Why Dark Ranger will be the next class added to World of Warcraft.

[Daethz]

I hope so, a hunter without pets entirely dedicated to ranged combat, ill reroll away from my hunter.

[Bas Prime]

I wouldn't mind getting a Blademaster, they'll just have to differentiate from Arms Warriors who pretty much took all of the original Blademaster's abilities. They'll probably have to do something like they did with Demo Locks when DHs came out.

With that said, I want the next class to have ranged DPS and healing specs to off set the current crazy high amount of melee specs and lack of heals.

Something like a Bard with ranged/melee/heal specs or Runemaster with 2 ranged and a heal spec would be ideal.

Many say that, and yes, the Warrior has some abillities. Monk and Rogue, too. Bladestorm has to be taken away, but Warriors have a lot of aoe attacks, and ravager could become baseline. Warrior is a class, that I hope gets a 4th spec, the Gladiator spec, fleshed out. Would work much better.
I think the Blademaster (and therefore many of the ideas and suggestions other players hope for) have a uniqueness to them, from the feel, from the theme, that can not be added to an already existing class.
And I agree, that there needs to be some range option for fans of range specs. I just dont see a magic one, (and have not read a suggestion for one that really convinces me) besides the Tinker (Tank, Heal, RDD). I would love to see the Necromancer, but thats more a 4th spec for the Death Knight, who could get the range spec. These 4th spec should make sense, so a Blademaster for example would only get two (Tank, Melee) a Demon Hunter should also stay on two (this opens up some good options and possibilities for new classes, not having to find or create a rather not fitting 3rd spec). But if it fits, there could be a lot good options. A earth based Tank Shaman, a time based mage healer, Warlock Tank, Glad Warrior, Range spell Monk and Paladin, and the list goes on.
It would be great, if it would be a combination of fitting Hero Classes, and 4th specs for some classes. Not necassarily at the same time.
Leaving out the "has to fit the expansion" "rule" a patch could solve the introduction. I mean Mag'har bring Blademasters with them, it is right there in the video. If you are as obsesses as myself with a class, you see pop up hints everywhere. Its tragic..=)

[Hyde]

• Of all the directions they could take Alleria's story, they decide to make her involved with The Void. And then she joins the Alliance. It's almost like they want to add Dark Ranger, but had no representative leader on the Alliance side... so they shoe-horned that in.
• The Windrunner sisters are meeting amongst themselves regardless of faction allegiance. This can allow Blizzard to create a single starting area for both faction Dark Rangers, sanctuary-style, where both Alleria and Sylvanas train their Dark Ranger apprentices. This would be similar to the other hero class starting experiences.
• Dark Ranger teased in Hunter order hall with the hidden quest.
• Dark Ranger teased in Seething Shore by Nathanos.
• We only have 2 mail classes right now.
• We only have 1 class that uses Bows, Guns and Crossbows.
• Dark Ranger is arguably the most requested remaining hero class from WC3 after Demon Hunter - which was a huge success.
• Blizzard originally looked like they were going to add Dark Ranger style abilities to Marksmanship Hunter: 'Dark Ranger', 'Exotic Munitions' and other magical arrows for example - but were later removed. They also temporarily removed Arcane Shot on the BFA beta because I think they are intending to anyway because the Dark Ranger is currently in the works right now. I predict they will remove it in the next expansion after BFA when Dark Rangers are added, similar to how Demonology Warlocks were changed to give clear thematic room for the Demon Hunter (Meta).
• I believe the interactions we'll have with Vol'jin (and I don't know anything about BFA content story wise yet) - to allow for a more troll-like Shadow Hunter themed spec. The other two will likely be themed around Sylvanas and Alleria. Possibly even a Warden, Shadow of Vengeance melee spec.
• The lore events in Stormheim appear to be building up to a new round of Dark Rangers - possibly explaining how the other races could be inducted into the ranks.
• The next expansion appears to very likely be Shadow or Old God themed, and we're getting hints the LK may return. If Legion was BC 2.0, the next expansion after BFA might be Wrath 2.0.

So all hero classes start with the letter D?

- - - Updated - - -

That sound far more like a new Hunter Spec than an entirely new class...

isnt that people assumed about DH another warlock's spec?

- - - Updated - - -

I hope so, a hunter without pets entirely dedicated to ranged combat, ill reroll away from my hunter.

