New races rumoured for WOW expansion News
MMO PC News by Oli Welsh
The normally reliable WoW.com has added its weight to rumours that the next World of Warcraft expansion will feature two new playable races.
"Multiple sources close to the situation" confirmed to WOW.com that Goblins and Worgen would join the Horde and Alliance respectively.
Worgen are WOW's werewolves, and a seemingly unlikely choice to join the whitebread Alliance. The ubiquitous, currently neutral Goblins mucking in with the Horde seems more feasible.
Rumours began to swirl around the two races a few weeks ago, when they appeared as new Halloween masks - normally reserved for playable races - on a test server update.
The next WOW expansion is likely to be revealed in some form at the BlizzCon fan convention next week. It may be called Cataclysm, following a Blizzard trademark. Many speculate that it will deal with the Maelstrom, a storm in the centre of Warcraft's world, and have a maritime theme.
In a recent interview with Videogamer.com, lead designer Tom Chilton noted that "we don't feel that we can support the pace of adding a new class with every single expansion" (last expansion Wrath of the Lich King featured the Death Knight class) and said it was "less likely" this time around - making new races are more realistic prospect.
He also noted that any new playable races would have to be well-represented in the game world already, unlike the Burning Crusade's Draenei who "it was harder for players to get... because they kind of came out of nowhere". Goblins are everywhere in WOW, and Worgen appeared as enemies in the early levels of the original game as well as being revisited in Lich King.
We'll almost certainly find out more next week. The opening ceremony of BlizzCon, traditionally home to the big announcements, takes place on Friday 21st in the evening, UK time.
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Comments: 1-35 of 35 in total
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0
"I don't think they'll go for goblins. They've always been the neutral side"
Do you know Warcraft lore at all? Goblins have only been neutral for THIS war. They were with the Horde for the previous two. "there are tons of important quest hubs that are goblin-owned, so eliminating the Alliance's access seems pointless." To anyone without any Warcraft lore knowledge or imagination maybe. You know they are split into factions right? Like Trolls? There is only one Troll tribe allied with the Horde. They could easily keep all the goblin areas neutral and have a Goblin faction ruled by a different Goblin Prince side with the Horde. Chances are the Worgen will be of Gilneas origin.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 11/08/09 @ 11:52
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0
Bleh.
If it has to be new races and no new class (was hoping for a mage-y hero class to compliment the Death Knight - like a summoner or something,) then can the Alliance have a race that isn't totally lame looking and able to be a shaman? I hate the look of the Dranei, but I want a Shaman so much >:( I was gutted that Blood Elves were Horde. |
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crazyhorse174
11/08/09 @ 11:13
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@Lemming81: I think you need to get out a bit more mate - its only a game! Dont take it so seriously!
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@Eraysor
I don't think they'll go for goblins. They've always been the neutral side, and there are tons of important quest hubs that are goblin-owned, so eliminating the Alliance's access seems pointless. People seem to think that all goblins/orcs/gnomes/whatever have to be the on the same side. Not all goblins need to switch to horde, most likely Booty Bay, Ratchet and so on would remain neutral but one or two trade princes would decide to outright join with the horde (indeed one already seems to have, given the increasing use of goblin Zeppelins for transport), most are happy taking money from both sides. It's like the high-elves, the horde high-elf faction are the blood-elves but there are no shortage of high-elves in the alliance and in neutral forces (despite the fact that I remember pretty thoroughly wiping the high-elves out in Warcraft III ;) ). As Alliance I've done quests for orcs, high/blood-elf, tauren, forsaken/undead and troll npcs. Similarly I've killed humans, dwarves, night-elves, draenai (hmmm... not too sure about that) and gnomes for quests. They had it coming. Worgen seem less likely to me. If nothing else they're shapeshifters, they look human by day, worgen by night.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 11/08/09 @ 12:51
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@Sneetch
"Worgen seem less likely to me. If nothing else they're shapeshifters, they look human by day, worgen by night. Thats only for a select few: "Most worgen keep their wolf-like forms at all times, but experiments by the mage Arugal has resulted in human/worgen hybrids who only appear as worgen under the light of the moon..." Taken from: http://www.wowwiki.com/Worgen |
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darkmorgado
11/08/09 @ 12:11
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They've previously said that won't add Pandaren to the game because the Panda is a sacred animal in China and would cause too many problems in that country.
Which is a shame because Pandaren is all kinds of awesome :-(
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 11/08/09 @ 13:12
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actionfitz
11/08/09 @ 12:23
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@jim1975
"worgen..... not terry worgen surely." guess i know what my Worgen alt will be called :D |
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actionfitz
11/08/09 @ 12:29
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@ darkmorgado
"They've previously said that won't add Pandaren to the game because the Panda is a sacred animal in China and would cause too many problems in that country. Which is a shame because Pandaren is all kinds of awesome :-( " seeing as they recently reskinned the entire game for china removing skulls and bones and remodelling the forsaken to be more human-like... I doubt they would have much bother reskinning pandaren to look like normal bears (grizzlies etc) and renaming them. if they wanted to. but they prob wont. |
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darkmorgado
11/08/09 @ 12:38
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@actionfitz - good point, I hadn't thought of that. But wouldn't it affect the Lore having two different races in different countries?
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@actionfitz, darkmorgado
I think the whole sacred animal reason might be more myth than fact, I think blizzard just arent really that keen on them as they were more a joke race that managed to get a bit of lore support (kinda like Dan in SF, so who knows) Personally I'm up for getting a worgen rogue going if this becomes true |
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darkmorgado
11/08/09 @ 12:58
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Yeah but they were playable in Warcraft 3! There was a Pandaren hero unit in one of the bonus campaign missions, and there was masses of stuff made for them for the PnP RPG.
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TriggerHippie
12/08/09 @ 02:44
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I always wanted to play a Gnoll or Naga. Personally I think Worgen are a terrible idea, and Goblins have always been neutral. Please Blizzard, theres no need to go all "Greenskins" on us now.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 12/08/09 @ 03:46
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Emilia'sHorse
12/08/09 @ 08:38
+1
I asked an in game Goblin last night to clarify this story and he told me "I got what you need". He then offered me various food items that truth be told I did need, but as to an answer sadly I was left wanting.
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+1
@crazyhorse174: "I think you need to get out a bit more mate - its only a game! Dont take it so seriously!"
Actually I don't even play the game. But I tend to check things before I start shooting my mouth off about what can and can't happen ;) Correcting someone who's wrong is like, the whole point of the internet, you know? |
Comments: 1-35 of 35 in total
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