Ankoan Blademaster

[Bas Prime]

For fun I made a 4th spec for every class, and designed the Rogue's to be the Blademaster, I really feel like it fit the best.

https://imgur.com/x2iYQBK

I think some of the abilities should be renamed to fit more in the Rogue theme. But in general I don't feel 100% lie Monks or Warriors are the best for it Lore or gameplay wise compared to WC3.

Rogue is also one of the classes that comes up for a close candidate to being a Blademaster. But the whole theme, cheap tricks, not honorable is working against them. Attitudewise they are to different. If we have to put a exisiting class label on the Blademaster, Monk, Warrior and Rogue are the firsts who come to mind. Still they all are very different.
Blizz is on and off with class fantasy and I dont see the Blademaster work with the Rogue. But thats just me. It could very well work for Blizz if they see that in a different way. If a 4th spec has to go somewhere I would put it to the Monk.
But because none of the existing classes really fit the blademaster theme, thats why I think it should/could work as a new class

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if they ever worked on giving a 4th spec (third for DH?) for classes they could jam blademaster in either the warrior or monk classes I guess, also it's a damn shame we don't see Samuro, he did stick it to the kul'tirans back in the day.

It is also very weird that we dont see him. Blizz did not forget about him, since he is in HotS. And they did not want to make a npc that just stands around for him. OR we would have one in OG. They also decided actively against making the WArrior Trainer in OG and make that Samuro. Instead they created a totally new one (I think it is Wanakada)

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Hypothetically for warrior the specs would be, melee with 1 2hander, melee with 2 2hander, melee with 1 2hander, or tank with shield and 1 1hander?

I dont know why people think warrior is the closest. Alone the point that every race can be a Warrior stops this. Blizz would have to make it an exclusive in some way to give this to a Warrior as a 4th spec. Besides that I think a Gladiator spec would fit much more better to the warrior as a 4th spec

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That doesn’t really separate it at all from Arms then.

Well, you have to look at the toolkit, the theme, the gear. All this separates a Blademaster from an Arms Warrior.
Samuro in Hots is a great template, and he plays very differently compared to a an Arms Warrior.
You would have to work Windwalk into it, Mirror Images, mechanics for dodge, the fire theme for the Burning Blade and a crit mechanic. (just taking stuff from HotS here) Even the Bladestorm has (or could have) a different animation.

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For the love of god can we please introduce a ranged class before we get another melee one.

who says Blizz wont introduce a new range class? I speculate that the tinker will be the next class, and will have a range spec.
Also 4th specs could help with that problem for many classes.

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For the love of god can we please introduce a ranged class before we get another melee one.

What are your ideas about a range class?
I see some 4th spec ideas, like Necromancer for DK, a physical range spec for monk, a mid range spec for rogue. Necromancer could become a whole 2 spec class, possible with a dark healer kind of spec.
In the last years the number of ideas for range specs and therefore hero classes was, at least to me, quite low. Havent seen many that could really work without a massiv overhaul of the class system

[bison91]

Unless this class is a ranged caster, it won't happen. There is literally too many melee classes in the game right now. Hell they took away a ranged class in Legion to make it into a melee class. Ranged literally LOST a class recently!

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BTW next hero class or next "regular" class released will be cloth (caster/healer) or mail (tank) wearing and have 3 specs that are ranged including one that is a healer. Possibly having one of the specs being a ranged tank.

ranged demon hunters? yea right...

[Bas Prime]

ranged demon hunters? yea right...

Tinkers could work with three range specs and mail armor. I would dlike to see that, just to see the people complaining about to many melees to shut up. No offense. A raid does not have to many melees, the raid comp has been chosen by the raidlead, and if there are to many melees he did a bad job. On the other hand not every raid does have a ret paladin or a feral druid. not every melee spec is in every raid. So the amount of melees is not an issue raid wise. On the topic of diversity around range specs, thats another point, but no one says there are not enough range specs, we want more because we love to have more ranges. they say there are too many melees.

concerning Demon Hunter and more specs. I think its fine to have a (or more) class that does not have 3 specs. Some specs are good with two specs. Demon Hunter works finde the way he is imo. Some specs could work with a 4th spec. But i cant see a 4th for every class. and i think blizz should not try to give every class a 4th spec just because some could have a 4th spec. Its ok if there are classes with just three. Should be the minority anyway, since there are a lot of good ideas around here

[Trumpcat]

I disagre on the point that we dont need more classes (paraphrasing your point here). But, if the warrior is given a Blademaster spec i would be cool with that, but it would be a waste of potential. Same as giving the Warlock a Demon Hunter spec.
I think the Blademasters, built for 2 specs, could become an interesting class you are hoping for. That feels unique, that has interesting and fun abilities.
My Problem with Warrior is, that a Gladiator spec would fit much more better. A monk would work much more better with a caster spec. (plus it would add another caster spec to the game) Plus, all the classes have their own feel. But none of them feels like a Blademaster. If you just put the spec into it, (as ok with that as i would be) it still would be wasting a potentially interesting class.