Lone Wolf MM hunter dont use pets and Dark Rangers actually use skeletal pets.

[Rhamses]

Many say that, and yes, the Warrior has some abillities. Monk and Rogue, too. Bladestorm has to be taken away, but Warriors have a lot of aoe attacks, and ravager could become baseline. Warrior is a class, that I hope gets a 4th spec, the Gladiator spec, fleshed out. Would work much better.
I think the Blademaster (and therefore many of the ideas and suggestions other players hope for) have a uniqueness to them, from the feel, from the theme, that can not be added to an already existing class.
And I agree, that there needs to be some range option for fans of range specs. I just dont see a magic one, (and have not read a suggestion for one that really convinces me) besides the Tinker (Tank, Heal, RDD). I would love to see the Necromancer, but thats more a 4th spec for the Death Knight, who could get the range spec. These 4th spec should make sense, so a Blademaster for example would only get two (Tank, Melee) a Demon Hunter should also stay on two (this opens up some good options and possibilities for new classes, not having to find or create a rather not fitting 3rd spec). But if it fits, there could be a lot good options. A earth based Tank Shaman, a time based mage healer, Warlock Tank, Glad Warrior, Range spell Monk and Paladin, and the list goes on.
It would be great, if it would be a combination of fitting Hero Classes, and 4th specs for some classes. Not necassarily at the same time.
Leaving out the "has to fit the expansion" "rule" a patch could solve the introduction. I mean Mag'har bring Blademasters with them, it is right there in the video. If you are as obsesses as myself with a class, you see pop up hints everywhere. Its tragic..=)

I think the major problem you have in all of these discussions is that the Tinker is just about the only character concept left from WC3 that doesn't feel like a 4th spec to an existing class.

[Thimagryn]

As long as they can find a good theme for an expansion to incorporate Tinkers, they will be fine. But all signs point to a fight with the Void Lords so not sure how Blizzard will fit that in.

I mean people made the argument of the Legion using tech so Tinkers can fit, but they went with the 4th Warlock spec instead

[Orby]

Tinker or bust :P

[Rhamses]

As long as they can find a good theme for an expansion to incorporate Tinkers, they will be fine. But all signs point to a fight with the Void Lords so not sure how Blizzard will fit that in.

I mean people made the argument of the Legion using tech so Tinkers can fit, but they went with the 4th Warlock spec instead

I'm still hoping for the Undermine Expansion!

[Thimagryn]

I'm still hoping for the Undermine Expansion!

Would be a fun patch raid or zone, but not sure it'd be very appealing to the general audience as a full expo.

[Directionalk9]

As long as they can find a good theme for an expansion to incorporate Tinkers, they will be fine. But all signs point to a fight with the Void Lords so not sure how Blizzard will fit that in.

I mean people made the argument of the Legion using tech so Tinkers can fit, but they went with the 4th Warlock spec instead

I think there are plenty of expansion themes out there that don't have to touch on Void at all, one that feels tailor suited to Tinker like Legion to DH or Wrath to DK however, less so.

Honestly and expac like BfA seems to be the best place to plug in a Tinker. Dark Rangers seem primed to pop up in a Void expac, just like DK and DH, use the power of the enemy against them.

[Thimagryn]

I think there are plenty of expansion themes out there that don't have to touch on Void at all, one that feels tailor suited to Tinker like Legion to DH or Wrath to DK however, less so.

Honestly and expac like BfA seems to be the best place to plug in a Tinker. Dark Rangers seem primed to pop up in a Void expac, just like DK and DH, use the power of the enemy against them.

It'll definitely be interesting to see what comes after BFA.

[Bas Prime]

I think the major problem you have in all of these discussions is that the Tinker is just about the only character concept left from WC3 that doesn't feel like a 4th spec to an existing class.

