Even if those polls WERE in any way indicative of the entire player-base -- and honestly, we have absolutely no way of knowing that -- keep in mind that the forums are only available to ACTIVE SUBSCRIBERS. That means people who ALREADY LIKE THE EXISTING RACES ENOUGH TO CONTINUE PLAYING.

New Races aren't meant to appeal to existing players; they're meant to attract new ones. Even as a staunch supporter of FFXIV, I've always said my biggest complaint with the game was the massive gap between "Roegadyn", and "the other races".

To me, Roegadyn are BIG, but not particularly "dangerous-looking". Even Highlanders, the second most muscular option available, aren't particularly muscular; just "more than the rest". Sure, you can make their muscles *lean*, but their silhouette is never any more than a tall Midlander.

Now I recognize that not everyone wants a more muscular race. To them, I would simply say "Then pick one of the other three". Now, if you actually *DON'T* like the other Races, please elaborate on why, and how the Au Ra differs from them in a more meaningful way! I'm honestly not trying to shut down any sort of discussion. The point I'm trying to make, though, is that if you like slender-looking characters, there are three races already available; if you prefer a massive race, you have one. If you want something muscular, large, but also athletic, there's really nothing. Making the Au Ra look as Elezen, with slightly bigger arms, I just worry isn't going to attract new players, making it a fairly shallow addition.

I just don't see that giving them broader shoulders and larger chests, as shown in the Artwork, could possibly be conceived as a bad thing.