Male Viera as a playable character! show your support

[MikkoAkure]

Yeah, that's even worse (though I read elsewhere that's only mentioned in the english version, so maybe it's just the localization team?). I headcanon male Hroths were scouts/footmen sent to Eorzea for recognition missions, afterall, much like Au Ra, they were treated as a beast race at first, meanwhile the females just stayed back home protecting the children and elderly as the males returned and oops, the Empire attacked everywhere. I could say that may also work as a reason to explain both female Hroths and male Viera appearing simultaneously, but I'm not sure how far Ilsabard is from Ivalice

Considering the English localization leader is also the co-lead world and lore creator for the game, the English version is just as official as the Japanese version. I still think that the hrothgar lore reason for there not being as many women is weak though.

[ItMe]

The Hrothgar lore is imo even worse. At least with the Viera one male alone could impregnate a couple of female Vieras (but it would still mean that over time they would die out) but its the females that are seemingly rare with the Hrothgars..so either those poor women need to be constantly pregnant or they give birth to a bigger number of babies. Both sound quite stressful for the female...and also not believeable that they can keep it up.

Yeah, I also imagine they give birth to litters like cats, and not to a single baby like humans. But even still the logistics seem thin...

[Theodric]

The Hrothgar lore is imo even worse. At least with the Viera one male alone could impregnate a couple of female Vieras (but it would still mean that over time they would die out) but its the females that are seemingly rare with the Hrothgars..so either those poor women need to be constantly pregnant or they give birth to a bigger number of babies. Both sound quite stressful for the female...and also not believeable that they can keep it up.

They're meant to be an animalistic race, though, aren't they? That's similar to how it works in the animal kingdom for some species.

[Alleo]

They're meant to be an animalistic race, though, aren't they? That's similar to how it works in the animal kingdom for some species.

I am not an animal expert but do we have a lot of mammals where the amount of females is much more smaller than the males? I know that it can happen for some animals but mammals are a bit different with them raising their children.

As a female myself I just find the thought of female Hrothgars either having to constantly giving birth or having to take care of a huge amount of babies (do they even have the ability to feed them all?) a bit unsettling. Of course they are a bestial fantasy race but I just dont find the lore behind them really good.

[MikkoAkure]

They're meant to be an animalistic race, though, aren't they? That's similar to how it works in the animal kingdom for some species.

For 99% of mammals, sex ratios are 1:1 at birth. There are some weird edge cases like some weird shrew or lemming that has an extra possible mutated X chromosome so they have many more females. If miqo'te, viera, and hrothgar have messed up chromosomes, it would make sense why we've heard of hyur having children with elezen and au ra (and potentially roegadyn according to some NPCs) but not those.

[MoofiaBossVal]

Male viera lore doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to begin with. Their complete isolation aside from training of-age boys and making more babies seems completely unnecessary from a cultural and practical sense. Female viera are fierce and skilled warriors in their own right- as WoL we almost became a kabob during our first encounter with them on the First. They can and do protect their village and the wood, as well as hunt and rear children and take care of day to day duties. They are not vulnerable. So why do the men need to devote their lives to total isolation to guard the wood and them, as well? I just can’t think of a reasonable explanation within 14. Especially with males having a super low birth rate to begin with, you’d think they would be the ones staying home and not being tossed to the most dangerous tasks.

My impression from Shadowbringers is that the male Viera were hyped up as the high power level warriors watching from afar who would defend the forest from any truly insane threats, like sin eaters. If the WoL and the Scions were bad guys they would've been struck him down before they ever made it to the village. That said, it doesn't make much sense to me how Ran'jit was allowed through apparently unmolested.

[BunniEclair]

My impression from Shadowbringers is that the male Viera were hyped up as the high power level warriors watching from afar who would defend the forest from any truly insane threats, like sin eaters. If the WoL and the Scions were bad guys they would've been struck him down before they ever made it to the village. That said, it doesn't make much sense to me how Ran'jit was allowed through apparently unmolested.

That’s a good point! Still though...little wonder viera are so sparse when they’re like “20 males born out of 100? A life of mortal peril it is! ....it’ll be fine...”

*sweats*

[Rosenstrauch]

That said, it doesn't make much sense to me how Ran'jit was allowed through apparently unmolested.

To be fair, Ran'jit doesn't make much sense either. A lot of what he is on paper/in lore really didn't translate well into his appearances in game. I still find it a bit funny that your first fight with him could easily have been won through attrition, and the second fight is straight up curb stomping him despite him going all out, yet the story presented him as some unstoppable juggernaut you had to run from until you no longer had a choice in the matter.

EDIT: Third fight, not second! I completely forgot we actually did fight him in Rak'tika. But we handily whooped his behind there, only for the fight to end prematurely with Y'shtola acting like we could never hope to beat him and had to run, and then there was that fake-out Y'shtola death...

[TheMightyMollusk]

Ran'jit's plot armor is almost as thick as ours.

Almost.

[Raveykins]

I support the inclusion of both genders, mainly because I don't really care for the gender-lock.

I do however, yes, understand why they did it. I have read this entire thread and see both good and bad points. With the hope the engine upgrade it does bring hope that the CC will also be upgraded and expanded.

Hopefully it will also make it easier to integrate hairstyles to both Hroth and Viera. I have left a like on the OP to add said support and do hope that one day the males will be added for those that want them. I also really want to see fem Hroths and make one to run around on.