New playable races study - Choose your favorite
Lonami.2987
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One of the major features of many MMORPG expansions is the introduction of new playable races. It's a mostly cosmetic upgrade, without a heavy impact on gameplay, but still widely popular among many players, for it makes the whole game fresh once again, thanks to the new aesthetics, voices, and animations.
If Guild Wars 2 wants to be on the spotlight once again, we need a new playable race. If said new race comes with the same model and animation quality we've seen with mounts, success will be guaranteed.
There's a few good candidates already ingame, others that could work with a few modifications, and a lot of themes that haven't been covered yet and could be used to make brand new stuff. Tyria is a rich world, and we shouldn't have problems finding multiple options of where to go next.
Please, note that the development of a new playable race does not imply in any way that ArenaNet should: Adapt all existing armor skins, write a full new Personal Story with multiple options, create new capital cities and starting zones, and other assumptions generally made with new playable races. Ideally? Yes, but it's not strictly necessary, and new races shouldn't be dismissed because of this kind of assumptions.
Let's get with the analysis:
Very likely
These races are the most unique, cover themes not explored by any of the currently playable races, and have a lot of potential regarding unique customization. They fit the story well, and have their own large territories to call home. All of them have joined the Personal Story in on way or another, which would justify new characters of these races playing that storyline as well.
- Tengu: Said to have been the 6th scrapped race from GW2, they have a large presence in the game, and their own large territory in the middle of the other playable races. They use the charr skeleton, which would make development and armor adaptation easier, though it's unlikely they would go back to adapt every armor skin. Lot of unique bird and Asian-themed customization.
- Largos: Very easy to implement, since they would use the same skeleton as the humans, sylvari, and norn. Most of the armor skins would be very easy to adapt too. The wings could be a problem, but they've never been stated to be a biological part of them, and for all we know they could be special assassin backpacks. Lot of fish and underwater-themed customization. They would fill the classic spot of the dark elves, and bring a dark anti-hero race to the mix.
- Stone Dwarf: A complicated yet strong candidate, with a strong history. We have contradictory reports on their situation in lore, specially their numbers. If made playable, they could come with a twist, and not be original dwarves, but some sort of construct used to replace their fallen members. Since they aren't fleshy anymore, they would have lot of geological-themed customization, like diamond beards, moss hair, and stuff like that. If sylvari are elves gone dryad, the stone dwarves would be dwarves gone earth elemental.
Likely
These races don't really fit the playable status right now, but they could with a few changes, both regarding the story and the racial features. They don't have any territories of their own that we know of, but they could join other races in their homelands if that's the case. If they are ever made playable, they will be very different from their current incarnation. Joining the original Personal Story seems unlikely for these races as well, due to distance.
- Kodan: Too similar to the norn, charr, and tengu in themes and aesthetics. Would need new unique physical elements to stand out.
- Naga: Unique enough to guarantee a new playable race spot, even if complicated from the technological viewpoint. The largos would already cover the underwater themes, so further distinction is needed there.
- Hylek: Hylek are pretty unique, but their currently known tribes (Hylek, Itzel, Nuhoch) are not good playable race material. However, a new tribe could work well depending on their physique and their location. We know there's at least one tribe in Elona, the Heket, that we haven't met yet.
Unlikely
These races wouldn't fit the playable status without a complete redesign, which would pretty much invalidate the point of making them playable in the first place. However, new races could be made using them as inspiration.
- Grawl / Ogre / Quaggan / Skritt / Harpy / Jotun / Troll: They are too primitive from a technological viewpoint, and they don't have a large established territory to call home. They have various biological limitations as well. Some of them are part of the racial sympathy chapter from the Personal Story, and their inclusion as playable would contradict their inclusion as foreign races we have to befriend.
- Forgotten / Mursaat / Seer: Various ancient races, all deemed to be completely extinct with no survivors left.
- Centaur: Their physique makes it hard to imagine them working correctly in multiple situations, specially doors and jumping puzzles, but that doesn't mean it would be impossible. Their running speed could feel wrong if balanced with the other races. Some combat animations, specially those involving movement, couldn't work very well with their four legs. The Tyrian tribes are either enemy factions or small tribes, so only an Elonian tribe (if any survived Joko) or a new tribe would work.
- Dredge: Have many of the features required to be playable, but they're just too ugly, lack any customization potential whatsoever, and feel really weak and impaired outside their natural environment. A deep physical redesign could make them attractive enough to replace dwarves as the go-to underground race. A group of rebels or mercenaries would work lore-wise.
