Racials, Faction Locks, and the Push for Chonkier Gronthar — March 24, 2026

Overview

The chat spent most of this stretch circling one big question: how much identity should races carry in Scars of Honor? That started with visuals — whether scars should actually show up on characters over time, whether elves should get horns or horn stumps tied to their origins, whether Gronthar should look less like polished gym models and more like the heavier concept art some players prefer. It quickly widened into a larger design argument about racial passives, faction flavor, and whether race choice should ever affect combat enough to create a meta.

That debate had real heat because players were also piecing together the current structure of the game from scattered official info and old material. Newer arrivals asked about racial bonuses, faction restrictions, class access, PvP rules, Steam Deck support, and whether supporter packs still granted test access. Regulars answered with a mix of certainty and caution: some older information appears outdated, several systems are still in flux, and the coming Steam demo is being treated as a chance to finally test how these ideas feel instead of just theorizing around them.

Class balance was another recurring thread, especially around the demo lineup. Several people noted the odd spread of tanks and healers, worried that healing roles could be underrepresented, and wondered how support-heavy classes would handle targeting in a hybrid combat system. The game’s combat pitch — tab target, no auto-attacks, free-aim skills, and a large button count — drew both enthusiasm and concern. Some liked the promise of meaningful keybinds; others immediately started worrying about clunky ally-enemy targeting swaps, especially for classes expected to heal and damage in the same encounter.

At the same time, the chat never stayed serious for long. The race discussion kept colliding with jokes about pig bias, making bacon out of Gronthar, and rallying support for a feedback thread asking for “chonkier” boarfolk. That suggestion became a small community event in itself, with people encouraging comments for visibility, brainstorming tusk piercings and decorations, and framing the whole thing as a test of whether the game will allow rougher, less idealized body types instead of turning every race into an underwear-model silhouette.

Outside the game, the room drifted through food talk, weather complaints, package-delivery grievances, exam celebrations, work chatter, and a few personal life updates. But even those detours fed back into the mood around the game: a community clearly in waiting mode, trying to fill time before the late-April test window, comparing notes from other MMOs, and using jokes to smooth over the fact that much of Scars of Honor still feels early, promising, and unresolved.

Game discussion

Race identity, visuals, and the scars question

One of the earliest game threads asked a simple but revealing question: if the game is built around the idea of “scars,” will characters actually look scarred as they progress? Nobody had a firm answer. The general expectation in chat leaned skeptical, with several players doubting the game would visually transform characters into battle-worn veterans. Even so, the idea landed well. People liked the thought of characters changing based on what they had done, and a few compared it to other MMOs that let alignment, legacy, or special status alter appearance.

That visual-identity conversation carried straight into race design. Players talked about Sun Elves, possible Moon Elves, and the lore implication that a pact with both a moon goddess and a sun god ought to leave room for more than one elven branch. Some wanted darker, prettier moon-elf variants badly enough that they joked they would switch sides for them. Others were more interested in smaller details, like giving elves subtle horns, a single horn, or horn stumps to reflect demonic ancestry without making them read too close to full demons.

There was a clear split between people who liked the current cleaner silhouettes and people who thought the game was sanding off too much personality. The push for horns, scars, and rougher features came from the same place: a desire for races to show history on the body instead of looking too safe.

Gronthar body shape and the “chonkers” campaign

No race got more sustained attention than Gronthar. A feedback thread asking for bulkier, rounder Gronthar turned into a rallying point, and the chat treated it as more than a joke. Several players argued that the in-game model looks slimmer and more toned than the concept art suggests, and that the current version reads less like a heavy boarfolk race and more like “a gym bro with a pig head.” That criticism connected to a broader complaint that too many races currently look like conventionally attractive fantasy models regardless of species.

Others were less invested in Gronthar personally but still backed the request on principle. The argument there was simple: even if a player never plans to roll the race, good feedback that broadens options is worth supporting. That led to a surprisingly warm exchange about helping improve races for the people who love them, rather than only fighting for one’s own preferred character type.

