Ogres as a Horde Race (Who Joins the Alliance?)

[Kazgrim]

Shaman remaining an iconic horde class makes sense for a server that is not cross-faction. But considering you have paladins and shamans raiding molten core with one another, the emphasis on faction identity is already blurred.

Undead paladins make no less sense than undead priests wielding the holy light. Plus, you see major lore characters like Sir Zeliek who is capable of using the holy light despite being a literal death knight.

[Galendor]

Undead paladins make no less sense than undead priests wielding the holy light. Plus, you see major lore characters like Sir Zeliek who is capable of using the holy light despite being a literal death knight.

I bet holy spec for undead priests exists only for game mechanics' purposes. Just like their categorization as humanoids.

AFAIK, sir Zeliek is the only one known example in lore - at least, for Vanilla timeline. He is one of Four Horsemen, champions of the Scourge, that makes him very unique character. We can't expect from a random undead dude to wield such powers as Zeliek does, right? Besides, he doesn't wield Light it by own will - it is Lich King's mockery of paladins and a personal hell for Zeliek himself.

Of course, undead paladins could be implemented, but it requires lore-side preparations and foreshadowings in Forsaken society - I mean, already requiers. Players should see hints and sights that something is happening among undead now, that leads to, IDK, rising of a new order of 'paladins' under the Dark Lady's command. Without it, there will be something lore-damaging, like Void elves in Retail.

[Andromath]

Undead paladins make no less sense than undead priests wielding the holy light. Plus, you see major lore characters like Sir Zeliek who is capable of using the holy light despite being a literal death knight.

I bet holy spec for undead priests exists only for game mechanics' purposes. Just like their categorization as humanoids.

AFAIK, sir Zeliek is the only one known example in lore - at least, for Vanilla timeline. He is one of Four Horsemen, champions of the Scourge, that makes him very unique character. We can't expect from a random undead dude to wield such powers as Zeliek does, right? Besides, he doesn't wield Light it by own will - it is Lich King's mockery of paladins and a personal hell for Zeliek himself.

Of course, undead paladins could be implemented, but it requires lore-side preparations and foreshadowings in Forsaken society - I mean, already requiers. Players should see hints and sights that something is happening among undead now, that leads to, IDK, rising of a new order of 'paladins' under the Dark Lady's command. Without it, there will be something lore-damaging, like Void elves in Retail.

I still say just copy/paste the mechanics of Paladin over to Forsaken, but re-skin everything to be shadowy/necromantic and call the class, 'Death Knight.' Excuse them not summoning Ghouls by stating the Forsaken value free-will, and will not create undead slaves.

[Xudo]

I still say just copy/paste the mechanics of Paladin over to Forsaken, but re-skin everything to be shadowy/necromantic and call the class, 'Death Knight.' Excuse them not summoning Ghouls by stating the Forsaken value free-will, and will not create undead slaves.

What should happen with holy tree and healing spells in this case?

[Andromath]

I still say just copy/paste the mechanics of Paladin over to Forsaken, but re-skin everything to be shadowy/necromantic and call the class, 'Death Knight.' Excuse them not summoning Ghouls by stating the Forsaken value free-will, and will not create undead slaves.

What should happen with holy tree and healing spells in this case?

Unholy tree, with shadowy-looking spells that heal their allies. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure DKs had some healing-type effects for the undead around them. No reason the Forsaken couldn't modify it to benefit their allies.

[Kefke]

Unholy just sounds like Shadow with different branding.

[Xudo]

Unholy tree, with shadowy-looking spells that heal their allies. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure DKs had some healing-type effects for the undead around them. No reason the Forsaken couldn't modify it to benefit their allies.

Shadow spells can't heal allies. It is only shadow priest who can heal by "vampiric" spells.
In WC3, Death Knight was able to heal Undead units with Death Coil. This spell deal damage to all living units.
Player characters are not undead, thats why you can't heal them this way.
Death Knight in WC3 also had vampiric aura, which can probably work for everyone.

I didn't played WC2. There was death knights too. But I doubt they could heal non-undead.

[Andromath]

Unholy tree, with shadowy-looking spells that heal their allies. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure DKs had some healing-type effects for the undead around them. No reason the Forsaken couldn't modify it to benefit their allies.

Shadow spells can't heal allies.

Why not? You already pointed out Vampiric effects that do allow shadow magic to provide healing.

[Xudo]

Unholy tree, with shadowy-looking spells that heal their allies. I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure DKs had some healing-type effects for the undead around them. No reason the Forsaken couldn't modify it to benefit their allies.

Shadow spells can't heal allies.

Why not? You already pointed out Vampiric effects that do allow shadow magic to provide healing.

Because it is weird and counterintuitive. Thats enough.

Vampiric embrace is an exception and should not be considered as proof of "shadow can heal allies".
All shadow heals look like drain hp spells.

[Drubarrymooer]

So one of my favorite voices from Warcraft 2 are the Ogres and Ogre Magi. I would LOVE to have a chance to voice any Ogre lines! I'm not a great voice actor, but I'm pretty popular with staff and kids in my kids' school. Please please please do this so we can hear funny Ogre jokes, anecdotes, etc.

