Breakfast Topic: What do you think of the new bear druid skins?
by Lesley Smith 
Jun 2nd 2009 at 8:00AM
I'm a little biased, but I think druids are awesome. I'm sure you know my main is a druid and it's the class which I've stuck with both from a game play and lore point of view. So when the new druid bear forms were revealed I was squeeing along with our resident druid blogger Allison. As an Alliance player, I love the Tauren designs and I never even realized they had horns. I freely admit to being less impressed with the Night Elf skins. Actually, it's more like bitter disappointed. They feel boring and just a little predictable, plus they're really, really ugly.
As someone who hasn't yet dual-specced, I play Balance and seldom use my melee forms. I love the look of my (to use a LOLcat phrase) kitteh form and usually use it as a fast way to get round instances or when I need to sneak into capital cities. Because of that I'm much more curious about the upcoming cat form which has been promised this week.
What do you guys think? Do you like the Night Elf/Tauren druid forms? Do you think Blizzard is just changing the skins rather than overhauling the design. Are you more excited about other druid forms (for me it's the Moonkin, of course)? Speak up, constant readers, and drop your thoughts in the box.
As someone who hasn't yet dual-specced, I play Balance and seldom use my melee forms. I love the look of my (to use a LOLcat phrase) kitteh form and usually use it as a fast way to get round instances or when I need to sneak into capital cities. Because of that I'm much more curious about the upcoming cat form which has been promised this week.
What do you guys think? Do you like the Night Elf/Tauren druid forms? Do you think Blizzard is just changing the skins rather than overhauling the design. Are you more excited about other druid forms (for me it's the Moonkin, of course)? Speak up, constant readers, and drop your thoughts in the box.
Filed under: Druid, Patches, Blizzard, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
BooMsx Jun 2nd 2009 8:05AM
Awesome ^_^ The tauren ones own bud NE ones still kind of suck.
Debesun Jun 2nd 2009 9:03AM
Personally I really like the NE skins. Though I guess I'm saying that out of pride for my class since no matter what class or spec I attempt to reroll, I keep going back to my Feral.
Probably something similar to how people support local Football (Soccer...) teams. You may support the worst team in the league and constantly had your heart broken time after time, but there you are still wrapped up in your teams colours in the pouring rain in the home side stands supporting them through best or for worse.
Logically you may be supporting the 'wrong' team but in your heart, you're doing the right thing :)
Jorges Jun 2nd 2009 9:36AM
Actually, I like the NE skins better. I've always thought that Taurens are ugly walking cows, and horns for their bear form doesn't make them any prettier. From a game perspective, Tauren bear forms look nice and should have something distinctive of the Taurens, wich is the horns and a more "indigenous" look. But from an aesthetic perspective, they seem out of place IMO. Still, they look great.
If the eyes of the NE bear form glows (just like NE ones), then the tauren forms won't look so great anymore.
warcracknerd Jun 2nd 2009 11:38AM
the new bear forms are an improvement but how come the alli get cool glowey eyes and horde doesn't? what's the deal with that? i'll be less than impressed it the new tauren cat form is a cookie cut of the kitties in the belf start zone... although anything might be a vast improvement over the current. female taurens with manes? pffft so much for being detail oriented. seriously.
miko Jun 2nd 2009 11:50AM
gee i dunno maybe, just maybe, it's because Night Elfs HAVE GLOWING EYES
Paun Jun 2nd 2009 8:07AM
as a balance/resto druid, I'm not that impressed. why only renew the bear and cat form?
Eamara Jun 2nd 2009 8:27AM
Time constraints. They've said repeatedly that they'll get to the moonkin and ToL forms eventually. It was either release only the bear and cat forms now and wait for the moonkin and ToL forms, or wait to release all of them at the same time and have the druid community almost explode from suppressed nerdrage.
Emma Jun 2nd 2009 8:30AM
Because cat and bear forms are the oldest and most outdated - they've essentially been the same since the game was released. Moonkin and tree form came in Patch 1.8.
Amaxe Jun 2nd 2009 9:41AM
They've proposed other changes to the druid forms:
http://disgraphtdwarf.com/?p=106
Josin Jun 2nd 2009 8:07AM
I personally think they look great, but a lot of my druid friends are underwhelmed to the point of outrage.
I think they should just suck it up. Blizzard took the time to focus on fluff content for them when there's still major gameplay issues to fix, like Vanish not working, or sorting out the myriad issues with Warriors.
miko Jun 2nd 2009 12:08PM
don't really 'get' the 'outrage' tbh
they were told they would get a graphics update to the forms and they got an unexpected choice of (as far as we know) 5.
the simple fact is they could easily have gotten only 1 new look per form (like epic flight form) instead of the additional choices they have been given.
Josin Jun 2nd 2009 12:21PM
The complaint, as I understand it, is that the model is still a very low polygon count. I think they'd have preferred one look with an upgraded model to many looks with the current model.
Personally, I'd rather see Tree of Life get an upgrade. Why does a restorative tree look like it's withered and dying?
miko Jun 2nd 2009 1:36PM
well the model is actually greatly improved (including a higher poly count) tho at the end of the day it still has to resemble an in game bear.
it seems to me those people don't take the time to see the differences and only see the essential similarities.
i suspect the improvements in the model (which are obvious to anyone with a modicum of 3D modeling knowledge) will become much more obvious once it is in game.
MooGooGaiPan Jun 2nd 2009 8:08AM
I think its the ears vs horns thing that makes the nelf bears look...mediocre. Bears w/o horns (mob ones, not rl:) look out of place to me now if they don't have horns. They make us stand out, look a bit more fearsome.
It could be the eyes too...
ps, tauren kitty form....squeee...it better be awesome, long have I envied the purple cats.
Dilana Jun 2nd 2009 1:17PM
Tauren Cat forms have been released
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/underdev/images/druid/ss3.jpg
miztrz Jun 2nd 2009 8:08AM
I am excited yes. My main has been changed from a belf hunter to a tauren druid recently (to help out with heals and tank classes needed in raids), and I have never had so much fun in game. I'm duel specced resto/kitteh, and I can't wait for new realeases of the kitty form, but after seeing the new bear skins I'm seriously tempted to spec as a tank, cos that white form is super hawt.
I'm a little sad that we won't get to see new tree forms. I think some sort of definition between the night elf tree and the tauren tree would be nice. Maybe a bit more bling on the tauren tree, or even different coloured leaves? But for now... new feral forms is making me happy :D
Ozmodius Jun 2nd 2009 8:08AM
I don't play as a Druid of either race and I still think they're nice.
On a side note, when is Blizz going to get around to giving us Warlocks alternative looks for our demons? Seeing the same felguard/succubus/felhound/imp over and over is kind of drab.
Pexxle -=Silver Hand (RP)=- Jun 2nd 2009 10:25AM
Felhound IMO is the Ugliest thing Combat pet in Game. They are not scary nor intimidating, just an alien looking turd with legs...
Who ever drew that up design was asleep that day.
kabshiel Jun 2nd 2009 10:46AM
But when you go swimming with your felhunter and only its antenna-thingys poke above the water like twin submarine periscopes...that's adorable.
tatsumasa Jun 2nd 2009 1:06PM
how about you can have new models for them when your demons prevent you from ever even seeing your gear, which is exactly what druid forms do.