Troll Druids in World of Warcraft
New Class of Trolls Proposed for the WoW Expansion: Cataclysm
Sep 18, 2009
In the award-winning game World of Warcraft, the Trolls were one of the original races of the Horde faction. However, the announcement of the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion: Cataclysm at Blizzcon in August 2009 included the ability of Trolls to choose the Druid class. How does the Druid class fit into the lore of the Troll race?
Currently, only Tauren in the Horde faction and Night Elves of the Alliance faction can choose the druid class. The troll race has long had a history of animal worship and even transformation into animal forms, as represented in raid bosses such as those in the Zul'Aman zone.
Emergence of the Druid Class in The Troll Race
Unlike the proposed Tauren paladins, no in-game dialogue or quests have provided any clues to the appearance or traits of the Troll druid class. However, due to the animal centric lore of the Troll race, the addition of the druid class to the Troll race appears logical. It is possible that the Troll witch doctors, which appear as non-player characters (NPCs) throughout Azeroth, could somehow transform into the new druid class for the Troll race. The witch doctors' spells, fetishes, and work with mojo is a logical base for the druid class to emerge from.
While the Tauren and Night Elf druids work in harmony with nature and the animal spirits, it is possible that the Trolls' relationships with the animal spirits may be more one sided. Rather than having an animal spirit grant it's powers to a druid, Troll druids could potentially capture animal spirits with fetishes or totems to harness their powers.
Speculation on Troll Druid Animal Forms
Although no details about the usable druid forms has been released, other than the confirmation by Blizzard that the moonkin form will be different than those used by the Tauren and Night Elf races, it is likely that most if not all of the Troll druids forms will be different. The most convincing lore evidence would be regarding the current flight form, which is a bird. During a Zabra'jin quest line in the Zangarmarsh zone, a Troll (NPC) remarks that, "No self-respecting Darkspear troll engages in bird worship. Their spirits are weak, capricious, and best left to the Amani." Based on this statement, it is unlikely that the troll race would embrace a bird as its flight form. It is more likely that the trolls will use an alternative flying creature, such as a bat or flying serpent.
The addition of the druid class to the Troll race is not all that far-fetched, based on the lore of the troll race and their animal worship. It remains to be seen how Blizzard will officially justify the creation of the class in World of Warcraft.
 |
