On Races: Alliance Edition

So I just blew the $25 to race change my worgen druid to a nelf.  Why did I do this?  Honestly, it's because I used to think worgen were cool and now I kind of hate them.

It's not that I think their lore sucks -- it's really fine, I guess, it doesn't really grab my interest but I don't hate it.  The concept of playing a werewolf, well, I thought that was super cool at first, but the aesthetics ... they get to me, what can I say.

So in the fine blogger tradition of gassing on about whatever happens to be on my mind, here's what I like and dislike about all the player races in World of Warcraft, presented in least-to-best-liked.

Worgen

Really it all comes down to aesthetics.  Firstly, I hate the snuffle snuffle.  Just hate it.  Second, the tiny-waist-big-shoulder thing.  It makes every piece of gear look just awful on them.  Third, I'm not a fan of races for whom the boots don't show properly.  Finally, the hunch.  The fact that their racials are extremely underwhelming, especially for tanks, doesn't help any.  And Running Wild just looks stupid.  If they actually changed into a wolf for their "racial mount" I'd like them a thousand times better.

And, of course, they can't be monks or paladins.  Two of my three favorite classes, barred.  No good, no sir.

Dwarves

Dwarves come next, not because I dislike them, but because they have essentially nothing to recommend them.  I've honestly probably rolled the fewest dwarves, just because there's nothing about them either aesthetically or lore-wise that grabs my attention.  Plus, again, their racials are nothing to write home about.

Night Elves

I like their lore, I like that they can be druids, and their racials are awesome.  Unfortunately, they all look Goofy.  And I mean the Disney character.  The big hands, big feet, tiny waist just kinda ruins their overall aesthetic.  Because of that, they rank behind the other races.  Still, I'd rather have a nelf druid than a worgen druid.

Gnomes

The next three are honestly very close, but I can still tease out my preferences.  I like gnomes for a lot of reasons -- their constant good humor, their utter fearlessness, their cleverness, and their willingness to explore ideas to the very end.  They're also adorable, so that helps.  Finally, I really like the "size matters not" angle -- I can't really buy into gnome warriors or death knights, but I have (and still love) gnome mages and warlocks.  In fact, my gnome warlock might end up being my third 90 just because I'm so fond of him.  (It's currently a dead heat between the gnomelock and my ex-main paladin.)

Draenei

I wish I could have these guys as my number one, I really do.  Lorewise, they are far and away my favorites.  (I'm sure that comes as no surprise to those who know me well.)  Unfortunately ... once again, it's the aesthetic and the racials.  Draenei have, hands-down, the worst racials for what I like to do in-game, and I can't stand the barrel-chested, cleft-hooved, tentacle-faced, tailed appearance.  Part, even most, of the appeal of Warcraft, for me, is projecting myself into the world and exploring it from my own perspective.  If I can't connect to the character on the screen, I can't level.  And I just can't put myself into a draenei's skin.  Not yet, anyway.

Maybe someday.

And that leaves us with...

Humans

A former friend of mine used to say "Human pride REPRESENT," and I kinda do the same thing.  Humans don't have great lore but they have the very best racials overall (Diplomacy and Every Man For Himself have saved me more time than anything ever, and the free bonus expertise is nice too -- if you're playing a paladin, anyway).  They also have the best aesthetics, even if their running animation has been bothering me more and more lately.  I can make a human that looks more or less like me, and that makes it a lot easier to connect with a character.

In essence, the only time I can play a non-human is when a character presents itself.  My malconvoker warlock, for example, is a gnome, even though humans can be warlocks, and that's because the whole malconvoker theme seems more fitting for a gnome than it does for anyone else.  I can't really buy an evil gnome, it just doesn't fit, but the entire theme of gnome warlocks is leaving no stone unturned in their quest to understand the universe. 

Of course, if I want to play a druid or a shaman, I have to pick a different race.  But other than those two exceptions, I'll pick a human every time.

Oh, and the pandaren?  I haven't created one yet so I haven't formed an opinion.  I suspect I'm not going to like them all that much, due to the racial/aesthetic combination.  But time will tell on that one, I suppose.