Sunday, April 8, 2012

Warcraft Races: Taller isn’t always better


The original Ladies of Warcraft: Alliance (Source:Blizz Korea)

So, you’ve made your decision:  Alliance all the way, baby!  Good choice!  Now that that is out of the way, race is the next big question.

You could be a human, the de facto leaders of the Alliance, with King Varian Wrynn presiding over the kingdom of Stormwind.  Humans benefit from an increased spirit, a high regard among other races, and know their way around swords and maces.  They also can break out of snares and traps.  They suffer from the fact that they are all leg, especially in the female models.  Humans cannot be shamans or druids.

If you are up for a change, you could be a night elf, led by Tyrande Whisperwind and the Sisters of Elune.  Night elves are very evasive in combat, and are able to absorb some nature damage.  They can fade in to the shadows, and while there can move very quickly.  They even move faster while dead(Yes, your character will die…but it’s not permanent, I promise!).  Unfortunately, they have the nasty habit of bouncing on their heels if you let them be for more than a second, and they definetly have sterotiypical elf-y ears.  Night elves cannot be shaman, warlocks, or paladins.

So you don’t want to be all legs?  Try a gnome, the diminutive race led by High Tinkerer Mekkatorque.  The gnomes benefit from small fingers, leading to a mind for engineering, a skill for breaking out of snares, and nimbleness with daggers and small swords.  They also have an increased mana pool, and are able to absorb some arcane damage.  BUT!  These little buggers are just that: buggers.  They are the ‘cute’ race of WoW, and are also used for comic relief in just about everything, from their speaking voice to WoW commercials.  Gnomes cannot be paladins, hunters, shaman, or druids.

For a far-out race, try the space cow, aka the draenei.  This race, which saw their spaceship crash to Azeroth(the name of the world Wow is set in), are led by Velen, Prophet of the Naaru.  Draenei excel in jewelcrafting, and have the ability to heal themselves or an ally over time for a small amount.  They also have a greater chance to hit their target, while absorbing some shadow based damage.  These guys, though? Have tentacles.  On their faces.  And they have hooves.  For real.  Draenei cannot be rogues, warlocks, or druids.

Maybe you want something based a bit more in reality—how about a werewolf?  The worgen, led by King Genn Graymane, were forced out of their homeland of Gilneas after a long bout of reclusion ended in the entire nation being infected with the ‘worgen curse.’  The worgen have two forms, though only the worgen form(the one that looks like a werewolf), is usable in combat.  They have the ability to occasionally gain swift movement, and have a increased chance to hit their target for bonus damage.  They are able to absorb a bit of damage from nature and shadow based attacks, and can skin things really well with their big claws.  They do have a tendency to snort when you leave them alone for half a second, unless you leave them in human form, which, see above.  Worgen cannot be paladins or shaman.

What’s that?  You want to be the best race in WoW?  Well then, do I have a race for you!  Dwarves are a hardy bunch currently led by the Council of the Three Hammers, with representatives from the Bronzebeard, the Wildhammer, and the Dark Iron(*rasp*) clans.  Dwarves, especially the dwarves women, are well proportioned, and actually look like they could exist in the real world, short stature notwithstanding. Dwarves also benefit from a dexterity with guns and maces, and can absorb some frost based damage.  They also can harden their skin, removing bleed effects and poisons, and lastly, they have an affinity for digging up artifacts.  The only drawback dwarves have is they cannot be druids…unless you don’t like Scottish accents.

If you couldn’t tell, I REALLY enjoy dwarves, every character I create would be a dwarf if they could be druids.  Next time, I’ll look at the Horde(BOO! HISS!) races, and maaaaybe be a bit less biased.

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