Bard popularity in the eyes of the general audience

[Kyphael]

With Dungeons & Dragons just a few days away, good word of mouth and a great RT score means it has a good chance of doing well at the Box Office. Has it dawned on anyone that:

A) The main character played by Chris Pine is in fact, a Bard.
B) Critically at least, already this movie is going to out-perform Warcraft.
C) If the movie performs well financially, suddenly, the class of "Bard" will be the minds of the general audience, you know, the audience that actually matters.

When it comes to wishing for new classes, oftentimes, Tinkers (barf) and Necromancers are normally the popular choice among WoW players with Bards falling behind. If the new D&D movie performs well financially, do you think given the popularity of the Bard class being featured as the class of the main protagonist of potentially a hot new Hollywood Fantasy franchise, it might urge WoW devs to release their own version of the Bard as their next playable character? I know that whatever is in development for the next expansion won't be shelved, but it's something to think about for future expansions if the Bard continues to receive positive exposure to general audiences in potential future sequels starring Chris Pine.

You may not find much correlation between the two because "WoW isn't D&D" but at the end of the day, WoW is about making money, and selling not just to the dwindling hardcore base, but expanding to a larger audience. The opportunity to cash in on the Bard is undeniable if the movie succeeds (as all gamers and fantasy fans should hope it does regardless.)

Something to chew on.

[Flatspriest]

Sorry, but he isn't a bard. He is a thief pretending to be a bard...hence the subtitle of the movie Honor Among Thieves.

[Kyphael]

Sorry, but he isn't a bard. He is a thief pretending to be a bard...hence the subtitle of the movie Honor Among Thieves.

Isn't a Bard really a thief? Like a Rogue can be a thief.

[chrisisvacant]

Isn't a Bard really a thief? Like a Rogue can be a thief.

There are swindlers wearing the drag of every profession. Doesn't mean all bards were thieves.

[gd8]

If the new evoker spec is a full support spec like it's rumored to be, then that could also open the door for more support specs/classes like bards

[Kyphael]

There are swindlers wearing the drag of every profession. Doesn't mean all bards were thieves.

Sensible, so not all Bards are thieves, but Bards can be thieves.

Even so, the crux of the argument is the exposure the class will receive for a movie well-received if it's a financial success. Enough eyeballs of fantasy fans who might not have played Warcraft before might make Blizzard devs think those same people might give WoW a try if they could play as a Bard in WoW, independent of whether Chris Pine's character is a true Bard or not.

[Teriz]

Eh, there's nothing really to model a WoW Bard on. They're not really portrayed as adventurers or heroes in the WoW universe. Keep in mind, Evokers are just playable versions of WoW dragons like Wrathion or Alexstraza. There really isn't any WoW characters/heroes that are bards to base a class upon.

The closest I can think of is that new Hearthstone expansion pretty much based on the ETC. They have some interesting bardic characters there;





So yeah....

[Val the Moofia Boss]

A pure support class bard that just stands around and buffs the group like in a slow MMO like FFXI or LotRO doesn't work in WoW, which is a fast paced action game.

A DPS spec could work like Lang Wu Yao from Thunderbolt Fantasy, who strums his lute to send out sonic swords.




Lang was no joke; he forced the (as of yet) most powerful being in the setting, the big bad, to defend against his attack.

[Triceron]

Isn't a Bard really a thief? Like a Rogue can be a thief.

Then by your argument, Warcraft already has bards since we have Rogues.

/Thread

[chrisisvacant]

Sensible, so not all Bards are thieves, but Bards can be thieves.

Even so, the crux of the argument is the exposure the class will receive for a movie well-received if it's a financial success. Enough eyeballs of fantasy fans who might not have played Warcraft before might make Blizzard devs think those same people might give WoW a try if they could play as a Bard in WoW, independent of whether Chris Pine's character is a true Bard or not.

I would not at all balk at a thief like spec of three. It would make sense. Like a trickster spec.

[Ielenia]

B) Critically at least, already this movie is going to out-perform Warcraft.

I wouldn't say that before the movie comes out. I've seen good trailers that translated into bad movies.

That said, I do hope the bard concept gets a little more traction. It's a class that fits the Warcraft theme and game, and I still think it's a crime it wasn't one of the main original classes at launch.

Eh, there's nothing really to model a WoW Bard on.

Nor does it need to. Blizzard can easily create things whole-cloth, like they just created the dracthyr out of literally nowhere.

There really isn't any WoW characters/heroes that are bards to base a class upon.

Monks didn't have any WoW characters or heroes, so Blizzard literally made one. More specifically, "promoted" an existing NPC to become a monk.

[Mysterymask]

Critically at least, already this movie is going to out-perform Warcraft.

