New races please.

[Trise.2865]

There will be no new playable races as long as the story continues forward. Full Stop. New Tyrian races don't fit with and can't dovetail into the primary story in a way that makes sense (other than ignoring it completely, like they do for Revenants, which, again, makes no sense).

 

The only way to introduce a new race is to create a "new beginning" as they did with the GW1 expacs, which means starting before the beginning. It would take some work, but these stories could handily merge with the main story immediately after the Orders chapters, as long as the characters have befriended Trahearne and gained enough fame to be known by the Tyrian Orders.

 

We must also consider species that make sense in the story and the world. The race would have to be vaguely humanoid to use existing skins and mount options, which leaves Centaurs and non-bipedal races (like Krait and Forgotten) completely out. The race must be accepted by Pact soldiers not only as friends and allies, but respectable enough to follow into battle. None of the "lesser races" (Skritt, Quaggan, Ogre, Hylek, Grawl) would qualify here, nor would any new races nobody ever heard of before. Conversely, they, as a race, must recognize the full threat potential of the Elder Dragons, and want to join a multinational Pact, and have something besides you to contribute. Currently, that leaves Dwarves, Tengu, and Kodan out of contention (but that's an easy enough fix), and puts serious dampers on "neutral enemy" races such as the Jotun, Ettin, and Dredge. Largos, as awesome as they would be, are shrouded too far in secrecy (there is exactly one Largos in the Pact, and only temporarily... having one as a Commander would be weird). Freed Awakened or Risen literally can't fit in a "prequel" story, as they would have unprotected, subjugated will as long as Zhaitan lives. Mursaat and Seer species are extinct.

 

So who does that leave? Well, that eliminates pretty much everybody, but some races could be tweaked to fit. Here's a few ideas:

**Tengu** make the most sense, as they need only political motivation, and have been present in the story and elsewhere since the beginning.

The **Dredge** are in the same boat as the Tengu; separated from player characters only by politics and single-mindedness. If new politics/societies were introduced...

There is room for **Golems** to evolve, organize and become an Android society, but they both risk being treated as a lesser race and compete with Sylvari for the "young, naive" archetype.

**Margonites** aren't known as a "friendly" species, historically, but residing within Kormir's Redeemed Realm, away from Abbadon's and Malyx's influences, for a few centuries may have changed things (and one returning as an ally to mortals would certainly make you well-known).

**Elementals** have similar potential as the Golems, but also similar problems, competing instead with Humans and Norn for their "ancient, loner" archetypes.

 

[Dante.1763]

> @"Trise.2865" said:

> There will be no new playable races as long as the story continues forward. Full Stop. New Tyrian races don't fit with and can't dovetail into the primary story in a way that makes sense (other than ignoring it completely, like they do for Revenants, which, again, makes no sense).

>

> The only way to introduce a new race is to create a "new beginning" as they did with the GW1 expacs, which means starting before the beginning. It would take some work, but these stories could handily merge with the main story immediately after the Orders chapters, as long as the characters have befriended Trahearne and gained enough fame to be known by the Tyrian Orders.

>

> We must also consider species that make sense in the story and the world. The race would have to be vaguely humanoid to use existing skins and mount options, which leaves Centaurs and non-bipedal races (like Krait and Forgotten) completely out. The race must be accepted by Pact soldiers not only as friends and allies, but respectable enough to follow into battle. None of the "lesser races" (Skritt, Quaggan, Ogre, Hylek, Grawl) would qualify here, nor would any new races nobody ever heard of before. Conversely, they, as a race, must recognize the full threat potential of the Elder Dragons, and want to join a multinational Pact, and have something besides you to contribute. Currently, that leaves Dwarves, Tengu, and Kodan out of contention (but that's an easy enough fix), and puts serious dampers on "neutral enemy" races such as the Jotun, Ettin, and Dredge. Largos, as awesome as they would be, are shrouded too far in secrecy (there is exactly one Largos in the Pact, and only temporarily... having one as a Commander would be weird). Freed Awakened or Risen literally can't fit in a "prequel" story, as they would have unprotected, subjugated will as long as Zhaitan lives. Mursaat and Seer species are extinct.

>

> So who does that leave? Well, that eliminates pretty much everybody, but some races could be tweaked to fit. Here's a few ideas:

> **Tengu** make the most sense, as they need only political motivation, and have been present in the story and elsewhere since the beginning.

