With the Secrets of Neltharion patch,World of Warcraftis bringing a host of new content including a distinct zone, quests, and a whole raid tier. One small, seemingly insignificant change is also coming that should makeWorld of Warcraft’s worgen players a lot happier. For the first time in well over a decade, worgen players will have the ability to feel like real werewolves when they go up against foes.
World of Warcrafthas a number of anthropomorphic animal races, including the tauren, pandaren, and vulpera, but worgen are the only race in the game that’s a two-in-one deal. Allworgen in Azeroth are Gilnean humansafflicted with a lycanthropic curse, allowing them to shift back and forth between their human and lupine forms to suit the situation. As of this coming update, worgen players can automatically return to their human appearance when leaving combat.
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World of Warcraft’s Worgen Players Finally Get to Feel Like Real Werewolves
The worgen were introduced as aplayable race inWorld of Warcraft: Cataclysm, along with a unique starting zone that lays out the lore of how they came to be. Players begin as a human, but as they progress through the quest they become infected with the Worgen Curse. With the help of the night elf druids, they learn how to master their beastly alter ego and use the affliction to their advantage.
Worgen players have always had an ability that allows them to revert to their human form, but it is a manual spell that automatically deactivates when entering combat. Once combat is over, theplayer remains in their wolf form, meaning most worgen don’t bother with their human half unless deep into roleplaying. The upcoming change would mean that this spell, called Call the Wolf, could be toggled to automatically switch a player’s form when entering or leaving combat.
What likely drew Blizzard’s attention to this small detail is the newDracthyr Evoker race-class combo inWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflight. Dracthyr players can choose a human or elf-like visage to assume when not in combat, and this can be arranged to automatically shift when their dragon form is no longer needed. It seemed like a no-brainer to extend this same mechanic to the most famous shape-shifting race in the game.
Many who have opted to play as worgen specifically chose that race because of its dark fantasy feeling and aesthetic.The worgen inWorld of Warcraftare not just another anthro-animal race, but actual werewolves who fight the influence of their other half. Being able to shift back and forth without thought is one way to remind players of that fact.
One ofWorld of Warcraft’s most iconic characters is Genn Greymane, the worgen king. He is regularly seen in both his human and wolf forms, a constant reminder that he has had to learn to control the beast inside. This internal dichotomy is something that worgen players would also love to see represented in themselves.
It is just a small change, but even the tiniest additions toWorld of Warcraftcan make players much happier. It’s not onlyroleplayers who benefit fromWorld of Warcraft’s aesthetic choices, as the fantasy feel of the world is a massive contributor to many players’ enjoyment. Giving players more choice and ease of access when it comes to their gameplay is something that can only enrich the game so long as the mechanics are handled well.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflightis available now for PC.
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