I get your point, and I will take my example, the Blademaster to answer that. Warriors and Monks (maybe Rogues) could all be a candidate for a 4th Blademaster spec. Just for the arguement.
First, the look.
Warriors wearing plate, mostly covered every part of they body, because they charge right into the fray. Monks come very close. Rogues are also close, but a flag on their back, to show their positions is counter productive. Blademasters, wearing very little armor, to show they enemies, that they believe in their skill, having the orb necklace and the flag on the back is very eye catching.
The theme
Blademasters are honorable (we dont talk about the demon blood infused mindless ones) direct and at balance. Does not sound like a warrior, more like a monk. They use stealth and hard hitting strikes to dispose of their enemies, and blind / irritate them with they mirror images. They move swift in combat and over the battle field to strike at their targets or complete their mission.
the class ingame
Blademaster could work as Melee and Tank. Melee. Brewmaster tank, and protection tank are very different from a possible Blademaster tank spec. This spec could rely on dodging, parrying, being not where the enemy expected, using mirror images (2 images, damage reduced to a third for x seconds), mirage (damage reduced because moving to fast for x amounts) and even windwalk (something like a paladin shield) to stop attackers from hitting them. Bladestorm could also used defensivly as a parry mechanic.
abilitites already given to other classes
This is of course a thing. Bladestorm is the most iconic ability of the Blademaster given to the Warrior. And I can imagine that Blizz wanted to give cool abilities to the existing classes. Sure, Bladestorm to the Warrior. But you can easily take away Bladestorm from the warrior. Warrior still has enough cleave and aoe abilities, and Ravager for example could become baseline instead of Bladestorm. Given how they did the same with Metamorphosis I think they are open to this way.
The potential
Just adding a 4th spec works when it fits. Gladiator would fit much more better to the Warrior, than Blademaster. A range spell spec would far more better fit to the monk, who based his abilitites on the animal beings. A Blademaster (or therefore every other suggestion of a new hero class) done right, would work as a whole class in my opinion. Samuro in HotS is already a good template, some tweaking and you have a full fletched hero class. Two specs is enough, and it would bring more variety to the game. I personally would not mind if they add 5 more hero classes and a 4th spec to many classes. There are good ideas out there.

At the end, I see the Tinker in the top 3 possible new hero classes. Who does not want to heal their allies with grenades and boms? Sound awesome, if done the way I read about it. And there is (again, in my opinion) no arguement against a Tinker, Blademaster or other class. The only thing that matters is, that Blizz wants to put it in the game. Sure, I wish for a Blademaster, I transmog most of my classes to get a close match. But there is no class that comes close to being a Blademaster.

- - - Updated - - -

As long as they can find a good theme for an expansion to incorporate Tinkers, they will be fine. But all signs point to a fight with the Void Lords so not sure how Blizzard will fit that in.

I mean people made the argument of the Legion using tech so Tinkers can fit, but they went with the 4th Warlock spec instead

I think they should stop connecting a class to the expansion theme. This is a good thing, but honeslty, It does not really matter that much. A content patch could do, to introduce the new hero class. Even combined with comics, or the comic videos they did for the Warchiefs of Draenor would work. Have a questline, ending in a well done scenario and you have an introduction for the class. You tell how the iconic leaders of the class join the factions, and then you open up the class for the playerbase. "We train new xy for the Horde / Alliance. - Oh well gee thank you, we could use that!"
remember sunwalkers or troll druids?

[Linkedblade]

If going by the teases/easter eggs that Blizzard is always fond of foreshadowing, yes, you may be on to it.

However,

NO. MORE. DARK. hero CLASSES.

Also, much like death knights, don't you have to die and be risen in order to be a dark ranger? Of all the crossover between the 2 classes, this seems like the biggest.

He's mixing dark ranger and shadow Hunter.

[Thimagryn]

Without a connection, players lack a goal to achieve. Without a goal, players consider the class with passing interest. Why are DK and DH cool? Because they were deemed a necessary part of defeating the Lich King and the Legion. What about Monks? Well they just joined because we landed on their island. Not a strong motivation to roll this class unless its something you really wanted or you have a passing interest in trying.

The Tinker shouldvbe valued and have a sense of necessity, otherwise it just ends up being fanwank for gnome and goblin lovers.

[Razion]

Warden is more interesting and has more fantasy than Dark Ranger, imo, and would also be a mail class.
I personally think Dark Ranger doesn't easily have enough room for more specs, whereas I think Warden does, but to each their own I guess.

Also can we not have another class with an iteration of "Hunter" as a second word after it? It's terrible naming convention.

