Guild Wars 2

Let’s start a poll, what race would you like to play in the future?
(Arenanet is bound to see these answers, whether they care or not…)
A. Tengu
B. Centaur
C. Largos
D. Quaggan

My apologies to anyone that wanted to play Skritt.

I’ll cast the first vote, although I wouldn’t hate Centaur…

Tengu.

Largos. I prefer humanoid races. Really not a big fan of beast races, they just never look good (imo).

Zhed Shadowhoof looked amazing in his hero armor. It would be the first time we would get a blanket as leg armor lol

It’s heartbreaking to pass on skritt and quaggan, but… tengu. They’re just more feasible.

Quaggan and Centaurs don’t stand a chance of ever being added and I am not interested in playing them either. Largos have some appeal due to how mysterious they are, which also gives them some potential of being playable (i.e. there is a lot that can be added to them for the sake of being playable). All that said, no race comes close to Tengu. Neither in terms of how likely they are of being added nor in terms of how much I’d like to play them.

Largos would be the perfect race for an expansion focusing on underwater combat.

it’s a shame, i like the underwater combat, it had a lot of potential, especially with the 3rd dimension aspect of combat, but half the utilities don’t work underwater and you’re limited to only two weapon sets and not more, while some classes are hardlocked into a single elite underwater.

if the underwater combat can be revamped to be more exciting, more darting and weaving between enemies. They could even consider having combat that strikes between above water and under water, making certain positions easy to strike from underwater, but aoe affects underwater a short range…..

Back on track. i think largos would be the best new race to reintroduce underwater combat, but the most likely is tengu, since it WAS in development as a playable race.

But quaggan can’t jump …

I would love largos because I love underwater combat and exploration and I just like all the underwater places… but I imagine the masks and wings are problems… I want to know more about the Tethyos houses though – maybe someday mastery lore track for largos

As Diovid said, I don’t think that quaggan and centaur (like skritt) ever have a chance at becoming a playable race. Main reason I would argue is that quaggans are too peaceful – they’re the Tyrian Victim of Bullying race – and are a racial sympathy (for which reasons I knock off skritt, grawl, hylek, and ogre as potential playable races); centaurs were said from the beginning to be an intended ‘always villain race’ like the krait.

For that reason, of presented Tyrian races, I would argue that the only races to have a chance at becoming playable are:

• Tengu
• Largos
• Kodan

Kodan are least likely, imo, due to customization issues. If they were a race of walking bears (like charr are walking cats), that’d be different, but polar bear race kind of hinders it as they all have to be shades of white (insert 50 Shades of White joke).

Largos would be a wonderful addition when they go to explore the DSD. Especially if they expand the world map. But until they push out upgrades to underwater combat and exploration (something they seem hesitant to touch with a 10 foot pole atm), I cannot see them adding largos as a race.

Tengu I can definitely see happening, because they share similar rigging to charr. So the two races would begin being able to share most of their armor (with minor alterations ala human to sylvari).

Here’s a race I would enjoy playing though:

Naga.

From Cantha.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Here’s a race I would enjoy playing though:

Naga.

From Cantha.

While I’d like to see them too, they would cause the same trouble as centaurs and Krait/Forgotten: animation issues. Getting armor for them that works would probably be way too much effort.

I throw in my dream playable race though: Palawa Joko’s undead forces.

“Undead” really isn’t a race though. Joko has undead humans, centaurs, and what seems to be even charr.

So I never really see the interest in an ‘undead’ race. Because it’d be more of ‘undead human’ or the like.

Aren’t Naga simply Krait?

Windu The Forbidden One.6045:

Aren’t Naga simply Krait?

Entirely different races.

Krait have the mild form shifting from EOTN (I believe somewhere Anet officially said Krait in GW2 can still do it), and Naga do not. As one aspect.

But they also said Forgotten, Naga, and Krait are not the same race or even related.

I vote Largos.
Tengu are acceptable too I guess, but I personally wouldn’t lay them.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

“Undead” really isn’t a race though. Joko has undead humans, centaurs, and what seems to be even charr.

