Breakfast Topic: Would you change your faction?
Earlier this week we reported on Nethaera's stunning revelation that faction changes were in the works. Yeah, I was just as amazed. It might just be an idea at the moment, a work in progress which we might not get access to until a patch or even the next expansion. The logistics are mind-boggling. Would this be a literally blending of species into factions so Humans could join the Horde and Taurens the Alliance or would your character literally be transformed into another species? How exactly would the lore work around that? We've had character customisation for a while now and the ability to change gender but changing faction and possibly even species. That a whole new kettle of fish.
So, constant readers, in the wake of this bombshell I'm very eager to know what you think. Does the very idea of changing faction seem contrary to how the game works? Would you consider jumping factions? Would you rather see characters choose whether to become Horde or Alliance? Could you change your very species to join the opposing faction? From a lore perspective, how do you think would this work and, indeed, does it need to have a basis in lore? After all no one questioned the gender change. What do you think?
So, constant readers, in the wake of this bombshell I'm very eager to know what you think. Does the very idea of changing faction seem contrary to how the game works? Would you consider jumping factions? Would you rather see characters choose whether to become Horde or Alliance? Could you change your very species to join the opposing faction? From a lore perspective, how do you think would this work and, indeed, does it need to have a basis in lore? After all no one questioned the gender change. What do you think?
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Reader Comments (Page 12 of 12)
Drezter Jul 1st 2009 4:50PM
I want to do it so I can get my Baby Blizzard Bear over to my Horde main. During the 4 year anniversary I was Alliance, but I have since switched and been working on a pet collection Horde-side.
Angrycelt Jul 1st 2009 4:55PM
Can you imagine if they did allow you to keep your race and switch sides, though? They could do it in some sort of expansion or storyline where Thrall and Varian are both killed through some sort of enormous betrayal or third party attack. All bets are off, chaos reigns. Dwarves trapped across the ocean in the Barrens find they have more in common with their Horde neighbors than the Alliance across the sea. Belfs who have seen the path their kind went down, or perhaps couldn't swallow the Forsaken as completely as Sylvanas thought they would turn back to the Alliance and their Night elf cousins.
You could switch anyone anywhere. There are evil humans, taurens and nelf druids get along just fine, so many dark, iron, and frost dwarves that there's room for both viewpoints.
I'd make my tauren druid go Alliance. (no need for another nelf druid)
I'd have my dranei shaman go Horde. (I didn't play a troll shaman before, why would I want to magically switch into one now?)
Everyone else'd stay put. I'm actually kinda liking this idea.
Chirri Jul 1st 2009 5:07PM
I'm not interested in a Faction change. I've got no acquaintances on the other faction, I've got a pretty big community of people in my current faction, and alts of the other faction I've tried simply haven't wound up gaining enough of my interest (lore wise, "culture" wise) to keep me around. I'm happy where I am; people will be kind or crude no matter which faction I'm on. Might as well stick with the faction where I've found a decent set of kind people.
I'd be interested in a racial change, but that's it. (And if they can give an equivalent exchange from one faction to the other, a racial change without faction changes would be a breeze)
Polecat Jul 1st 2009 5:12PM
Assuming I don't loose all my mounts (over 50), the rep I grinded (I've got the Ambassador title, and am exalted with the Kurenai), and my progress in various achievements, I would do it in a heartbeat. My personal assumption is that we'd have to change the character to a new race that can handle the requisite class on the opposing side however, and there would be some growing pains to the swap. I'd have to look at the specifics, as I put a lot of work into my toon.
That said tho, I would absolutely love to change my main into a hoardie, even if I have to go Belf to do it (Yeah, I'm a Pally... and a card carrying member of the "Elf Haters Society of Azeroth"). I am only Ally because I had a few friends who taught me to play the game on that side during BC. Now that I know enough to stand on my own two feet... well the Hoard was always a better fit for me anyway...
- Polecat
coyote Jul 1st 2009 5:30PM
Never. FOR THE HORDE!
Airheadz Jul 1st 2009 5:40PM
Lore wise, I think of it as Mages have found a way to permanently Polymorph people, and that they have figured out the incantations required to Polymorph people into different races.
