With Blizzcon 2009 around the corner speculation is rife about the next expansion and last night (UK night anyway) MMO Champion didn’t so much as leak information as bust the dam holding back the flow.
If its true then reading on will contain spoilers if its Blizz playing mind games with the fan news sites then I’ll look back at this and smile at the furor a few well placed misdirects can create.
You can read the original MMO Champion article here. Or the Wow Insider reporting on the MMO one.
The comments range from “Awesome” through “Lore breaking” to “I’ll quit the game” so a pretty standard response to any change to the WoW world.
They are proposing new race class combinations. The one that had me interested was of course night elves and druids.
Druids first, apparently trolls will get druids horde side, there’s no information about a second race for Alliance but speculation on top of speculation is suggesting Worgen. Not that we know for sure that Worgens are going to be a playable race but as none of the currently playable races are being touted as obtaining a druid race., and if Horde have two then Alliance must as well (funny how we never really grow out of a childlike sense of ‘fairness’ – Johnny got two orange sweets so Jenny has to have two as well to be “fair”)
The only known contact between the Kaldorei and the Worgen is via a priestess, not a druid, but then where exactly has Malfurion been since his disapperance into the Emerald Dream? he ‘pops’ up in some places warning of dire things to come and hinting that its the Old Gods behind the Nightmare that are turning Ysera’s Green dragons insane (oh yes more insane dragons).
The Worgens have been, since Classic WoW, fighting the Lords of the Emerald Flame, though its not clear who they are its a pretty good name for the insane green dragons as they spit posion
So IF the Emerald Flame are the insane green dragons that Cenarius, Malfurion & Ysera are fighting against within the Emerald Dream then any of the three could have decided to make an alliance with the Worgens and teach them druidry.
If my speculation on the speculation is even close to what Blizz are planning then they seeded the possibilty of Worgen druids back in Classic WoW
Trolls will probably just learn it from the Taurens. Sorry Horde not very fair I know but hey you may end up with two races to Alliance one if what Blizz are really trying to do is balance class representation and acknowledging Taurens (10%) arn’t as popular a choice as Night Elves (16%). Which has a knock on effect to the druid population horde side.
Of course some of the other class/race combos don’t support the ‘balancing representation’ which leads me to:
Night Elf Mages.
I have wanted this since well a long time but I’ve known the lore well enough not to go begging on the forums for something that’s pretty unlikely given Kaldorei history.
According to the “Lore Breaking” contingent Night Elves can’t use Arcane magic. Oh yes we can balance druids do it on a daily basis. Now I’m well aware that some role players argue that its not the same sort of arcane magic as the that used by mages, just that Blizz was too lazy to create a special school for one class and what we really use is star magic. (or Elune magic or any word not spelt a.. r.. c.. a.. n.. e).
I’ve never RP’d it that way preferring to accept that we can use arcane magic just like other elves and our alledgedy common ancestor the troll. Its simply that to ensure its not abused and its corrupting influence is mitigated that use is restricted to druids whose training and belief system works to ameliorate arcane’s corrupting influence, and we know how to mask it.
Both are just player theories but if you can rationalise away druids using arcane as ‘its really star magic’ then a Night Elf mage can be using ’star magic’ too. If you accept that night elves do use arcane magic but in a more restrained manner than power hungry ‘lesser races’ then maybe its time to use it more widely.
One of the big reasons Night elves generally refrain from using Arcane magic is the knowledge that it attracts the attention of the Burning Legion, giving away Azeroth’s location.
Well lets face it The Burning Legion have Azeroth on speed dial these days. They know where we are, and how to get here, and there’s so much arcane magic zipping around (just ask Malygos) that the horse has firmly bolted from that particular stable never to return.
In the PTR for 3.2.2 there’s a Highborne in Darnassus, which speculators say supports the night elf mage theory. Personally I’d rather it was the Draenai that persuaded us to revisit our untapped potential towards magedom than a Highborne.
IF I was in charge I’d have the Draenai learn druidism from the Night Elves while they taught us mage skills. There’s a closer bond (well maybe just a less hostile one ) between the two races than there is between High & Night Elves. The Draenai also understand the corrupting influence of arcane magic and their mages are trained to be more responsible & restrained in its use than other races.
I won’t be quitting the game if the expansion goes the way of today’s leeks. I admit I don’t like the idea of Worgen as a playable race but I don’t have to roll one. Then again Blizz may handle it in such a way that I am lured into rolling one. After my night elf mage, gnome priest, dwarf shaman are all done of course. Oh my god character slots. I need MOAR