So I never really see the interest in an ‘undead’ race. Because it’d be more of ‘undead human’ or the like.

For the sake of simplicity I see undead humans as the best solution, especially since Joko has easy access to them as Elona is predominantly human (other races such as centaurs, Harpies and Heket could be shown as NPC-undead). And I think being undead is enough of a difference to being an alive human, that it could very well work as a playable race (after all, as far as I’m aware there is no ritual or magic that can turn an undead back into a living being).
Customization could give you the option between a more zombie, mummy or skeleton like appearance for example.

This isn’t what you THINK will be the next race, but what you WANT.

If you want to play Ettin, vote Ettin.

The arch enemy of Palawa Joko and his undead army were the Centaurs.

BuddhaKeks.4857:

Konig Des Todes.2086:

“Undead” really isn’t a race though. Joko has undead humans, centaurs, and what seems to be even charr.

So I never really see the interest in an ‘undead’ race. Because it’d be more of ‘undead human’ or the like.

For the sake of simplicity I see undead humans as the best solution, especially since Joko has easy access to them as Elona is predominantly human (other races such as centaurs, Harpies and Heket could be shown as NPC-undead). And I think being undead is enough of a difference to being an alive human, that it could very well work as a playable race (after all, as far as I’m aware there is no ritual or magic that can turn an undead back into a living being).
Customization could give you the option between a more zombie, mummy or skeleton like appearance for example.

Yeah… thing is, I don’t see playable undead working in GW2. At all.

I see the possibility of adding new playable races to the game as tied to specific expansion of the world of Tyria.

- Tengu are a possible tie-in to Cantha, since they are exiles from Cantha.

- Largos are a deep-sea race and they could be further expanded on as part of exploration of the depths of the oceans and the Deep Sea Dragon.

- Kodan are fleeing from Jormag’s influence in the Far Shiverpeaks, a history they share with the Norn. Kodan are a weak case, though, because the Norn already have the same function lore-wise.

- If Elona (and Kralkatorrik) ever comes with a new playable race, it could be either a Palawa Joko brand undead mummy, or a new creation from the realm of Torment, which could feature some kind of redeemed Margonite, or Forgotten, or a hybrid of the two. Both of these are unlikely, because humans already have a vested interest in Elona.

- Finally, if the Depths of Tyria would be added to the game (including Primordus), this could come with a reintroduction of the Stone Dwarves. These probably won’t be playable, though, since the Asura already have a strong enough tie to this content.

By the way, Maguuma does not introduce a new playable race, because Mordremoth is the sylvari’s Dragon. Besides, we could learn a few secrets of the Mursaat or the Druids while we are there. And I have a nagging suspicion that the abandoned fortresses in Silverwastes were occupied by White Mantle until Mordremoth’s awakening.

Jornophelanthas.1475:

Tengu are a possible tie-in to Cantha, since they are exiles from Cantha.

Not really, only a part of the tengu living in the dominion of winds come from Cantha, the rest come from Tyria. Besides, not only did the Canthan tengu leave behind a very anti-Tengu nation, they made the conscious decision to all go to the Dominion of Winds. They do not want to go back and their ties to Cantha are severed. If anything I believe the Tengu will be related to either Primordus (who’s minions are actively attacking them) or the Deep Sea Dragon (who could easily attack them).

By the way, Maguuma does not introduce a new playable race, because Mordremoth is the sylvari’s Dragon. Besides, we could learn a few secrets of the Mursaat or the Druids while we are there. And I have a nagging suspicion that the abandoned fortresses in Silverwastes were occupied by White Mantle until Mordremoth’s awakening.

Heart of Thorns did not introduce a new playable race because for now Anet wants to focus on adding gameplay/features instead (as they clearly said in an interview on the matter).

