will there be another physical ranged class ?

[Destil]

Less new classes, more focus on current ones. There is enough overlap as it is.

There will never be balance throughout the classes.

Due to the PVE focus of the game, PVP can't be balanced.

And due to the PVP focus of the game, PVE can't be balanced.

We can't have both and also have balance.

Once people realize this, we can move on from making a huge deal of it.

Adding new classes to the game gives it a new flavor, along with more stuff for people to do, and peak their interest in the game again.

[Korrah]

I think the demonhunter will be using Agility mail for one specc, int mail for one specc and int plate for one specc :3
Just a hounch :3

[Ninaran]

The Hunter really has all of the bow/gun/crossbow design space. It'd be very hard to add something that didn't feel like it's treading over ground the Hunter already has staked out.

I mean, what would a non-Hunter bow/gun/crossbow class look like?

Well, Paladins, Warriors, Death Knights and sometimes even Rogues all use the same weapons, so I see no problem with another bow/gun/crossbow user tbh.

[bionics]

Although 99% of people on this site speculate since the next expansion is most likely Burning Legion the class will be Demon Hunter, I for one think the class with be a Plate Healer/Ranged .

Why? Because there needs to be a better balance for Plate Intellect gear.

The only class that uses it are Paladins, and currently we have too many Leather wearers in game now IMO, along with far too many Melee classes.

Something about a ranged plate wearing damage dealer seems so bad ass; although probably too similar to the archangels from Diablo from a lorewise perspective. Blizzard could pull it off, but I don't think it's happening. Demon Hunter seems most logical, although I'm hoping for something more unique and surprising.

[Luciferiuz]

I really doubt it. And the issue is the physicality of physical damage.

The Hunter really has all of the bow/gun/crossbow design space. It'd be very hard to add something that didn't feel like it's treading over ground the Hunter already has staked out.

I mean, what would a non-Hunter bow/gun/crossbow class look like? Well, first off, no pet. But beyond not using the traditional Hunter tropes, what do we have left? Archer types in other games have typically had one of two styles, the hail-of-arrows sort that pelt enemies with an innumerable quantity of pointy bits of metal, or the elemental shooter, that fires shots powered by fire and lightning and whatnot. The Hunter has both of those already.

That leaves some other non-bow/gun/crossbow design. Which leaves basically only thrown weapons, since there really aren't any other options for physical damage at range, and throwers as a class is a really hard proposition.

Look at the Demon Hunter class in *shudder* Diablo 3 and then blend that with the way Monk weapons function.

If we get a class that utilizes explosives, nets and traps a lot more than the hunter currently does, as well as using ranged weapon as a stat stick and for some specific abilities then I think there is plenty of space for an interesting role and set of abilities to be drawn up.

[Mormolyce]

They won't make a ranged tree for Rogues because that doesn't fit with WoW's Rogue concept. Also they don't give existing classes new roles out of the blue.

I doubt they'll create another class that uses bows/xbows/guns because anything you come up with there is really too similar to a Hunter.

[Felfury]

I would've liked something akin to an Engineer, battle-technician, call it what you want. It's physical, bleeds/burns and ranged.

[Mormolyce]

There will never be balance throughout the classes.

Due to the PVE focus of the game, PVP can't be balanced.

And due to the PVP focus of the game, PVE can't be balanced.

We can't have both and also have balance.

Once people realize this, we can move on from making a huge deal of it.

Adding new classes to the game gives it a new flavor, along with more stuff for people to do, and peak their interest in the game again.

Not really. PVP has little impact on PVE balance, and while PVE restricts the PVP design space really the biggest thing throwing out PVP balance is the massive talent redesign.

Long-term balance in WoW is mostly adversely affected by two problems - constant redesign of the game mechanics and the avoidance of class homogeneity. Both of which are good things. If Blizzard didn't fix long running issues with the classes and innovate with them we'd be stuck with clunky outdated class concepts (go have a look at a Vanilla talent tree some time if you want the shock of your life!). Similarly if they let the classes get too homogeneous the game would be boring. The consequence of this is that balance is a constantly evolving thing in WoW. The game starts every expansion broken as hell but by the end it's pretty well balanced.

[Raybourne]

Burning Legion expansion, Demon Hunter Hero Class. Anything else would be blasphemous.

the demon hunter wouldn't have any abilities

---------- Post added 2013-01-09 at 12:23 AM ----------

There will never be balance throughout the classes.

Due to the PVE focus of the game, PVP can't be balanced.

And due to the PVP focus of the game, PVE can't be balanced.

We can't have both and also have balance.

Once people realize this, we can move on from making a huge deal of it.

Adding new classes to the game gives it a new flavor, along with more stuff for people to do, and peak their interest in the game again.

He's talking overlap between classes though, which is in fact getting a bit high these days.

[Kharli]

Not really. PVP has little impact on PVE balance, and while PVE restricts the PVP design space really the biggest thing throwing out PVP balance is the massive talent redesign.

Long-term balance in WoW is mostly adversely affected by two problems - constant redesign of the game mechanics and the avoidance of class homogeneity. Both of which are good things. If Blizzard didn't fix long running issues with the classes and innovate with them we'd be stuck with clunky outdated class concepts (go have a look at a Vanilla talent tree some time if you want the shock of your life!). Similarly if they let the classes get too homogeneous the game would be boring. The consequence of this is that balance is a constantly evolving thing in WoW. The game starts every expansion broken as hell but by the end it's pretty well balanced.

er..*points to rouges talent tree* 80%* of the talents is PVP based. thus makeing it more or less POINTLESS to chose any other talents.
%*=roughly
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OT:if it would be a new class, this is just me hopeing.. They add a class where two specs relay on Mail armour and one on plate, lets call the class Demon Hunter, one spec is named tracker(PH), the second (what ever it was in D3) and the Third Templar(or what ever fits PH)
Templar=uses Plate and dual-weilding 1h weapons ala frost DK.
Tracker= uses there tool-kit to well uh track and kill demons I guesss with magical arrows(I KNOW hunters has them!)? - Mail int
???? (PH) = uses close quater combat two handed weapon like Polearms and axes etc - Mail Agi