Tauren

Back in the day -- "the day" being late 2004 to early 2007, when World of Warcraft didn't have any expansions yet -- the choice of what race to play was a lot simpler and also a ton more complicated.

I like Tauren.

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Last week, during the Rise of Azshara preview livestream hosted by World of Warcraft Senior Game Designer Jeremy Feasel (also known as Muffinus on Twitter) we got some details about the new heritage armor sets coming to the Alliance and Horde in patch 8.2, and I have to say, I'm very excited about what little we currently know.

Sometimes you just feel weird. Right? I feel weird sometimes.

Let’s talk Blizzard.

The Tauren, or Shu'halo, are but one branch of an ancient lineage that spans millennia.

The Tauren people of Azeroth descend from an ancient lineage that begat the Yaungol of Pandaria, the Taunka of Northrend and the Shu'halo of Kalimdor.

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Okay, so here’s the thing. I didn’t have a Horde 110 when I bought Battle for Azeroth and as a result I couldn’t unlock the Nightborne or Highmountain Tauren. I had a level 104 Tauren Warrior, though, one of my oldest characters. He was my first Tauren, my first Horde character I rolled back before Burning Crusade came out and I’ve tried to get him to max level ever expansion just out of affection for him. But with that said, I have to admit I was having real trouble this time out. And Battle for Azeroth isn’t making me happy with the Horde, to be honest.

But I must have a Highmountain. I must.

And so, in a frantic day of Matt is sick to his stomach but he’s going to do this anyway I got my old buddy up to max level. Then I went and did the scenario where Magni tries to get Azeroth to go back to sleep because why not? I’m debating taking him to Argus for some Veiled gear before doing the Highmountain unlock scenario, because he’s like sub 800 right now in terms of iLevel. Look, I was sick, okay?

The Tauren are seriously still my favorite in WoW. Just the best. Can’t wait for a Highmountain Warrior alt.

Because man, they really are. I sincerely hope we get Taunka and Yaungol as Allied Races in the future. So far I’ve been disappointed with the selection on the Allied Races — each side has two Elves now, for example, and then basically duplicates of races they already have (so two Tauren and two Trolls for Horde and new Dwarves and Draenei for Alliance) but I’d be okay if we just kept getting variant Tauren.

Well, it’s time for the Queue so let’s talk Blizzard.

Lore and story have both improved in leaps and bounds since the days of Classic WoW.

By What Azeroth Knows, I don't mean the planet itself.