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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: What's a deal-breaker in your love for a particular race?
by Kat Sierra 
Dec 27th 2010 at 8:00AM
When word of the Cataclysm races came out, I admit I was excited about the worgen. I had once played a werewolf character in a game of D&D, and it amused me at the idea I could recreate her in some aspect within WoW. Then the dances were released. At first I was undeterred; I play my gender, so the male dance didn't bother me much. However, things changed when the female dance was finally released on the internet. I was quite displeased at the choice for the female's dance. It was too much; I decided then and there that I wouldn't roll a worgen, purely because of the dance.
I know it sounds petty, but the racial dances are a bit of a deal-breaker for me. When I was first introduced to WoW by my cousin and friends, I looked up the racial dances to see which ones I liked best. Having only a trial account, I went with tauren as my first choice, as all my friends played Horde, and I thought the Electric Slide wasn't a bad dance, trolls being a close second.
What about you? What sort of thing about a race or faction breaks the deal, causing you not to choose them?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 10)
Pyromelter Dec 27th 2010 9:03AM
That video is absolutely amazing. I'd never seen them put together like that (and I dunno why, I never related the human dance to Saturday Night Fever).
The biggest issue I have with certain races are their posture, especially the trolls, but also the orcs, tauren, and belves - talking males of each race. I still don't understand why trolls look the way they do when Zul'jin and a lot of the other trolls from WC2 are much more upright and with less prominent or without tusks at all.
That being said, I have classes of all those races, so they aren't dealbreakers. The only real dealbreaker are substandard racial abilities. Trolls, orcs, and goblins have amazing racials, whereas tauren and forsaken really get the shaft on racials (with belves being in the middle for casters with their racial). It's pretty lame IMO when you see a top guild and all of their dps spellcasters are trolls because of Berserking.
Muse Dec 27th 2010 9:07AM
Sony hates my country, so I'll just take your word for it.
ThunderMonkey Dec 27th 2010 10:33AM
That's the wrong video... the male dwarves do a Russian dance and has nothing to do with Saturday Night Fever.
However, mad props for mocking up the animations to match the dancer(s).
I keep coming back to my troll, because he has the best idle.
I won't play humans because of the proverbial stick.
Overall, I like the male night elves, but I can't stand the Alliance starting quests. If I could just play a night elf and play it as a Horde, it would be a small cup of awesome sauce.
Magefest Dec 27th 2010 8:27PM
I second that Pyromelter.
Kat, thanks very much for posting that YouTube link, and a massive thanks to whoever spent god only knows how long tracking down dance video for each race / gender and splicing them together.
Seriously, how long must that have taken?
PS. Who is the artist / song at approx 57 seconds? Is it hot in here? I may be in love...
veni Dec 27th 2010 9:04AM
I choose what race to play based on two things mainly :)
1. can it be a mage
2. is it on the same faction as people i want to play with
Necromann Dec 27th 2010 10:15AM
So that could be any race except Orc, depending on faction.
Bijou Dec 27th 2010 9:04AM
Casting/melee animations. If I don't like their animations, I can't play the race.
Blood Elves are a good example of this - their casting animation drives me nuts.
Pyromelter Dec 27th 2010 9:54AM
Really? I'm having a hard time picturing what's so bad about them. You got the females doing a hadoken thing, you got the males doing the palm-out thing, and then the overhead animations. what specifically is wrong about them?
Bijou Dec 28th 2010 2:49PM
@pyromelter
I'm not sure, their animation just isn't for me, I suppose. Every time I try to make a caster belf, it bothers me so much I have to stop.
I do really like their melée animations, though.
melonarius Dec 27th 2010 9:08AM
Let's see, this is going to be a long one...
I'll only list the males, because I just can't play a female character. Doesn't suit me.
Night Elf:
-'Headache & crotch thrust' casting
-You can't be clean shaved and have eyebrows for some reason, and all the facial hair options are pretty dodgy
Draenei:
-Rob Liefeld proportions
-Dilbert tie cape
Humans:
-derp
Gnome:
-Eyebrow/facial hair issue again
-Most faces are just kind of creepy to look at
Worgen:
-For some reason they seem like they're power walking instead of running and that just bugs me
-Two-handers clipping into capes
Orc:
-Hunched
-Bowstrings clipping into their forearms
Tauren:
-They feel slow
-Can't fit through doors on mounts
-Horns clip through helmets
Trolls:
-Hunched
-No shoes
-Helmets just look dumb on them
Blood Elves:
-Voice, can't stand it
freebeatfly Jan 4th 2011 7:27PM
I take it you play Undead/Dwarf then? :P
melonarius Jan 5th 2011 12:02AM
Goblin, actually.
poggg Dec 27th 2010 9:12AM
Wait, why is an image of the Draenei dance up there as a dealbreaker? You know you love the tunak tunak tun. We all do!
Saeadame Dec 27th 2010 12:50PM
It's a video of a bunch of Warcraft dances, that image just happens to be the one on there.
Greg Dec 27th 2010 9:15AM
Voices- idle animations- and npc reaction chatter. The little things that the devs put into blood elves and goblins make them more fun.
I'm talking to you Draenei.
Nina Katarina Dec 27th 2010 9:17AM
My goblin stalled at 12, and I've finally figured out why I don't like to play her - I just don't like the noise she makes sometimes when she gets hit. I seem to be addicted to female blood elves, I have a lot of them. I've tried other races and I've tried to level a male character, but it just doesn't click for me.
Gossamer Dec 27th 2010 9:24AM
I'm fairly even across the board with my character race choices. The only race that appears to stand out on my character screen is humans. Because there aren't any. Anywhere. I'm not certain why, but I seem to hate humans. I find this especially amusing because it is the most played race, according to an earlier article.
JaimeRavenholdt Dec 27th 2010 9:26AM
The worgen run animation annoys me, human run/appearance, Night Elf male run/idle/cast/appearance, and the lack of boots for trolls/their cloaks placement.
Boots Dec 27th 2010 9:38AM
I can only play the female version of certain races, some of them look like the down's syndrome version. The exceptions are humans, dranai, night elves, and blood elves.
Also, I just hate gnomes and dranai in general. for some reason, if i find a person running one of them in a high level dungeon I already have a shorter fuse with them (the exception is shamans with dranai because I know until lately they have had no choice).
Hamr Dec 27th 2010 9:33AM
It's more class deal breakers rather than race for me. I can't play Paladin, Shaman or Druids. It's the whole holier than thou attitude that seems to accompany them.