To be fair that is not a very high bar to hit hell going by Rotten Tomatoes the following movies had a higher critical score... (just some highlights at the 30% mark where Warcraft was 29)

Underworld
Child's Play 3
102 Dalmations
Seed of Chucky
The Waterboy
Rambo First Blood Part II
Superstar
Big Top Pee-Wee
Underworld 3
Click
Terminator Salvation
Porkys
Ace Ventura 2
Godzilla (1998)
Pirates of the Carribean 4

[bloodmoth13]

If the new evoker spec is a full support spec like it's rumored to be, then that could also open the door for more support specs/classes like bards

Nobody is saying that, blizz said they would consider adding a tank spec in an early interview it will be a tank spec if there is a new one. support specs aren't happening ever.

As for bard, I doubt it's a popular class, I don't see the point of adding one. "Support" specs will never be a thing in wow it's hard enough getting a healer for a dungeon, players who want to indirectly support a group already play healers, splitting the healer pool just damages the game

It will be a healer or a caster if it's added, but honestly sound magic isn't really a thing in wow unless we really want to dredge up some cosmic bard bs from zereth Mortis. Whatever it is will likely be far to niche to apply broadly to wow, there isn't any lore for bards doing anything combat related and the only thing valuable about the concept is having a character that does stuff by playing music, what that 'stuff' is could be anything from conjuring demons to healing the party with holy light.
With that in mind I think instrument weapons or casting animations would more than cover the bard fantasy and cover a huge variety of different interpretations of said fantasy.

Tldr I don't care for bards, instruments as casting animations would be enough, I don't think they will be that popular and pure support spec will not and should not ever be a thing in wow, power infusion is controversial enough

[Ielenia]

It will be a healer or a caster if it's added, but honestly sound magic isn't really a thing in wow

Dude, have you played WoW at all?
• Murmur, an entity of sound, exists.
• Temple Guardian Anhuur is also a thing.
• Shadowlands' Bastion zone is full of music stuff and how it has magical effects.
• A venthyr NPC in Revendreth also speaks about how music has power.
• We have an actual bard casting actual spells in the game, helping you in one of the old Hyjal/Firelands dailies.

And more, but that's just what I recall off the top of my head.

[Teriz]

Nor does it need to. Blizzard can easily create things whole-cloth, like they just created the dracthyr out of literally nowhere.

The basis for the dracthyr Evoker is to allow players to be playable versions of major draconic characters in WoW. So it didn’t come from nowhere. It came from a need to fit WoW dragons into a playable race/class.

Monks didn't have any WoW characters or heroes, so Blizzard literally made one. More specifically, "promoted" an existing NPC to become a monk.

You really don’t see how this character;




Could be considered a monk?

[Ielenia]

The basis for the dracthyr Evoker is to allow players to be playable versions of major draconic characters in WoW. So it didn’t come from nowhere. It came from a need to fit WoW dragons into a playable race/class.

You're moving the goalposts here. You know exactly what I meant when I said 'the dracthyr came out of nowhere'. I meant "in the game/lore", i.e., within the context of your post I replied to.

You really don’t see how this character;

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...m60k4AoHOChINe

Could be considered a monk?

I see that he (Chen Stormstout) was never a monk until the Mists of Pandaria came along. Until then, he was just a wanderer who loved drinking and making brews. And that is a fact.

[Clone]

I see that he (Chen Stormstout) was never a monk until the Mists of Pandaria came along. Until then, he was just a wanderer who loved drinking and making brews. And that is a fact.

He's a brewmaster which happens to be a monk spec.

On topic, nah don't care about bards (barf), tinkers first.

[Flatspriest]

Then by your argument, Warcraft already has bards since we have Rogues.

/Thread

In the rogue class hall, there is a bard.

[Lolites]

even IF this movie could have any impact on next class, which is extremely unlikely, the soones it would happen is next expansion, which is some 2y away, with announcement over half a year away...
in half a year people wont give a damn about this movie, all hype for bard you think it will make will be loooong gone...

[bloodmoth13]

Dude, have you played WoW at all?
• Murmur, an entity of sound, exists.
• Temple Guardian Anhuur is also a thing.
• Shadowlands' Bastion zone is full of music stuff and how it has magical effects.
• A venthyr NPC in Revendreth also speaks about how music has power.
• We have an actual bard casting actual spells in the game, helping you in one of the old Hyjal/Firelands dailies.

And more, but that's just what I recall off the top of my head.

Wow 4 examples, one is wind magic, one holy, I don't know anything about the hyjal bard and if rather forget all of that zereth Mortis nonsense but i actually mentioned that in my post if you read it.
That cosmic music stuff is all robotic cosmic crap that is so ridiculously far removed from the fantasy of a bard that I'd argue it actively works against the concept.
The traditional image of a bard is a guy with a feather in his cap playing music on his lute in a tavern. Try make zereth Mortis stuff fit in that image.

Anyway the first 2 mentions play into my idea of making it a casting animation for all specs, a wind mage could use a lute to channel his spells just like a holy priest which would honestly be pretty awesome for a different angle for numerous existing specs.