Should the Ratonga be in EverQuest Next?

Sounds like we got some world of warcrap players on here asking for orcs and werewolves.
Ppl keep dissing "novelty" races when some of the best raiders on my EQ2 server, AB, were rats (buffrat the dirge for example). Just because something isn't the same as D&D or WoW races, why you gotta diss? Some of the worst players I met in EQ2 have been dark/high elves. If you want same old cookie cutter mmorpg stay away from my EQ next. More races better, keep races from eq1 & 2 (cept ugly dragon humans) and you'll get more diversity and players. I've have usually been raid main coercer for main tank group, and it was a ratonga. Don't be generic, be different! If you think about it all races besides humans are "novelty". Stop the hate!

Lose the name Ratonga for sure.

Variety is great, something more than the run of the mill human dwarf elf combo would be nice. That said, I'm holding out for Arasai and wouldn't play a rat myself, but think it'd be cool to see them.

I draw the line at pandas though.

I have not played EQ but after wanting Skritt in Guildwars 2 as a playable race and being told no outright by Devs i'd love to try these Ratongas as long as they are a small race please

Eh, me and my friends will be very sad, if there will be no ratonga at launch.
In EQ2RU we`ve got a single-race guild, it is called "Myshidza".
Imagine a whole raid, consisted of ratonga only. No "eyes of ...", only true-ratonga.

Aren't Kobolds the wow version of rat people?

Also I'd be all up for a Gnoll race.. though preferably more accurate to real hyenas.. and not those big beefy brutes from Dnd

I'm fine with all the random races they have added in throughout the years. I might even make one some day. Variety is good but then... what are they going to add in later if we add them all in now?

Here is my 2 cents on the matter.
I loved my Ratonga class. My dirge was a Ratonga. You could even make them scurry like rats do when running. Kind of like the Kerra run in the new game. Having none human based class like Elf, Human, half-elf, dwarf, Barbarian you need balance with other options. EQ2 had a great variety of classes to choose from. You might want to add something along the lines as Guild Wars 2 did with their plant based elf looking character. Elemental based classes would be neat to see like Water, Air, Earth, Ice, and Fire. Snake looking ones without legs would be interesting but probably a bit tough to program in the game but that would surly change things up a bit. Slithering across the map would be different from any MMO I have seen. Keep the Ratonga they were a fun class that both Older players and younger ones loved to see.
Skirge

They are a part of the game, why not. I used to love my old Froglok!

I would like to see every playable race introduced into the EQ games be playable in EQNext. Plus a sprinkling of a few more new ones

Im pretty sure they have a poll up for races that users want to see next. Im positive Ratonga will be in everquest next eventually if not first race added after launch.

Ratonga should be in the game with a +X to foraging as a racial. While I am at it +X to dwarfs to mining racial, wood-elf +X crafting, well you get the picture

Same in my case, it feels right to have them in the game.

I'm fine with the idea of Rats, and of others as long as they are EQ/Norath centric Races.

Yeah I don't know what game you been playing but I'm sure any of my rat toons could out parse your <race> elf <class>. Rats are arguably the best built to be rogues and predators racially in EQ2 with their racial bonuses.They make awesome casters too.
Most weekend warriors are usually not meat heads btw, lot of them are college students and people with full time jobs with families. Saying the game should only cater to the ppl who are unemployed or work very little and have no life is pretty.. lame. I actually kinda pity you now.
I like playing Ratongas, and I have served eleven years in the military (still serving), I'm a single parent with two kids, going to college to get my PhD and I enjoy playing EQ2; especially raiding when I can. Yet that doesn't make me any better than any other player but certainly doesn't put me below them ether.
I used to be hard core into raiding when I was single without kids and just had to do my work duty for the day, but that didn't make me better than any weekend warrior then.
You got a lot of hate on your shoulders, you should take a shower and wash it all off before you play a game meant for the masses.

Also make Ratonga at least a neutral race. Lore wise they were neutral from the beginning but some jerk guard lied to save his family pride and they got kicked out the city and yet they still protected Qeynos from outside its walls while the others went to Freeport.
Frogloks and Kerra should also have the option to be neutral but if they are strictly good wouldn't bother me ether.

Maybe have some of the races start from different smaller cities like in original EQ1...

I really don't care one way or the other about them so sure why not.

I really hope the Ratonga are in at launch. They were so much fun to RP and I had a lot of fun with my rat paladin in a Redwall-esque kind of way. Though a name change to Chetari would be nice.

I remember waiting for months until the Frogloks were unlocked in EQ2 and it was not a pleasant experience making a character knowing that I would have to shelve once the race I wanted to play was made available.

Kobolds in D&D started off as dogs, then went to lizard people (sort of dragon distant cousins).

As for races, I view it this way: including a race hurts no one, but it helps those players that want to play that race. So there's no good reason for not including as many races as possible. Personally, I will be very disappointed if Freeblood are not in the game at launch, since they are such an integral part of current Everquest Lore.

I don't know about integral. In one of the existing games perhaps. But the same statement could be made of Drakkin and Ratonga that only exist in one game.

Personally I agree on the adding of races though. Unfortunately, as they said, not all will be in at launch.