I find it amazing how so many people seem in favour of making races cross faction.
To me this will totally ruin the game, the whole world of warcraft is based about two factions made up of identifiably different races, picking your faction and race is a big part of the game and i strongly believe this is how it should stay.
I also don’t agree with this ‘giving character models to the opposite faction’, aka night elf and blood elf that happened in legion.
Maybe instead of hanging on to the fact horde got highelves after 9+ years just let it go. Focus on what NEW races could be the next bloodelf hype instead of reusing content.
There’s nothing wrong with differences whether it’s models or even racial’s, most existing racial’s have been made so bland now it’s just sad. not everything has to be equal or the same. Once again making decisions is good, it’s all part of the game, if everyone has access to the same races no matter what faction you are on it’s just another part of wow to die, and another part of wow that might as well not exist anymore because it would hold no relevance.
Other things to take into consideration is why people chose their faction.
I for one picked my faction based on not only what races i liked the best and city’s i wanted to call home, but also what races i hated the most and what major lore characters i wanted to have nothing to do with.
The thought of having Gnomes, Dwarfs, Dreanei, Worgen, Nightelves and Humans joining my raids and walking in our city’s just brews hatred.
Likewise those two intolerable nosy nightelves and the alliance kings pet dog poking their heads in to say hello and influencing the horde, no way! how could anyone want that?
In short, i think the games been blurred to much over the years and having differences and choices to make should stay and if anything be added upon.
How about we try it first, see if it sticks. I’m pretty curious to see how it’ll work -if it’s even happening. People do take pride in their factions and Blizzard loves playing on that(especially at Blizzcon… HORDE WHERE YOU AT!? ) so who knows…
And if the factions do unite I doubt we’ll be sharing cities, more like we’ll be able to group up and/or get grouped up randomly in LFG etc but that’ll be the extend of it.
Problem is you can’t try it then remove it, like mount equipment should have never been a thing, yet they wouldn’t be-bale to remove that now as people would complain. Another example of blurring the line of differences, everyone’s been made entitled to water walk but for what?
However! If it was purely for grouping up to be made easier and less balancing but had no impact on what faction you are truly in like the mercenary mode then that could work.
Bloodelves have been in the game for nearly 13 years now, that’s a hella long time, they’re basically just as much a original race as trolls.
But anyway i don’t really get your point, all i’m saying is i believe there Shoulnbe a difference in factions or else there’s no point to them and i want there to be a ‘point’.
I’d like a faction-free playing system though. Not as in no factions, but a system where races aren’t bound to factions. If you’re a human horde, you’ll still be a horde, you can be as savage as you can… But then again, human horde… The thought itself cracks me up. But I’d still like to see it to be pulled off awesomely.
The Faction War is over now anyway, I don’t think they’ll restart it anytime soon…
Small skirmishes will probably continue, just to give the people who enjoy PvP an excuse to keep going into the BGs.
The Elves of Quel’Thalas was an iconic Alliance race for a while. And people were asking for them to be added to the Alliance ever since WoW started, then they suddenly became Horde instead.
I didn’t agree then, and I don’t agree now that they fit the Horde, but at least they’ve got company in the Nightborne. They’re not sticking out as much as they used to.
There’s nothing wrong with asking for what you want. The end decision remains with Blizzard of course, but players have been asking for High Elves since the game began, I don’t think they’re gonna stop just because you think they should.
Just pointing out that we have no concrete evidence or even rumors that races will be able to change faction.
It’s all guesswork based mostly on the Alliance/Horde icons on the character select screen.
But if they were to let races pick their side, it might be a last ditch effort to reinvigorate the Alliance. As this side has been dying slowly for several years now.
The Alliance raiding scene is close to dead on all but the largest servers.
Horde fills their Hall of Fame instantly, while the Alliance spends months upon months catching up.
Most people pick the side that allows them to play the race they want or the side their friends already play.
Pointing out that a lot of people (especially Old School Horde players) didn’t want the Blood Elves to be added to the Horde.
I’ve been playing since 2005 and I remember the complaints on both sides when the Blood Elves joined the Horde.
You had Alliance players complaining because they didn’t get the elves they wanted and you had Horde players complaining that the “theme/feel/look/whatever” of the Horde was ruined.
Not even close… The original races are exactly that, original. Everything else came along after them.
The Horde felt a lot different when all the races were “savage”…
The buildings are as spiky as they ever were, but there’s more Blood Elves around than anything else.
Not as many as there used to be, but still quite a lot.
Which is ironic, considering the race he plays.
As for my opinion on the matter?
I’m ambivalent. I don’t think it would make sense to have all races run around joining whichever side they want.
But it could make sense for some races. Especially those who have connections to both sides.
Horde races:
The Blood Elves have a history of cooperation with both sides, and Lor’themar even talked with Wrynn about joining the Alliance before Jaina went insane-in-the-membrane during the Dalaran purges.
The Tauren have a long history of coexistence and cooperation with the Night Elves. Blizz could build on this, having Tauren join the Night Elves in protest of what was done against them during the war.
If Calia doesn’t end up leading the Forsaken in the Horde, she could lead a group of Forsaken who joins the Alliance maybe?
