Why they are hesitant to make new classes/specs

[Vaelanor]

Hello everyone, just wanted to share a thought I had about why Blizzard is hesitant to make more classes or add new specs. I feel that if, more like when they do, they're issue is obviously about balancing the new class/spec around the current ones without having the vocal minority blasting them constantly on every WoW website. This happens now anyway, but it just makes their job harder knowing they must do this balancing act. It wasn't always like this, they used to not care about viability for everyone, even though some classes and specs were complete shit. They didn't care that your PvP spec or pve spec didn't work in the other place, or that your class couldn't do certain things. But now that they do, its hard to balance everything. I think that if they didn't care so much, we would've gotten tinkers and demon hunters and other classes already. What do you guys think?

Typed on my phone so errors possible.

[Ciddy]

I'm fine with sacrificing new classes/specs to make sure the ones we have stay at least somewhat viable.

[Lochton]

I'm fine with sacrificing new classes/specs to make sure the ones we have stay at least somewhat viable.

Would gladly see that as well, cut out the chances of classes and add chances of a new specc for current classes *cuoghs* Templar for Paladins *coughs*

[Yzyz]

Hello everyone, just wanted to share a thought I had about why Blizzard is hesitant to make more classes or add new specs. I feel that if, more like when they do, they're issue is obviously about balancing the new class/spec around the current ones without having the vocal minority blasting them constantly on every WoW website. This happens now anyway, but it just makes their job harder knowing they must do this balancing act. It wasn't always like this, they used to not care about viability for everyone, even though some classes and specs were complete shit. They didn't care that your PvP spec or pve spec didn't work in the other place, or that your class couldn't do certain things. But now that they do, its hard to balance everything. I think that if they didn't care so much, we would've gotten tinkers and demon hunters and other classes already. What do you guys think?

Typed on my phone so errors possible.

Not to burst your bubble here but that is almost common knowledge at this point lol. Blizzard has stated many times the problems they have with balancing especially when introducing a new class. They admitted struggling with DKs but I'd say they did better with Monks. New classes aren't an easy thing to implement. You have new spells, new mechanics, new graphics, new animations, new talents, new CDs, new everything. Then, you can't just think about that new class, you have to take into consideration how that class will sync with other classes. They may look perfectly in line with other classes but as soon as you put them in a raid situation, they may synchronize too well and become too OP or under powered.

There are just too many variables to test and consider to be releasing one every expac. We are on pace for one every other expac and that is more than fine. As a player who has seen it all from Vanilla to WoD, maining multiple classes, I would take class balance focus over a new class any day of the week.

[Katchii]

To answer just the title of the thread:

Because it takes a shit load of time to create, develop and balance a new class alongside the classes that already exist (and some of which are still in pretty bad shape). There are 34 specs in the game right now, and every single one needs to be balanced, tweaked, rebalanced, and updated fairly consistently to ensure one spec doesn't get too far ahead or behind the others.

Adding in another class would make it take even longer than it does now.

It's not really hesitation, it's understanding their limits.

[thatguy181]

I'd gladly pass on new classes in exchange for a fourth spec for all (Sorry Druids, you get nothing, maybe a graphical update to your Boomkin).

In my ideal world, this fourth spec would be something that your class currently doesn't have the option to do. No more "pure dps" classes would exist, they'd all get either a tanking or healing spec.

That being said, adding a new spec poses just as many balance issues as adding a new class so I'm pretty sure that a fourth spec for all will sadly never happen. If Blizzard is going to spend that much time on something, I expect they'd see more value added in the form of a new class.

[Deleted]

Hello everyone, just wanted to share a thought I had about why Blizzard is hesitant to make more classes or add new specs. I feel that if, more like when they do, they're issue is obviously about balancing the new class/spec around the current ones without having the vocal minority blasting them constantly on every WoW website. This happens now anyway, but it just makes their job harder knowing they must do this balancing act. It wasn't always like this, they used to not care about viability for everyone, even though some classes and specs were complete shit. They didn't care that your PvP spec or pve spec didn't work in the other place, or that your class couldn't do certain things. But now that they do, its hard to balance everything. I think that if they didn't care so much, we would've gotten tinkers and demon hunters and other classes already. What do you guys think?

Typed on my phone so errors possible.

They are going full retard as it is (current discipline design, for instance). With more options to mess up, they would mess up even more.
Inbalanced game is not fun.

[Deleted]

They admitted struggling with DKs but I'd say they did better with Monks. New classes aren't an easy thing to implement. You have new spells, new mechanics, new graphics, new animations, new talents, new CDs, new everything.

They didn't really do a much better job with Monks. Windwalkers were only really ok in T15 (thanks to a retard trinket from the last boss), Mistweavers were OP as hell for T14 and parts of T15 but shit for the rest of the expansion. Only Brewmasters were balanced for the entire expansion. WoD is the first time that all 3 specs were all relatively balanced.


At this point in time I also pretty much agree that other than the obvious difficulty in balancing yet another three specs into the clusterfuck that we already have, finding a suitable niche for these new specs to fill would be pretty hard.

[Aliessil]

Only Brewmasters were balanced for the entire expansion. WoD is the first time that all 3 specs were all relatively balanced.

Erm .. within weeks of 5.4 going live, Brewmasters received a flat 15% nerf to everything - not exactly well-balanced then :-p

As to the main focus of the thread - we might get another class in the next expansion, possibly. I very much doubt we'd see a 4th spec for each class though - that's the equivalent of another 3-4 classes. Given how much they struggle to balance what we have already, that'll never happen.