TYDKaWoW #019 | Murlocs used to be fishier

The song I Am Murloc from the Elite Tauren Chieftan, makes it sound like Murlocs are even parts fish and man - both a little more than. "I am more than a fish; I am more than a man; Death will rise from the tide; I am Murloc!". But this ratio of fish to man used to be a little different, swinging more into the fishy parts. Early screenshots during the development of World of Warcraft actually show models, which have a lot more finy and gilly parts.

Early World of Warcraft Development; Swamps of Sorrows.

Early World of Warcraft Development; Swamps of Sorrows.

Early World of Warcraft Development; Westfall.

Early World of Warcraft Development; Redridge Mountains.

It's interesting to see, what the early design versions looked like and which changes were made, that led the Murlocs to become the unofficial mascots of the game. In another timeline they would have stayed the horrific way they were depicted on the concept art or as their early ingame models. That didn't happen though and thanks to the popularity of the released version, fishier versions have also finally found their way into the game with Cataclysm, along side many other variations during the expansions.

Original concept art for Murlocs. (©The Art of World of Warcraft)
Original concept art for Vasj'ir Murlocs. (©The Art of World of Warcraft - Cataclysm)

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