[WoRBot]

Faction-Change Service in the Works

I'm starting another news article for this so we can keep discussion centered around the topic. This is sure to be controversial! Don't forget to check out the Upcoming Engineering Changes, and stay tuned for more today as there's a new PTR build coming.

Quote from: Nethaera (Source)

We wanted to give everyone a very early heads-up that, in response to player requests, we’re developing a new service for World of Warcraft that will allow players to change their faction from Alliance to Horde or Horde to Alliance. There’s still much work to do and many details to iron out, but the basic idea is that players will be able to use the service to transform an existing character into a roughly equivalent character of the opposing faction on the same realm. Players who ended up creating and leveling up characters on the opposite factions from their friends have been asking for this type of functionality for some time, and we’re pleased to be getting closer to being able to deliver it.

As with all of the features and services we offer, we intend to incorporate the faction-change service in a way that won’t disrupt the gameplay experience on the realms, and there will be some rules involved with when and how the service can be used. The number of variables involved increases the complexity of implementing this service, but we plan to take the time needed to ensure that it lives up to expectations before officially rolling it out. We’ll go into much more detail on all of this here at http://www.WorldofWarcraft.com as development progresses. In the meantime, we wanted to let you know that because this type of functionality requires extensive internal testing well in advance of release, you may be seeing bits and pieces of the service in the test builds we use for the public test realms moving forward.

[Chrono]

Excellent!

[Surtr]

Meh i would like to see race change not faction changes.

[Vasharai]

PvE - PvP transfers "Never going to happen" = Now implemented
Sex change "Never going to happen" = Now implemented
"Ulduar will be challenging" = Was true for about the first week, then pour on the nerfs!
Faction changes "Never going to happen" = Now implemented

Next up, race changes and an option to buy gold directly from Blizzard. And don't forget the numerous complaints about every class being OP... A rotation is going to happen soon.

You know what I think? Blizzard is scared of the numerous other MMO's in the works... Next thing you know they'll start implementing xp boosting items and give every one in the game 5 free epics upon hitting level 80 to keep the players attention.

Oh, and if we wait long enough, they'll make Ulduar soloable.

Goodbye WoW, I've seen enough.

[Qrio]

It will probably also involve race changing as well, since - well it'll be weird to have a Human Warrior horde-side If you are let to choose your race upon switching, this will most likely mean that with a double-change (alliance --> horde --> alliance) you can change your race as well, or the race option will be there by default with this service Either way - awesome change!

[Kody]

Vasharai said:

Next thing you know they'll start implementing xp boosting items

They already have that -- Heirloom items.

Next patch you'll be able to increase base xp gained by 20% for kills and quests.

[Santello]

I hope if you do change factions you are able to pick your own race aswell.

[Leviathonlx]

Qrio said:

It will probably also involve race changing as well, since - well it'll be weird to have a Human Warrior horde-side If you are let to choose your race upon switching, this will most likely mean that with a double-change (alliance --> horde --> alliance) you can change your race as well, or the race option will be there by default with this service Either way - awesome change!

They already said it will be to a race that has some semblance to the race you were. So for example it would be like:

Human <-> Forsaken
Tauren <-> Night elf
etc.

In cases such as paladins it probably would be blood elf to dranei paladin.

They don't want to allow choosing races since it will cause fotm races (such as every shaman going orc) while only changing factions to a set race is more cosmetic with a minor bit of racial changing.

[thephoenix3000]

As far as i am concerned this will end up being a good thing, even if the short term application of it is bleak. In the long term it will allow player that have friends in real life switch when they find out they play or have played for year but went their separate ways and didn't want to invest the time to re-roll.

Also the server i started on (Alliance-Blood Furnace-US) was and still is very horde heavy, this will allow blizzard to balance out servers for the horde and alliance so that future battle like wintergrasp will not be so one sided, yes i know about queing up for WG, but i doubt that zone will be the last of it's kind.

I assume when you switch factions you will end up being able to choose your race as well, class restrictions excluded. So technically if you started as a tauren warrior, you could choose any alliance race.

But honestly, we will jsut have to wait and see what blizzard is going to do with this.

[lora]

all i gota say is fuck yes!

[Alerian]

Obviously, this will need a somewhat lengthy cooldown to prevent abuse and silliness.

My first take of the post was that they're basically going to allow you to trade in your character for a pre-made of the opposite faction. "Roughly equivalent character" though does seem to indicate that at least some gear and Achievements will transfer as well, but it does look like it will be a separate character and not simply a quest that lets you change sides.

[Hybr1d]

Vasharai said:

PvE - PvP transfers "Never going to happen" = Now implemented
Sex change "Never going to happen" = Now implemented
"Ulduar will be challenging" = Was true for about the first week, then pour on the nerfs!
Faction changes "Never going to happen" = Now implemented

Next up, race changes and an option to buy gold directly from Blizzard. And don't forget the numerous complaints about every class being OP... A rotation is going to happen soon.