A few concrete asks kept coming up:

• heavier body presets closer to the concept art
• less polished, less model-like silhouettes across races
• tusk piercings and tusk jewelry
• rough natural decorations like bramble or dreamcatcher-style ornaments
• more trust in sliders to support different body fantasies

The tone stayed playful — “please let me have the pork” was the spirit of it — but the design point was serious. Players want race fantasy to survive contact with the character creator.

Classes, combat feel, and role balance

The class conversation was more mechanical. Once someone asked what kind of combat system the game uses, regulars described it as a hybrid: tab target with skill shots, no auto-attacks, free-aim elements, and a fairly high number of active buttons. That answer immediately drew mixed reactions. Some were relieved the camera would not be hard-locked to targets and liked the idea of action-camera movement with tab targeting underneath. Others had hoped for something closer to more action-heavy combat.

The bigger concern was not the basic combat label but the interface burden it may create. Players specifically called out classes like druid, mystic, and necromancer, where targeting an enemy versus an ally could change what a skill does. If healing and damage both depend on target context, the UI and targeting shortcuts will need to feel clean. Native mouseover healing came up as a feature people would love to see, precisely because it could reduce the friction of swapping between offensive and support play.

The demo class spread also raised eyebrows. Chatters noted that the available lineup appears tank-heavy compared with healing options, and some worried that healer population could lag badly if the early class mix does not support it. A few people were already planning to fill that gap by rolling healer, but the concern remained: if the game launches tests with too many tanks and too few obvious support picks, group composition could feel awkward fast.

A compact version of the class concerns looked like this:

There was also a smaller but lively side thread about future class fantasies. Some wanted a monk or fist-weapon style, though not everyone likes the usual fast-hitting monk archetype. The preferred version from chat was slower and heavier — more bruiser than mosquito. “I cast fist” jokes followed, but underneath them was a real appetite for a weighty brawler class if the game expands later.

Racial passives: flavor versus meta pressure

The longest and sharpest debate of the day centered on racial passives. A newcomer asked whether published racial bonuses exist, and that opened the floodgates. The broad consensus was that older racial information is outdated, but there is still an expectation that some kind of racials may exist. From there, the room split into camps.

One side argued strongly against any meaningful combat-affecting racials. Their case was practical: once races alter damage, crit, haste, pushback resistance, or other in-combat outcomes, players start feeling pushed toward the “correct” race for a class. That can distort faction populations, encourage gatekeeping, and make a permanent visual choice carry too much mechanical weight. Several people pointed to other MMOs as cautionary examples, especially where one faction or race became the sweaty default because of small but real combat edges.

The other side did not necessarily want overpowered racials, but did want races to feel mechanically distinct. Some argued that if races are only cosmetic, a layer of RPG identity gets lost. They were open to small percentages, niche utility, or quirky environmental interactions so long as the impact stayed limited and thematic.

Examples from the chat fell into three rough buckets:

1. Bad ideas, according to most participants

   • direct PvP or PvE damage bonuses against specific races
   • crit, haste, or anti-caster effects strong enough to shape metas
   • anything that makes one race clearly best for a class

2. Mostly accepted ideas

   • out-of-combat movement speed
   • faster resting or regeneration outside combat
   • profession, gathering, or vendor perks
   • travel or utility flavor like tents, treasure-finding, or portable tools

3. Interesting but risky ideas

   • environmental racials that change how a player uses terrain
   • dialogue or roleplay bonuses tied to race identity
   • niche effects that alter playstyle without becoming mandatory

The most repeated anti-meta point was that tiny stat bumps are the worst of both worlds: too weak to feel exciting for casual players, but still strong enough for min-maxers to obsess over. The pro-racial side pushed back that even small bonuses can be fun if they help races feel distinct and thematic. But even among those players, there was more support for flavorful utility than for raw combat math.

A few old racial examples from earlier versions of the game got cited as warning signs, especially a demon bonus against humans. That kind of design was widely treated as exactly what the current community does not want to see return.

