Could Cross-classing or cross-speccing be a future feature?

[Obelisk Kai]

We are about a month and a half out from the launch of Legion. The end of Warlords is upon us, as well as riotous celebrations as we bid farewell to this rubbish expansion.

But we also know that no sooner has a new expansion been released, thoughts turn to the one yet to come. The one that even now, Blizzard is working on the depths of their headquarters. We are probably about a year out from it's big reveal, and two years out from it's launch in 2018, but we all love to speculate.

Speculation always tends to boil down to three things.

Where it will be set?

Will there be any new races? (The High Elf debate should kick off again in earnest in the new year)

Will there be any new classes or fourth specs?

To the first question, where will it be set, I'll use the default answer of South Seas. It is suggested every single time, even as far back as the run up to the WOTLK launch and it has never happened. So it's South Seas till we are proven wrong again.

Will there be new races? Probably, WoD and Legion have been two expansions in a row without new races, I think Blizzard may decide it is time for them next time around.

But will there a new class? Or fourth specs?

Given that we are receiving Demon Hunters now in Legion, I really doubt that Blizzard will be keen to introduce a thirteenth class. They like allowing new classes time to bed in it seems, to be adjusted and balanced appropriately. Besides, while the Demon Hunter is cool, I am starting to get the feeling there are only so many ways of recombining class features in meaningful ways to produce new and interesting classes. I mean, Monk and Demon Hunter seem to share a lot of the same dna in some regards, although the final products are very, very different.

A lot of discussion always centres around the possibilities of fourth specs. This is rooted in the fact that Druids got a fourth spec. So, the logic has gone, every class might have the capacity to have a fourth spec added. We have had suggestions of healing or melee Mages, tanking Warlocks, shockadin Paladins. But while some classes lend themselves readily to potential fourth specs, others you really have to knuckle down and struggle to come up with good ideas. What would a fourth spec be for a Rogue for example. Furthermore, if every class got an extra spec you're adding twelve new specs to the mix, essentially four classes. There are only so many ways Blizzard can repackage the same role before it begins to wear thin.

What stands at the root of the desire for fourth specs though.

It is the desire for more choice on a character you class to be your main. Mages who love being a Mage but sometimes dream of doing melee damage, may wish they had the option to do that on their existing character rather than having to switch to an alt.

That is why, I wonder if something similar to what Final Fantasy 14 has could be introduced.

In Final Fantasy 14, a single character can choose to become any class in the game merely by switching their weapon. It's an elegant system I have found, and it allows a lot of freedom in terms of playing how you wish to play at any given moment.

However, WoW is not Final Fantasy 14. Classes in WoW have racial restrictions not present in FF14. Classes in WoW, with their talent trees and multiple specs, are also a lot more complicated than FF14 classes which lock you into a cookie cutter version of the class as soon as you switch into it.

What I wonder though, is if a more limited version of this system could be added to WoW. Say instead of being able to switch into ANY class you were limited in your choice.

Say you could only pick a single 'off' class. You switch to that class and voila, you can play that class on your existing main and use the gear that main has picked up. Or if you wanted to be a little bit more restrictive, you could limit the access of your main class to a single spec on a single class, therefore providing the fourth spec so many players have wanted without forcing a role they didn't choose upon some of that class players. And if you wanted to experience the entire class, you could roll a proper alt.

There would clearly have to be some caveats in such a system. Teleport spells belonging to certain classes, especially Mages, might have to be given lengthy cooldowns if you switched to that class to prevent people switching to Mage, teleporting where they wanted to go and then switching back to their main class.

Of course, it's only a thought. At the moment, the big things Blizzard adds each expansion are new classes I am not going to play seriously or new races I am not going to play.

I would really like a big addition that impacts my existing character.

[Sierra85]

i don't think there will be high elves any time soon, especially with night & blood elves already being in the game.

[Obelisk Kai]

i don't think there will be high elves any time soon, especially with night & blood elves already being in the game.

Oh please don't derail this thread with a high elf reply...I only used that as a throwaway comment.

[Sierra85]

Oh please don't derail this thread with a high elf reply...I only used that as a throwaway comment.

was replying to your comment ...

Will there be any new races? (The High Elf debate should kick off again in earnest in the new year)

[Stormspark]

Cross classing from FFXIV would NOT work in WOW. Not at all. WOW was not designed that way, and it would pretty much just make everyone overpowered and break the game. FFXIV is a totally different game. The only thing it has in common with WOW is that it uses hotkeys instead of this crappy "action combat".

[Obelisk Kai]

was replying to your comment ...

I know but I was just setting a scene, I hope this thread will be about potential cross classing as a system. But even mention High Elves and itll turn into a High Elf thread. This is the fourth comment on this thread for example and it's already all about High Elves.

[Space Troll]

I don't think High Elves should be playable. They already have dwindled to a low point and there hasn't been any lore showing a major uptick in population numbers.

[Kokolums]

I think they will expand upon the bodyguard idea so that the bodyguard will be able to act as your tank, dps, or healer. That would remove the need to play another class.

[Deleted]

World of Warcraft is too old to be built on the idea of having multiple classes and crossover skills on a single character.
Maybe if they make a new mmo, they'll be sure to take the good ideas of other games.

[Bosen]

How would they do it and balance it? I don't see it happening.

[Anjerith]

No, we will not be getting dual-class in this game.

[FelPlague]

Oh please don't derail this thread with a high elf reply...I only used that as a throwaway comment.

maybe dont be a prick to somone who wanted to comment on your thread?

[Niwes]

wether will, nor should. imo.

[ReVnX]

No cross-classing and no high elves, thanks

[Benomatic]

I'd like to see highelves playable on alliance.

[MrTyko]

snip!

I have nothing to add to this conversation, but I'd just like to say how nicely OP wrote all that out. I'm so used to the word salad that goes for a post on MMO-C, it's nice to see someone that actually knows how to organize their ideas neatly. It was easy to read, and flowed comfortably throughout.

[Imnick]

No.

Not only would the influx of random abilities from other classes cause enormous balancing headaches, but it would simply end up as yet another avenue of "false choice", exactly as it is in FFXIV.
Do you get any interesting choices from cross-classing in that game? No.
There are right and wrong choices, usually extremely obvious, and it prevents classes from being given abilities that they probably should be able to use without cross classing.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Crusader Spec for Paladins.

[ceall]

cross-classing? no, please no!

cross-speccing? maybe, if we go back in time to play cata again. (shadow with dark archangel comes to mind). so no, not possible anymore.

[Gallahadd]

I think it's a fun idea, but would cause a fuckton of problems, many of which would be insurmountable...

That said, if they did put them in game, I would 100% roll prot Paladin enhance shaman cross.

Imagine a prot pally with Truthguard in one hand and the Doomhammer in the other. Maintaining Flametongue and Boulderfist, getting windfury procs and unleashing wolves, while also dropping conc for AoE and using SHoR and LoTP to keep myself alive.

Too much fun.

Maybe they can do that for WoW2?