The ceremonial armor comes in Alliance blue and Night Elf purple… who also happen to really like panthers.
You wouldn’t be remiss for assuming the set was actually supposed to be Ceremonial Panther armor, especially after seeing the feline-inspired helm and shoulders (fun fact, pantera is the Spanish word for panther), but we like speculating, so let’s go nuts!
The armor set name comes from its associated icons, currently made up of belt, helmet, and shoulders.
For those not aware, Pantera is an American heavy metal band, one of many favored by Senior Art Director Samwise Didier and cited as one of the “killer bands” on his now defunct Sons of the Storm artist profile page.
That may be coincidence, but the band’s influence shows through much of Dider’s work. The eighth and final chapter of the Orc campaign in Warcraft III, By Demons Be Driven, is a direct reference to the Pantera song of the same name, and the Elite Tauren Chieftain character from Heroes of the Storm is widely considered to be based off of the late Darrell Lance Abbott, aka Dimebag Darrell, who was a founding member of Pantera in 1981. Initially known for an image-conscious glam metal style, the heavy metal guitarist shares several similarities with E.T.C., from the dyed goatee to the Dean ML, Washburn, and Razorback guitars Darrell was famous for playing. Even the Black Tooth Grin clan from Warcraft II was named after a phrase coined by Darrell, used for an alcoholic drink and tattooed on his leg.
Pink goatee? Check. Angular lightning bolt guitar? Check. Heavy metal!? CHECK!
So… what does this have to do with the armor set? Probably nothing. It probably is just as simple as the Spanish word for panther. It could very well even be a hilarious typo just as much as an intentional reference, but while none of the armor’s appearance screams heavy metal band, it’s still fun to think that it might also be a double-sided real-world reference in a game absolutely filled with them already.