Playtest and access

The playtest itself hovered over almost every conversation. Players are clearly restless for hands-on time, and several said outright that they are just trying to kill time until the test opens. The late-April to mid-May window was mentioned repeatedly, and the fact that it lasts longer than a single weekend drew praise. People see that as a better chance to gather useful data and a more realistic way to let players actually settle into systems instead of speed-running first impressions.

There were also several practical access questions. Supporter packs are no longer available for test entry, and regulars pointed people toward requesting access on Steam instead. One important clarification from the chat: supporters apparently did not originally buy those packs with this specific demo access guaranteed; access was framed as a thank-you. At the same time, players in the channel were confident that Steam test access would be broad, though likely staggered.

The rough expectation shared in chat looked like this:

• request access through Steam now
• demo runs from late April into early May
• more testing is expected after that, though labels like “beta” seem less certain than before
• early access is still talked about as a later goal, around the end of the year or early next year

That uncertainty around naming mattered. Some players noticed that references to a beta had apparently been removed from the FAQ or at least were no longer being emphasized, which fed the sense that plans are still shifting. Nobody treated that as a scandal, but it reinforced the idea that the game is still early enough for milestones to move.

Platform support questions came up as well. The answer shared from the FAQ was straightforward: no official Steam Deck support at first, though community controller profiles may make it playable; Linux is planned later; Mac is not a current priority; and the upcoming Steam playtest will not be available on macOS. For a few people, that was just a practical note. For others, it was another reminder that the project is still building out basics.

Customization and art direction

The art-direction thread was not limited to Gronthar. Across multiple races, players kept returning to the same complaint: too many character models look polished, symmetrical, and conventionally attractive in a way that flattens racial identity. The phrase “underwear models” came up more than once. That was less an attack on fidelity than on range. People want the option to make beautiful characters, but not at the cost of losing roughness, age, asymmetry, or species-specific texture.

That is why the scars question landed so well at the start. A visible scar system would be one way to let characters accumulate history. Horn stumps for elves would do something similar. Tusk decorations for Gronthar would add cultural flavor. Even jokes about wanting to look like a zombie instead of a polished fantasy hero pointed in the same direction: players are asking for customization that supports identity beyond glamour.

There was also a practical curiosity about how the character creator presents faction, race, and class restrictions. The answer passed around in chat was that the creator shows the two factions on opposite sides, displays the races available to each, and then greys out unavailable classes when a race is selected. That sounds clear enough on paper, but the fact that people kept asking suggests the system may still need especially clean presentation if the game wants to avoid confusion around faction-locked races and race-locked classes.

A few customization requests and preferences surfaced repeatedly:

• visible progression marks like scars or body changes
• more body-type variety, especially for beast races
• race-specific adornments such as tusk jewelry
• stronger distinction between demons, elves, undead, and beastfolk silhouettes
• enough slider freedom to support both idealized and rougher characters

The chat was not asking for realism so much as commitment. If a race is demonic, boar-like, undead, or touched by divine pacts, players want that to show.

Other game topics

Outside race and class design, the channel spent a lot of time trying to map the game’s larger structure. Faction locking was the biggest point of friction for newcomers. Once people explained that factions lock race, races lock classes, and opposite factions cannot party, guild, or even chat with each other, the reaction was mixed. Some thought that old-school separation adds charm and commitment. Others immediately saw the social cost: friends can end up unable to guild together if they want different race-class combinations.

The faction split also fed concerns about population balance. Several players predicted that the Sacred Order could end up larger because prettier, more human-looking races usually attract the broadest audience. Others argued that Domination may pull a more dedicated PvP crowd because of carryover faction bias from other MMOs. Either way, the room did not sound confident that balance will happen naturally.

A few possible solutions were floated:

• keep racial appeal as even as possible across factions
• offer incentives to the lower-population faction
• consider a third mercenary-style faction in the future
• avoid combat racials that could make one side the obvious competitive pick

None of those were treated as confirmed plans. They were community attempts to solve a problem players already expect.

