Patch 3.3 PTR: New Tauren skins found
by Daniel Whitcomb 
Oct 4th 2009 at 7:00AM
Handclaw of the Scrolls of Lore Forums has uncovered something very intriguing in the Patch 3.3 PTR data files: New Tauren skins. Specifically, it looks like tribal war paint covering the face, arms, and chest, taking the form of bleeding wings on the chest. There's red, white, and blue color versions for both males and females. There's quite a few Tauren fans on the WoW.com staff, and we've been having quite a few conversations about the new Tauren lore and their place in Cataclysm, so you can bet this new discovery has us all atwitter. What could it mean though? There's a few possibilities.
For starters, there's the introduction of the Sunwalkers, the Tauren Paladins and Priests, coming with Cataclysm. We've been getting progressive story bits about many of the new class and race combos as the patches progress, so it seems very possible that we could see Aponi and Tahu begin their training, with these new skins being tribal warpaint, a sign of their devotion to the sun. Could the wings be the Sunwalker version of Avenging Wrath?
The other possibility (which is strongly suggested by the black fur of the Taurens in the data mined picture) is that these could be Grimtotems. Rumors strongly state that Garrosh is killing Cairne in Cataclysm (or perhaps even sooner, especially since Baine looks like he may be making an appearance in Patch 3.3). I'm not so sure it'll go down that simply, and I'm more leaning toward an assassination orchestrated by Magatha. Either way, I'm also liking the idea of the Grimtotem allying with Garrosh in a move to consolidate their power in the wake of the political upheaval among the Tauren and the Horde. If Garrosh makes his move in Patch 3.3 to consolidate his political power and show himself a reasonable candidate for Warchief, being backed by a cadre of Grimtotem Bersekers painted for war would make him appear all the more awe inspiring. It would also explain why, according to the recent lore revelations from the PC Gamer UK article, Garrosh is still allowing Tauren in the middle of Ogrimmar when he's evicted the other non-Orc races.
Of course, the third option is that this a test for a new character customization option in Cataclysm, namely, tattoos. RPers and more aesthetically minded players know that it seems like pulling teeth to get Blizzard to implement cosmetic non-progression oriented character customization (Seriously, just steal stuff from LoTRO, Blizzard! I won't tell if you don't!), so even the whiff of a possibility for new stuff is pretty exciting. Then again, we've seen tatooed NPCs before, such as in the Wolfcult of Grizzly Hills, so this could still just be an NPC thing.
There's probably more things it could be, or it could be a thing that just stays in the files and doesn't pop up until Cataclysm, but either way, I'm pretty excited about the possibilities. Stay tuned to WoW.com. If they show up anywhere exciting, I'll be here to fanboy out with you over it for sure.
[Thanks for the link, Max!]
Filed under: Tauren, Rumors, NPCs, RP, Lore, News items, Virtual selves, Events, Analysis / Opinion, Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Knob Oct 4th 2009 7:08AM
Dammit, if this is really a customization option available to players, it looks like the Tauren society as a whole will take on a more visceral and bloodthirsty approach. I always liked the Tauren philosophy where they didn't want war just for the sake of war but only accepted it as a last resort, which is why I rolled a Tauren character in the first place. It looks like with the demise of Cairne, the methodical approach to problems will be replaced by sheer brute force. Bad news for the enemies of the Horde, because I can't think of anything more dangerous than Tauren lusting for war.
This is of course assuming that these aren't just the new Grimtotem skins.
linkers746 Oct 4th 2009 7:48AM
There's a possibility that these skins are models for the path of the titans thing in Cataclysm, like whichever path you pick are the tattoos you get.
rosencratz Oct 4th 2009 8:24AM
It seems most liekly these skins are for NPC's.
I'd consider the "Sunwalkers" a little bit. Bleeding wings speaks of an "Icarus" type reference to me, possibly they're an anti "Sunwalker" movement.
I'd doubt it's character customisation sadly and even more doubtful it's to do with the Path of the Titans.
kala Oct 5th 2009 5:15AM
It was pointed out through tipline to WoW.com during Blizzcon 2009, that among the official images that were used for Cataclysm announcement, there is one were an Orc character stands with distinct imagery on his upper torso skin that looks like a tatoo, possibly hinting on some new character customising tech being implemented.
WoW.com never acted on the tip.
kala Oct 5th 2009 5:28AM
www.worldofwarcraft.com/cataclysm/_images/screenshots/ss13_hires.jpg
Darky Oct 5th 2009 9:22AM
I love how much the lore is evolving when cataclysm comes along, it kills this tranquil feeling i've had about azeroth for so many years, "what theres an evil demon in the dark corners of another dimension, sure we're all fine here lets go kill it" or "theres an army of Undead forces which have been ignored for 8 years but they're all of a sudden threatening destroy! lets keep our homelands peaceful" and now "oh know! our land is destroyed by a dragon who eats gods and entities for breakfast and the peaceful faction leaders have been over thrown and now we're in total war" its like if you step back and look at wow everything is getting gradually worse little by little then shit hits the fan and we're all screwed, i love it :3
Darky Oct 5th 2009 9:24AM
that was a reply to taurens becoming more warmongering btw, i didnt really make that clear >_>''
RetadinMan Oct 4th 2009 7:16AM
Retbull give you wiiiiiiiings!
The Hammer Oct 4th 2009 7:24AM
Ahahahahaha. Niiiice.
Lucidique Oct 4th 2009 8:07AM
This had me laugh so much RL :D
dogin8tr Oct 4th 2009 7:23AM
I bet those are some Skins for the Tauren members of the Twilight Hammer cult.
Nick Oct 4th 2009 7:22AM
Oh no, you linked to Scrolls Of Lore again, in before they bitch and moan.
dogin8tr Oct 4th 2009 7:25AM
I don't follow?
Andrige Oct 4th 2009 7:28AM
I think these are just NPC skins for Grimtotems. If you go into the thread, the guy who found it said it was found as NPC skins and he just added the pants straight ontop of the texture to make it look more decent for viewers.
Most likely an event of some sorts, which is exciting nonetheless but I don't think it's character customization.
jealouspirate Oct 4th 2009 7:50AM
I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I really would like this to be evidence of tatoos as customization options in the future.
I mean, what's a Dwarf Shaman without cool Wildhammer tatoos?
RetPallyJil Oct 4th 2009 7:53AM
I'd be happy with a jewelry store for visible vanity items. Get a sweet little sparkly necklace or something.
Or hey! How about new dances? (grumble Macarena B. S.)
Quich Oct 4th 2009 8:05AM
They're markings to show where the best cuts of beef are.
Radiophonic Oct 4th 2009 8:21AM
Well, considering there is only 1 skin for both male and female, I think you're all jumping the gun a bit as far as customization. They're probably some NPC skin.
snowleopard233 Oct 4th 2009 8:38PM
I agree. Skull war paint? Black fur? Bleeding wings? This all screams Grimtotem.
MightyMuffin Oct 4th 2009 8:25AM
What would be the point of having tattoos? In real life, you can roll up your sleeve and have everyone see it, but I don't understand. You have the tattoos, but for what purpose? We have gear, shirts, tabards, and weapons, which all but cover up our original skin. The only thing that we can show off these tattoos on would be our face with the display helm off. If these were skins for the player, I just don't see it as a good thing. What's the point of having a tattoo if you can't show it off to everyone?