> The **Dredge** are in the same boat as the Tengu; separated from player characters only by politics and single-mindedness. If new politics/societies were introduced...

> There is room for **Golems** to evolve, organize and become an Android society, but they both risk being treated as a lesser race and compete with Sylvari for the "young, naive" archetype.

> **Margonites** aren't known as a "friendly" species, historically, but residing within Kormir's Redeemed Realm, away from Abbadon's and Malyx's influences, for a few centuries may have changed things (and one returning as an ally to mortals would certainly make you well-known).

> **Elementals** have similar potential as the Golems, but also similar problems, competing instead with Humans and Norn for their "ancient, loner" archetypes.

>

 

The Tengu actually take part in the pact you know. They give one of their finest blacksmiths to them.

[Trise.2865]

> @"Dante.1763" said:

>

> The Tengu actually take part in the pact you know. They give one of their finest blacksmiths to them.

 

Yes, Izu Steelshrike. One Tengu. There only because Trahearne challenged his smithy skills. Is that really the same thing as "joining the Pact"?

[JDub.1530]

> @"Dante.1763" said:

>

> The Tengu actually take part in the pact you know. They give one of their finest blacksmiths to them.

 

They also took part in the Battle for Lion's Arch.......by slaughtering anyone that came near their gates. lol

[Lonami.2987]

My bet is tengu, largos, and dwarf.

 

[You can vote here if you want.](https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/21242/new-playable-races-study-choose-your-favorite/p1)

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

It's fun to imagine what new race ANet might choose if they added one. It's fun to try to figure out how they'd pull it off. However, until the business model changes, there's no room for a new race any time in the next few years, if not longer.

 

****

 

> @"Lonami.2987" said:

> My bet is tengu, largos, and dwarf.

>

> [You can vote here if you want.](https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/21242/new-playable-races-study-choose-your-favorite/p1)

 

I'd take that bet: ANet has said they plan not to add any new races any time soon. Adding a new race is considerably more work than most of us think. For a new race to be a meaningful addition to the game, we'd see at least some of ...

* Personal stories of some sort introducing the new race.

* A new home city

* New cultural armor

* Adaption of existing armor and outfits for the new race.

* Relevant ambient dialogue

* New voices (10 altogether: two genders times five languages)

* Additional ongoing costs for future armor, future stories, etc.

 

That's comparable to the effort that ANet already puts in to introduce a new expansion story and the subsequent Living World season. (In some aspects, it's identical effort, in some cases more.) Sure, ANet could choose not to do some of the above, but then at least many of us who would like to see a new race would feel let down.

 

Plus, importantly, people tend to play humans. Sure, lots of players have at least some non-human characters and some players avoid humans, but by and large, people tend to stick to vanilla as an option. So all this effort is going to appeal to a subset of the community, while requiring the same (or greater) effort as their current story plans.

 

 

 

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> [Massively OP Summarizes Mike Zadorojny's Comments on New Professions, new Races](http://massivelyop.com/2018/04/09/pax-east-2018-guild-wars-2-game-director-mike-zadorojny-on-path-of-fire-monetization-and-more/)

 

> We also talked a bit about things that are probably not happening. ... New races, too, are a lot of work for limited rewards, ...

 

> Obviously, none of this is set in stone; he stressed that the quote to take away is not that new races will never be added. It’s just not the current direction.

 

****

From the [black Lion Daily Herald](https://www.facebook.com/BlackLionDailyHerald) interview of Mike Z, at the ANet Meet & Greet in Cologne, Germany (aka Köln, DE). [Full version on reddit](https://redd.it/6vuuzx). Here's the bits relevant to this thread:

 

> * Mike said new races in GW2 are "not impossible but very unlikely" to appear in the future. Implementing them would require a lot of resources that can be spent better on creating new content relevant for all players.

> * underwater combat? Mike was kind of dodgy here and only replied that things can always get better.

>

(note the comment about underwater combat: it seems likely that they were already preparing this when PoF was being implemented)

[Dante.1763]

> @"Trise.2865" said:

> > @"Dante.1763" said:

> >

> > The Tengu actually take part in the pact you know. They give one of their finest blacksmiths to them.