PvP itself was another area where the game still sounds unsettled. Chat participants said open-world PvP details are still being decided, while duels, arenas, battleground-style content, and group duels have all been discussed to varying degrees. Some players prefer toggle PvP over permanent flagging, arguing that random ganking would not fit the game as well as structured faction conflict or meaningful world objectives. Others love open PvP in principle but admitted that two-faction imbalance could make it ugly without strong safeguards.

The PvP talk paired naturally with questions about what is actually built right now. The most grounded answer in chat was also the bluntest: the game still appears very early. That did not kill interest. If anything, it sharpened the mood of the channel. People are excited, but they are also reading every current system as provisional.

Crafting and professions got a smaller but thoughtful thread, mostly through comparison with other MMOs. Players liked the idea of crafting mattering for best-in-slot gear or at least for tuning and improving drops, rather than being sidelined by dungeon loot. The preferred model was not “remove drops entirely,” since some had bad experiences with that elsewhere, but a hybrid where crafters can refine, enchant, or customize gear in ways that keep professions socially relevant.

Community and off-topic

The off-topic side of the chat was busy enough to shape the whole atmosphere. Food dominated long stretches: milkshakes, Spätzle, birria, onion breath, peanut allergies, banana bread, turkey, German chocolate cake, brownies, orange juice with or without pulp, and even a Mountain Dew Bundt cake recipe all made appearances. The room repeatedly joked that general chat had turned into a kitchen. That running gag mattered because it showed how the community is passing time together while waiting for the test.

There were also smaller personal beats that gave the channel texture. One member celebrated passing a CompTIA A+ exam and got a burst of congratulations. Another talked about moving into a new flat and waiting for a partner to handle the styling choices later. Weather complaints bounced between heat, humidity, sudden cold snaps, and lawn-care dread. Package-delivery frustration turned into a mini regional ranking of shipping companies. Work talk ranged from healthcare and pharmacy burnout to tool maintenance and the satisfaction of a brand-new impact hammer.

A few conversations turned more personal. There was a serious exchange about healthcare costs and allergy treatment, especially the price of epinephrine in different countries. Another member mentioned cancer treatment and wanting a partner to stay in school rather than return to retail, framing it as a way to protect their future if things ever went badly. The chat did not linger sentimentally, but it did make room for those moments.

Gaming detours were constant too. Overwatch came up several times, mostly through ranked frustration, anti-heal discussion, and support-character talk. Other games were used as shorthand for design expectations or cautionary tales: WoW, New World, Ashes of Creation, ESO, BDO, roguelikes, and survival games all surfaced as comparison points. That cross-game literacy is clearly part of how this community reads Scars of Honor — not in isolation, but against a long list of systems that worked elsewhere, failed elsewhere, or created baggage players now want to avoid.

Takeaway

This was a high-volume chat day, but the throughline was clear. Players are not just waiting for Scars of Honor to be playable; they are already negotiating what kind of MMO they want it to become. The biggest pressure points were race identity, faction restrictions, and whether mechanical flavor can exist without creating a stale meta.

The strongest consensus formed around a few ideas. Players want races to feel distinct, but many would rather see that happen through visuals, utility, culture, and out-of-combat flavor than through hard combat bonuses. They want faction and class restrictions presented clearly. They want the demo to answer practical questions about combat feel, targeting, and role balance instead of leaving everything in theorycraft limbo.

The lighter side of the chat mattered too. The jokes about porking elves, squeezing stuffed piglets, and campaigning for chonkier Gronthar were not distractions from the discussion; they were the community’s way of turning a design complaint into a shared cause. In a channel full of waiting, that kind of playful momentum may be one of the game’s better signs.

For now, the mood is best summed up like this:

• excitement for the longer Steam demo window
• caution about how early many systems still seem
• strong interest in flavorful, non-meta race design
• persistent concern over faction balance and social locks
• a surprisingly united front in favor of better Gronthar body options