Why are there no new classes in Shadowlands?!

[Thelyron]

I know people say that we don't need new classes, but to me, no new class is just a sign of a bad expansion to come. Only the expansions that implemented new classes were actually good. No new class just shows me a certain level of laziness and missing passion.

[MasterMirror]

Because we don't need new classes. Not now.

[Tesshin83]

All the classes are the same anyway except the animations and the icons on the actionbar. So whats the point?

[smitey]

All the classes are the same anyway except the animations and the icons on the actionbar. So whats the point?

All games are the same anyway except for graphics, characters and gameplay. So whats the point? Just play Tetris.

[Steelangel]

check blizzcon announcement, it's another filler xpan

According to the MMOC forums, a 'filler expansion' is "another expansion that I will play for a month and discard because it's not 100% up to my own preconceived expectations based only on the fact that I want (insert favorite expac/nostalgia here). I will immediately post my dislike to the forums and continue to spew salt at this game I do not play because I have no other source of joy in my sad existence."

- - - Updated - - -

And funniest thing in your post is that you play classic, complain about GCD changes while in classic everything is on GCD.

And combat is stilted, feelsbad and is utterly bleh in Classic compared to retail. My warrior is classic feels like a half-baked chump leveling compared to literally any other class, while leveling my retail warrior as Fury is amazing, smooth and not dying instantly because I missed a hamstring and now have to deal with 2 mobs instead of one.

Different strokes, perhaps, but complaining about Retail and a slightly slower GCD and a few missing abilities, but praising Classic is refusing to eat a an expensive steak cooked only slightly less than medium rare, and instead choosing a piled of ground beef that's been sitting out for a while.

[Keltas]

According to the MMOC forums, a 'filler expansion' is "another expansion that I will play for a month and discard because it's not 100% up to my own preconceived expectations based only on the fact that I want (insert favorite expac/nostalgia here). I will immediately post my dislike to the forums and continue to spew salt at this game I do not play because I have no other source of joy in my sad existence."

That's not why people are calling it a filler expansion though. It's because it had practically no features on the announcement. Instead it had a couple "big" promises (like "we're gonna fix the classes!" with no actual direction or info about it) and only one new gameplay loop, the tower. While they announced less dungeons, no class, no race, no ARs, and no new class abilities.

Obviously they've made some comments in the interviews and whatnot since that show there may be more to it, but that's why people keep calling it a filler expansion, regardless of how correct or not they'll be in the end. We might end up with tons of new abilities, awesome mega dungeons, and it might feel awesome in the end, but the announcement was so barebones by itself that it felt like filler.


An example of something they didn't talk about but apparently are doing: World quests are getting revamped completely. In the second day panel one dev said they are working on "World quests 2.0" and overhauling the entire system. Most people didn't hear that and they've been avoiding talking about it, but that's a major expansion feature they could've sold people on.

[Steelangel]

That's not why people are calling it a filler expansion though. It's because it had practically no features on the announcement. Instead it had a couple "big" promises (like "we're gonna fix the classes!" with no actual direction or info about it) and only one new gameplay loop, the tower. While they announced less dungeons, no class, no race, no ARs, and no new class abilities.

Obviously they've made some comments in the interviews and whatnot since that show there may be more to it, but that's why people keep calling it a filler expansion, regardless of how correct or not they'll be in the end. We might end up with tons of new abilities, awesome mega dungeons, and it might feel awesome in the end, but the announcement was so barebones by itself that it felt like filler.


An example of something they didn't talk about but apparently are doing: World quests are getting revamped completely. In the second day panel one dev said they are working on "World quests 2.0" and overhauling the entire system. Most people didn't hear that and they've been avoiding talking about it, but that's a major expansion feature they could've sold people on.

Last time they really talked up an expansion without much to show for it was WoD, and that whole debacle was a mess. That they are taking a circumspect route is much better: underpromise and overdeliver; that's the best business mantra.

[kaminaris]

Last time they really talked up an expansion without much to show for it was WoD, and that whole debacle was a mess. That they are taking a circumspect route is much better: underpromise and overdeliver; that's the best business mantra.

Except its not "underpromise and overdeliver" its more like "underpromise and underdeliver"

[CaptainV]

I still feel shadowlands is "the" perfect time to impliament Dark Ranger/Warden as a mirror class (same class, different visuals) since its the best expansion right now given its theme and lore.

