Blizzard: DK is the Death Class

[Calfredd]

It's just too bad they can't/won't just give a total class reskin for Warlocks because I think if you just changed their specs to be Death magic and Frost instead of Fel and Fire magic you'd basically have a necromancer. Well, it would be more robust, there is a precedent for locks getting something unique to boost the flavour of the class with their green fire. Since you'd have to change names around and possibly some spell effects I'm not sure how actually feasible it is, it would be really awesome though.

Sounds like a lot of work for being a class skin. They'd have to either add a necromancer class, redesign Unholy to be a proper "Necromancer in plate" that Blizzard called it as, or make Necromancer a 4th spec for either Warlock or, more appropriately, Death Knight to be a ranged-in-plate spec like how their talents in Legion let them do their dps from ranged before it got nerfed. Similar to how Holy Paladins are healers in plate.

[HulkSmasher]

I'd love to see Necromancer added. But I understand why it isn't, and maybe never will be.

[Trumpcat]

Blizzard's stance on this has always been Gameplay > Lore, but whenever they decide to just not put effort into something, suddenly they explain that Lore = no implementation of this system

So true, but I think it's not a matter of them just not wanting to do something, but a matter of having finite budget and time and deciding which of the things that can be done within those limitations should be done.

[Teekey]

do you actually believe them though? look at how many different new models they’ve made for this expansion and tell me they couldn’t have made a new race. hell the little cute owl things could have been neutral race pandaren 2.0

Not really. How much fucking work can it take to create some additional textures and hairstyles?

It's a pretty weak excuse. Just interesting that it's what they're going with.

[Edlarel]

They could've at least revamped unholy to become a ranged necromancy spec instead of the shit spec it is now.

Leave my spec alone, man. I like it/look forward to finding out what they’re doing

[Muajin76]

No point in Necromancers. In the WoW world, DKs fill that role. We will get Tinkers before we get necros or dark rangers.

Necrotinkers!

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Not really. How much fucking work can it take to create some additional textures and hairstyles?

It's a pretty weak excuse. Just interesting that it's what they're going with.

Didnt we just get 2 new races with vulpera/robo-gnomes?

[Nomads]

Oh cool, after Wrath and Legion we get yet another expansion of DK power fantasy cocksucking.

Something tells me you have no idea what Legion was about...

[Muajin76]

This picture lol....I mean, the thought of a panda DK seems silly to me...but then this picture and...IDK, I kinda wanna roll a panda DK now....

DK should be available to all races. Death isn't choosy on who it picks. :P

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People said the exact same thing about Demon Hunters and Warlocks.

The reason we didn't get a Necromancer was purely because they did not want to put in the effort of designing a new class right now.

You can bet your hard earned copper that if the shareholders wanted to see a new class, there would be one in 9.0 :P

[TheFirstOnes]

Of course Ion would never say that they just didn't do new class because of too much work. I am looking forward to him pulling his hair out as he realizes his utter failure to do atleast one expansion right. Sometimes I think Ion hates WoW with all his heart.

Except he doesn't and he doesn't make all the decisions in the WoW team. Hell, if you look at his WoW character, he's actually pretty experienced at the game.

[trebor]

Your crystal ball must be well worth what you spent on it.
I'll take their word over yours.

So will I.

If you’re taking their word, you should pay attention to what they’ve said.

[cocomen2]

Something tells me you have no idea what Legion was about...

You know he somewhat right , in legion FROST DK was one of top picks for M+ jerckoffing to numbers :

THESE NUMBERS,THIS DAMAGE Remorseless Winter WOW

THESE NUMBERS,THIS DAMAGE Remorseless Winter WOW

Even Swifty rerolled from warrior 1st time in my memory in 10 years -> to play fc FROST DK.

I was playing DK (unholy) and each day some jerk or kid was PMing me "SPEC FROST they OP" and i was like "Man,i like unholy gameplay and didnt even asked you" each day same fc story , you think they stoped PMing? noooo "But unholy sucks .......la la la site shows FROST better lalala more damage lalalalala damage"

This shit exactly why 1 class must have only 1 DPS spec , blizzard not capable to make them even or come near balancing this shit.