Lol another one of these? At least this ones more about what you’d like to see rather than reasons “this or that” should be added lol. Okay lets sift through these by section;

Tengu:
Okay first off lets take a look at the sentient avian race known as the tengu, the most viable option. Note that I say the most viable not because this race is my favorite or even because I want to see them added but because its the most feasible of all the potential races. Unlike many of the other races often suggested Tengu are seen throughout GW1 and GW2, have their own sophisticated version of society, contain classes that include warriors and spellcasters, and are probably the easiest to apply the current armor choices to. They already have a platform from which to go off of in that they’ve sealed themselves off from most other cultures after a rocky history with humans and have recently begun to venture out more now that the elder dragons have risen, helping in the charge against Zhaitan. Despite this they are still rather xenophobic at the moment but their lore is set that they could emerge at any time.

Centaur:
[Insert joke about mounts here]. Lol that aside the centaur race will likely never come to pass for a number of reasons. For one overall they are a belligerent race with a fierce hatred for humans after years of war and enslavement and much of the race now fights fiercely in an effort to reclaim the land lost to the humans. As of recently with Jormag awakening and pushing other races out even further the centaurs have also come into contact with the norn and the results were as expected, they soon started fighting as well. I will say that there are peaceful tribes of Centaurs as well and that in many ways they are similar to the charr who also had a fierce hate for humans however I still don’t see it happening, especially with what they’d have to do to armor to make it work.

Largos:
Everyone seems to want these lol and I get it, the mysterious underwater assassin idea is a cool one, but I don’t see this happening either. For one Largos are by nature secretive and “don’t play well with others,” (such as the one in the Brisban Wildlands who was hunting a party of sylvari for sport). While I admit the underwater dragon does have an effect on them and some new features for aquatic fighting would be nice we’ve literally seen like a dozen of them throughout the entire game, that’s hardly enough to base an entire playable race off of. I know it may seem sad to hear but they just don’t fit with the lore and are perfect where they at now, a minor race that has its own cool flair. Besides, could you imagine the armor clipping with those wings? >u>

Quaggan:
Gonna give people the benefit of the doubt and hope this is a joke lol. Quaggans….yes their cute, they waddle, and they’d look amazing wearing a quaggan backpack….but that’s all they got going for them. For one their more tribal based than society, and you can hardly define the “warriors” they have as classes, heck their more like the “town watch” of modern day times, ready to rush at things with slightly pointy sticks and prolly get the living heck beat out of em. Some of them wont even fight back as their being kidnapped or killed. I know its a fun idea but lets keep it at that, an idea lol. ;3

Skritt:
Another joke I hope lol. I mean look at these guys, you gotta have like 4-5 of them in one place to do even the most basic of tasks lol. At best your guy would rush into battle and then the enemy would use its “counter” and throw a bunch of silver on the ground to distract you and kill you while your charrie was busy collecting “shinies.”

Kodan:
I will admit this is a fun idea and I can appreciate the sentiment but these guys are just far to close to norn to be considered truly viable for a new playable race. Not to mention the struggle to make armor fit on them and (not sure would like verification on this) do they even have spellcasters or is it an entirely physical based society?

Naga:
Gotta say, this is my favorite one that I’ve seen as of yet lol. Its out of the box, not something you see very much, and took the time to specify naga, not krait or forgotten. Honestly in GW1 I could have seen this happening, back before Shiro’s great wail turned all but a few dozen of them into jade and they were friendly with the humans. Now however they have been bred with a fierce hate for humans and have pursued conflict in an effort to get revenge over how they perceived themselves to be wronged. Quite a shame considering I’d love to see how armor would appear on them.

As for my own choice I know neither of these will ever happen but I’ve always love the idea of being able to make either a Margonite (the former humans turned demon who serve the forgotten human god Abaddon) or a Warden (the nature oriented creatures of mystery). Pics below

To be fair, if the Jade Sea is thawing, the naga may have calmed down again. The lore could be made to work without trouble; I’d be more concerned with the hoops they’d have to jump through to get the armor to fit and let them, well, jump.

Out of curiosity, why they you say the kodan are too much like norn? I’ve heard that several times, but save in height never seen it myself.

