin colors need to be more “in-your-face” in a way. Vibrant, glowing purple for those who have been around the arcane/wield the arcane.

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40

I would absolutely love a short non spikey hair that’s not just the helmet default hair
The void elf hairmodel 11 for men (wowhead dressing room) is perfect, you don’t even need to devoid it
Its the only real thing I was hoping to get for Belf customisation (but the other options we are getting are cool too)

41

I know this doesn’t have to do with elves, but I’m going to say it anyway.

Pandaren, especially females.

Pandaren females have one face. There’s some different fur patterns and stuff like that, but in terms of face shapes, they have a single one. This definitely needs some work.

Also, eye colour should be decoupled from facial fur pattern, and the eyes should glow. The eyes glow in the MoP cinematic trailer - why don’t they glow in game?

Those are my suggestions.

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Undead Elf option , that ticks the allied race category / Dark Ranger class if you want make your hunter an Undead Elf call it a Dark Ranger hehe, but I just want my red eyes !

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43

Long beards for Humans. Perfect for spellcasters.

More ear varities for both male and female Worgen.

I really would like to see red skin for draenei so we could have perhaps rehabilitated Eredar post-Legion.

Braided hair on Taurens at the back not just the front.

Tails on male Pandaren as an option, and tails with black/white fur on females.

Shorter ear option on Night Elves-- Humans have different ear sizes, yes?

Bright orange and yellow hair on Gnomes. Just all the garish colours.

I still think it grossly unfair to people who main Allied Races to make them wait indefinitely-- one can’t help in fact see it as comparable to what Worgen and Goblin had to go through, as in probably wasn’t going to happen but only for people pushing the matter.

Allied Races are in fact separate races and they in fact need a lot more options. Void Elves need normal skin tones because ‘Void’ is not a race but a corruption. Nightbourne badly need more skin and hair colours. Vulpera just need more options. Kul Tirans should have a standard human body option (because most Kul Tiran NPCS do). Lightforged desperately need more options for everything.

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44

In addition to the Original post: can I suggest:

[Copy/pasted from a topic I just made]

RACIAL CUSTOMISATONS IN CLASSES

TLDR Version It’s simple really,
This is where you swap 1 or 2 key class spells with a racial version on each race so it really feels a lot more like it’s the race playing that class rather than say a generic hunter or mage with a different skin. You can glyph the class version back in. [Race ability substitutes suggested below]

Because much of your character (like his race) also exists in the class whose abilities are seen just as much as the model.

Concept [Full Version]
When you think about it, your class mechanics/abilities are jas visible a part of your character as its body, especially decked in armor. A proper customisation options for races would not only involve the character model, but the classes it plays.

Races have some impressive and very distinctive class lore for certain classes. And find that a racial influence can be very distinctive, yet unreflected in the playable class’ abilities [Moonpriests? Tidesages? Drust Druids?]

Blizzard should take those classes in the races and give them some distinctive ability swap that screams their race.

Example:
Blizzard would select 1 or 2 key spells or fillers /features with a racial one but you can glyph the normal version back in. I suggest providing a 3rd AoE version, AoE s are very distinctive

Void elves for example will use a void bolt instead of fireball, shadowbolt, smite, etc, Twilight devastation or that nasty Void Beam from invasion enemies like King Phaoris in the minor horrific Vision in Uldum for some aoe abilities across classes, the tenatacle slap corruption effect replaces some melee weapon abilities. You can always glyph back to the normal

  • Blood Elves - swaps a key spell or two with a fire/sun version
  • Night elf/Nightborne - swaps 1 or 2 key or filler spells for moon/star arcane version (can glyph back)
  • Orc - swap say fireball for and a few others for a shaman like lavalash or frostbolt with an earthshard.
  • Troll - swap a spell or two with a blood version
  • Lightforged - swap a spell or two with Light version e.g. arcane shot or arrows are light arrows
  • Void elves - swap the key spam/filler spells of many classes or one of the frequently used spells with a void version.
  • Gnomes: replace some abilitieies or minions with machine bots and gadget versions
  • Goblins replace some with alchemy and explosive versions similar to the one in island expeditions

You get the jist:

  1. It has to be a frequently use spell, I suggest 1 key spell and 1 filler
  2. You can always glyph back to the normal one.
  3. Each class on each race is going to have a look at to see what might be done

There are creative ways to show that this is a certain race in that class: But note that not every class will likely have something.

Race by Race Customisaton Themes In Classes

Here are some examples that each race has based on their lore/core features. Now you may be able to think of vetter versions than I’ve listed, by all means do tell us about it.

  • Gnomes: Gadgests and gizmos: pets, minions, timed/delayed events can have replacements.

  • Goblins: explosives & alchemaic concotions.

  • Blood Elves: fire sun & light racial spell

  • Night Elves; Star & Moon arcane magic racial spell

  • Troll : Tiki mask voodoo & Blood effect

  • Forsaken: Defiled ground & undead minions

  • Pandas: Brews and Chi abilities

  • Draenei : Crystals

  • Dwarves: Titan aspects with unique visuals. related ability? Beer?

