Before I get into this, I want to get some things out of the way. I have a reputation for elitist and ignorant idea threads as of 2019, and the threads that encapsulate these I look back with really poor feelings, save for maybe the Willow-related ones. In my previous Walani thread I even popped a joke that was in poor taste. But none of this is going to happen this time, I assure you. I'm also posting a thread about Walani again because JoeW specifically said in the 2020 roadmap that they're listening to conversations about new content, and I want it to be known that there's an audience for her to be added to DST.
Im not writing this at midnight like the last thread, so there's actually good thought put into it this time.
Let's talk about Walani. More specifically, let's talk about her possible relation with Return Of Them.
RoT is based on ocean exploration, focusing on the lunar island and other materials / spoils you can gather from the ocean. However, traversing the waters is slow and clunky. That's where Walani comes in. She could be the character that allows players to easily explore (and focus on) RoT content, since she as a character is also inherently based on the ocean, with her being a surfer and all. She would of course require a refresh similar to Warly as her Singleplayer perks/stats are just... awfully bland. However, I am not going to give ideas for said perks and stats, because ultimately she'd be based around the ocean, and only Klei can possibly know the end-result of the ocean, meaning only Klei can possibly know how to make Walani the most fun and balanced.
Before you cry "OP" about Walani being able to b-line towards Lunar Island, Woodie can reliably and consistently find Lunar Island on the first day or two with his goose form. In regards to Woodie not being able to interact with anything while in Goose form, Woodie doesn't *specialize* in the ocean. He is a generalist that has the ability to get to Lunar Island. Walani, on the other hand, WOULD specialize in the ocean, allowing her to reap all of the ocean goodies without the hassle of sailing. Maybe Klei could even make Walani favor a boat base in some way, who knows?
I *do* have some small ideas regarding a Walani refresh. Some are salvaged from the previous thread, some are newly thought up (ily @Axelocke)
*She could make surfboards, big shocker, but could make different versions, such as a Driftwood Surfboard which gives a use to Driftwood other than it's very limited crafting recipes. This version of the surfboard could be faster than a regular surfboard, but could have less max durability. Another upgrade beyond that could be the "Sea Queen's' Surfboard". I salvaged this idea from the last thread mainly because the name sounds cool, BUT it could be used in mid-late game, giving players a reason to keep playing as her. It's crafting recipe could call for, say, living logs and gold?
* Sanity Auras and modifiers would have less of an impact on Walani, possibly both positive and negative. Instant sanity changes could also possibly be affected) The only item that isnt affected by these modifiers would be sleeping, which goes well into the next idea.
* She could create a hammok, which works like a tent except stats increase/drain at a faster rate. This means that you would go hungry faster, but gain health/sanity faster as well. This sorta alleviates the downside of sleeping (and why you don't see pros doing it), which is the fact that they are a time sink.
*For the next Hallowed Nights, she can be a Slurper.
*Not directly related to Walani, but the ocean could have naturally occurring waves like SW, allowing Walani to surf on them for extra speed, but move around boats without an anchor. Waves are already in DST (Malbatross and the gnarwail's horn) so it shouldn't be *too* hard. It may even be a secret planned feature, which I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
If you have ideas or opinions on DST Walani, share them here. Let's hope this doesn't turn into a dumpster fire like the last time.