>

> Yes, Izu Steelshrike. One Tengu. There only because Trahearne challenged his smithy skills. Is that really the same thing as "joining the Pact"?

 

Obviously not, but its a start.

 

As another point:

We also know that Tengu where one of the races considered to be playable during the games development, so that is something else in their favor.

[Redfeather.6401]

I'd play a centaur character. Would be very different for sure.

[Zauriel Mooncat.4968]

Quaggan, tengu, largos, skritt. Those could be possible races to use!

[Sirian.3689]

if the current winged non player races were given the griffin movement plus gliding combined it would be playable.

[symmetrical.8653]

Skritt ! yes yes :#

[Sondergaard.8469]

Skritt.

 

The end.

[Redfeather.6401]

> @"Sirian.3689" said:

> if the current winged non player races were given the griffin movement plus gliding combined it would be playable.

 

I love flying races. When everquest 2 added flying races I went back to make a fae. It was pretty crazy to fly around.

[CJH.2879]

The main reasons I would vote for either quaggans or cute skritt is because alot of there basic animations are already in-game (lesser workload for ANET), plus most players I've talked to absolutely love them... adding a new race would most certainly be a strong selling point in any expansion allowing for another start zone (with connecting new lower level maps), a new boss for that map and another racial city to experience/explore for new players. It would also add another unique perspective to Tyria from that races point of view. There is already so many new level 80 zones, perhaps its time to finally add in some lower level maps for old & new players alike!

[Dante.1763]

> @"Redfeather.6401" said:

> I'd play a centaur character. Would be very different for sure.

 

Mounts. How would they work with mounts/

[Trise.2865]

> @"Dante.1763" said:

 

> We also know that Tengu where one of the races considered to be playable during the games development, so that is something else in their favor.

 

Agreed. As I said, Tengu make the most sense, and are the most insertable, especially if we go back to Cantha. Tengu refugees fleeing Cantha wouldn't care about the Dominion of Winds' isolationist policies, and might be eager to prove wrong their imperial oppressors by joining a multiracial coalition like the Pact.

 

Come to think of it, going to Cantha also opens up an opportunity for Dredge to ally with the current player-races, for the same reasons as the Tengu... and for the Dragons to weigh in on their Elder counterparts' wanton destruction (assuming they have humanoid forms, as "traditional" dragons do).

[derd.6413]

> @"Trise.2865" said:

> > @"Dante.1763" said:

>

> > We also know that Tengu where one of the races considered to be playable during the games development, so that is something else in their favor.

>

> Agreed. As I said, Tengu make the most sense, and are the most insertable, especially if we go back to Cantha. Tengu refugees fleeing Cantha wouldn't care about the Dominion of Winds' isolationist policies, and might be eager to prove wrong their imperial oppressors by joining a multiracial coalition like the Pact.

>

> Come to think of it, going to Cantha also opens up an opportunity for Dredge to ally with the current player-races, for the same reasons as the Tengu... and for the Dragons to weigh in on their Elder counterparts' wanton destruction (assuming they have humanoid forms, as "traditional" dragons do).

 

We don't need a new tengu faction to get playable tengu, the ones we have are on the fence on this whole pact thing and all they would need is a little push (also note that destroyers are harrasing the tengu inside the walls so if they mannage to destroy/kill something important)

[Trise.2865]

> @"derd.6413" said:

> We don't need a new tengu faction to get playable tengu, the ones we have are on the fence on this whole pact thing and all they would need is a little push (also note that destroyers are harrasing the tengu inside the walls so if they mannage to destroy/kill something important)

 

True... but they didn't. Why would they? Look at where they are. The Dominion of Winds is a fairly large area, but it's barely city-sized. It's right between two mid-level zones and Lion's Arch, and directly overlaps the Twilight Arbor. Tyrian Tengu would be too busy getting sucked into the Sylvari, Asura, and Krytan conflicts to worry about their own problems. It's perfectly understandable they would be against being dragged/coerced into a multinational coalition.

 

The lack of space severely limits growth potential to new players, and leaves almost no room for Tengu to develop their own identity, as other races do. The only other areas to expand into are Caledon Forest or out into the ocean. Either could work in theory, but neither is distinctly and uniquely Tengu.