However, even if they dont reconsider which i honestly hope they do, the game is after all still in late alpha and it makes me hope they have time to redesign it a tad more...

Id still say even if they DONT add a new class, they NEED to give more than just core race customisation and covenants, id say new class/race combo's would work aka: Cataclysm.

Because then you'd at least have some new options.

E.g.

Troll/Undead Paladin.

Human/Worgen Shaman.

Blood Elf/Wildhammer Dwarf Druid.

[Rialius]

I'd say that the more classes they add the harder it becomes to balance the game. They already struggle with balance as it is. More classes just make the equation more complicated.

[Teriz]

The only silver lining in this debacle of an expansion is that the idea that the Death a Knight class isn’t the Necromancer class of WoW is finally dead.

[opposing critter]

Remember words are cheap so anything blizzard say's at this point is worthless and at this stage shadowlands feels really bland.

Of course blizz will say they want to focus on the classes and lore blah blah blah since it's cheaper and easier to do then create something new but it's easy to promise the world.

This isn't some indie company, blizzard has a great art and sound team but the quality of each expansion relating to everything else is a major coin flip of good or bad.

[erifwodahs]

The argument that we dont' need another class "beCaUsE thEy nEEd tO bAlaNcE tHe exIsTIng oneS" falls flat on its face, because there have never been and never will be a balance. So they just chose stagnation.
The real reason is because they're getting lazy/no financing, or preparing something new (hopefully). Knowing Ion however, I think its just general lack of direction and understanding what people want. Hopefully after Shadowblands fails he will finally be fired.

But of u do know what we want.
I give you a hint - not a new class :>
Am I vocal minority? Because that's always a good excuse.

[Draco-Onis]

But of u do know what we want.
I give you a hint - not a new class :>
Am I vocal minority? Because that's always a good excuse.

But you don't know what we want everyone wants different things from expansions and it's not like there aren't new classes that could be introduced. It's Blizzard's choice it's not like they can't chew gum and walk at the same time they just don't want to bring a new class.

[Guildenstern]

But of u do know what we want.
I give you a hint - not a new class :>
Am I vocal minority? Because that's always a good excuse.

No, you are one of those people that would choose stagnation over progress and anything new really. If you are a minority or not, you will see when shadowblands tanks and forums will be flooded with crybabies that were stupid not to predict everything in advance.

[erifwodahs]

No, you are one of those people that would choose stagnation over progress and anything new really. If you are a minority or not, you will see when shadowblands tanks and forums will be flooded with crybabies that were stupid not to predict everything in advance.

Actually I am all in for new features, classes or modes. I just made fun of a guy who claims that company sucks and game director should be fired because he is not getting a new class.
People were saying the legion will be WoD when they announced Orderhalls
The fact is, community does know know what they want as everyone wants something different or they go here and cry about it when it's not there. #fireIon #LazyBlizz #vocalminorities #WoD2.0.
Drop the attitude and if the game tanks, unsub. Thats sensible. Stressing out about something a year from now is not healthy.

[Rhozul]

As someone who has about half of the classes at Level 120, Battle for Azeroth broke so many specs that I am almost certain (and glad) that massive redesigns for all of the classes are in the works, hence why nothing new. You gotta figure that when Legion came out, Blizzard designed 12 classes (including Demon Hunter) and that's likely the maximum amount of "complete overhauls" their teams can handle for the classes.

One of the major issues in Battle for Azeroth regarding the removal of the artifacts (and the reason why so many people were shocked when Blizzard announced that it was "always their plan" to take the artifacts away was that nearly every spec in the game was designed around the assumption that you had all of your artifact's major traits because some of them were so crucial to the end game functionality of the class. One can even go as far as to say that classes who depended more on their artifact (such as fire mage or blood death knight) are the classes who also fell apart in Battle for Azeroth. (Memory of Lucid Dreams brought fire mage back, but before essences fire was awful; completely unplayable.)

I think we're going to see another massive overhaul of the classes for Shadowlands, and that's why we won't get a new class. Better to fix everything they broke then add something new.

[threads]

the last class they added they couldn't even come up with 3 specs for, and now they aren't even making class themed armor sets anymore.

imagine a warden, dark ranger, or tinker that never has any class themed armor sets.

[Adoxe]

cos we dont need one

[letssee]

cuz blizzard is too lazy, seeing how little content they can squeeze into an expansion and still charge for it to see how many people will buy it.