4th specs confirmed through Death Knight fire weapon datamine?

[Polarthief]

I wish there were new specs to every class giving them a new role, especially to pure dps classes. But I seriously doubt this weapon model means anything more but appearance customization.

100% this, to both points. I would love new roles for every class. Pures would get a Tank or Healer role which would be cool.

That said, I could see DKs getting *some* level of Fire abilities if Bolvar were to teach them. Probably mostly utility/"the ability of the expansion" (Artifacts/Essences) sort of deal.

[cuafpr]

or maybe a quest for DK's like the warlock greenfire quest.. frost to fire maybe?

[Xaviaton]

I for one welcome our new Ghost Rider specialization.

[Theoris]

It could be it's just a fiery version of the weapon because Bolvar is associated with fire.

[FAILoZOFF]

It wouldn't be fair to druid players to not give them something new. Besides as someone who has played Druid as his main for over 10 years, I never felt like Druid had 4 specs anyway, Feral and Guardian were always one spec to me. The fact they are listed as different specs right now is a matter of technicality because of new systems.

this, I always felt like druids really have 2 specs, melee(dps,tank) and caster(dps,healer) really, esp since when we still had talent trees and not these dump "sub classes" aka specializations resto was completed by balance talents and balance was completed by resto talents

there is a difference between adding a class with 3 (or 2) specs and adding 12 new specs to the game. quite a large one.

yeah, except specs ARE what classes used to be, some time ago... so no, there is no difference or rather... very little

Are you really saying that feral and guardian druid seem like the same spec? Are you delusional? Look at Rogue, Hunter...
You think its unfair for people to get a 4th spec and druid not get a 5th? Druid had 4 specs for 7 expansions, all with different roles, its actually the only class that can play all roles, including ranged and meele dps... you are delusional

If someone here is delusional it is you. Whole fundamental idea of druids wasn't that you pick up a cat and played like semi-rogue or bear and played like semi-protwar, it was about adapting to given circumstances.
Dividing feral into catspec and bearspec was easily one of Blizzards worst decisions ever.


PS: that fiery sword might as well mean nothing at all other than just a cosmetic flavor of new LK, nothing more. So far there is nothing known for sure, not even why Bolvar didn't just die like the rest of alliance and horde crew that got gased and burned by dragonfire.
PS2: if anything its dragonfire, not hellfire, I mean... i could be, but we are in this point of Blizzards LoreCraft where very little (if anything at all) is known for sure and anything the come up with is made "on the go".

[Puzzony]

My speculation is all Plate classes get the Dragon Knight spec as an unlockable one, which is unlikely, but one can hope.

[Tiradon]

4th specs would solve a lot of things.. Like Dark Rangers / Necromancers and etc..

[Kyphael]

I'd love it. Call it "Inferno", a fire melee spec.

They can introduce fourth specs gradually, like allied races, doesn't have to be all at once. Battle Mage using Frost for tanking, Warlocks can get a fourth "Necromancer" spec, Hunters can get a Dark Ranger spec, and Rogues can get a "Bard" spec. =D

- - - Updated - - -

4th specs would solve a lot of things.. Like Dark Rangers / Necromancers and etc..

This guy knows. ^^^

[zlygork]

If we get fire DK, I want it to be a healing spec, where you impale your vict- your allies and stab them with your fiery sword back into "health"

[TwoMana]

What a crazy roller coaster ride the forums are today

[Itisamuh]

I wish there were new specs to every class giving them a new role, especially to pure dps classes. But I seriously doubt this weapon model means anything more but appearance customization.

I hope not. The biggest draw of a pure is never ever being expected to tank or heal anything. That and having three specs to choose between.

[unbound]

As a DH main, I doubt I'll enjoy being left out. I already never see tuning changes to my class, and they couldn't think of enough ideas for a 3rd spec before. Which makes me doubt 4th specs tbh.

Pretty much this.

Blizz was too lazy to develop a 3rd spec for DH, so I see no reason they would develop a 4th spec for DK.

