We all know what the benefits and penalties are! Just curious who's min/max or going the fashionquest route? As for me it's iksar for racials or vah shir for the tiger pet
Barbarian for me, mainly for sentimental reasons as my first Beastlord back when was a barb. Race really counts for a hill of beans in todays game, other than the Ogre stun immunity, no racial bonuses really mean much imo. My cleric is a dwarf as well and can bank/move/go to the same starting area as the barb, plus I can make the dwarf look like a mini me to the barb heh. Speaking of, my beast will be in the EF/BB/PF areas tonight when we launch being followed around by mu oof cleric, Imvi. Look me up and group up, more the merrier (especially if you have an oog mage/dru/chanter lol)
I'm debating between troll or vah shir. Trolls are obviously the best race, but what they have done to their pets makes me very sad. Vah Shir get the best pets of the bunch though. Iksar's pets are stupid, but they can wear robes. Barbs get wolves just like a shaman.. wood elf is of course the worst, even though they won't be unlocking anyways. Ogres are just fat and dumb and their pet isn't much better.
Vah shir for the Sneak/Safe fall...mostly the sneak so I can sell to any vendor that doesn't like me.
Ogre if I was min/maxing, but I'd probably go Troll because I like the gator pet. My BST on live servers is a Troll named Swamphunk and he really lives up to his name.
You and a thousand other Beastlords! Although I think a 6-BST group would actually be pretty awesome as long as there are mobs to kill.