A new class shouldn't be a priority

[deviantcultist]

new classes sell expansions like hot cakes

Exactly. Also, it's depressing that some people consider Tinker to be a potential selling point. Like anyone from another modern game or one who has quit WoW would say "GOD DAMN...if only WoW had a comedy engineer class for midget races before!".

[Irian]

Oh, there will 100% be a new class, if there isn't people will yell that they (Blizzard) have given up on wow because we've had one every other expansion since Wrath, plus Blizzard wants $$ and new classes sell expansions like hot cakes

This is my concern at this point. People clamoring for a new class every other expansion will make Blizzard cater to them because it sells expansions.

I don't feel like they've done that so far but internet culture is becoming more of a perpetually outraged hivemind with every passing year. If there isn't a new class, there will be doomsayers no matter what else is released.

[Mirishka]

This isn't an either/or scenario. They can create a new class and implement class changes that are pretty far reaching at the same time. MoP is proof of this.

Beat me to it.

[this is caranthir]

Unless you have every class at 120, you opinion doesn't really mean much. I agree with OP, the current classes/specs can be built up and given new abilities that make them feel fresh. Hell my enhance shaman didn't even get a rework going into BFA and people are already jumping to "Please papa blizzard, new class!" Again, unless you play every class at max level, you don't get to voice your thoughts on this. They can add as many races as they want, but we're at the point where there's no room for new classes. To make a new class, you need to add 25-30 new abilities. Ofc there will be some crossover/similarities to previous classes, but they'll for a fact, have new abilities that distinguish them. Those abilities can very easily be applied to the current classes to make them feel new again.

It honestly drives me up a wall when people say "New class, new class!" when they don't even play all the current ones. Anyone who does play every class can tell you certain specs need more attention as some classes can feel 1 dimensional. This is a prime opportunity to make some sick/unique abilities for every current spec.

How about instead with let people voice their opinion even if they don't play all classes to 120 like yourself?
You are approaching the argument like it is one or the other, Blizzard can very well add a new class and reworks the current specs.
If you don't think WoW needs a new class that is your opinion, others may feel differently even without having all them at 120 (do we also need to play all specs? and what content people need to play to have a voice in this?).

[kaminaris]

Why does everyone keep comparing to classic? People liked MoP classes. Compare BFA classes to MoP or even Legion. Everyone knows classic classes were trash designed.

MoP also had trash class design. "everyone had everything" because of "bring player not class". Which ended up some classes being insanely powerful, tanks being best dpses, healers having snoozefiesta because of priests. Priests healing from doing damage alone. Instaburst deleting from arena which also deleted your account. Tons of useless buttons.

[Rend Blackhand]

A new class should not be a priority for now. Maybe expansion after next but after they buttfucked everything in BFA they need to focus on making classes fun again and don’t make shitty expansion systems like Azerite that interrupt how certain specs play

[Lodreh]

...spec fantasy was prioritized over existing class fantasy...

You realize that if the pendulum swings the other way all specs become homogenized and we only have 12 classes to balance again.... hence we need a 13th for variety.

[kaminaris]

Unless you have every class at 120, you opinion doesn't really mean much. I agree with OP, the current classes/specs can be built up and given new abilities that make them feel fresh. Hell my enhance shaman didn't even get a rework going into BFA and people are already jumping to "Please papa blizzard, new class!" Again, unless you play every class at max level, you don't get to voice your thoughts on this. They can add as many races as they want, but we're at the point where there's no room for new classes. To make a new class, you need to add 25-30 new abilities. Ofc there will be some crossover/similarities to previous classes, but they'll for a fact, have new abilities that distinguish them. Those abilities can very easily be applied to the current classes to make them feel new again.

It honestly drives me up a wall when people say "New class, new class!" when they don't even play all the current ones. Anyone who does play every class can tell you certain specs need more attention as some classes can feel 1 dimensional. This is a prime opportunity to make some sick/unique abilities for every current spec.

I do have all classes at 120, had them since MoP, did all mage towers (36) in legion, wrote rotation for all dps classes as well. OP is wrong.
We have a lot of different playstyles to chose from, time for something new.

[Buliwyf the Omen]

Exactly. Also, it's depressing that some people consider Tinker to be a potential selling point. Like anyone from another modern game or one who has quit WoW would say "GOD DAMN...if only WoW had a comedy engineer class for midget races before!".

God forbit different tastes.

But considering you hate our Tinker idea so much.

"Damn, I hope we dont get another edgy-emo loser-sacrifices-everything-ultra-cool-undead-weeb class which hates everything so they fit with their type of players, hurrdurrhurr!"

Thats even more depressing. We are gonna have a lot of fun until BlizzCon arrives I feel like.

[Kathranis]

This isn't an either/or scenario.

This, in a nutshell.

All they need to do is make sure that every spec has a fun and fully realized core rotation, which is something they can do completely in a vacuum, seperate from balance.

Frankly, they've gotten good enough at tuning class balance with hotfixes. I think right now in optimal scenarios all the classes are, what? Within about 5k dps of each other? That's fine. You're probably not going to be left out of a raid for playing a spec that slightly underperforms unless you're already a min-maxer in a guild that min-maxes.

We're to a point where two or three more specs is just a drop in the bucket, anyway. I don't think Demon Hunter was too difficult for them to figure out, and they've barely changed the fundamental class design since they released it.

Most specs aren't even in too bad of a state right now. There are maybe a few specs that could use redesigns, most of them could get away with just a couple new/returned abilities and more consistent progression.

