Just my thoughts. I think of all the subspecies of elephant we could’ve got, the reason Bornean was picked was because predominantly because of the word ‘pygmy’. ZT2 had the extinct dwarf Sicilian elephant and I remember as a kid thinking it was so bizarre. I think they probably think it’s fairly easy to market a ‘pygmy’ elephant to the general public (even if it’s not actually that small). Considerably more so than an ‘Sri Lankan Elephant’, note in the game files it’s specifically called ‘Bornean pygmy elephant’ and not just ‘Bornean elephant’. That’s intentional. Add to that they’re very rare - only around 1500 in the wild.
Now for my two cents:
Elephant aside, I’m very content with the other three confirmed species in the roster. Peré David’s deer has been one of my top ungulates for a while now - definitely my top choice for an Asian deer over the Indian options. That being said, I’d have rathered this was an Indian pack with Nilgai, blackbuck and Gaur as the three ungulates and no silly elephant.
That that takes us to the remaining three spots. I think like others, the reveal that this isn’t an India pack and that there’s a semi-aquatic challenge listing the species rules out a lot of animals that I considered front runners. Fishing cat is done, as is any kind of waterfowl or crane for example. Mugger crocodile too.
I also think the inclusion of the Peré David’s deer significantly flattens a lot of the ungulates chances - I suspect we’ll only get one more. My thoughts are - Gaur out. Nilgai definitely ou
t (I felt this was the least likely of the trio already). I still hold hope for the blackbuck given its popularity, the need for an Indian antelope and the fact that the next most popular pick for an ungulate could be a Reeve’s Muntjac - but that’s another Chinese deer so, not looking likely now.
Two sleeper picks could be - Lowland Anoa or Javan Banteng though.
As for the other pick I’m also solidly in the Raccoon dog camp. Represents far East and Japan. Is an unusual canid like the bush dog and very popular in both the forums and pop culture.
With the fishing cat seemingly out, I’m unsure what else could fit here for another small carnivore (and I imagine we’ll get more than one) only doubt is, does it look too similar to the honey badger for both in one pack?
That leaves the last slot and tbh, I’m struggling to think what it’s likely to be beyond a pheasant or, as someone has pointed out, a green peafowl. Other option - Asiatic Lion (let’s face it, we’re likely to get at least one cat…)
Wetlands birds are out given the challenge, I doubt we’re getting three ungulates and there’s not really any obvious picks for a third after blackbuck. I don’t think we’re getting another primate either given a) we’ve been given a lot lately and b) there’s again, not too many obvious choices. I think langurs are gone with the fall of the Indian concept. Sulawesi macaque would be fun but we’re not getting two macaques in one pack (at least I don’t think we’ve fallen
that far yet). A snub-nose? Possible but I hope not. Proboscis monkey proudly holds the niche of dumb rare Asian leaf monkey.
Here’s a thought though. Could we get an
updated Sumatran orangutan?
So here’s my predicted roster for the Asian Animal Pack.
- Honey Badger
- Lion-Tailed Macaque
- Pére David’s Deer
- Bornean Pygmy Elephant
- Blackbuck
and two of:
Raccoon Dog/Green Peafowl/Asiatic Lion/Sumatran Orangutan/Golden Pheasant.
My best guess is - Green Peafowl and Raccoon Dog. My gut says Asiatic lion is more likely over the raccoon dog but they wouldn’t give us three reskins right? (Elephant, peafowl and lion?)
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