Class Skins would add many new classes and be a major draw for a new expansion

[dewd]

sounds about right that people care about visuals and not how fun the actual game is to play via good class design, systems, raids and dungeons.

[Ielenia]

Actually it's a very relevant fact

No. No, it doesn't. It is wholly irrelevant. It doesn't matter if those other "some games" consider imps and succubi to be undead creatures (which, by the way, you have failed to mention even one of said "some games"). Those "some games" are not WoW. Full stop.

[Teriz]

No. No, it doesn't. It is wholly irrelevant. It doesn't matter if those other "some games" consider imps and succubi to be undead creatures (which, by the way, you have failed to mention even one of said "some games"). Those "some games" are not WoW. Full stop.

Dungeons and Dragons would be one such example.

Are we going to completely ignore the laundry list of Necromancer spells in the Warlock class?

[Ehrenpanzer]

The Tnker doesn’t work as a Druid class skin. The Tinker has unique abilities that simply can’t be replicated within the Druid class.

MechaDruids

[Triceron]

Yeah, but that's for an expansion feature, which is an expected task. In this case you're talking about a supplemental task for an existing class that doesn't need to exist, and its entire goal is to supposedly reduce the labor it takes to create a class. Instead we have a situation where Blizzard has to come up with mechanical equivalents for every new ability it comes up with for the Druid class because it has this tech-based skin attached to it for "reasons".

They're all derivatives of the same types of spells, graphically.

Once they create and nail down the mechanics, the graphics are literally a 'coat of paint' on top.

This happens to Heroes of the Storm too if you consider these games have skins that change animations and effects, and regularly goes through massive reworks. New talents are added and shuffled all the time, and the skins sometimes have to adapt to the new changes. Thats all part of the price of a rework.

Is it going to be more work? Absolutely. But the result is two completely playable classes with their own aesthetics being updated instead of just one.

It is reduced when you consider the alternative is literally rebalancing two classes. If you had a separate class, it would still have to get its own spell effects regardless, and on top of that have time spent on trying to balance out their new mechanics. Here, time and resources are saved on balancing. Thats huge, considering balance can last months and years while graphics updates are usually set-and-forget for the rest of an expansion, and beyond.

For example, how often has Starfall'a graphics changed? Only once in Legion when they updated everything. No matter how many times they tune its balance, the graphics stayed the same.

[Gaidax]

The difference being that Warlocks were nothing like DKs or DHs, thus giving design space for those hero classes.

Meanwhile a Dark Ranger is very similar to a Hunter, and a Sea Witch is pretty much a Shaman with a bow. Hence why Dark Rangers would make a perfect skin for the Hunter class. Since the Sea Witch is a Naga and not much different than a Shaman, it is doubtful that would become a class.

There is no difference, the difference is in your mind because that's the agenda you push.

If you think there can't be Dark Ranger because you already have a guy/gal with a bow that has some archery abilities is just funny. It's like saying you can't have DK because you already have some guys running around with swords and mean sounding abilities.

Heck of all the classes here, these Dark Rangers are probably having higher than average chance of actually being a thing, especially because BFA set up potential "Alliance" Dark Rangers too.

[jellmoo]

Dungeons and Dragons would be one such example.

Er... Which edition are you talking about? They're definitely Fiends in 5e. Imps and succubi weren't undead in 3rd or 4th either. I don't remember what they were classified as in 1st or 2nd edition, so maybe there?

[Teriz]

There is no difference, the difference is in your mind because that's the agenda you push.

If you think there can't be Dark Ranger because you already have a guy/gal with a bow that has some archery abilities is just funny. It's like saying you can't have DK because you already have some guys running around with swords and mean sounding abilities.

Heck of all the classes here, these Dark Rangers are probably having higher than average chance of actually being a thing, especially because BFA set up potential "Alliance" Dark Rangers too.

Well we have guys and gals with bows and Dark Ranger abilities.