In case of mages ..... i cant remember when Arcane spec was viable .....its always Frost or Fire ....... ;Arcane who is this? ah mages that deal lowest damage if moving at ALL.
Rune of Power ..... BS skill that must be removed ... or became passive proc , never saw Mage player that love "Rune of Power" not-mobile gameplay.

[pacotaco]

That's not true at all. Shamans in warcraft commune with all spirits. For a lot of shamans this means a focus on communing with elemental spirits to understand natural phenomena and to earn guidance/protection from the land for their people but they also have heavy reliance on talking with their ancestors (which is clearly shown in game with quests). There just isn't much of a gameplay representation of that fact other than naming conventions for some abilities...because really, how would you even do that? They aren't going to shoot their ancestor at you or something.

Class overview
For millennia, since the primitive tribal cultures of Azeroth and Draenor, the natural elements of the physical universe have been celebrated, feared, and even worshiped. Mystics sought communion with the earth, air, fire, and water, and learned to tap into their raw power. In time, these spiritual guides came to understand that nature’s elemental forces aren’t wholly benevolent, but have, in fact, been locked in an unending conflict of chaos and primal fury that once consumed the physical realm. So began the calling of the Shaman, to bring balance to these volatile energies, leveraging their intensity to mend wounds . . . or inflict them.
[Legion Class Preview Series: Shaman]

Game guide
Shaman are spiritual guides and practitioners, not of the divine, but of the very elements. Unlike some other mystics, shaman commune with forces that are not strictly benevolent. The elements are chaotic, and left to their own devices, they rage against one another in unending primal fury. It is the call of the shaman to bring balance to this chaos. Acting as moderators among earth, fire, water, and air, shaman summon totems that focus the elements to support the shaman’s allies or punish those who threaten them.
These masters of the elements can also call upon elemental forces directly, unleashing torrents of lava and bolts of lightning against foes. The elements can create, destroy, support, and hinder. The experienced shaman balances the vast spectrum of these primordial forces into an array of diverse abilities, making shaman versatile heroes and valued members of any group.
[https://worldofwarcraft.com/en-us/game/classes/shaman]

Creation screen description
Shaman commune directly with the elements. Their combination of wisdom and resilience makes them ideal as tribal advisors and leaders. In battle the shaman uses totems and spells to manipulate the elements and provoke other fighters into untold heights of rage and might. Shamans exemplify the primal bond between the savage races and their environment.
Shaman use the power of the elements to enhance their weapon damage or spells. Shaman summon totems in combat, small objects that disable enemies, heal, or cause damage to enemies.
[World of Warcraft: Classic class description]

The spirit thing is just tangential, they don't use the power of the spirits (being ancestors, Loa, or whatever). Warcraft shamans are elementalists, like it or not.

[dippinsawse]

The spirit thing is just tangential, they don't use the power of the spirits (being ancestors, Loa, or whatever). Warcraft shamans are elementalists, like it or not.

They literally do though...

I'd love to know what element you think gives a shaman the ability to resurrect himself on the spot and raise the dead and teleport through the twisting nether and commune with spirits and invoke a chaotic bloodlust and transform into a ghost wolf and walk through the spirit realm and astral project and link people's spirits together and directly cleanse your spirit and purge magical energies.

Shamans in warcraft are a very broad class. In WoW they borrow from like 5 different units in warcraft 3, none if which were explicit elementalists.

[pacotaco]

They literally do though...

I'd love to know what element you think gives a shaman the ability to resurrect himself on the spot and raise the dead and teleport through the twisting nether and commune with spirits and invoke a chaotic bloodlust and transform into a ghost wolf and walk through the spirit realm and astral project and link people's spirits together and directly cleanse your spirit and purge magical energies.

Shamans in warcraft are a very broad class. In WoW they borrow from like 5 different units in warcraft 3, none if which were explicit elementalists.

Good point. I was wrong on that.

[Unholyground]

Death Knights already got their expansion, WOTLK. This expansion should’ve been focused on paladins and priests fighting evil and doing what’s right for those in the afterlife.

The light is bad too though if you follow any of the lore, it is pushing its agenda too.

[CrawlFromThePit]

Focused on?

I hope they chose their words wisely because focused on means more than what they've done for Paladin and Shaman already.

It only means the class has a bigger role in the story, as we have already seen. It means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in terms of class balancing.

[dippinsawse]

Good point. I was wrong on that.

No problem. And I respect you for the classy response.