Blizzard to Reveal the Alliance Race Tomorrow!

[Kevin]

Blizzard is pointing to the NY Times web site for E3 coverage and coverage of the new Burning Crusade trailer.  I guess it's safe to reveal now that the new race is indeed the Draenei and that the classes will be Warrior, Paladin, Priest, Mage, and Hunter.
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I'd be happier with gnomes being paladins in the expansion. They need a healer class for the race, they have been living with the Dwarves for a damn long time so they have easy access to the training. You don't have to try and figure out how draenei left shamanistic ways and got the teaching and training to become paladins. Draenei still have a healer class and you finally get the only race without a healing class a healing class, I suppose that shouldn't bug me so much but it does.

[MongoJerry]

I'd be happier with gnomes being paladins in the expansion.  They need a healer class for the race, they have been living with the Dwarves for a damn long time so they have easy access to the training.  You don't have to try and figure out how draenei left shamanistic ways and got the teaching and training to become paladins.  Draenei still have a healer class and you finally get the only race without a healing class a healing class, I suppose that shouldn't bug me so much but it does.
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Is there information from earlier Warcraft games that would indicate the Draenei really had a shamanistic background? Or is the idea that the Draenei were shamanistic purely based on the tidbit on the Broken given out a while back. If it's just the later, then Blizzard is fully within their rights to expand and tell the full story. Tigole's interview indicates that this group of Draenei were always aligned with the light. Perhaps some Draenei, like the Broken, had a shamanistic culture, while other Draenei chose the path of the Light.

[oldmandennis]

For those of us who haven't placed Warcraft III, care to elaborate?  Keep in mind that we haven't heard the full story explanation, yet.
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I don't feel like digging through all the lore and stuff, but the Draenei are a pretty pathetic bunch. They were the punching bag for the horde before they came through the Dark Portal. Part of the motivation for coming through the portal was the orcs needed more things to kill after nearly wipeing out the Draenei. I never played WC2X, so I don't know if they were actually seen ingame there.

When Illadin comes through the portal he picks up a few survivors, who if you follow the link you will see mostly have shaman spells. They help him establish himself as the ruler of outland, I can't remember if they follow him on his failed mission to finish off Ner'zul.

So basically, a bunch of galaxy traveling demon warlocks decide to settle down on a planet of no particular significance. Somehow they ditch warlock magic for shamanistic magic. Much later, a different race on that planet drink the blood of the same demons, and nearly annihilate the sad, shamanistic ex-demons. The planet they love is destroyed, and the survivors huddle amongst the broken ruins, still shamanistic in nature. Somehow a group of them break with the shamanistic magic, and go to the "Light" - the complete opposite of their demon roots?

Bah /waves paw. I can't believe it's somebody's full time job to look after this stuff. I can't believe I care. Between this and the craptacular shaman review, I find I'm caring less. It's as bad as sticking the goofyass gnomes in to begin with.

[Monkey]

A cryptic message was left by someone who tends to be "in the know" after I linked the NY Times article:
Ugh.  Just get it over with!
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What? There's more than Blizzard Retconning Eredar into Draenei and Jeff Kaplan's interview? It would be quite surprising if there is, but it seems like nothing but denouement from here. Just more articles, screenshots, and fleshing out of the Draenei story.

Update: The Burning Crusade site has been updated to reflect the Draenei. This includes the following Gem in the FAQ:

Q: Why did you decide to add the Draenei as the new Alliance race?
A: The Draenei visited many worlds in their travels and explored much of the known cosmos on their quest to find safe harbor. During this exodus they befriended the enigmatic Naaru -- a race of beings with a deep affinity for the Holy Light of Creation that empowers the paladins of Azeroth. The Naaru blessed the Draenei with this power in an effort to help them in their struggle. This makes them a natural ally of the Alliance races who embrace this holy power.

In addition, the Draenei hold no affinity for certain Horde races. They outright hate the Orcs, who nearly drove the Draenei to extinction in Outland. And more recently, the Blood Elves stole technology from the Draenei and also sabotaged their dimensional ship, which crash landed on Azeroth.

[Emphasis Mine]

Well, I'm glad to hear that we have dimensional ships on Azeroth. Or at least one. Maybe we can expect the crew of the Starship Enterprise will join the alliance, eventually, too. /sigh

[Occhidiangela]

Well, I'm glad to hear that we have dimensional ships on Azeroth. Or at least one. Maybe we can expect the crew of the Starship Enterprise will join the alliance, eventually, too. /sigh
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The story board guys might just be out of their Vulcan minds. The slow, cancerous Monty Haul growth that infected the World Of Sanctuary has apparently also been infecting the World of Warcraft. Muskets and Mortars began that, why not a starship? Wasn't there a D & D module set called Spelljammer of Windjammer, that included ships sailing on Astral or Ethereal seas?

It is perhaps inevitable, or maybe a natural hazard of the genre, that Monty Haul makes an appearance.

Occhi

[Xanthix]

It is only a matter of time before another portal opens up in Azeroth and Jimmy Raynor and his marines walk through, and reveal that Diablo is Archimonde's third cousin, and C'thun was created by the Xel'Naga. Welcome to the World of WarStarDiabloCraft!