[Ielenia]

Dungeons and Dragons would be one such example.

Oh, look. Once again Teriz proving, without a shadow of doubt, that he has absolutely no idea what he is talking about:




We are, once more, at the point in which Teriz desperately and blatantly makes shit up to support his own agenda.

Are we going to completely ignore the laundry list of Necromancer spells in the Warlock class?

I dunno. Did Blizzard keep in mind the "laundry list of necromancer spells in the warlock class" when they made what you claim to be "WoW's necromancer class", i.e., the death knight?

[Triceron]

Well we have guys and gals with bows and Dark Ranger abilities.

Yep. Hunters with Borrowed Power, exactly what it is.

[Lolites]

Well we have guys and gals with bows and Dark Ranger abilities.

we do not...

black arrow? not in game anymore (and when it was it shared name and thats it)
drain life? sure warlock have it, but not even you can think thats relevant to dark rangers in any way
charm? not in game
silence? not in game, multiple classes have abilities to interupt or prevent cast, but none of them is silence, druids beam is close, but still not it

so our "guys with bow" have literaly 0/4 dark ranger abilities...

[TidalConflux]

How would this realistically work with specs?

[Neverafter]

After a quick google search, the only imp I can find listed as an undead is in plants vs. zombies which I haven't played, but I would assume an imp, given those two choices, is more a zombie than a plant.

[Kumorii]

After a quick google search, the only imp I can find listed as an undead is in plants vs. zombies which I haven't played, but I would assume an imp, given those two choices, is more a zombie than a plant.

And even there the imp is a descriptor of their small stature and "mischievous" behaviour, rather than a statement that imps are undead.

[cocomen2]

How would this realistically work with specs?

Tinker as class skin for Druids works perfectly. (and possibly open that class/race combo to races that not so much into druidism)

1) Mech with rocket-launcher and blaster as Boomkin skin;

2) Mech with chainsaw and stealth field generator as Feral skin;

3) Mech with hammer+shield hands as Bear skin;

4) Clawpack and healing spray with big "+" on bottle without mech as Healing spec skin.

[Triceron]

There's also the possibility that certain Class Skins might not even need to have all the specs of the original class.

I could see a 2-spec Spellbreaker based on Protection and Retribution and without healing spec could work out. Or a Dark Ranger that uses Survival and Marksmanship and leaves out Beastmastery. Since we're talking about more niche concepts for classes, there's no real need to have all 3 specs playable, and that leaves room for the original classes to continue to be unique.

[Teriz]

we do not...

black arrow? not in game anymore (and when it was it shared name and thats it)
drain life? sure warlock have it, but not even you can think thats relevant to dark rangers in any way
charm? not in game
silence? not in game, multiple classes have abilities to interupt or prevent cast, but none of them is silence, druids beam is close, but still not it

so our "guys with bow" have literaly 0/4 dark ranger abilities...

Wailing Arrow and Withering Fire are Dark Ranger abilities in HotS and WoW.

- - - Updated - - -

Yep. Hunters with Borrowed Power, exactly what it is.

Don't be surprised if you see Wailing Arrow and Withering Fire in the standard Hunter ability list come next expansion.

[Triceron]

Don't be surprised if you see Wailing Arrow and Withering Fire in the standard Hunter ability list come next expansion.

I won't be surprised because I know it's not going to be. There's really no reason for them to suddenly fold Legendary Weapon effects into a class when it's meant to be special.

Keep in mind Wailing Arrow and Withering Fire aren't even their own spells, they just modify existing Hunter abilities. So why would Hunters suddenly get two variations of spells they already have in the next expansion? It makes no sense.

[Aynen]

We already have class skins. They're called specs.

[draugril]

We already have class skins. They're called specs.

That has solely mechanical implications.

Class skins have none. Just as buying a skin in the kinds of games that have them does not impart any mechanical difference or advantage to you.