Summary Inside the Art of World of Warcraft

Aloha! Senior 3D animator Ian Lang and 3D artist Kenny McBride sit down to discuss the magic behind the development of the art of World of Warcraft.

Summary Inside the Art of World of Warcraft

Allied races Humans of Kul Tiras and Troll Zandalari

• The Humans of Kul Tiras and Troll Zandalari will be available from March 12/13.
• The team examined the lore and concept art from the respective locations when they began designing these allied races.

Kul Tiras Human Art Design

• Tentacles and anchors became themed for this breed.
• The team wanted the architecture to resemble ships.
• Kul Tirans has a heavy and practical ascetic.
• They are sailor and rustic.
• The posture reflects that their pride is surviving in a hostile environment.

Troll Zandalari Art Design

• The Zandalari have a more angular and regal design.
• They were inspired by the Aztec and Mayan cultures.
• They wanted the architecture to look like it had been built centuries ago.
• The Zandalari culture is not as island or tribal as the other troll races.
• They made the Zandalari stand tall to better reflect their proud demeanor.

Body language

• The Kul Tiran Humans posture works well due to their size. It doesn't work as well with small races like Blood Elves.

Kul Tiran and Zandalari weapon design

• The weapons and armor of Kul Tiras are very military.
• Hatchets were a real thing in the lore.
• The design of the Zandalari weapons is ornate and regal.

Blood Troll Art Design

• The art design of the Blood Troll is very crude, ritualistic and macabre.

Druid Forms

• The team decided to use their expertise in Legion druid forms to develop custom forms for the new allied races.
• The feral form Zandalari incorporated is inspired by dinosaurs and lizards.
• Breaking the established lore of the Druids felt strange at first, but it may make sense to the cultures of the two races.
• Drust magic is a more ghoulish version of Druidic magic and is therefore reflected in its wicker forms.

Importance of color

• The difference between the colors on each continent best shows the asceticism of the culture. The gold in Zandalar is much brighter and more regal than the darker, more rustic and military gold in Kul Tiras.

Postures

• Kul Tiras stances are straighter while Zandalari are more agile.

Miscellaneous

• Allied races bring the world to life and making them playable expands the inclusion of players in that world.
• Zandalari trolls were originally 10% shorter than they are today.
• Combat animations are more about visual clarification, while emotes allow artists to showcase the culture.
• New animations like guard postures, leaning, and hauling cargo make cities feel more alive.
• The art team is very passionate and likes to put things into the game that they and the players are passionate about.
• The team decided to make a paladin mount when they designed the Dark Iron Dwarves.