[Kazgrim]

Undead paladins make no less sense than undead priests wielding the holy light. Plus, you see major lore characters like Sir Zeliek who is capable of using the holy light despite being a literal death knight.

I bet holy spec for undead priests exists only for game mechanics' purposes. Just like their categorization as humanoids.

AFAIK, sir Zeliek is the only one known example in lore - at least, for Vanilla timeline. He is one of Four Horsemen, champions of the Scourge, that makes him very unique character. We can't expect from a random undead dude to wield such powers as Zeliek does, right? Besides, he doesn't wield Light it by own will - it is Lich King's mockery of paladins and a personal hell for Zeliek himself.

Of course, undead paladins could be implemented, but it requires lore-side preparations and foreshadowings in Forsaken society - I mean, already requiers. Players should see hints and sights that something is happening among undead now, that leads to, IDK, rising of a new order of 'paladins' under the Dark Lady's command. Without it, there will be something lore-damaging, like Void elves in Retail.

Forsaken priests can wield the holy light. This is explicitly stated in lore.

^ a b World of Warcraft Trading Card Game: March of the Legion. Blizzard Entertainment. 12: Chancellor Velora:"The Light rewards faith, not form.".

[Kazgrim]

Also, every forsaken priest npc in the game is capable of wielding the holy light. What makes Sir Zeliek so unusual is not his ability to wield the holy light, but why he would choose to when death knights are essentially ex-paladins who abandoned their faith.

[Kefke]

An interesting (if probably unintended) implication of the way Blizzard has handled the Forsaken is that what makes someone a "humanoid" as opposed to an "undead" is their soul, not their body. Regular undead require special dark magic to heal them, but the Forsaken, who reclaimed their existence from the Lich King, can be healed by the Light. It may not be pleasant for them, but they use it because it works. Which also implicitly suggests that things like Death Coil don't heal them, despite healing Scourge undead, since if they did they wouldn't use Light-based healing, which is explicitly stated to be painful to them (Shadow healing notwithstanding, as that requires having a living creature on-hand to drain the life from).

[Pauloricardo]

My big concern with Furbolgs as an Alliance race is that Furbolgs are druidic and shamanistic.
Giving Alliance players a second Druid race could be balanced the same way they did it in Cataclysm with Troll Druids (Praise Gonk, Loa of Shapes!), but Alliance Shamans (and the Horde Paladins required for faction balance) are a contentious subject.

Not to mention the added workload of adding/animating new models for druid forms.

They could add a Shaman class for the Aliance(but at least one race) and add(after the ogres) 1 race for the Horde with the possibility to become Paladin.The question is: What race could it be? I can only Imagine Blood Elves...

Well, if you want to take from the later lore...
We all know the Blood Elves and how terrible they are, so here's the two other Horde Paladin Races (and their lore)

Tauren (Cataclysm):
During the war with the Lich King (Wrath), the Tauren became aware of their bias towards Moon worship that they had unintentionally picked up via their druid connections with the Night Elves. Both the Sun and the Moon are the eyes of the Earth Mother, so the Sunwalkers were formed to balance out the Tauren reverence. They channeled the powers of An'she and became Paladins.

Zandalari Trolls (BFA):
Zandalari Troll Paladins are followers of Rezan, the Loa of Kings. They're the elite of the elite, blessed by the Loa from birth and molded into champions of Light.

The Tauren could probably be made to work, but the Troll one likely would not.

I think the Taurens will gain another class, but It will be priest... I don't know if Turtle will choose another Troll race to be playable and even if they make another space, it should be the ogres.
Difficult cproblem to deal with...

[Lareas]

They can add Furbolgs to alliance and use Azuremyst Isle before Exodar crash. Just cleaning zone from purple crystals add some furbolgs huts, caves and make some new questlanes for them. They are closer ally with night elves -we saw it in W3 campaign.

Ogres for the Horde! Maybe some questlane with Rexxar reunite Ogres with Orcs.

The problem can be Furbolgs shamans in alliance... (sooo... maybe some Furbolgs clans with shams just doesn't want to join to ally) and make it without shamans. Its like Trolls in horde -not all clans belongs to horde.

[Vitali]

Tuskarr for Alliance would be fantastic

[Mac]

(Who Joins the Alliance?)

I recently stumbled onto this, a list of potential new Alliance races players compiled during Vanilla. It seems to have been made during a time that some TBC information was out, after Blood Elves were announced but before Draenei were announced. The page gives a lot of good pro's and con's for each race and is worth a full read, as well as some "rumors" for a few races (in other words, people made stuff up and claimed it was an official leak), but here are the races Vanilla players came up with. I've spoilered it because it's a long list.

• Centaur

• Children of Cenarius

• Dark Trolls

• Draenei

• Drakonid

• Dragonspawn

• Eredar

• Ethereal

• Forest Troll

• Furbolg

• Gnolls

• Goblin

• High Elves

• Ice Trolls

• Mok'Nathal

• Mountain Giant

• Murloc

• Naga

• Nathrezim

• Nerubian

• Ogre

• Pandaren

• Quilboar

• Satyr

• Tuskarr

• Worgen

Some of these are suggestions I've seen on these forums before but there are a few interesting oddball ones.