We could really do with a revamping of the class system to freshen it up and expand it. Allied races did revamp the races, allowing us to have more options. We need a way to have at least more class fantasies too.
I still want to play as a Moon Priest, Ranger, Star Augur, Locus Walker, Runemaster, Blademaster, Necromancer, Tinker etc etc.
Face it, there are too many desirable class fantasy to ever make it as full new classes, for the next 20 years at the rate blizzard introduces full new classes -- so i propose a more creative solution to come with a new class option for 10.0
Class Skins and Identities
A class skin is simply given a distinctive look to a class to fill provide a fantasy.
e.g. Moon Priestess is a class skin for potentially Night elf and Nightborne Priests. Ranger a class skin for all Elven Hunters, whiles Mountaineer a class skin for dwarven hunters: When in game, members of those races can begin a quest to attain the class identity.
Some are even smaller changes that are meaningful:
e.g. Void Hunter has void coloured arrows instead of normal, while a Lightforged one has light ones and a Nightborne one has arcane coloured ones. Think also of Lightforged priests having a shadow spec that is light damage instead and a void priest having the healing spec using void instead instead of light as the only changes their versions get.
A class identity - takes this further and completely disguises an existing class as something else in lore - abilities are renamed, with unique special effects, visuals and animations that fit the fantasy completley:
e.g. A Blademaster can simply take the Demon Hunter class and re-dress it: Rename all the abilities and change the animations and effects for the abilities, change the iconic weapon from warglaive to Longsword - and now on non-elven races, the demon hunter class slot is replaced by the Blademaster for races. You would have to role most of thses from scratch as they open new options, however where the race allows it, you can retrain your current class to one of these. Unlike class skins, existing characters that convert cannot change back.
Other Applications & Implications: These can be used to provide interesting new classes that are appropriate for certain races. As well as sufficient new class/race combos that fit the lore:
e.g. A Locus Walker would be a new new class for Void Elves and is essentially a re-dressed mage.
e.g. An Entropist is a redressed Shaman that provides the shaman option for Humans and Forsaken
All of these are essentially the same thing that highlight 3 differnt ways they can be applied.
EXAMPLES
Class Skins:
Ranger & Dark Ranger - hunter skin for all elves
Mountaineer - Hunter skin for all dwarves
Witch Doctor - Shaman skin for Trolls
Shadowhunter - Hunter skin for Trolls
Spirit Walker - Priest skin for Mag'har and Tauren
Necromancer - Warlock skin all races that can be warlock
Moon Priestess - Priest skin for Night elves and Nightborne
Sunwalker - Priest and Paladin skin for Tauren
Warden - Rogue skin for night elves
Valewalker - Druid skin for night elves
Tidesage - Shaman skin for Kul'tirans
Class Identities:
Runemaster - Prestige class that uses the
Blademaster - Prestige class that uses the Demon hunter class mechanics for its playstyle
Star Augur - New class that uses the shaman for its playstyle
Locus Walker - A new class that uses the Mage for its playstyle
Spellblade - A new class that uses the Paladin for its playstyle
New Race/Class Combos:
Spirit Walker - A new identity for Orc Priests
Entropist - A new identity for human/forsaken/Elven shaman
Tidesage - Identiy for human and forsaken shaman (this is also a skin for Kul'tiran shaman)
Botanist: - Identity for Blood elf and Void elf druids
Valewalkers - Nightborne druids
Sunwalkers - Highmountain Priests and Paladins
Night Warrior - Night elf paladins
Void Knight - Void elf paladins
New Class
Tinker - Like the current classes, the Tinker can have skins and identities to produce playable options on other races.
Dragon Lance: A class identity using the Tinker class mechanics for its playstyle: Available to
Artificers: A tinker class skin for Draenei
Please help me out with examples. I'll edit this post to add more.
Understanding what Class Identity Means
Look at it this way. When you think of the Shaman class what do you think of? A tribal witch doctor type figure that communicates with dead and elemental spirits using totems and elemental power to rush though its enemies? or do you think of a calss with 3 spec, one that is ranged magical dps, the other melee dps that uses minor buffs to enhance its damage and the other healing?
Well both would be right. In lore terms, the first is how the playstyle is dressed. Who's to say how a shaman actually plays like in your video game world?A class is essentially the way you operate a character fantasy like the shamn in the video game world. It's how you go about doing things. And each class is a different playstyle. While lore has informed the name and appearance of the abilities, how they operate is a feature that doesn't depend on the lore.
So you can take the mechanics of the shaman class, and but make it another class in the lore by simply renaming it's abilities and changing its visuals so it fits the new class you want. This is essentially what a new class identity is. Rather than develop a whole new playstyle every time you want to introduce a new class, you instead give it a new identity. That class is actually a new class, but it's not a new playstyle. The advantages are listed above. Elves can't be shaman, but an Arcane Elemntalist (call it an Entropist or Thermatuge) or Star Augur for Night/Nightborne elves that suit the night elven races much better than a tribal witch doctor.
Like this you can actually get a many more classes out, much more often and more frequently. Gives you more time to come up with a new playstyle/mechanic which can in turn bet he base for several new identities, have several skins too and well take a long time to come out.