 

Setting up the elsewhere story removes these limitations, gives the story somewhere else to go and something else to do, and doesn't overwrite the existing lore. (It also follows precedent from Guild Wars 1, but that hardly matters here.) It doesn't have to be Cantha, it doesn't even have to dovetail with main story (though it very much should, lest we split the player base), but it simply can't be as it is.

 

Alternatively, consider this: what if the coalition which formed the Dominion reside in their city, but live and hunt in the Maguuma? They wouldn't need a gate to Lion's Arch, because they already share a border with it, but what if they reached an accord with the Asura who displaced them for gate access to their ancestral territory?There is tons of unexplored land to the south of Maguuma and west of Rata Sum, where Mordremoth wouldn't likely have reached, but are still within striking distance for Zhaitan and Primordus. It's a bit of a stretch, but hardly impossible, and jives with the existing dialogues that the Dominion is closed off from the Caledon and Krytan entrances.

[Agruesgirl.5726]

> @"Dante.1763" said:

> > @"Redfeather.6401" said:

> > I'd play a centaur character. Would be very different for sure.

>

> Mounts. How would they work with mounts/

 

A centaur has a horse body,just like a char is cat looking frankly I'm already seeing such beastly creatures.maguuma already made it clear that we would be seeing centaurs as well

[Torzini.1523]

No. No more non-humanoid playable races. The devs have a hard enough time getting armour to look right on just charr as it is.

[Dedicant.6820]

I'm still holding out a small glimmer of hope for the introduction of Tengu as a playable race, perhaps as a feature of a Canthan expansion. Out of anything available in the game and lore of GW2 the Tengu seem to be the most likely to come. They are a significant race within the lore and not considered one of the lesser races in the personal story. They have a home city we've never seen on the map (the Dominion of Winds), they could instead have a home city in Cantha. They're similar enough in proportions to Charr that armour might not be too different a workload than the Charr already bring to new armour sets. The main obstacle here is reworking the older armour skins and outfits to fit. They interact and work with the Pact/other races several times during the personal story and expansions. I believe they even got new animations for HOT? They also were considered as a playable race before release. Other than armour skins the biggest thing holding back Tengu (or anyone) as a new playable race is appropriately inserting them into the personal story. I think it could be done but it would require resources and some timeline jiggling as the Dominion would likely need to open it's gates during the Zhaitan arc unless a Tengu player skips this part of the story entirely.

 

I could... maybe see Largos coming with a deep sea dragon focused expansion but that's a bit of a stretch as they are said to be rather rare so it could be jarring to see a bunch of pc Largos running (swimming?) about. Also their wing things wouldn't work with back pieces/gliders (and since a Largos back piece exists I guess that is telling that we'll likely never play them outside of cosplays.) Dwarves are even rarer than Largos and I don't see them being unstoned anytime soon, if ever. Other than that Centaurs would not be compatible with mounts and require serious reworks to leg/foot armour. I don't think any of the "lesser races" from the story (Skritt/Quaggan/etc) or the "evil" races (Krait etc) will ever be playable. Unless they make a new race I think that's all the likely/unlikely prospective races.

[Tanner Blackfeather.6509]

> @"Agruesgirl.5726" said:

> > @"Dante.1763" said:

> > > @"Redfeather.6401" said:

> > > I'd play a centaur character. Would be very different for sure.

> >

> > Mounts. How would they work with mounts/

>

> A centaur has a horse body,just like a char is cat looking frankly I'm already seeing such beastly creatures.maguuma already made it clear that we would be seeing centaurs as well

 

That doesn't answer the question.

How would a Centaur sit on a Raptor? On a Springer?

[torakun.9638]

Would be near impossible, but I missed the dwarves.. I often logged into GW1 just to see them in Shiverpeak in all of their glory. T_T

[derd.6413]

> @"Tanner Blackfeather.6509" said:

> > @"Agruesgirl.5726" said:

> > > @"Dante.1763" said:

> > > > @"Redfeather.6401" said:

> > > > I'd play a centaur character. Would be very different for sure.

> > >

> > > Mounts. How would they work with mounts/

> >

> > A centaur has a horse body,just like a char is cat looking frankly I'm already seeing such beastly creatures.maguuma already made it clear that we would be seeing centaurs as well

>

> That doesn't answer the question.

> How would a Centaur sit on a Raptor? On a Springer?

 

with their butt