Oh and btw I dont think any of the classes ingame represent or play like a Blademaster. There are abilities in game that look or are very close, but mostly those are cool abilitites given to a class because the Blademaster is not in the game. At least thats my view on the matter

but thats totally different things, as far i know only methamorphosis was taking away from warlocks, and first and foremost, this ability was never a warlock ability back in warcraft thats make sense to do, both classes existed in lore totally different and with their own thing, its not a stretch create a DH

while blademasters were literally an hero warrior.


Fury fill the mountain king option but also the barbarian/berserker not a blademaster, blademaster is totally arms, master of weapons and precise strikes.

monks have nothing to do with blademaster despíte the skill called windwalk who is very different.



this ia agree



Necromancer can be their own class, if they do a good work, the game need a ranged class.

Yeah I agree with you both. We don't have anything that plays like a Blademaster (like a Samurai?) in game, but only hints and abilities in other specs.

My reluctance to suggest more classes, not that Blizzard cares what we talk about here, is that there are already so many specs and many of them don't feel special that adding new classes will further spread and dilute class design. Although you can argue we are near rock bottom considering it's 2019 and comparing WoW classes to what other studios in other games do with classes and abilities. It feels to me that with WoD and Legion classes were on the way of getting more dynamic and modern, but BfA design brought them back 10 years.

There is definitely room for Blademaster and Necromancer and Battlemage/Spellbreaker (my personal favorite) if done well. Just that I seriously doubt the vision and ambition of the dev team to actually deliver a rejuvenated design for all classes that doesn't feel outdated by a decade. I would most definitely love to be proven wrong at Blizzcon/next expansion, but yeah, doubt it.

[Bas Prime]

Bow spec imo. Most demon hunters are night and blood elves that joined Illidan to train in fighting demons. The combat style most of them would be familiar with is archery. Utilizing the demonic skills they gain together with existing expertise only makes sense.

Plus seriously, most demons are killing machines, why on earth would you fight them in melee range???

But do we need that? Is it necessary to add a spec to a class just because there should be more range specs? (not saying that was your arguement). I think it is totally ok if there are classes with only two specs. If Demon Hunter works the way they are, there is no need to ad a third spec.

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Yeah I agree with you both. We don't have anything that plays like a Blademaster (like a Samurai?) in game, but only hints and abilities in other specs.

My reluctance to suggest more classes, not that Blizzard cares what we talk about here, is that there are already so many specs and many of them don't feel special that adding new classes will further spread and dilute class design. Although you can argue we are near rock bottom considering it's 2019 and comparing WoW classes to what other studios in other games do with classes and abilities. It feels to me that with WoD and Legion classes were on the way of getting more dynamic and modern, but BfA design brought them back 10 years.

There is definitely room for Blademaster and Necromancer and Battlemage/Spellbreaker (my personal favorite) if done well. Just that I seriously doubt the vision and ambition of the dev team to actually deliver a rejuvenated design for all classes that doesn't feel outdated by a decade. I would most definitely love to be proven wrong at Blizzcon/next expansion, but yeah, doubt it.

In theory they also could just rework classes the way, that for example the Arms Spec of the Warrior disappears and Gladiator takes it place. Some other classes could benefit from such reworks, but as you said, if done right. I would be ok with Rogues who only have two specs (or Warriors for that matter). On the other hand, I also agree with you, that more classes (or specs) could totally work. I think Ashes of Creation is going to launch with 64 specs? I also think that the amount of specs is not that important. Raids will take the best spec they can get or the person who plays a certain spec. Depending on what the goal of the raid group is. And many specs are not even in most of the raids. Or in other words, some raids have no mage, others have no paladin or druid. So even with 64 specs we would not have much of a problem since the amount of specs in raids is limited anyway.

[Bas Prime]

personally I think we can use a lot more archery and physical ranged classes. We have tons of variations on the melee theme and we can have every bit as many on the physical ranged theme as well. Yes, the DH thing would be something new, but so was Vengeance as a spec; the demon hunter theme that comes from Illidan is entirely present in Havoc. The Dark Ranger (Death), Tinker (Engineering), Priestess of the Moon (Elune) and Shadow Hunter (Loa) all would have at least one physical ranged spec with distinct and varied flavour. Sadly they are all too narrow to be something that exists in WoW (in a tabletop game, they'd all easily be options).

