Will WoW ever again have a no new race/class expansion?

[Al Gorefiend]

So I was bored this morning and decided to look back on the 2013 BlizzCon recap threads here on MMO-C. Among the multiple depressing posts like "Expac looks awesome! Can't wait!" were a lot of players griping that WoD would be the first expansion in WoW history to not feature a new class or race. With such an abounding amount of players (I know, forums are vocal minority blahblah) peeved by this change of expac design, do you feel the outcries fell on deaf ears at Blizzard? The lack of a new race was an obvious one given the extensive amount of work needed to update 24 new models to HD + new animations, but the lack of a class was a sore pill to swallow for an expansion lacking much of anything else. One could argue we just got the Monk an expansion prior and the time for a new class wasn't during WoD. I'm curious what the rest of MMO-C thinks. Was WoD an exception to the expansion philosophy given the character models? Would it be smart of Blizzard to release another expansion without a new race or class?

I personally could get behind a new class every expansion, especially now that classes are being defined to a distinct fantasy now more than ever and PvP looks to be approaching a level of balance never before seen (we all hope, anyways...). I'm fine if WoW no longer releases any more races though.

[JaceDraccus]

People will find something to complain about no matter what, so I doubt it makes any difference if there's another 'no new race/class' expansion. If we get a new class, people will just complain because it's not a tinker or whatever their personal pet project is. Or because we got a class but not a race.

I reckon having more and more new classes and races all the time would just become even more of an ever increasing nightmare of balancing and trying to define the classes separately. Look at the bitching about demon hunters 'taking' metamorphosis from warlocks, for a start.

[Deleted]

More classes = more tuning = less production of new/more content. At least that is how I look at it. Just think of all the class specific armor and trinkets - if we want quality we have to stop with the quantity aka more classes. Imagine if the art team didn't had to spend all those hours just to produce tier sets (4 for every class) , we could get something much better looking stuff.
As I see it, DH fits well into Legion, but beside that we really don't need more classes for some time now. Blizzard needs to focus more on story and environment + cool quests (beside from great raids etc).
Improve what we already got instead of creating more- that is what I would wish for

[ItachiZaku]

I love new races and classes. It helps bring new energy to an old and dying game. The downside, they keep changing existing classes that sometimes they feel like new classes, which basically ruins the old one (if it was a favorite of yours already).

[Zaqwert]

There are only so many good ideas. If you keep adding stuff purely for the sake of adding stuff you begin adding crap at some point.

[Bosen]

There are so many good ideas. If you keep adding stuff purely for the sake of adding stuff you begin adding crap at some point.

When things are added,I doubt they're added for the sake of it.

[Deleted]

Hope they're done with adding new classes, it's a clusterfuck as it is, with 36 different specs to balance, each with tons of talents/abilities/set bonuses, bleh. Maybe one more mail class, but damn me if I know what that could be.

Subraces would be cool to increase customization, hope that's the next thing on their radar. Almost every race now has at least 1-2 alt subraces to choose from (except maybe Gilneans, Pandas and Goblins, but these I could live with even if they stay as is).

[Ryzael]

There's only been a no race/class expansion if you consider WoD a full expansion and not the half expansion it is, with the new class coming in the second half of the BC2 expansion.

If Wotlk2 is split into two halves there will be another no race/class half expansion.

[Atreyis]

Hope they're done with adding new classes, it's a clusterfuck as it is, with 36 different specs to balance, each with tons of talents/abilities/set bonuses, bleh. Maybe one more mail class, but damn me if I know what that could be.

Subraces would be cool to increase customization, hope that's the next thing on their radar. Almost every race now has at least 1-2 alt subraces to choose from (except maybe Gilneans, Pandas and Goblins, but these I could live with even if they stay as is).

Yeah, I really think they dropped the ball on more mail wearing classes. I mean shit, we are up to what 4 or 5 leather classes at this point? I highly doubt new races are in the works for further expansions. If WOW continues after Legion we are probably more likely to end up with sub races if anything at all.

[Deleted]

Yeah, I really think they dropped the ball on more mail wearing classes. I mean shit, we are up to what 4 or 5 leather classes at this point? I highly doubt new races are in the works for further expansions. If WOW continues after Legion we are probably more likely to end up with sub races if anything at all.

Ofc it will continue, they have 2-3 more expansions in various stages of pre-production ;P

Subraces would actually be a great addition. More looks, maybe more in-game traits, more variety however it's done - all the while avoiding unneccessary bloat (like in post-Morrowind Elder Scrolls, where you have N varieties of elf, with fuck all for difference).

[Berndorf]

When things are added,I doubt they're added for the sake of it.

I actually think that's why every race and class has been added so far. Is that wrong in itself? No, because it comes down to how well they do with w/e they are adding but imo that's the main reason they kept adding classes and races. Because subscribers expected it.