[MongoJerry]

What? There's more than Blizzard Retconning Eredar into Draenei and Jeff Kaplan's interview? It would be quite surprising if there is, but it seems like nothing but denouement from here. Just more articles, screenshots, and fleshing out of the Draenei story.[right][snapback]109502[/snapback][/right]

The timing of the post is important. This was after one NY Times article was posted but before the big fanfare announcements with all the extra articles. It turns out that the person who said "just wait and see" was talking about the joking comment someone made that it'd be funny if Blizzard suddenly changed the race to Murlocs just to mess with everyone.

[Raelynn]

Is there information from earlier Warcraft games that would indicate the Draenei really had a shamanistic background?  Or is the idea that the Draenei were shamanistic purely based on the tidbit on the Broken given out a while back.  If it's just the later, then Blizzard is fully within their rights to expand and tell the full story.  Tigole's interview indicates that this group of Draenei were always aligned with the light.  Perhaps some Draenei, like the Broken, had a shamanistic culture, while other Draenei chose the path of the Light.
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I think that the Draenei units that appeared in one of the games had shaman spells. The wording in The Broken description in the bestiary("managed to preserve their shamanistic heritage") implies that there was one a shamanistic heritage before, which the lore they just gave out doesn't mention.

[Monkey]

The timing of the post is important.  This was after one NY Times article was posted but before the big fanfare announcements with all the extra articles.  It turns out that the person who said "just wait and see" was talking about the joking comment someone made that it'd be funny if Blizzard suddenly changed the race to Murlocs just to mess with everyone.
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Ah, gotcha. You know, I want to go back to that time of innocence. Back to that moment when we read the NYtimes story. Before Blizzard rewrote the lore without having the sense to change the lore on the WoW homepage. Before I realized that one Draenei face in the leaked screenshots is so familiar because it's just a bluer tentacled version of Captain Jean Luc Picard of the Dimensional Ship, Draenorprise.

MetZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!

[MongoJerry]

Before I realized that one Draenei face in the leaked screenshots is so familiar because it's just a bluer tentacled version of Captain Jean Luc Picard of the Dimensional Ship, Draenorprise.

MetZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN!
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You keep going on and on about this Dimensional Ship. I guess you believe dimensional portals to be realistic but dimensional ships are flights of fantasy? We know that some beings are able to travel from one planet to another. Do all the worlds have dark portals on them a la Stargate, in your picture of the Warcraft universe?

[teske]

You keep going on and on about this Dimensional Ship.  I guess you believe dimensional portals to be realistic but dimensional ships are flights of fantasy?  We know that some beings are able to travel from one planet to another.  Do all the worlds have dark portals on them a la Stargate, in your picture of the Warcraft universe?
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Mongo, you have to understand: We are frustated because Blizz just #$%&ed their existing lore.

See for example:
Lore Unu

Over time, demonic entities made their way into the Titans' worlds from the Twisting Nether, and the Pantheon elected its greatest warrior, Sargeras, to act as its first line of defense. A noble giant of molten bronze, Sargeras carried out his duties for countless millennia, seeking out and destroying these demons wherever he could find them. Over the eons, Sargeras encountered two powerful demonic races, both of which were bent on gaining power and dominance over the physical universe.

The eredar, an insidious race of devilish sorcerers, used their warlock magics to invade and enslave a number of worlds. The indigenous races of those worlds were mutated by the eredar's malevolent powers and turned into demons themselves. Though Sargeras' nearly limitless powers were more than enough to defeat the vile eredar, he was greatly troubled by the creatures' corruption and all-consuming evil. Incapable of fathoming such depravity, the great Titan began to slip into a brooding depression. Despite his growing unease, Sargeras rid the universe of the warlocks by trapping them within a corner of the Twisting Nether.

So Sargeras downfall was caused by encountering the evil eredar. (Which he prisonend, and later as he got insane recruited as his officiers.

New Lore:

Unfortunately the eredar's accomplishments caught the attention of Sargeras, the Destroyer of Worlds. He had already begun his Burning Crusade to eradicate all life from the cosmos, and he believed that the brilliant eredar would be pivotal in leading the vast demonic army he was gathering. Thus, he contacted the eredar's three most prominent leaders: Kil'jaeden, Archimonde, and Velen. In exchange for the loyalty of the eredar race, Sargeras offered untold power and knowledge.

Eredars downfall is caused by Sargeras madness.

Nice retcon.

[Occhidiangela]

Nice retcon.
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I learned a new term today. Thank you.

"Retroactive continuity."

And, blast it, Han Shot First! :lol:

Occhi

[MongoJerry]

Mongo, you have to understand: We are frustated because Blizz just #$%&ed their existing lore.

See for example:
Lore Unu

So Sargeras downfall was caused by encountering the evil eredar. (Which he prisonend, and later as he got insane recruited as his officiers.

New Lore:

Eredars downfall is caused by Sargeras madness.

Nice retcon.
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OK, I see. Thanks for the link. I read through it. However, I'd have to say that the older history is less believable than the newer history. Either way, the main points remain. Sargaras is evil and formed the Burning Legion and used the Eredar as part of his army. In one version, the Eredar were already evil and led Sargaras to start brooding over the wisdom of the Titans. In the other version, the Eredar were if not pure and good at least just doing their own thing and ended up being corrupted by Sargaras. So, it's a matter of deciding whose corruption came first. The way creation myths change and evolve over time, this is actually a minor point. One could simply say that we know more now than we did before about what happened in the past.

[Occhidiangela]

One could simply say that we know more now than we did before about what happened in the past.
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Retcon is a shorter way of saying that. ;)

Occhi