It’s amazing how simply giving something a name can make all the difference. I fully support this. I think with a much wider range of options which is good, some of them can actually play to some of the current in-game races that now have playable representation.
It’s a good way of further boosting immersion, and very cost-effective too, as you don’t need a starting area for that.
I should add that this should not just be limited to Sub-races.
Customisations options for unique groups like Farstriders amongst Thalassian elves, Highborne amongst Night elves, and others where relevant should be given too:
e.g. Click Night Elf:
You get:
- Highborne
- Night Warrior
- Illidari Elf (selecting this only gives Demon Hunter and Warlock class options -)
- Ravencrest (selecting this only gives DK option)
*N.B. If the class options are going to be present in the clan selection sub screen, then when you click demon hunter or warlock for example, Highborne, Nightwarriors, Ravencrest are greyed out, with only Illidari Elf available)
The Biggest Value of This
It also would really help blizzard give lore identity to certain customisations, even if they expand the lore much later. This in turn gives people something exciting to look forward too.
e.g. New human racial skins - if t hey each had a name: e.g. Alteraac human, Arathi or some new name previously unused, would give a chance for future exploration.
Folding in Allied Races for the Elves
With the exception of Vulpera, it’s obvious we can get all the allied races on the core race’s clan selection screens. For elves because void elves don’t play with BLood elves and Nightborne do not play with Night elves we could
Instead of having Night elf or Blood elf be on the main race page, it’s instead Elf on both alliance and horde, and if you select Elf you get:
- Sub-factions and races altogether in a longer list i.e.
- Night elf, Highborne, Night Warrior, Illidari, Void elf, High elf, Farstrider ( on Alliance)
- Blood elf, San’layn, Fel Elf, Sunfury (golden eyes) Farstrider, Nightborne, Moonguard
- OR have this arrangement by creating an extra sub-menu. So when you first click Elf you get the two options
- Night Elf, Void Elf (alliance) - and when you click on Night elf you will get options like Highborne, Illidari etc, like an extra menu
- Blood Elf, Nightborne (horde) - and when you click blood elf you get options like San’layn, high elf, Farstrider, Sunfury, Fel elf etc.
Alternatively, the allied races could still be up, but all except void elf, Nightborne and Vulpera would have templates in core races:
e.g. you can select Dark Iron dwarf from within Dwarf customisation, or you can select them from the main screen.
Modified Racial Menu
The above opens up some interesting new possibilities like making racial selections. How about being able to choose between certain racials in a racial menu tied to the clan selection?
So the racials of Bronzebeards and Dark Irons for example can be selected by the player on any dwarf. You are choosing between racials in one of each category. [note this can instead happen after you’ve made your character]
- profession racial
- utility racial
- passive racial
- Active racial
- Theme/flavour racial - is unique to the clan you pick only e.g.only Dark irons get Mole Machine, only Nightborne get Cantrips
So you have options from both normal and allied races to choose from, with some new ones thrown in because of the new groups.
Adding Racial Themed Spells (not racials):
This is essentially Racial Customisation To Classes Through Cosmetic Racial Spells and follows in the spirit of the race customisations, but extending them to diversify the class you play in a simple but neat way once you start playing your newly made character.
It ultimately would allow things like your Troll hunter to feel like a Shadow Hunter or Night elf priest to feel like a Moon Priest, or your Blood elf Hunter like a Farstrider Ranger, your Gnome warrior feels like a gnome
It is further extending racials when you are in game, but these are cosmetic alterations to spells, like glyphs rather than an actual different ability which would require a lot of balancing. I think it would be a neat idea to be able to “glyph” racial themed customised spells to existing ones on your class to give your class a more racial feel when you play it.
A new tab in the spellbook called racials will have these options available, and you essentially auto unlock them as you gain abilities. They basically allow you to substitute a spell/ability in your class with a racial version of the same type which is essentially Glyphing an appearance to the spell but based on race. This are the category of abilities you will have racial versions of to be able to glyph on to your class spell.
They come in several types:
- Melee ability
- Range ability
- Special ability
- AoE ability 1 (cleave)
- AoE ability 2 (mass Aoe)
- Heal ability
- AoE heal ability
- Minions and pets
- Stances
It’s not limited to these: you could have one for DoTs, one for channels too if the devs so wish.
Not every race would have substitutions for all of these, and they can be added over time. I would suggest that in the racial tab, clicking on the name of one of the new racial spells will bring down a drop down menu of the spells you can use it to substitute. I suspect you can only pick one option, but maybe in some cases you can pick more than one - up to blizz devs ofc
Examples of Cosmetic Race Spell Themes per Race
Here are some examples of the themes each race will have available to them:
These a based on the things that fit the race.
Example, Night elves have star/moon spells - because in lore they are Children of the stars, and actually we have seen night elf priests, druids and mages in Legion (esp Suramar) cast spells like Starfall, moonlance (it seems to be a racially themed set of abilities based on the Kaldorei night elf fantasy. Each race has similar, here are what came to mind at a quick glance.
- Gnomes: Gadgets 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]
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
This ofc can work regardless of whether allied races are part of a clan sub menu or selectable in the first race selection page. However clan menu are such a good idea I think they should happen. Ofc allied races can share some of the racial themed spells with core races they are from incl void/blood elves and Night/borne elves, since this is now in game in the spell book, it makes sense.
For those who think this is a lot, I am not sure you understand the vast amount of abilities created for dungeons, raids, mobs, and giving players racial themed abilities even in this limited capacity as customisations is a drop in the pond.
Here is a full concept I did in another topic.