[globenstine]

• Of all the directions they could take Alleria's story, they decide to make her involved with The Void. And then she joins the Alliance. It's almost like they want to add Dark Ranger, but had no representative leader on the Alliance side... so they shoe-horned that in.
• The Windrunner sisters are meeting amongst themselves regardless of faction allegiance. This can allow Blizzard to create a single starting area for both faction Dark Rangers, sanctuary-style, where both Alleria and Sylvanas train their Dark Ranger apprentices. This would be similar to the other hero class starting experiences.
• Dark Ranger teased in Hunter order hall with the hidden quest.
• Dark Ranger teased in Seething Shore by Nathanos.
• We only have 2 mail classes right now.
• We only have 1 class that uses Bows, Guns and Crossbows.
• Dark Ranger is arguably the most requested remaining hero class from WC3 after Demon Hunter - which was a huge success.
• Blizzard originally looked like they were going to add Dark Ranger style abilities to Marksmanship Hunter: 'Dark Ranger', 'Exotic Munitions' and other magical arrows for example - but were later removed. They also temporarily removed Arcane Shot on the BFA beta because I think they are intending to anyway because the Dark Ranger is currently in the works right now. I predict they will remove it in the next expansion after BFA when Dark Rangers are added, similar to how Demonology Warlocks were changed to give clear thematic room for the Demon Hunter (Meta).
• I believe the interactions we'll have with Vol'jin (and I don't know anything about BFA content story wise yet) - to allow for a more troll-like Shadow Hunter themed spec. The other two will likely be themed around Sylvanas and Alleria. Possibly even a Warden, Shadow of Vengeance melee spec.
• The lore events in Stormheim appear to be building up to a new round of Dark Rangers - possibly explaining how the other races could be inducted into the ranks.
• The next expansion appears to very likely be Shadow or Old God themed, and we're getting hints the LK may return. If Legion was BC 2.0, the next expansion after BFA might be Wrath 2.0.

you do realize dark rangers are just undead hunters that got a little banshee juice from sylvanas right? Black Arrow is literally the dark rangers signature ability, has been since warcraft days.

[Rhamses]

Without a connection, players lack a goal to achieve. Without a goal, players consider the class with passing interest. Why are DK and DH cool? Because they were deemed a necessary part of defeating the Lich King and the Legion. What about Monks? Well they just joined because we landed on their island. Not a strong motivation to roll this class unless its something you really wanted or you have a passing interest in trying.

The Tinker shouldvbe valued and have a sense of necessity, otherwise it just ends up being fanwank for gnome and goblin lovers.

Monks also started at level 1, and got heavy nerfs right out of the gate. Their healing spec is still a mess and gets upended each expansion.

However, I would argue that despite their population numbers, Monks were a far better class inclusion than DKs or especially DHs.

[yetgdhfgh]

If blizz starts to mix and max races and classes and specs then sure why not but for a new class then i seriously doubt it but then i have been wrong before.

[Directionalk9]

Personally I think there isn’t a lot of design room for more new classes, and Blizzard should look at more out of the box ideas.
Dark Ranger/Shadow Hunter
Tinker
Chronomancer(?)
Are the only classes I truly see room left for.

Mirrored classes or shared “Hero-Spec” feel like a better answer rather than new class and uhg, fourth specs.

[Cyero]

That sound far more like a new Hunter Spec than an entirely new class...

Agreed, at best it feels like a 4th Hunter spec, we need actual unique classes like Bard Or Tinker

- - - Updated - - -

If going by the teases/easter eggs that Blizzard is always fond of foreshadowing, yes, you may be on to it.

However,

NO. MORE. DARK. hero CLASSES.

Also, much like death knights, don't you have to die and be risen in order to be a dark ranger? Of all the crossover between the 2 classes, this seems like the biggest.

IT would be amazing for once that we get a hero class that isn't dark and edgy, like an Engineer class.

[Thimagryn]

you do realize dark rangers are just undead hunters that got a little banshee juice from sylvanas right? Black Arrow is literally the dark rangers signature ability, has been since warcraft days.

And that signature ability is being removed from hunters in bfa.

- - - Updated - - -

Personally I think there isn’t a lot of design room for more new classes, and Blizzard should look at more out of the box ideas.
Dark Ranger/Shadow Hunter
Tinker
Chronomancer(?)
Are the only classes I truly see room left for.

Mirrored classes or shared “Hero-Spec” feel like a better answer rather than new class and uhg, fourth specs.

I think a Dragonsworn would be interesting too, though theres never been any big vocal demand for it. I still think theres room for that at the very least.