  • Orcs; shaman elemental spells & ancestral stuff

  • Tauren: Earth stampede (abilities cos the ground to shake as the Tauren stomps), Totem Stomp: replaces certain weapon & ranged abilities with a swing or throw of that iconic racial stomp

  • Worgen: Pack rush (aoe abilities) and ferocious frenzy (themed on Feral Worgen]

Humans: Mount up on horses for certain abilities? Human has nothing i can think of, because pretty every class, apart from Shaman and Druid are actually based on the human version. We are basically playing the human version off all these things. I f humans could be druids and shaman, then some abilities on those classes should be modified

Allied Races: Inspired By Island Expedition Teams:

  • Nightborne: Warp caster abilities & Chronomagic spell
  • Void Elves: Void abilities
  • Lightforged: Light Abilities
  • Zandalari: Loa aspects appear on certain spells: Each class has a Loa patron, that patron will appear and use its ability instead of your normal class ability.
  • Kul’tiran: Tidesage & Drust spell visuals
  • Dark Iron: Mole Machine for movement abilities & Golem
  • Mag’har Orc: Same as orcs
  • Mechagnomes: Same as gnomes
  • Highmountain tauren: Same as Tauren

Some of these would need a unique visual created for them.

Take a close look at the Island expedition teams, and what were used there, now see if some of those abiliteis can be used to substitute key class abiliteis, with the option to glyph out, and bingo you’ve got race customisations in classes.

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45

I would love to have more postures options. Most base races like humans are just very basic and non-dynamic: Facing forward, standing straight. Female Nightbornes and male Blood Elves are good example of the opposite, and the kind of options I’d like to see on more races: The posture is dynamic, not exacly facing forward, not stiff like humans.

1 Like
46

We’ve had this discussion already, Starstride, Galavant, Elvereth, Dalenya or whatever other alts you choose to post on.

Plus, the comment is regarding features - not extra classes, especially those that make no sense.
Blood Elves were the Illidari Warlocks, until they got killed. The current Illidari Warlocks…closest we’ll get are probably the Shivarra.

The Elves - they are all Demon Hunters.

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Please please add beards for more races, blood elf need beards, trolls near beards, just beards everywhere, except dwarfs as they have enough already

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Excellent, thanks for coming on here and showing us you guys are listening. There’ve been some great points in posts in forums recently that players have gone into some depths of what they’d like to see, here are 2 taken from another topic. 1 by Androsobi who makes a very key point I feel is relevant and the second was from me.

And this one here for Night Elves, the counterpart to Galavant’s reply to Sholah above detailing the Farstrider look:

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49

Humans are getting facial features for those skin colours. Elves aren’t. Educate yourself.

50

Honestly it is important to distinguish races by not having prominent beards as well as those having them.

One thing I do not like is seemingly giving tattoos to every race these days. I mean every man and his pet hamster in Shadowlands will be running around with body paint, it is going to somewhat diminish the uniqueness in those that originally had it.

I mean it’s nice to have some more options but they should focus their artteam, honestly, on giving us a modest selection - not sliders - of body shapes instead. Three would be enough to cover thin (spellcaster), medium (Rogue) and muscled (Warrior).

There’s only so many shades of purple one can really make of value for Night Elves. Finally there’s only so many different ways one can repaint the same figure before diminishing returns kick in.

51

Isn’t that like saying, we should distinguish races by not having long hair? I mean beards are beards, druids gonna have long beards no? Males gonna have beards. Elves ain’t going to do beards like dwarves, but a Farstrider having an overgrown beard or a Night elf druid having bushy one isn’t going to steal from dwarves now is it? especially when such fits Farstriders and druids.

Tattoos are like glowy eyes, too, they were once a rather rare/unique thing… but saying that, it is very specific types that have tattoos in lore, and I’m fine with them as long as each race has distinctive ones, and cool ones. It’s not for everyone, and most people like covering up with armor.

But if a tattoo is representative of a specific order, like the Farstriders, or the sentinels, - or arcane using Highborne and nightborne have these as an indication of arcane power, demon hunters have their own versions as runewards against demons, Wildhammer have them as clan markings, Mag’har as rights of passage - then they are justifiable.

Because they make the race more interesting, and gives a unique feel to certain key groups.

I would like posture slider on Night elves, like the guy I quoted explained.

Also I’d like to be able to choose different stand poses.

Let them at least first give all the major lore ones people love role playing as first right? Diminishing returns woon’t kick in before them. Both Farstrider Thalassians and Highborne Night elves are legendary groups in their races, they certainly warrant unique packages, even if it is open to all clases, cos basically the Farstriders are an institution not just hunters, Rangers that act as roogues, warriors etc. Highborne while predominantly mages, are a people group , a caste, and they have others who delve into other fields like warrior, hunter, etc.

These are famous in lore, but don’t have unique looks yet that tailor the playable race to them. I wouldn’t worry about diminishing returns yet, at elast not till these are are out.

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And so are the Druids of the Kaldorei and the Sin’dorei Magisters - indeed, the latter already have some huge inspirations with Rommath design and the tattoo’s he’s rocking.