Every new expansion comes with a new flagship feature, be it a new pair of races or a new class to play. In Warlords of Draenor, we receive neither, though the model update is godsend, people are going to be expecting something big for the next expansion. This is why, instead of a new race or a new class, I am suggesting the implementation of a 4th specialization for all existing classes, excluding Druids. These specializations are based around already existing playstyles, and all are well within the bounds of the lore.
To begin, I’d like to introduce a new specialization role that 3 of these 4th specs fill. This role is, for the time being, is known as the Heals per Damage, or HPD. HPD players already exist within World of Warcraft, those players who choose the Atonement Disc or Fistweaving playstyles over traditional specialization roles. In ideal situations, an HPD player would have half the healing and half the dps output of an equally geared player. Unfortunately, these playstyles, as popular as they are, are not fully fleshed out and hardly viable in normal raid situations, which is why they are the fourth specs for their respective classes.
Pre Q&A
Q: 10 more specs would be an absolute nightmare to develop! A regular class is only 3 specs!
A: While 10 specs seems daunting, the development of 1 spec onto an already existing class requires nowhere near the resources required to develop an entirely new one on top of an entirely new class from scratch. Not to mention, with a new class comes the development of class archetypes, baseline abilities, armor themes, that would not be required with 4th specialization.
Q: But there are already too many classes! Any more would cause the game to feel homogenized!
A: Which is why I’ve taken some pretty extreme measures to make sure that every spec feels unique in comparison to the already existing specializations. An additional spec would breathe new life into every existing class, and open the door to new PvP and Raid compositions.
Q: Blizzard can’t balance 3 specs, no way they can handle 4!
A: I have high hopes for Holinka, I think he can manage.
Q: I would rather have a new class instead! Nobody will even play the fourth specs!
A: Many of the new specs are based on playstyles that many people have played over the ages, unfortunately many of them fell off due to being unviable in end-game content. Examples are Atonement Disc DPS, Fistweavers, Shockadins, Shaman Tanks, Warlock Tanks, Prot DPS, etc. Not to mention, the character select screen can’t hold any more new classes, as a result, players are going to have to make the new class on a connected realm, and that sucks.
Q: Why would half a healer and half a dps ever be useful?
A: HPD would allow for a more dynamic raid and pvp compositions, and would be well suited for raids that lack damage and don’t want to sacrifice healing, and vice versa. Two HPD players would hypothetically bring just as much to the table as one full DPS and one full healer, so balance in not a terrible issue. The same can be said for PvP.
Q: I want Ogres and Arrakoa instead!
A: I agree. Ogres and Arrakoa kick ass.
Without further ado, here are the new specializations.
A Gladiator has devoted himself to the mastery of close combat. This single-minded devotion to weaponry and fighting styles makes him much feared by his enemies who cross him, and close allies to those who manage to befriend him. A gladiator prides himself on having equal proficiency over every weapon imaginable, including shields to bash even the mightiest of their foes. Gladiators strive to become peerless experts in the arms of their choice, and with their weapon in hand and their dauntless shield equipped, the Gladiator carves a swatch through all foes.
Gladiator: Sword and Board DPS, based on the Gladiator Stance introduced in Warlords of Draenor. Damage is based on a modified Protection rotation, for example with Shield Block being replaced by Shield Charge.
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Primals are those hunters who revel in their bestial rage and give into it completely. As they slowly take on an increasingly beast-like appearance, they also gain powerful and violent abilities. They hold to the notion that each and every living soul is haunted by a beastly force, and that those who accept this fact can eventually ascend to another level of existence - one that is more primitive, but also more connected to nature and the animal kingdom. Though very few can fathom the existence of this whimsical force, primeval characters strive to unlock its secrets. They call this pristine essence "the beast within". Primals believe that once someone has accepted the beast within himself, he must learn not to suppress it — as most civilized folks were brought up to do. Indeed, the character must welcome it into his heart and soul in order to call upon it in times of need. Thus, primals can tap this essence and channel the instincts, strength, and fury only the beast within can provide.
Primal: Dual Wield Melee DPS, based on Rexxar and the Warcraft RPG Beastmasters, are fighters who battle in close quarters alongside their animal companions. As ranged weapons are not equipped, Primal Hunters gain a set of powerful melee abilities, as well as beneficial pet abilities.
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The Dark ranger is a cunning hero, adept at manipulating opponents. Dark rangers are silent and invisible stalkers of the shadows, felling unsuspecting opponents with a single arrow. Dark rangers favor the bow over blades as the ultimate weapon, using the same arts that Quel'Thalas taught for millennia. Their abilities work with manipulating the essences of life and death, as well as various horrible poisons and dark energies. Like Rogues the Dark ranger fades into dark conditions, wrapping themselves in the shadows. The skilled Dark ranger can notice the tiny movements of her enemies along with other visual and auditory cues that allow them to react more quickly in combat.
Dark Ranger: Ranged DPS, based on the Warcraft RPG Rangers, as well as Dark Rangers are stealthy fighters who wait in the shadow for the perfect moment to fire an arrow into their enemies heart. Still capable of stealth, but incapable of using their melee attacks, Rangers gain a set of ranged abilities but still retain their core themes, such as poisoning their arrows and firing incapacitating shots.
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Demon Hunters are dark, shadowy warriors who are shunned by the greater Night Elf society. They made a pact, long ago, to fight against the forces of chaos using its own terrible powers against it. These mysterious warriors ritually blind themselves so that they develop 'spectral sight' that enables them to see demons and undead with greater clarity. They wield demonically charged warblades in battle and even call upon demonic energies to augment their formidable combat skills. Although they are counted as some of the mightiest warriors within the Night Elves' society, the Demon Hunters are always maligned and misunderstood for making their selfless pact with darkness.