[Renley]

Pretty much this.

Blizz was too lazy to develop a 3rd spec for DH, so I see no reason they would develop a 4th spec for DK.

Time constraints, lack of ideas at the time, etc. If they add additional specs, then it solves the DH problem.

[CrawlFromThePit]

I read that the new weapons that were datamined are named after Frost, Unholy, Blood and Fire.

https://www.wowhead.com/news=295682/...n-blade-swords



Now it's clear that the Allied Race and Pandaren Death Knight skins together with the new map of ICC strongly point toward Allied Races and Pandaren being able to be Death Knights, a new story development around the current Lich King and a new starter area to depict that story.

Those weapons are most likely the weapons that new Death Knight characters will get in the starting area, similar to the weapons we got at the end of the original starter area, after we fought the Lich King.

Now the weapons are clearly themed after the 3 specs, plus fire. This strongly hints at Fire being a 4th spec in the next expansion, possibly due to Bolvar's connection to fire.

I'm calling it now, we are getting 4th specs in the next expansion. Hopefully Druid will get a 5th one.

In Blizzard brainstorm meeting
Dev1: So we need new features and content for the next xpack.
Dev2: What did you have in mind?
Dev1: Well, have a really hard time balancing specs in the game right now...
Dev2: So it's time to add a 4th spec to all classes on top of that?
Dev1: YOU KNOW IT BABYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!
CEO: You guys both get a raise, I'll fire people to make this happen.

[shise]

Blizzard can't balance the current amount of specs in the game. I'd wager there is little to no chances of a 4th spec being added.

Are you sure tho? Ever since Legion they have been trying to implement it through different systems of extra talents or spells. Maybe the next time, instead of a system like in the current last 2 expansion, they simply implement a fourth spec.

[gcsmith]

It's possible they're moving forward with more choices in the game in future. So for example, maybe there's a choice in the new DK zone (if there is indeed a new one) to side with bolvar or not and that changes the weapon choice?

[Kralljin]

I honestly doubt that there will a fourth spec coming if Blizzard already said they wanted to move away from too much specific stuff.

If anything, it hints at a cosmetic option, maybe a Fire / Bolvar based Frost spec.

[Cosmic Janitor]

They can introduce fourth specs gradually, like allied races, doesn't have to be all at once.

That is how I would do it. Gradually adding specs where it fits. A new class can amount to just barely 2 specs as we've seen with demon hunter. Adding a couple here or there whenever we have some major story developments could be an interesting gimmik and ultimately more involving of the playerbase than AR, which either require a race change or rerolling entirely. Since race or class has been the usual expansion feature I could see it happening..

..realistically though, I still very much doubt Blizzard would do it.

Balancing is not as much of an issue as people make it out to be, the reality of the matter is you have content and you want your players to be able to perform to a certain degree, so all you do is tune each spec for a certain target performance. It's a misconception that Blizzard tunes each spec in relation to every other spec, if they did that they'd essentially just endlessly tune classes and then roll a dice for what their content is tuned for. That would be a rather backwards and nonsensical approach (exception is PvP, but there it's down to the base design). That pretty much scales linearily with the amount of options you add, so adding more classes has the same impact as adding a spec here ot there.

Despite that I think Blizzard won't do it, since they are way too caught up in their current design paradigms. They also announced that they would look for ways to make classes feel more like classes again, while my inner cynic tells me that only means we get some unimportant flavor stuff back (though if we get 2h frost back I'd be smiling with the biggest shit eating grin imaginable), I still don't see them going out of their way to change the current systems.

[Absintheminded]

lol confirmed my ass.

[dope_danny]

Are they going to put the time in to basically create the same amount of work as 4 new classes across the 12 existing ones adding new mechanics and completely shaking up the gear/balance meta along with ten new levels of skills, balancing and knowing them reworking the 1-120 talents and skills of the 12 existing classes and 36 specs at the same time?

This is Blizzard, what do you think?