(I would LOVE to play Margonites! I just fear the GW2 design wouldn’t do the original aesthetic justice.)

Aaron Ansari.1604:

Out of curiosity, why they you say the kodan are too much like norn? I’ve heard that several times, but save in height never seen it myself.

The similarities are lore-wise.

Norn and Kodan are both proud arctic races with a deep spiritual connection to nature, who have been driven south from their homeland by Jormag and its minions. Both suffered heavy losses and both are fighting Jormag’s corruption within their own ranks.

The main difference is that Norn appear to be adapting better to their new surroundings, while the Kodan are threatened by extinction because of their unwillingness to adapt. Instead, they rigidly stick to their old lifestyle.

Why have two playable races with almost the same backstory?

Aaron Ansari.1604:

To be fair, if the Jade Sea is thawing, the naga may have calmed down again. The lore could be made to work without trouble; I’d be more concerned with the hoops they’d have to jump through to get the armor to fit and let them, well, jump.

I can see your point although personally I don’t think this would calm them down as it wasn’t just the loss of their sea home that angered them but rather the extinction of all but a handful of their kind, the remaining survivors having held a deep hatred for humans thenceforth that they undoubtedly passed on to the later generations, and years of hate don’t fade easily. It’d be like me burning your house down with all off your family but you inside and then coming back a few years later and rebuilding the house, not only are you not gonna forgive me but your prolly gonna try an beat the living heck out of me with the closest thing at hand. X3 I do agree the armor and jumping would be hard as well though I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t love a naga necro but sadly there’s just to much stopping this.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

Out of curiosity, why they you say the kodan are too much like norn? I’ve heard that several times, but save in height never seen it myself.

One of the main reasons is just like the above said, the two’s stories are just to similar. Also lore wise Norn and Kodan are thought to be related as distant cousins by many scholars, Norn supposedly being a regressed form from a tribe of Kodan lost long ago, which could explain why the Norn are similar in size and why they are so attuned with the spirits and able to transform into beasts, perhaps a lasting remnant of their ancestry.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

(I would LOVE to play Margonites! I just fear the GW2 design wouldn’t do the original aesthetic justice.)

Lol glad to see some people still remember the timeless race, sadly most I mention them to aren’t aware of them which is a shame considering their amazing look. I’m not sure how they would look in GW2 but if it was possible for them to replicate the design in similar fashion I would love to see it, even a tonic or outfit would be wonderful. I’m still hoping in the back of my mind that some of the old baddies like Abaddon and his Margonites or Dhuum and his generals will rise again one day for a whole new era of terror though I fear if this ever happens it will be quite the long wait.maybe if nothing else we’ll at least get access to Cantha eventually and see the kingdom of Palawa Joko.

Tengu – I’m all in, they should be the first race we get to play; they’re unique birdmen with a great story developed around their race, and they are already very setup for a future expansion with their own homelands, not being foes to our current players, etc.

Like I suggested ages ago now; just linking it again (https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/gw2/New-race/first#post3525813)

In a future expansion to Cantha, it would be nice to play as the Wardens – seeing as they might be some “relative” of the ancient druids we’re walking in the footsteps of in Maguuma soon. The Wardens went mad with Shiro’s corruption of Echovald Forest, but seeing as the land has been cleansed by now, then if they have survived Usoku’s xenophobic rule, possibly they could be a candidate for future playable race.

Quaggans – no, just no. Same with Skritt.

Centaurs – would be cool, but I feel pity for the devs having to cope with having them get around everywhere, e.g. this Crowfall humourous dev diary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQSqqPhWmJU

The leg armor for Centaurs would be unbelievable. That’s all I’m saying.

I’m all in for Tengu as well.

I am not saying I want to play as Skritt but of note is they seriously considered them as a player choice. The player would have controlled a trio of them as one.

Tengu not only most likely but most likely for next. I can’t pick a fav really so I’ll just further support Tengu and everyone.

Tengu here, the link to cantha is tantalising but also the tengu are just kitten cool.