Demon Hunter: Tank, based on the Glyph of Demon Hunting, which grants Warlocks with the ability Dark Apotheosis, which allows Warlocks to tank. The usual Dark Apotheosis abilities and rotations remain, but gain a set of defensive and threat increasing abilities as well as proper taunts.
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An Earthwarder practices a form of magic known as geomancy. Geomancy is a practice of divination and elemental combat native to several humanoid races of Azeroth. It is similar to shamanism in that disciples of geomancy wield the powers of the earth and a lust of knowledge towards the secrets of the earth’s spirits. The sacred duty of the geomancer is to understand the lay of the land, to study the natural terrain for clues as to the nature and disposition of the spirits within it. Yet the geomancers do more than simply examine the spirits of the lands; they also work to appease them. Through the use of rituals, songs, and sacrifices, the geomancers attempt to propitiate the spirits, lulling them into complacency with attention and honor.
Should this process fail, the geomancers are not above manipulating the very nature of the spirits to defend themselves from their foes.
Earthward: Tank, based on the Earth elemental which acts as a tank, utilizes earth based abilities, such as Rockbiter weapon to increase threat. Geomancers gain a set of defensive abilities and taunts in order to effectively tank.
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Time is a progression of instants. This movement is ordinarily perceived by mortals as regular and determinant, functioning much like a clockwork; yet perception does not dictate reality: time is chaotic, always in flux, and completely malleable, flowing like the sands of an hourglass. The arcane art of weaving time is called chronomancy. This discipline fall under the school of Transmutation, allowing the de-acceleration of events and even reversing some events entirely, among other possibilities. Learning from the Timeweavers, menders of the timeways found within the ranks of the Timewalkers, Mages have discovered a unique method of aiding their friends in battle.
Chrono: Damage reversal Healer, based on Chronomancy. Unlike traditional healers, Chrono mages heal their allies by reversing damage done instead of healing for static values. They can also fire projectiles carrying wards and other magical shields towards their allies to supplement their timeweaving.
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Atonement priests are elite divine spellcasters. Every priest desires to attain the title of high divinist. To reach this level of magical understanding is to, in a small way, transcend mortal existence. As they gain power, divine spellcasters gradually see more and more of the fundamental nature of their magic. They cast greater spells that draw upon more intense facets of their faith. Such understanding comes to all priests eventually, but some move beyond these tokens to true revelation. These are the Atonement priests, living icons of the entities or beliefs they represent. Their foes approach them with wariness, for while they may be able to predict the actions of a normal priest, an Atonement priest possesses unknown abilities.
Atonement: HPD, based on the current Atonement DPS playstyle. By healing through dealing damage, Atonement Priests are already a popular playstyle amongst the priest community, unfortunately their current state only exists as a filler rotation during low damage phases.
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Exorcists are paladins who view the holy light as not only as a catalyst for healing, but as a powerful offensive weapon as well. Unlike their brothers in arms, Exorcists prefer to take a step back from the front lines, and burn the word of law into their foes while keeping an eye on the well being of their allies. Clad in heavy armor, these paladins make for undaunting spellcasters and peerless allies who turn the tide on any battlefield.
Exorcist: HPD, based on the Shockadin playstle. Long beloved by Paladins, they can juggle between dealing damage and healing their allies, utilizing an iconic rotation consisting of Denouce, Judgement, Holy Shock and other new abilities to supplement their unique playstyle.
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Necromancers are mortal practitioners of death magic, commonly referred to as necromancy. Channeling their knowledge of the arcane into manipulation of the forces of life and death, these men and women were instrumental in the forming of the Scourge in Lordaeron. Necromancers are spellcasters whose magics manipulate the power of death. In calling upon this power, necromancers risk being consumed by it — until eventually they join the ranks of the undead. Commanding the undead, now in the service of the Death Knights, they gradually take on the characteristics of the dead — hollow eyes, shambling gaits, pallid and sunken skin, foul odors and so forth.
Necromancer: Summon based Ranged DPS, based on the Necromancers of the Scourge. These death knights seek to enhance their domination over lesser undead, and master the dark art of necromancy. While continuing to use existing DK abilities such as Frost Fever/Blood Plague, death coil, death and decay, and army of the dead, Necromancers choose from an array of undead minions to summon, such as Abominations, Bone Golems and Crypt Fiends.
tl;dr skeletons. lots of skeletons. zerg rush skeletons.
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Monks are by all accounts graceful and skilled warriors. Their Cranedancers epitomize the pandaren art of warfare — and for the Cranedancers, battle is indeed an art. Their title does not come coincidentally. Their movements are precise and fluid; they appear to dance through a battlefield, their fists weaving gracefully, and bodies toppling as they move. While Cranedancers are deadly, they, like all pandaren, are inherently peaceful. The greatest hope of the Cranedancer is to not have to use his skills. However, in Azeroth’s current age, the Cranedancers’ skills are needed more than ever. Cranedancers move out to confront demons, undead and other horrid creatures, their hearts lightened by the thought that, through their battles, other creatures will live — perhaps, other creatures will never know battle.
Cranedancer: HPD, based on the Fistweaver playstyle. Similar to Atonement Priests, the current state of Fistweavers is that they are only really useful during low damage phases, so Cranedancers would bring a fully fleshed out version of their playstyle to the table. In Warlords of Draenor, Monks are receiving a Crane Stance to supplement Fistweavers. I hope for the Cranedancer to be a full fledged Fistweaver spec.