[shoegazing]

This, in a nutshell.

All they need to do is make sure that every spec has a fun and fully realized core rotation, which is something they can do completely in a vacuum, seperate from balance.

Frankly, they've gotten good enough at tuning class balance with hotfixes. I think right now in optimal scenarios all the classes are, what? Within about 5k dps of each other? That's fine. You're probably not going to be left out of a raid for playing a spec that slightly underperforms unless you're already a min-maxer in a guild that min-maxes.

We're to a point where two or three more specs is just a drop in the bucket, anyway. I don't think Demon Hunter was too difficult for them to figure out, and they've barely changed the fundamental class design since they released it.

Most specs aren't even in too bad of a state right now. There are maybe a few specs that could use redesigns, most of them could get away with just a couple new/returned abilities and more consistent progression.

"Blah blah damage blah blah rotation" do you realize that one of if not the biggest complaints about class design is the pruning of so many interesting non-damage abilities?

[crakerjack]

How about instead with let people voice their opinion even if they don't play all classes to 120 like yourself?
You are approaching the argument like it is one or the other, Blizzard can very well add a new class and reworks the current specs.
If you don't think WoW needs a new class that is your opinion, others may feel differently even without having all them at 120 (do we also need to play all specs? and what content people need to play to have a voice in this?).

Well if someone doesn't play every class at max level, then how are they going to notice the homogenization that has occurred over the years? They're expressing an opinion on something that they don't know much about. Here try an exercise: Create a new class and give it 25-30 abilities. Ofc there will be some overlap, but take note of the new abilities that distinguish them from the others. Now create 3-4 new unique abilities for each current class that isn't a reskin of an ability the new class got. I've tried and I come to the same conclusion: everything starts to feel the same outside of the animations.

[Triceron]

Because expansions that don't have new classes have better class balance right? Look how BFA is doing so much better than Legio- Oh wait no that's not how it works at all.

[Kathranis]

"Blah blah damage blah blah rotation" do you realize that one of if not the biggest complaints about class design is the pruning of so many interesting non-damage abilities?

Did you read my post?

[jellmoo]

Every class they add is going to be a bigger challenge design wise than the one that came before. There are only so many ways to do WoW combat. Hell, they only managed to come up with 2 specs for DH even though they were already stealing from other specs (Demo basically got sacrificed in order to promote DH). If you think this isn't an either/or scenario, you simply haven't been paying attention.

If they decide to add a new class, they will have to make room for it which probably means that we're going to see another round of pruning & redesign of existing classes/specs. Seeing how DHs turned out, I'd rather not see another class in WoW.

Of course it isn't either/or. Blizzard added classes that were thematically very similar to existing ones. Hence why abilities got shuffled over. Warlocks got nailed by both Death Knights and Demon Hunters being added, absolutely.

But again, look at MoP. They added the Monk which didn't go about grabbing abilities from other classes, and the same time when classes were being improved upon immensely from what class design was like in Cata. So it is absolutely possible to have both.

[this is caranthir]

Well if someone doesn't play every class at max level, then how are they going to notice the homogenization that has occurred over the years?

If everything feels the same it shouldn't be hard for them to come up with a new unique class.
Blizzard has the resources to both create a new class and rework the others.

PS: you don't need to play all classes at max level.

[Nerovar]

Of course it's either/or. Blizzard added classes that were thematically very similar to existing ones. Hence why abilities got shuffled over. Warlocks got nailed by both Death Knights and Demon Hunters being added, absolutely.

But again, look at MoP. They added the Monk which didn't go about grabbing abilities from other classes, and the same time when classes were being improved upon immensely from what class design was like in Cata. So it is absolutely possible to have both.

Monk absolutely grabbed abilities from other classes (transcendence/transfer, disarm, paralysis (gouge) etc.). They simply didn't take them away from the other classes because back in MoP the devs were o.k. with some level of overlap for the sake of having overall more healthy, well rounded classes.
Don't get me wrong. I love(d) monks (up until Legion). Really fun and interesting class. But judging by the way they approach class design these days, do you really think they could add another class like monks into the game without completely fucking over at least one existent spec/class?

Windwalker monks themselves got shafted pretty hard by DHs which basically did everything they did but better.

[Nurasu]

I think the current class design issues will correct themselves with the next expansion. Legion essentially rebuilt every class from the ground up around artifacts, and in bfa they ripped the artifact out without any redesigns. Current class design is shredded Legion class design, essentially. I can't imagine they'll be stupid enough forgo class design for two expansions in a row, even if we are talking about Blizzard. Assuming that happens, I'm all for another class, but I do think the sheer number of classes is what makes them hesitate to work on balance for every expansion.

[GreenJesus]

MoP also had trash class design. "everyone had everything" because of "bring player not class". Which ended up some classes being insanely powerful, tanks being best dpses, healers having snoozefiesta because of priests. Priests healing from doing damage alone. Instaburst deleting from arena which also deleted your account. Tons of useless buttons.

But now we are at the point where no one feels like they can do anything besides rogues that can use shroud for mythic+ and that's it. And what's wrong with everyone feeling like they could do everything? At least that's fun.

[FlubberPuddy]

Judging from Legion, it can always be both.

From MoP too compared to the people who feel MoP class design was best.

I don't even know why people believe it's "New Class OR Better existing Class Balance."

Blizzard's shown they're capable of doing both.

- - - Updated - - -

Because expansions that don't have new classes have better class balance right? Look how BFA is doing so much better than Legio- Oh wait no that's not how it works at all.

Exactly. GOTTEM