Blizzard *Tentatively* Working on Good Posture Option for Orcs

In a recent tweet, Blizzard stated that they may eventually allow players to make their male orcs stand up straight.

When Blizzard announced the character-model revamps, many (myself included) expected at first to see a total redesign and reconceptualization of the old models. However, Blizzard - wisely, I might add - decided to limit the revamp to being more of an update. We got more sophisticated character geometry, the new facial rigging was implemented for better emotional projection, and the animation was adjusted to be smoother (I've very excited to see the male human's new run. Maybe his elbows won't be glued to his sides anymore!)

And while I think this was the best way to do things, it also looks like a good opportunity to really expand the variety of looks for WoW characters.

There are a lot of ways to customize a character's face, but really only skin/fur color affects the way you look once you've got a helmet on (unless it's a helmet that shows the face.)

It's also notable that since Cataclysm, when Thrall was first given his own model that was not a generic Orc model (though his was always slightly different to account for his blue eyes, which is not an option for most Orcs,) Thrall has stood upright. While every Orc player and NPC in WoW has had the characteristic slouch, this seems to have come in purely in WoW. As late as Warcraft III, there was no slouch to the Orcs, and it's a design choice that many players have always kind of found annoying.

After all, female orcs stand up straight and proud (though this could also be simply a demonstration of how female models tend to be more anthropomorphic, which is a discussion for a different day.)

But, this notion of upright Orcs as an option seems to open the floodgates: what other customization options ought there to be?

Having a general "body type" option seems like a no-brainer. One of the funny things about WoW is how beefy the Mages and Warlocks are. I mean, sure, they get a lot of cardio from running around everywhere and I guess they're constantly lifting bags filled with stuff, but surely a plate-wearing Warrior or Paladin who is constantly fighting with a giant, heavy sword while doing all those same things would be more muscular? Allowing you to pick a body type would be quite cool. I'd love to have a kind of shriveled-looking Warlock. Or alternatively, you could have a Paladin who would naturally be a bit scrawny, but is so empowered by the Light that he doesn't need thick muscles. And there's something really appealing about the idea of a big, fat warrior who uses his weight to become unstoppable.

The next most obvious option would be the racial sub-divisions. This doesn't really apply for every race, but there are a few clear-cut examples:

Dwarves come from three different clans with unique looks. The Wildhammer admittedly look pretty much like Bronzebeards but with facial tattoos, but the Dark Irons look totally different with their ashen skin and red eyes. Orcs also have some variation - the Blackrock and Dragonmaw clans have grey skin, and they could even allow us to play Mag'har, healthy brown-skinned Orcs who might have come back from Outland with Garrosh (but didn't go insane with power like he did.)

All these customization options would be tricky to figure out, certainly, and would be a ton of work. But I think the fixed-Orc-hunch could be a hell of a starting point.