You know what I think? Blizzard is scared of the numerous other MMO's in the works... Next thing you know they'll start implementing xp boosting items and give every one in the game 5 free epics upon hitting level 80 to keep the players attention.

Oh, and if we wait long enough, they'll make Ulduar soloable.

Goodbye WoW, I've seen enough.

All these changes are aimed towards the players, as stated. This has been requested since the launch of WoW and now they are going to implement it. I don't really see how this will heavily impact anyone, other than some hardcore roleplayers. I for one am glad, tho the few who rerolled from alliance to horde to join our guild wont be Your just QQ'ing and you didn't quit by all the previous changes, when you probably QQ'd as well, and you probably won't quit now either. As far as I'm concerned, Ulduar is still hard, there have still been very few kills on Mimi/F3T hardmodes and Algalon, and Yogg0W is still unkilled (till Exo proves the legitness).

[Moserie]

Leviathonlx said:

They already said it will be to a race that has some semblance to the race you were. So for example it would be like:

Human <-> Forsaken
Tauren <-> Night elf
etc.

In cases such as paladins it probably would be blood elf to dranei paladin.

They don't want to allow choosing races since it will cause fotm races (such as every shaman going orc) while only changing factions to a set race is more cosmetic with a minor bit of racial changing.

hmm, i'd assume it would more like the trinket from Dire Maul, Orb of Deception

where:
Dwarf = Troll
human = orc
gnome = tauren
night elf = undead
draenei = blood elf

At the same time, there are some classes that would have to have conflict issues..so I dont they'd restrict the race and faction change. Infact, I bet you'll probably be able to pick any race assuming the class was available for it.

I hope they have a decent sacrifice that would help resist people from doing this, or doing this too often. Like resetting achievements, etc.

[Leviathonlx]

Moserie said:

hmm, i'd assume it would more like the trinket from Dire Maul, Orb of Deception

where:
Dwarf = Troll
human = orc
gnome = tauren
night elf = undead
draenei = blood elf

At the same time, there are some classes that would have to have conflict issues..so I dont they'd restrict the race and faction change. Infact, I bet you'll probably be able to pick any race assuming the class was available for it.

The wording blizzard used made it seem pretty clear they won't let you pick a race.

[osirisfrost]

I think I'd almost rather they just allow a player to switch sides but keep their race. I'm sure the RPers would flip at that proposal. It would at least bring about a small amount of balance in the racials on a faction to faction scale.

[thephoenix3000]

Moserie said:

hmm, i'd assume it would more like the trinket from Dire Maul, Orb of Deception

where:
Dwarf = Troll
human = orc
gnome = tauren
night elf = undead
draenei = blood elf

At the same time, there are some classes that would have to have conflict issues..so I dont they'd restrict the race and faction change. Infact, I bet you'll probably be able to pick any race assuming the class was available for it.

Problem with this logic: paladins, shamans and druids. 3 alliance paladins races, 1 horde. Vice versa for shamans. And then druids can only be night elf and tauren.

This is why i don't think they will restrict it as much as simple pre-made characters.

[Moserie]

Sorry, maybe I didnt word it enough or properly at the end. I dont think they're restrict it to the list i posted earlier, because of the class conflicts.

[monster08]

Awsome. I wonder how they are gonna Solve moving with gear and everything tho. Or if this is a naked lvl 80 move.

[slayme]

Probably the same way a character recustomization works right now, just instead of only being able to change sex and characteristics you can change to alliance/horde races with the ones being avaiable depending on what they want you to choose (e.g orc warriors can nly change to human warriors, but if they are shamans you can only change to draenei etc).

So if you can roll the same class as your counterpart race then you will be probably forced to choose that, if you cant then you will be allowed to choose anything else(draenei shaman can choose to go tauren,orc or troll as blood elves cant be shamans).

[rhorle]

Leviathonlx said:

They already said it will be to a race that has some semblance to the race you were. So for example it would be like:

Human <-> Forsaken
Tauren <-> Night elf
etc.

In cases such as paladins it probably would be blood elf to dranei paladin.

They don't want to allow choosing races since it will cause fotm races (such as every shaman going orc) while only changing factions to a set race is more cosmetic with a minor bit of racial changing.

I highly doubt the would restrict it like that because there are to many class combo's that are allowed in horde factions to be allowed like that. Having a race change into another race of the opposite faction except for certain classes is bad design.

I'd only use this if I got to pick, or human warlocks could become blood elf warlocks. Since I would have been a blood elf if I had BC installed when I started my wow trial when BC first started. Doubt i'll ever switch unless my whole guild does.