Here is what the next playable Race should be...

[Nirokun]

Because the animal people are usually far more sexualised... Just look at lalas, they just look like chibis. Just cute and somewhat like kids. You see way more weird fetish animal character stuff... And about your Elin Lala question, one is made to look sexy and one is made to look cute.

I basically see my taru/lalafell character the same way I see Young Link in a Zelda game, little guy on a big adventure! Everything is more exciting when it looks like a challenge, so a small player vs huge enemy makes winning feel awesome.

[Nuna]

I just wanna say that just because you play a something, that's not always because you're attracted that thing. I think my Lala is adorably chibi. Doesn't mean I'm attracted to children. That's weird and I'm wondering why your mind even went there.

Miqo'te I can see a little bit more because they're more sexualized, as well as highlanders and fem-roes (hempen chamise, anyone?), but I'd say it's more likely but still not like a given. It's weird to be that people automatically assume it must be sexually motivated. That's creepy as well as pretty immature. XD

..who are you referring to?

[AskaRay]

I still just dont..want...another race... at all

Like, can we focus on what we have already? There's no need for another race.

[Ametrine]

I think our chance of getting a moogle-like race is shot since they are already in the game in a form.

THAT SAID.

Dammit, we need a more beastly, animalistic race, if we get a new one at all, but I feel the next most likely race will be a Viera derivative, although I would love some bird or fish people.

[Alacran]

Had an idea for a race of Espers very similar to what was seen in FFVI. basically As the Empire is want to do the have begun to experiment on their own people to produce a force of Pure blood Garleans (political prisoners, defectors, traitors, ect... forced into experimentation) that can use magic. However their use of what can only be described as unsafe and often barbaric produced a people with unstable use of aether. Their look would not be to much a stretch from what we have now and simple include Aether (customizing feature to the race that allows to color the glowing elemental scars and intensity) scaring originating from their Third eye gems running down their face and body. Think Azul from Dirge of Cerberus. While the Espers have their elemental runes are more natural and organic.

Now yes I understand this only gives a marginal difference in lore, and possibly an "in" or path to some possible Garlean themed jobs. The crux of this would be that there could be an originator race i.e Espers that could have been the inspiration to conduct the experiments in the first place. The race itself would be broken in to two as the Hyur given players the option of the larger more feral Esper (wider in proportion to AuRa but less so than Roegadyn) , to the slightly smaller Eikon.


Lore of proposed Esper/ (sub) Eikon race:

Esper: Beings born infused with elemental Aether, in tune with the natural/ primal magicks of the world, they as a people live a quiet life hidden from view of others. Their matriarchal society is ruled by the counsel of four, one for each core element (earth, fire, wind, and water), separately a "War Aspect" is chosen to lead the hunt and their people in times of conflict. While a warm and friendly race, they are quick to anger and fierce protectors of those they feel kinship with, should they find themselves in peril, an Esper made into a friend is a loyal, unwavering, and steadfast companion. While their elemental origin is an important part of their individual personality it bears no influence of the elemental magicks they can preform. (aesthetic purpose only)






(while this is a fan drawing of a single character and her two forms, i feel it shows the deference in stature between the proposed race, as the the races females are the predominate hunters/ warriors, the female Esper can possibly be a foot taller than Esper males)

Something like the Genasi of D&D.



(sub)Eikon: The result of horrible and barbaric experiments they in a sense successful results of attempting to infuse Pure Blood Garleans with the ability to focus and channel magickis. While at first chosen from the lower rungs of Garlean society, eventually the practice was forced on to Political prisoners, defectors , and those deemed traitors to the Empire. While at first imperfect and unstable in power their "Aetheral link" was felt by the Espers and though vastly different, through their shared connection the Espers would come to launch a rescue of their people from the grips of those who would use them for their own ends. Often seen as brooding and over serious they have been given new purpose and a home with in the realm of the Esper homeland, the Eikon have become staunch protectors of the Espers who they often see as well meaning but naive due to their seemingly over-trusting and friendly nature. as they have been wholly integrated in Esper society they have been invited to the counsel (elements of light and dark), but chose to be only advisers.


(Azul - Dirge of Cerberus)


(Something like Fenris from Dragon Age 2, but with more intense, more aggressive scaring for visual of aether lines)

[Shurrikhan]

Not proposing these, just looking for people's thoughts on these general concepts...

1. Small lore link between a spectrum of forms, differentiated by sub-race/clan —

Multiple beast or animal influences in a single species, e.g. a barely-humanoid race who, by influence of anima, local deities, or elementals, take on different forms in keeping with their religious influences (Clan of the Raven/Wolf/Bear/Lynx/Root/Stone/Ghost/Dire/Cieth). Kind of like the old Black Shroud wildling concept, but as descendants with physical manifestation rather than merely madness/tempering.

These could range anywhere from Sandpark's monkey men to Lokier's faun/satyrs, to naga, etc. Their particular form depends on their particular sub-culture and sense of self, so to speak, though in each case not noticeably having anything human in common between them, unless attaching themselves back to human culture later on. If bipedal, it's because hands and an upright posture seemed efficient.