- Krait: Too similar to naga and forgotten, could work if they go back to their GW1 theme of changing forms, but I don't think it's worth the effort when there's better options out there.
- Margonite: Very popular, though unlikely from a lore viewpoint, considering they're demons, and there shouldn't be many of them left. Could work if we assume they are working for their own goals now, or if we reach a point where allying with them against a bigger threat is necessary. Lot of customization options, considering they would be floating glowing mummies of sorts, kinda like Djinn. Sort of a wasted opportunity not to have introduced them with Path of Fire and the jackals, though.
Don't forget that brand new races are a possibility as well, this is just an analysis on what we have so far. Advanced tonics could be a good solution for many of the above too. Subraces are another tonic possibility, applying deep variations over the already playable races, like for example, awakened, which would change some of the animations, and apply modifications to the voices.
Additionally, I do believe racial skills should be removed, and replaced by racial masteries everyone can use. Then each race would be able to interact with some objects and events in an unique exclusive way, only in the open world and during "just for fun" stuff. A closed door? The asura hack the terminal, the charr use explosives, and the norn smash it open. Alcohol? Every race gets drunk and have different hallucinations. A dark cave? Asura summon a lamp golem, humans pray to Dwayna for a radiant blessing, charr use a flare, sylvari glow, and norn are able to see in the darkness thanks to snow leopard. Stuff like that, just for fun, to make each race's gameplay unique, but only outside of combat.
Since people love polls in race threads, feel free to choose your favorite from a summary of the above options:
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New playable races study - Choose your favorite 638 votes
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Comments
Skritt, yes?
"Tomorrow my master chokes on his own whip!" - Lore of Skaen, PoE
Went with stone dwarf as there was no option for undead, which would be my favorite.
Aurora Glade Diamond Legend [VV]
Ultimate Dominator
Ooze or moose
I can't really see undead being an option, as it would be too hard to incorporate them into the lore as a playable race. My choice is definitely Tengu, which would be much easier to put in and you could even introduce Cantha along with it. If the next expansion focused around exploring Cantha and gave as Tengu as a playable race, I would be in heaven.
I would love skritt, grawl, or ogre.
I would love dwarves, but that would only happen with an expansion focusing on them.
The Largos look like dark water elves ... what they wear on their faces seem to be masks to breathe underwater.
I think they would be a very attractive breed.
I've always wanted Tengu to become playable as we know so little about them. Largos is also one of my favorites along with Tengu and likewise here, we know so little about them so it would be a wise call to make them playable for us players. And ANet can do so much with these two races!
I agree with OP, adding a new playable race will give ANet a huge face-lift to the game.
Tengu;
As they were from Cantha but were banned from their homeland, they built their new home in Dominion of Winds and shutted out the whole Tyria for unknown reason, maybe they dont trust outlanders but now as they become playable, we get to know their story, what happened to Cantha and what they've been up to all this time inside their fortress.
Largos;
Unknown water-elves creatures who are cold assassins, working alone and lives underwater. This could be a great way to improve the underwater content, explore how Largos are living underwater, their capital city, introduce the Deep Sea Dragon, what Largos has been up to all this time and know their story. I know the Largos has clans/houses as they're loyal to, similar to the Kurzicks, or as Game of Thrones if you perfer that,
We can always hope we'll have a playable race someday....
I mean, it can't really be THAT hard to create a new race? Take a look on WoW for an example... what's the difference for GW2?
I likey the idea to replace the racial elites and make them into masteries. You could call it Pact Commander to symbolize how the pact commander is such a true hero and ambassador of cooperation that he not only commands people but is so much one of them that he mastered some tricks of his soldiers when he fought alongside them. A Soldiers General so to say.
Regarding new races, my heart belongs to the tengu but I also find playing a dredge or a krait interesting.
Stone dwarves was my vote with Tengu second choice. Both races have a long history of playing roles within the story lines and both have great expansion storyline potential that would justify their entry into the current storyline. Not sure how either are suited to be retrofitted into the existing personal story, but that goes for all of the possible new races, but I'm willing to suspend some disbelief if it gives us more choices.
We don't need a new race. You want a new race. And of course, you're not alone, so this thread will get plenty of attention. Heck, even I'd love to play a new race.
But... ANet has explained more than once why this isn't going to happen with Expac #3 or #4 & probably not with the game for years to come: it's as much work (if not more) for the story elements as Expac + LS stories. It requires rework of armor pieces, outfits, and possible weapons & gliders & mounts. And most people still end up playing mostly humans, so it's appeal isn't as wide as for more content without a new race.