Yeah, the way the game works right now is narrowing down the possibilities. They would have to add race classes, so they could add Faar Seer and Blademaster to Orcs, or Shadowhunter and Voodoo Priests to Trolls and so on (just some examples for the sake of the argument).
Would be a big projekt. But if other games can come up with 64 specs and make them work (probably not that balanced of course) maybe there is a chance. Mountain King, Blademaster, Dark Ranger and other mentioned specs or classes could then make it into the game. I personally am not getting my hopes to high, but lets wait what we get at Blizzcon an see. Probably new race /class combinations

[Directionalk9]

Hmm, if they found a way to make Blademaster a new and separate class, I’d like to see it be a one spec class, then I’d like to see gunslinger added as a one spec class.

[lllBlackSunlll]

Rogue is also one of the classes that comes up for a close candidate to being a Blademaster. But the whole theme, cheap tricks, not honorable is working against them. Attitudewise they are to different. If we have to put a exisiting class label on the Blademaster, Monk, Warrior and Rogue are the firsts who come to mind. Still they all are very different.
Blizz is on and off with class fantasy and I dont see the Blademaster work with the Rogue. But thats just me. It could very well work for Blizz if they see that in a different way. If a 4th spec has to go somewhere I would put it to the Monk.
But because none of the existing classes really fit the blademaster theme, thats why I think it should/could work as a new class.

I generally agree, Monk is my least favorite class because I never feel like it has either great fantasy or does anything really well. I'm not sure a new class should be made, but do feel Monk should have a rework and Windwalker should essentially be the Blademaster.

[Syegfryed]

Yeah I agree with you both. We don't have anything that plays like a Blademaster (like a Samurai?) in game, but only hints and abilities in other specs.

but we do have... arms warrior plays like blademaser just missing mirror image and wind walk, samura are warriors.

It feels to me that with WoD and Legion classes were on the way of getting more dynamic and modern, but BfA design brought them back 10 years.

dunno,for me anything that cameafter mop was hot shit

There is definitely room for Blademaster and Necromancer and Battlemage/Spellbreaker (my personal favorite) if done well. Just that I seriously doubt the vision and ambition of the dev team to actually deliver a rejuvenated design for all classes that doesn't feel outdated by a decade. I would most definitely love to be proven wrong at Blizzcon/next expansion, but yeah, doubt it.

they would need to rip off more than half of the warrior theme and skills to do that, its lik ecreating a "barbarian"or "viking" class, its just flavor that you put on RP not rly a class on his own.

however, you can't rp as a full cloth necromancer with dks neither with warlocks, for this there is room.

[Bas Prime]

Hmm, if they found a way to make Blademaster a new and separate class, I’d like to see it be a one spec class, then I’d like to see gunslinger added as a one spec class.

one spec classes would be interesting, and I could settle on something like that. I would prefer a Blademasterclass to be two specs.

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I generally agree, Monk is my least favorite class because I never feel like it has either great fantasy or does anything really well. I'm not sure a new class should be made, but do feel Monk should have a rework and Windwalker should essentially be the Blademaster.

Would be possible, even the gear would be close.
Problem is: Every Race can be Monk. So either there needs to be a racial restriction, or something else. All races should not be able to become Blademasters. I would like to see it more like the way they went with the Demon Hunter

[Frontenac]

If they introduce a new class, it will make sense with the expansion's storyline. The first new class we've had was the Death Knight during Wrath of the Lich King, the next one was the Monk in Mists of Pandaria and the last one was the Demon Hunter in Legion. All those classes made sense in the story. A blademaster seems too generic to be associated with any story.

[Bas Prime]

If they introduce a new class, it will make sense with the expansion's storyline. The first new class we've had was the Death Knight during Wrath of the Lich King, the next one was the Monk in Mists of Pandaria and the last one was the Demon Hunter in Legion. All those classes made sense in the story. A blademaster seems too generic to be associated with any story.

That is a good point. And if Blizz will always tie their hero class to the story, there is not that much room for many of the ideas that are suggested in forums or elsewhere.
The thing is, I dont think a connection to an expansion is necessary. I would say a patch would do the trick, if done right. They could also introduce them with a good story qusetline.

On the other hand, Blizzards maims their possibilities if they stick to this concept. For Example the Tinkerer is one of the most suggested hero concepts I come across, and I think the possibility of the next class being a Tinkerer is very high. But how should this Expansion look like? They could dig up Undermine, and do some stuff with Mekkatorque, maybe with Gazlow and Gallywix. But a whole expansion? Could be a bit tricky. Now look at Mechagon. If this would have been a bit bigger, there would have been the space to introduce it. Granted mid expansion this would be weird, but so where the allied races that came later in the expansion. I am not saying Blizz should do that, I just say it could work.
I also could see a Dragonsworn that is tied to the Dragon Islands that could be a next place we visit (but every concept I read so far was afully un-wow-y, but thats just my point of view, not saying the ideas where bad)
Ultimatively I think Blizz should stay away from those connections.