Pandaren (playable)

This article is about the playable race. For the pandaren lore, seePandaren.

Pandaren
Character classes	Hunter,Mage,Monk,Priest,Rogue,Shaman,Warrior,Death Knight,Warlock
Main language	Pandaren
Secondary language	Common Orcish
Starting zone	Shang Xi Training Grounds,The Wandering Isle Exile's Reach
Racial leader	Aysa Cloudsinger   Ji Firepaw
Capital	Stormwind City Orgrimmar
Racial mount	Dragon turtle

Thepandaren (pronounced/pænˈdɑɹən/) ofShen-zin Su are one of the playable races inWorld of Warcraft, introduced inMists of Pandaria.^[1] They are available to both theAlliance and theHorde, the firstrace inWorld of Warcraft to have this option. Pandaren are ancient and secretive, having long remained hidden. Now that they have rejoined the world, the order ofTushui has pledged allegiance to the Alliance, and the order ofHuojin has found companionship in the Horde.

Their starting zone is theWandering Isle, a giant turtle that wanders Azeroth's oceans. At the end of the island's questline (around level 10), players will be able to choose which faction (Alliance orHorde) to join, and will not be able to change afterward using in-game means. Those who have joined either faction don't have any capital cities to share with their allies. As a result, most non-neutral pandaren considerStormwind orOrgrimmar their base of operations respectively. Their racial mount is thedragon turtle, and they speakPandaren as a main language. When one of them joins the Alliance or Horde, they learnCommon orOrcish to communicate with their new allies.

Background[]

In-game description[]

Shrouded in fog for ages, the ancient realm ofPandaria has remained unspoiled by war. Now that it has been rediscovered, Pandaren heroes are stepping forward to declare their allegiance toward either the Alliance or the Horde. The most adventurous of the Pandaren come from the Wandering Island, a mysterious land cut off from the rest of Azeroth and Pandaria itself.

Opening cutscene[]

You are apandaren born and raised on the mysteriousWandering Isle. While many of your fellow pandaren prefer a tranquil life, the lure of adventure burns in your blood. Recently, the Wandering Isle has begun erratically weaving about the world's oceans. The air grows cold and your island home is spiraling towarddisaster. As one of the most promising of students atMaster Shang's monastery, you may just be the salvation for your people, but first you must complete your training.

History[]

Couched in myth and legend, rarely seen and even more rarely understood, the enigmatic pandaren have long been a mystery to the other races ofAzeroth. The noble history of the pandaren people stretches back thousands of years, well before the empires ofman and before even thesundering of the world.

Denizens of a wondrous and fertile land, the pandaren once labored under the oppressive thumb of a monstrous race of ancient warlords known as themogu. Through tenacity, diplomacy, anda unique form of unarmed combat, the pandaren staged a successful revolution that deposed the mogu and established apandaren empire that would prosper for thousands of years. During the bleak days that preceded the sundering of the world, whendemons flooded onto Azeroth and threw the entirety of the mortal realm into jeopardy, the last Emperor of the pandaren discovered a way to protect his land from the devastation. His deal with fate shrouded his land within an impenetrable mist for ten thousand years, but the nature of his transaction has leftPandaria haunted ever since...

Wanderlust[]

It is the rare pandaren indeed who sought a way beyond the mist. Generations ago, pandaren explorers began to gatheron the back of a giant turtle:Shen-zin Su. The great sea turtle roamed Azeroth's oceans, perhaps the only contact pandaren had with the outside world. Eventually, they too lost contact with their mist-shrouded homeland. Players who choose to create a pandaren character will start their journey on the back of Shen-zin Su. When the great turtle is threatened, and their whole wandering homeland is in jeopardy of being swallowed by the sea, players will have to accelerate their training and spring into action.

During their time on the turtle, players will first encounter theAlliance andHorde. Before they are finished, they'll have to make the most important decision of their lives: Which of the two factions will they support as they venture out to heal a world broken by the Cataclysm and threatened by a global war?^[1]

Joining the Alliance[]

The pandaren who join theGrand Alliance are practitioners of the path ofTushui, living a venerable life through meditation, rigorous training, and moral conviction, and doing what is right above all else.Aysa Cloudsinger is their representative.^[2] This faction is calledTushui Pandaren.

Joining the Horde[]

The pandaren of theHorde are followers of the philosophy ofHuojin. More direct than the contemplative philosophy of Tushui, adherents of Huojin believe that inaction is the greatest injustice and that it is honorable to defend one's homes and families regardless of cost. Their emissary isJi Firepaw.^[2] This faction is calledHuojin Pandaren.

Character[]

Main article:Wandering Isle storyline

When starting a pandaren character, everyone starts out in the same outfit and will have no weapons, however, depending on the class will start with a different type of food that for the first time has stats. Players start at theShang Xi Training Grounds on theWandering Isle where a quest will automatically appear for you to speak withMaster Shang Xi. Players gain their first weapon from the nearby weapon racks after Shang Xi tells them to.

The first twelve to thirteen levels are played on the Wandering Isle, where you experience the aftermath of theShattering and deal with the native creatures that have become agitated by changes on the land. Players are requested to speak withShen-zin Su, but to do so they must gather the elemental spirits that have recently gone missing. After proving yourself several times, not only to your master but also the spirits, players finally speak to Shen-zin Su and discover what pains him. This pain ends up a crashed gunship in an area pandaren do not venture. After aiding the Horde survivors and then the Alliance crew, soon after they are asked to choose a path. Once the choice is made they are sent via hot air balloon to the capital city of the faction they chose.

Starting attributes[]

Please add any available information to this section.