If you don't have any of those things, what's the point of having a new race? You really think that it would be good for the game to add "new race LITE" rather than doing it well? Do you really think that the vast majority of players who want new races would be satisfied with a minor reskin of an existing race? Even if old armor isn't retrofitted, do you think anyone would be okay with new armor that doesn't work on a sixth race? In which case, adding a new race increases the time to develop each new armor skin.
And of course, you failed to mention adding new dialogue options for the new race and hiring 10 new actors (to cover basic dialogue plus LS dialogue).
New races aren't being dismissed just because of any one of these things, but because any decent effort at a new race adds not only the work of creating that race, but takes similar effort that could otherwise be devoted to other, non-race-specific projects. And it will always increase the design|implementation|maintenance of everything else.
So while I want a new race, too, I also want more of all the other things that we can have if we don't get a new race.
PS there are plenty of "new race" threads. Why not post in one of those rather than starting a new one.
Hype is the path to the dark side. Hype leads to unfulfilled expectations. Disappointment leads to anger. Anger leads to disgust. Disgust leads to "oh, new shinies! I'm back!"
I want the Naga simply because anet would be the first game with a proper implementation. But I've also accepted a game with platforming elements could never have a non-bipedal race like Naga or Centauri
Otherwise the Tengu because they're already so well developed.
But i disagree that the stone dwarves are a likely possibility. Armour is integrated in their stone bodies. And 99.9% is dead (based on the fact that Primordius is free) so there wouldn't be a good start point for the dwarves
To defeat the dragons, see the good in them.
Zhaitan reunites lost ones, primordus creates fertile land, mordremoth spreads the green, and jormag..
..jormag? Who's that?
perfer humaniod races, never got into any other type races after several tries.
I have to disagree with your opinion about the Skritt, they should be in the likely spot, with some physical modifications for differentiate the males and females, they could work as a playable race, and they do have a stablished home, Skrittsburgh, remember? an expansion to make it their capital city and there you have it! (expanding it to the underground so it doesnt conflict with the current map design)
Sure, some lore will be needed into explaining how they passed from primitve traditions to a more organized civilization, but the explanation it's compeltely possible, nowhere near off compared to the other primitve races.
Skritt are potentially intelligent when they work together, and has been show that they can overwhelm Asuras that are caught off guard with their mind-sharing intelligence, they always curious toying around with Asura tech, trying to invent something from it, they know how to think, not to mention, that Asuras do field research to this race, because they feel them as a potential threat to their superior intelligence among all the races.
An explanation is completely possible.
Couldn´t they just coil their lower half and "Jump" ?
Skritt. Because their limitations (intelligence) would bring a nice change of pace and approach from a gameplay standpoint. And their intelligence, or lack thereof, is something that can creatively be used to create new challenges..
Animations are but half the problems, sadly. Jumping needs to happen instantly when pressing the space bar. That's why it looks we get launched and pull up our knees instead of squatting and jumping. If you instantly jump as a snake without coiling it will look even worse.
There's also the issue with armour. Where do the leg and boot armour go?
You can design plating for the back of the lower body, but the boots?
To defeat the dragons, see the good in them.
Zhaitan reunites lost ones, primordus creates fertile land, mordremoth spreads the green, and jormag..
..jormag? Who's that?
Skritt for life!!! I would love to create my own Lemmiwinks the gebril king.
“I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now? Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.” ~ John Lennon.
Nothing in the game has a skeleton. It is not how game modeling works. It has a form and in that form there is nothing. You do see some skeletons in game production, used to design motion but it is not needed in the actual game. It is the outside of the body what matters. That means Tengu can't be based on the Charr model and Largos not on the Humanoid model. They would still require a redesign of all armor in the game.
They look a lot like ice elves which is something I really like and would love (largos). Tengu are a close second but since everyone loves them already we don't need to campaign so hard
I'd rather keep going.. wherever the wind takes us
I am right now basically taking ideas out of thin air, but isn´t it possible to give boots the same treatments as helmets and simply not show them? It would have to be mandatory and predetermined for naga of course.
I am pretty sure that it is a very demanding thing to make a set of armor in general, but isn´t that what Anet pays designers and programmers for? I am pretty astounded how the argument that it takes too much time to make for too less gain is used so often. Maybe because of my work in the government I am even more astounded by this argument, anybody who knows governmental bodies or works with public statistics knows how futile they are and still how painfully exact such statistics are made. Still they are made.
What i also don´t understand is how Mythic could design a new races for each realm at once and Anet is unable to do so a decade after Mythic did the undoable. What has changed?