[Thimagryn]

Naga and a Sea-themed class would be cool

[Rivin]

I actually think that's why every race and class has been added so far. Is that wrong in itself? No, because it comes down to how well they do with w/e they are adding but imo that's the main reason they kept adding classes and races. Because subscribers expected it.

I don't really agree with that. I think it's possible that both draenei and worgen were added for the sake of adding something, but blood elves and goblins were both major races before WoW, and pandaren were highly requested. (And yes, draenei were important before WoW too, but their lore was completely rewritten to make them fit.) Death knights were also major lore figures before WoW so adding them doesn't feel forced, although the same argument can't be made for monks (they just kinda went well with pandaren).

[Immitis]

they could do sub races/increased cosmetic options for an expansion or 4th/5th specs but other than that no.

we will get a race or class or both every expac.

the main reason people pick a class is for vanity reasons so i could see 20 years from now classes simply being reskins of old ones with a different visual/lore/identity kit and id be fine with that.

i also think were gonna see a demon hunter approach for classes from now on. classes visually unique to the point of almost being a new race.

[Berndorf]

I don't really agree with that. I think it's possible that both draenei and worgen were added for the sake of adding something, but blood elves and goblins were both major races before WoW, and pandaren were highly requested. (And yes, draenei were important before WoW too, but their lore was completely rewritten to make them fit.) Death knights were also major lore figures before WoW so adding them doesn't feel forced, although the same argument can't be made for monks (they just kinda went well with pandaren).

I still don't agree. Imo that is just rationalizing why those races or classes were added in particular after the fact. imo all of it was added because Bliz felt new classes and races were necessary in and of themselves to keep up interest in the game and due to player expectation for such things.

[Immitis]

I don't really agree with that. I think it's possible that both draenei and worgen were added for the sake of adding something, but blood elves and goblins were both major races before WoW, and pandaren were highly requested. (And yes, draenei were important before WoW too, but their lore was completely rewritten to make them fit.) Death knights were also major lore figures before WoW so adding them doesn't feel forced, although the same argument can't be made for monks (they just kinda went well with pandaren).

brewmasters were highly request class.

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I still don't agree. Imo that is just rationalizing why those races or classes were added in particular after the fact. imo all of it was added because Bliz felt new classes and races were necessary in and of themselves to keep up interest in the game and due to player expectation for such things.

blood/high elves, goblins, demon hunters and pandaren were all planned since vanilla before they even had expansions planned and outland northrend and the emerald dream were all gonna be lvl 60 patch content.

[Rivin]

I still don't agree. Imo that is just rationalizing why those races or classes were added in particular after the fact. imo all of it was added because Bliz felt new classes and races were necessary in and of themselves to keep up interest in the game and due to player expectation for such things.

Players wouldn't have expected anything before BC released. Blizzard added new races then because they wanted to, not because players expected them to. With Cataclysm that may have been the case, but, again, I don't think that's why Blizzard did it, at least for goblins, which were already a part of the Horde anyway (just not that specific cartel). It was just a race that naturally fit in.

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brewmasters were highly request class.

Perhaps, but I would still argue that we only got monks because people expected Brewmasters to come with pandaren, not specifically because Blizzard wanted a monk class.

[Berndorf]

Players wouldn't have expected anything before BC released. Blizzard added new races then because they wanted to, not because players expected them to. With Cataclysm that may have been the case, but, again, I don't think that's why Blizzard did it, at least for goblins, which were already a part of the Horde anyway (just not that specific cartel). It was just a race that naturally fit in.

I don't agree. Given that Bliz was expecting to draw many players from games such as Everquest where new classes and races being added was already a regular thing. New races and classes was almost part and parcel to major expansions for any pay per month mmo back then. It was definitely expected by people who played them imo which is exactly why Bliz went out of their way to plan out which ones would be added to the core game in the coming expansions rather than just adding them into vanilla. They are also a great selling point for any new expansion.

[Rivin]

I don't agree. Given that Bliz was expecting to draw many players from games such as Everquest where new classes and races being added was already a regular thing. New races and classes was almost part and parcel to major expansions for any pay per month mmo back then. It was definitely expected by people who played them imo which is exactly why Bliz went out of their way to plan out which ones would be added to the core game in the coming expansions.

That's possible; I don't know what the MMO environment was like at the time. But I still think that blood elf, goblin, and pandaren were all added because Blizzard wanted to, not because they thought players expected them to.

[Berndorf]

That's possible; I don't know what the MMO environment was like at the time. But I still think that blood elf, goblin, and pandaren were all added because Blizzard wanted to, not because they thought players expected them to.

Right. The reason they wanted to though was because adding new races or classes is the best way to get people excited for a new expansion imo. Plus if they don't you know there is going to be plenty of 'where is our new class or race?' threads going on the forums.