	Base	Monk	Mage	Priest	Rogue	Warrior	Shaman	Hunter
Strength	20	21	20	20	21	23	21	20
Agility	18	19	18	18	21	18	18	21
Stamina	21	22	21	21	22	23	22	22
Intellect	19	21	22	21	19	19	20	19
Spirit	22	22	24	25	22	22	24	23

Classes[]

•  Death knight
•  Hunter
•  Mage
•  Monk
•  Priest
•  Rogue
•  Shaman
•  Warlock
•  Warrior

Racial traits[]

[Epicurean] - Passive
Increases the stat benefits from food by 100%.
[Gourmand] - Passive
Cooking skill increased by 15.
[Inner Peace] - Passive
You earn twice as much rested experience.
[Bouncy] - Passive
You take 50% less falling damage.
[Quaking Palm] - Active
Strikes the target with lightning speed, incapacitating them for 4 sec, and turns off your attack.

Mounts[]

The Pandaren's mount of choice are Dragon Turtles as their primary ground mount.^[3]

Quotes[]

Main articles:Jokes#Pandaren male,Jokes#Pandaren female

Main articles:Flirt#Pandaren male,Flirt#Pandaren female

Notes[]

The pandaren do not have racial leaders, instead they have representatives from the Horde and Alliance.^[4]

Before choosing their faction (Alliance or Horde), pandaren player characters are subject to many restrictions that, in effect, make them their own third neutral faction:

• They cannot send or receivemail.
• They cannot communicate through any means with any players except other still-neutral pandaren. RealID and BattleTag communication is exempt from this restriction.
• They cannot join parties, except with other still-neutral pandaren.
• They cannot joinguilds.
• They cannot be summoned out of the Wandering Isle by a [Ritual of Summoning],Meeting Stone, or the [Summon Friend] ability. The same is true for all other races/classes with instanced starting areas, namelyworgen,goblins,death knights anddemon hunters.

Trivia[]

• Pandaren are the only race to start with different types of food that changes between classes created and has increased stats (STR, AGI, and INT) with that food.
• Pandaren are the first true neutral playable race, in which players do not choose a faction while in the character screen. They'll choose when leaving theWandering Isle, which is around level 10.
• FromWrath of the Lich King toLegion, pandaren were the only playable race inWorld of Warcraft not able to bedeath knights, because of their separation from the outside world. Theallied races added frompatch 7.3.5 onward also could not be death knights. However, pandaren and all allied races will have access to death knights inShadowlands, with early access inpatch 8.3.0 for those who pre-order the expansion.
• The emote/peon is based on theKowtow.
• Pandaren/roar likebears.
• The pandaren beds are circular in design "for comfort for when they hibernate", however, at the time it was done this way, Prop Art LeadEric Browning didn't realize that pandas do not hibernate.^[5]
• The Pandaren/silly emote, "Yeah... Mhm. We're gonna need a bigger turtle", a reference toWe're gonna need a bigger boat, is actually misquoted. In the movie,Jaws, Martin Brody, played byRoy Scheider actually says"You're gonna need a bigger boat".
• The artists created an actual working language that is actually used for the scrolls, books, and other pandaren material. These objects can be translated, although most translations will just be a jumble of words.^[5] SeePandaren (language) for the language script.
• The male are voiced byMatthew Yang King.^[6]
• The female are voiced byHira Ambrosino.
• It is possible to remain on the Wandering Isle and grind to max level via Herbalism and Mining. This method was made famous by Doubleagent of Mannoroth, who has reached max level this way every expansion.^[7]
  • There is also indication that internally, neutral Pandaren are treated similarly to the Horde. Battle for Azeroth dungeons are unlocked for neutral Pandaren on the same schedule as Horde characters, opening up Kul Tiras dungeons at level 120.^[8]

Gallery[]

• 
  Pandaren seen duringBlizzCon
• 
  The female model.
• 
  Pandarenshaman totems
• 
  The faction choice UI on the Wandering Isle.
• 
  Faction choice inpatch 9.0.1 with pandaren shown at both sides of the character creation screen.
• 
  Veterans can still start with a neutral Pandaren by choosing the Wandering Isle as their starting zone.^[9]
• 
  An early concept for a pandaren mount. "It's too awesome, [and would] probably blow up your computer".^[10]
• 
  A flying mount concept, using cranes.
• 
  A pandaren monk in training
• 
  Pandaren architecture

Old character creation screen

• 
  Pandaren on the character creation screen as seen beforepatch 9.0.1.
• 
  Faction choice for the pandarendeath knight inPatch 8.3.0.

Videos[]

• Pandaren opening cinematic in 4K UHD
• Removal of Shen-zin Su's thorn
• A New Fate: leaving the Wandering Isle

Patch changes[]

• Patch 8.3.0 (2020-01-14): Pandaren now have access to thedeath knight class.
  
• Patch 5.0.4 (2012-08-28): Added.
  

References[]

External links[]

Neutral

Wowhead 

Alliance

Wowhead 

World of Warcraft Community Site 

Horde

Wowhead 

World of Warcraft Community Site 

v e Playableraces Alliance Stormwind human Darnassus night elf Ironforge dwarf Gnomeregan gnome Exodar draenei Gilneas worgen Void elf Lightforged draenei Dark Iron dwarf Kul Tiranhuman Mechagon mechagnome Both Wandering Isle pandaren Dracthyr Horde Orgrimmar orc Forsaken undead Thunder Bluff tauren Darkspear jungle troll Silvermoon blood elf Bilgewater Cartel goblin Suramar nightborne Highmountain tauren Mag'har orc Zandalari troll Voldunai vulpera Core races Allied races