I don't want a new playable race. I'm happy with Asura and Humans. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
Asura fanatic.
World's largest Zojja fan.
You can't trust Charr. They belong to Bangar now.
Make Dragon's Watch great again (by booting Rytlock out of it).
The Kontract Krewe [RP]: Flailing around Tyria for gold and glory. Mostly gold though.
Money.
WoW was a massive success for Blizzard, which was already a juggernaut in the gaming industry. They became so successful that they could afford to do a lot of things in their game.
Meanwhile, ArenaNet is a small (if not in number of employees, in the amount of resources they have) studio surviving on a single, niche game that is five years old.
Which means, ArenaNet is not going to do a lot of things they could do (nor, IMO, a lot of things they should do). Apparently their revenue is now based on focusing on new content (living world releases and expansions) and on monetizing things on the Gem Store. Which means:
In many ways, ArenaNet feels like half a developer making half a game. It's fun to speculate and discuss things like this topic, but in reality Guild Wars 2 is not going to have things like this; they can't afford it. ArenaNet needs goodwill of their players, low expectations and people willing to accept subpar support for everything other than the newest release because, well, that's the best they can do.
"Tomorrow my master chokes on his own whip!" - Lore of Skaen, PoE
I have been wanting to play Tengu since I first saw them in GW1.
We know a little more than that. Before the events of gw1 the Tengu originally lived on Shing Jea island in Cantha. When humans started settling on the island too, one of the major Tengu tribes, the Sensali, slaughtered an entire human villiage. At the same time, hatchlings of another major tribe, the Angchu, contracted unfamiliar diseases from the humans, forcing them to kill lots of their own hatchlings. These events caused a 3-war between the Angchu, Sensali and Humans, which lasted nearly 2 centuries. Finally the 3 sides organised a peace summit which Master Togo attended, however the meeting was a trap intended to kill Togo and pin the blame on the Tengu. Togo survived the attack and the Tengu tribes united, forever hating Humans for their betrayal.
The Tengu only travelled to Tyria to confront Zaitan, and then made a new home in the Dominion of Winds. They didn't want a repeat of what happened in Cantha so built a wall to keep out any outsiders.
I missclicked on dwarves, but actually i vote for Skritt
I voted for Tengu because they are a huge part of the game that was never followed up on but should have been. If it was supposed to be a playable race but canceled I imagine there is lot of back end resources in their archives on it.
I would like to see skritt added as a playable race but have them with a limited wardrobe of armor because they don't display a lot of variety on their clothing. I'd rather it be focused on a unique style of game play that make the skritt fun and interesting.
I've always thought their chasing of shiny stuff is related to their own form of magic. The more shiny something is the more likely it has positive magic potential to them or the ability to reflect and focus magic.
They could also give them attributes other playable races don't have like the ability to go in smaller spaces, climb and control skritt tunnels. They could be dominate healers in the game with the ability and have skritt unique professions like lobber, burglar, forager, etc.
I can't see the skritt comfortable with using mounts so I'd rather see them focused on ground and underground based.
The last thing I'm sure Anet wants from anyone is pity.
I dig the sort of Mayan/Aztec vibe of the Hylek. Guess I'm the only one
the real truth be told it is more like this half a quarter developer making half quarter a game. the game could be so much more but. we both know that will never ever happen in this case. no matter how they want to put it .
many many times anet has come out on reddit and said this will never ever happen . but yet as well as some other things i noticed as of late. for what ever reason it be they never ever get the message .or they do not want to hear it and hope if they keep it up anet will cave in one day maybe.
so far for both sides that has not worked out well at all. 
None of the above. I’m not sure why people are clamouring to play tengu. They’re just a bird variation on the charr model. Most clothes and all that will look just as bad on tengu as they do on charr. And, isn’t charr the least played race?
Now, choya on the other hand... Bring on The Pale Cactus.
In the next game, GW3, I wanna play as mursaat.
I always wanted to be that tall.^^
"I´m not big on sermons nor words, Broken bones teach better lessons and speak for themselves."
Quaggan voted Tengu, but Quaggan really wants Quaggan to be the next player race. Quaggan will rule all of Tyria!
L A R G O S
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Every other answer is an incorrect answer.
For those on the forums who advocate for the removal of duo queues in Spvp, realize your actions over the past 7 years has destroyed gw2 Spvp and thinking doing the same thing again is a good idea after several years of it not working crazy. Get better at pvp.
..........
Yes Yes Yes , Skritt will rise.