Whether or not I would do it, no. I just can't leave my friends like that :P Especially when some of them are deep into faction pride, they'd hate me forever T_T
Djara Jul 1st 2009 5:53PM
I think one of the interesting ways faction changes have been implemented has been in EQ2. Its basically a quest chain you start in the opposing factions city that lets you prove your allegiance to them. Then you basically lose your rep for that main city and join a third inbetween faction while you do quests to earn rep for the city your defecting to. Once you've earnt enough rep you get inducted into the new city keeping your class and race. Was always awesome watching the little rat dudes running around Qeynos.
JDM Jul 1st 2009 7:00PM
Well, the blue poster said that you won't get to keep your race. You'll have to choose a race which has your class available to it. Due to this, I don't think I would pay for the faction change. However, if they would allow us to keep our current race, then I would get a faction change in an instant.
Lemons Jul 1st 2009 7:46PM
Would I change my faction? Hell no! I've played enough PvP to learn that the Horde are the most ruthless DBs in the universe...they will use every advantage they can possibly find to screw you. They actually play as a team and their healers will gravitate to the most badass mofo they can find...essentially transforming him into a unkillable swirling vortex of death.
If the Alliance didn't have people like me to quickly gank healers and bring the pain idk what they'd do. They'd lose...even more than they do now. Plus it feels good to know that in some games you were the only person standing between your team and a crushing defeat. It feels good being the plucky underdog, and being able to show the Horde there's at least one Alliance player out there that's a force to be reckoned with, and will show no mercy in the same manner as they do. I will gank you while you're drinking...and I will use everything I can think of to my advantage.
So yea...I'm never going Horde...HONOR AND GLORY TO THE ALLIANCE!
Kaid Jul 1st 2009 8:07PM
I'll be interested to see how they implement it but yes, I'll definitely be keen. I would hope it would be arranged so your toon would be able to switch to any race of the opposite faction as long as that race has your existing class available. I'd be less enthusiastic if it was orb-of-deception style with each race becoming one pre-set opposite race, but that would mess around with classes so I can't see that happening.
It's a huge change but its hard to predict exactly what impact it will have on game balance. I'm not convinced that there would be a mass exodus of people making the change. I'm not sure of the numbers who took the gender reassignment when it came available, which is far less of an upheaval, but I personally know of only 2 people. Even if a lot of people change it would be hard to predict which way they'd go.
However I'm very surprised though that Blizz are looking to go ahead to this extreme instead of just same-faction race changes, which would have far fewer gameplay implications and would be very welcome.
ToyChristopher Jul 1st 2009 8:49PM
No. I actually waited to start playing wow based on rumors of the blood elves being a playable race. The alliance are all very ugly anyway.
Aubrecia Jul 1st 2009 9:43PM
Never. I like my cute girl cow. And I think I'd shoot myself if I had to play a Night Elf, which is the only race with my class available Allyside.
I wouldn't switch even if I wanted to keep my class. For the Horde!
Bloomindraal Jul 1st 2009 10:00PM
You only have to read the legions of responses to this article to see that Blizzard are making a mistake. A vast majority of these posts are about people wanting to switch to Horde. This is going to create massive server imbalance, and could potentially lead to the demise of WOW.
Imagine you're on a server that has an even balance (or close to it) or even worse you are on a server that has a 2:1 ratio and all those Alliance players that feel that Horde attracts better players switches sides. All of a sudden you have a server dominated by one faction ... This probably has very little impact on a Care Bear server (sorry I mean PVE) but it will mean the end of PVP servers.
Eventually you will end up with Horde servers and Alliance servers, and god knows what this will do to the already uneven battlegroups.
The only way I see this being able to work is if they put major restrictions on numbers. So that one faction can only out populate another faction by say 10 or 15% and then no more factions switches are allowed on that server.
As for the actually changes, I would hate to see them not do this in a lore manner. It should be that you become hated with all your old factions, and start off neutral with your new factions, maybe complete a quest line (not unlike the Death Knight's) where you swear alligence to the leader of your new faction. They shouldn't trivalise it so you can pay $15 and bam you're with the other faction and exalted already.
noelkytty Jul 2nd 2009 6:28AM
You couldn't pay me to switch factions. I don't know where Blizzard gets the idea that I would pay THEM for the ability to switch factions.
Emophia Jul 2nd 2009 7:20AM
I can't, I'm sorry.
I just can't play on a side where I can't kill the gnomes.
djfangyrl Jul 3rd 2009 3:32PM
I would just rather talk to my friends on the other side. That'd save me all sorts of trouble.