Goblins would work for whichever side they would personally profit the most from I guess.
Highmountain Tauren have no beef (pun intended) with the Alliance. Alliance champions helped them just as much as the Horde did during the Legion invasion.
Nightborne have no reason to fight the Alliance, both sides helped them during the Legion invasion.
Alliance races:
Dark Irons come to mind as a race that could potentially join the Horde to get away from the Bronzebeards and Wildhammers.
Many Dark Irons have fought the other dwarves more than they ever fought the Horde.
Humans maybe? Humans aren’t as united as many of the other races, you got lots of different ones. For example the pirates you cooperate with on the Horde side. And Stormwind is filled with humans from all over, not just native born Stormwind citizens.
Kul Tirans would be in the same boat (pun intended) as the Humans here.
Gnomes? Some gnomes are as boomcrazy as their goblin cousins, maybe they’d fit in more over there? Dunno…
Void Elves perhaps? It’s not inconceivable that Lor’themar would rescind the exile of the Void Elves now that the war is over, in the hopes of drawing some of them back home. He rescinded the exile of the High Elves a while back after all.
They started studying the Void to protect their homeland in the first place, and as long as they don’t go to the Sunwell it should be fine.
Lightforged Draenei? Both sides helped them against the Legion after all, but they are more like an army instead of a race, so maybe that kind of “desertion” wouldn’t fit them?
I don’t see the Orcs or Trolls (either kind) joining the Alliance, or the Bronzebeard Dwarves or Night Elves joining the Horde. Maybe a few Night Elves could plausibly have reason to want to join their Nightborne cousins, seeing as it’s possible some of them actually have living relatives there, but I don’t think that would stretch beyond a few individuals. Not enough for it to make sense making them playable Horde side.
IF Blizz wanted they could write in any number of reasons for whichever race to be playable on both sides.
Either as a “fresh start” character or a questline that changes your side.
But whether they will? Who knows… As I previously stated we have NOTHING that points to this beyond those faction icons on the character select screen.
So do I think every race will be able to play both factions? No… I do not.
Do I think it’s plausible they will add this functionality to a few races? Yes, possibly. But I think the chance is low.
I’ve met a bunch of nice horde players along the way. Some I’ve helped, some who helped me. But the best I could do to respond to them was things like /wave /cheer etc.
It would be nice to play with them in some capacity!
Cultists, pirates and Ashvane loyalists, yes, others no.
Remember that a large chunk of Stormsong questing was dedicated to the Horde going from village to village and slaughtering peasents and innocents.
Considers that they would have been told by the Draenei about what happened on Draenor, I don’t think that would work well.
Then there is also the Mag’har situation.
I fixed that for you. The purist Kal’dorei wouldn’t be joining the Horde willing, not after BFA’s gut punch.
Timejump and go into WoW2 with whole new stories. That is the only real way to heal any of the stuff that has happened.
Mainly because all those who fought the Horde were fighting because the Horde invaded their home and slaughtered them.
Honestly just let everyone group together no matter the faction and call it a day.
That way nobody is going to get angry at factions ending and everyone get their groups fast.
Right… Didn’t think of the Mag’har… They’d probably go ballistic if any Lightforged set foot in there…
Forgot about them… Yeah, they could plausibly join the Horde. Would be weird if they could be druids though.
Also I think it’s Shen’dralar.
A timeskip would feel welcome…
According to Chronicles each expansion takes place over one year… Which means there’s oneworld ending threat every year.
Which is beyond ridiculous. Considering the death toll each of these events have on their own, there should hardly be any people left in Azeroth.
Timeskip 30 years ahead, to let the populations regrow
The Dark Irons as a whole has a much longer history fighting the other Dwarves than they have fighting the Horde.
Sure they’ve been fighting the Blackrock orcs for space, but as a whole they’ve fought the other dwarves more.
There’s lots of examples of Moira’s hold over the Dark Irons not being as tight as she might wish.
And I could plausibly see a lot of Dark Irons not wanting a “halfbreed” becoming their next Emperor.
They won’t, do you know why? Politics.
The current wow writing team lets current politics influence their works, even subtly.
The old WoW was basic and cookie cutter medieval fantasy, new WoW was progressed onwards into it’s own creature and with that comes pros and cons.
But eitherway, they wouldn’t do anything (nowadays) which could be misconstrued as politically charged topics.
Imagine how half of the old lore would fare if it was written today.
Shattrath’s desecration, Garrona, you get the picture.
(wouldn’t let me post it if I didn’t put those spaces there)
This is just too damn cute, I love it
Also…
All you said there about all of those races that could actually fit on the other side if they wanted us to have more faction freedom playing (almost) whatever we like is really well thought and honestly I would buy it and not mind at all, if it was up to me they could implement asap.
Unfortunately it is more safe to just let people group up in PvE or we might ruin it for people that take faction pride and identity to higher levels.
I did disagree with the addition of High Elves for that very reason: faction identity. But if they allow us to play most races on both factions (and obviously Blood Elves are one of those races), then I don’t see why they can’t add to the now-Neutral Elves of Quel’thalas the blue eye option if Alliance and green if Horde.
Just wanted to say really appreciated your posts, cheers.
) so who knows…