Mursaat, for sure. I don't actually expect it. In fact I'm 100% positive we'll never see it. I just don't really care anymore. I've been with this game for 3 years and content seems to move forward at such a glacial pace that I've all but preserved my care for "lore" or "accuracy." Or I'd settle for some gizmos that changed how characters moved for a floaty human. Or, and this is what I'd prefer the most, more endless tonics usable in combat.
Those Icebrood Saga: Champion titles sure don't sound sus. End of Dragons 2023. Marshal stats are overpowered, plz nerf.
All good and true, but you maybe remember how Anet stood to gliding in core tyria, raids, housing, mounts in Tyria and a whole multitude of other things deemed too high of a price for not enough of a gain.
I for example think that housing is a complete waste of time, still that does not make me cry fool when someone has a liking for it and pushes for it to be implemented. Still I am only human and lobbied hard against the implementation of raids, so I understand where you are coming from.
LARGOS all the way. I only play Human characters, but I'd love to be a Largos.
Skritt /thread
There will never be a new race in GW2, yet these threads are popping up each week.
Thats quite a stretch.
If i wanted a crossbreed between a flying penguin and a guinea pig as in the trailers of SW8 I could and would ask for that.
Dwarves don't fit as a playable race because they are immortal and don't produce offspring. This means the players will be playing 250+ year old characters, it's not appropriate from a lore standpoint to do such a thing. Plus it makes no sense for them to join the Orders or in become "commanders" or members of Dragon's Watch. Plus, the dwarves have different bodies that Asura which means armors will have to be redesigned for them which is a massive undertaking. The dwarves also do not have a capital city.
Largos can use humanoid armors, Tengu can use Charr armors, it has been "proven" that they use the same skeleton as Charr. This means these two races have the least difficulty in adapting existing armors. The Largos wings will need to be explained somehow. They also have a capital city, which means they can have their own personal story. Kodan can use Norn armors but I don't think they are unique enough to get a playable race spotlight.
The lesser races will never become playable because they are called in the lore "lesser races" for a reason. They also don't wear armor and have their own skeletons, this means Hylek, Grawl, Ogres, Quaggan and Skritt are out. The only lesser race that wears armor and could potentially work as a playable race are Ogres.
The rest of the Races you mentioned have a mix of issues similar to the above. Unique skeletons, not wearing armor, not enough customization, no central city hub so they are unlikely to be made playable.
From all the above, the most likely race to ever become playable is Tengu because it's the only race that has little to no issues, all the others have one or multiple problems. Largos also fill all the criteria, with the exception of their wings.
i don't want stone dwarfs, i wand actual flesh and bone dwarfs not relative to deldrimore dwarfs.
but as a new race, i want a more alien kind of race (i use the protoss for concept art but only to get my point across)
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starcraft/images/a/a6/Protoss_SC2_Cncpt1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100807122907
https://img00.deviantart.net/3826/i/2006/026/c/4/second_part_of_protoss_anatomy_by_highdarktemplar.jpg
https://s16.postimg.org/5gfwscjpx/ideas.jpg
their story is that they existed on this planed far earlier then when the 5 gods arrived, after a long battle against unnatural foes they decided to go underground.
anyone who they could save were stored in underground hibernation capsules to sleep until their time was right, some stayed behind to protect but were forgotten in time. (the only ones who knows about them are the exalted)
after the dragons awaken their capsules begun to wake them up and they have bin making their home underground for many decades, marveling in their tech and highly advanced knowledge.
they know nothing of the upper world, no one has dared to get out there and explore the world.
until now......
the truth is harsh, my opinions are too.
yes! YES!
I have wanted to play as a Dwarf since Guild Wars 1, I feel like they weren't added as a playable race, since a lot of people would have said, "WoW much?", but honestly if they made Dwarf a playable race, I would main Dwarf and be the Dwarven King.
The Self-Appointed Pervy Sage of Dragonbrand.
I know this will never happen but if they ever were to revamp Guild Wars 1 and 2 into a single game engine it would be interesting to play a character in GW1 era that becomes immortal then pick up playing it in GW2 era. I'd love to see GW3 to be something that pulls GW1, GW2 and post GW2 era into one environment.
It was a hard choice for me because I honestly want both the Tengu and Largos! I'll be buying character slots for both when and if they come out.
You make a very valid point but there's a very valid resolution to that problem as well:
The biggest issue with charrs is how insanely big they are, how very bland and dull their eyes are, how terrible their armor models look on them and how unenthusiastic their story is. B O R I N G !!!!!!!
Margonite.