That much is just for animal-like races, of course. You could apply the same concept to earthen/airy/flame-borne, whatever theme of variation you like, as significant as you like.

2. A two-form race —

Take the Tina/esper picture above and imagine if they were two forms of the same being. Would this race seem too strange to bring into play given how much stronger one form appears to be than the other (e.g. ought to always be in the other form during combat)? Especially if the initial race does not differ much from other humanoids, would the second form better serve as a job concept, rather than permeating every job within a given race (which would either be merely aesthetic as with other races, or would face issues of balance)?

3. Should races every have noticeable any differences, applicable to combat (unique mechanics or aesthetics that provide a more identity-heavy way of play for each job) or leveling (unlocked at a certain level, and then starting from said level and running a parallel or mirrored story from your main character, possibly with overlapping impacts or even meeting; start with a mount 'form', etc.)?

>>>> I can give more examples on any of these if too vague at present.

[Sandpark]

The esper and alternate form ideas is cool and something Final Fantasy has played with. So it wouldn't be foreign here.

3. Should races every have noticeable any differences, applicable to combat (unique mechanics or aesthetics that provide a more identity-heavy way of play for each job) or leveling (unlocked at a certain level, and then starting from said level and running a parallel or mirrored story from your main character, possibly with overlapping impacts or even meeting; start with a mount 'form', etc.)?
>>>> I can give more examples on any of these if too vague at present.

Race identity when more than aesthetics or flavor does bring more replayability on multiple playthroughs. The problem is that anyway a race has advantages or disadvantages more than just aesthetics or flavor it is a way for SE to purposely or accidentally skew one race to be better at certain jobs. I don't mind this because I love identity and is one reason I enjoyed XI. However, that would put it in the area of race/job exclusion. It is cool, but getting parties could become must be X race/class to get constant invites.

One only need to watch ESO forums and the constant struggle of nerf this race or boost this one.

[Laerune]

I like the idea of having a two-form race, like the Worgen have in World of Warcraft, but wont the server memory thingy be a issue? Honestly, may it be Esper, Viera or Moogle, the only thing that I do not want them to add is another Hyur with something attached to their ears and a tail. If they release another Hyur + animal ears and tail, my faith in SE giving us a unique race, will be going down the drain.

[Nuna]

..Fenris? yes please please.

[LineageRazor]

If an Elemental were to go "Ohcrap, the forest is in danger, what do we do???" they'll go, "oh yeah. Greenwrath!" and that'll be that.

Greenwrath is a solution we've seen the elementals use before. That does not mean that's the ONLY trick they have up their sleeve. Human beings' societies change over time. They innovate. They experiment and try new things. Why are you so certain that the elementals will never change, that they will always react to a crisis with POW GREENWRATH!

It also may well be the case that Greenwrath is no longer possible. The Shroud is positively RIDDLED with poachers nowadays, the Garleans and Ixali are running amok, friggin' ODIN is stomping around, and yet the Elementals remain quiet. If the elementals were capable of flipping the table, they'd have done so by now! Whatever happened when Dalamud fell, it apparently hit the elementals pretty hard. As for creating Padjal, we have no idea how much energy that takes to accomplish. It could be easy, and until now the Elementals have never seen any reason to create more than a handful.

Bottome line, crying "LORE" is not an answer. Lore is not an iron cage. Lore only tells a small fraction of the story; there's still plenty more left to be written. When a character or characters express a trait, that does not mean that that trait is all there is to them. The elementals could have factions, could have individuals with different opinions. We know next to nothing about them, save what the Seedseers have passed on to us - and the Seedseers themselves admit that they only have the barest understanding of how Elementals think. The devs have PLENTY of room to work with within the established Lore to have the Elementals do practically anything.

As for the Lamia, they exist either as a "Drowned" (thrall of Leviathan) or are an Allagan experiment in this game. They also only have four fingers... or two thumbs and two fingers. idunno

Official word is that the Lamia in Sastasha (Hard) are also of Allagan origin, and that the individuals who decided to call them "Drowned Wenches" and whatnot had mistaken them for more of Leviathan's creations. I was irritated when I found that out; it made a lot more sense to me for these monsters to be what became of the various scullery maids and such the players ran across in Sastasha normal.

As for the potential of Lamia as a player race, I find it unlikely as well - but not simply because Allagans made them. A lot of Allagan monsters were the results of them attempting to create their own versions of existing monsters. Synthetic Voidsent, and whatnot. It's entirely possible that they copied the Lamia shape from other existing creatures. So, there could be a Lamia race out there that is NOT Allagan in origin, but whom the Allagans used as a model for their own creations.

No, the reason that I think Lamia are unlikely (as are ANY non-humanoid race) is the simple fact that redesigning every piece of armor in the game to accommodate them would be more work than SE is willing to assign themselves (and, in the case of Lamia, figuring out how leg and foot armor works on a critter that doesn't have legs). There's also the whole issue of trying to explain why a clearly bestial race is considered to be one of the spoken races and not another variety of Beastman...