Potential Class Hype

[Durff123]

So, three popular potential classes I see people predicting are:

Necromancer, Tinker, Bard

Which of these are you most hoping to see in the future? If we were eventually to see all three, which would you be the most invested in?

Over the past 15 years, we have seen three new classes, all of which are melee, all can DPS and Tank, only one can Heal. Death Knight, Monk, and Demon Hunter. While cool classes with very separate themes, we have not gotten any ranged or caster classes since the game's launch (unless you count the Legion spec overhaul as new classes). I personally would like to see another physical ranged class besides just the Hunter, so I'm partial to the Tinker class.


Tinker could be a hybrid class for all three roles, I think. Ranged as DPS and Healer, melee as Tank. I have always wondered, though, if a ranged Tank would be something possible and how it could work. A focus on damage evasion instead of damage absorption? Either way, I believe that Tinker is the most needed to balance the types of classes we have; types of classes being melee, ranged, and caster. More variety for Ranged DPS and Healer would be appreciated. If Blizzard intends to follow the idea of a time skip when we return from Shadowlands then maybe the world is in an industrial revolution to have Tinker fit the theme.

Necromancer fresh off the heels of Shadowlands is the most logical choice when considering how classes follow the themes of the expansions they are involved in. It would be simple to give the class four specs and theme them around each of the four covenants with four different roles like Druid. Kyrian Tanks, Necrolords Melee DPS, Night Fae Healers, and Venthyr Caster DPS. Their general spell animations following the colour palette of anima while their spec spells follow the colour palette of the Shadowlands realm they represent. Personally I would prefer them to be a purely DPS class with the options of Melee DPS, Caster DPS, and Minion DPS like Demonology Warlock. Minion DPS is something I'd be hyped for where you would take Demonology, remove all their direct-damage abilities besides DoTs, and put their spells focused into which minions to summon and how to buff them.

Bard is one that people have been asking for longer than any other, at least to my memory. It's a classic D&D class that's been around longer than Tinker, Necromancer, Death Knight, or Demon Hunter by decades. The big question that always comes up in conversations about it being in WoW is: how would it work? How I see it is that Blizzard would introduce a new weapon type as they did for Demon Hunters, instruments. Lute, flute, and harp would be my best guesses for the three appearances instrument weapons would take on, each with their own simple animation sets. Either that or the type of instrument that appears in their hands would depend on the spell/ability they are using and would swap out in an instant. In this case, their weapon slot would just be filled with a charm of some sort or an ordinary weapon for auto-attack. There is also the possibility of having instrument types work like old Warrior Stances. Definitely a Caster class and most likely following the theme of Priest in the way of two Healer specs with one DPS spec.


So what are your thoughts on these? Are you hoping for one in particular, all three, or perhaps another class that was unmentioned?

Edit: While the thought going into the comments for "X class won't work, because..." or "WoW shouldn't get any more classes, because..." or "X is the most likely possibility, because..." are appreciated, and I see your passion behind looking at what works and doesn't in the realism of the gameplay, it's not really the intention of the thread. It isn't intended to be an analyzation of the "no", just a place to talk about your inspiration and what you're excited for, even if it's not something upcoming. "What classes would you like to see and why?", the "why not" is honestly irrelevant.

Edit: Seem this thread has pretty much devolved into comments for "This class can't work, because..." and "This conversation has been talked about before so it's not allowed to be talked about again." Completely missing the point of why this thread was posted. I really don't understand what people's goals are in stomping out creativity. The intent of the thread isn't about what class Blizzard is going to come out with next or why a class can't fit in because the logistics of gameplay currently present in the game. The intent of the thread is simply to brainstorm ideas for classes you'd be interested in seeing. No greater aspirating in the creation of this thread than just that.

If you're really so interested in deconstructing why new classes can't work or why other alternatives to new classes would be better, I think you should just make your own thread so you can discuss it there rather than hyjacking the conversation.

[Gaidax]

Bard? WTF is that. This ain't dnd breh.

[XDurionX]

There won't be any new classes, period.

[Triceron]

Class Skins are the way to go IMO.

That way you can have all those options together without any big conflict.

Tinkers use Mech Forms, so they can adapt Druid gameplay. Tank form (Guardian), Artillery form (Balance), Shredder form (Feral) and Combat Medic form (Resto)
Necromancers are already a fit using Warlock gameplay.
Bards are support, so they can use Priest gameplay. I'd adapt their theme more towards 'Wardrummer' like the Kodoriders of War3.

[Recovery]

So, three popular potential classes I see people predicting are:

Necromancer, Tinker, Bard

Which of these are you most hoping to see in the future? If we were eventually to see all three, which would you be the most invested in?

Over the past 15 years, we have seen three new classes, all of which are melee, all can DPS and Tank, only one can Heal. Death Knight, Monk, and Demon Hunter. While cool classes with very separate themes, we have not gotten any ranged or caster classes since the game's launch (unless you count the Legion spec overhaul as new classes). I personally would like to see another physical ranged class besides just the Hunter, so I'm partial to the Tinker class.


Tinker could be a hybrid class for all three roles, I think. Ranged as DPS and Healer, melee as Tank. I have always wondered, though, if a ranged Tank would be something possible and how it could work. A focus on damage evasion instead of damage absorption? Either way, I believe that Tinker is the most needed to balance the types of classes we have; types of classes being melee, ranged, and caster. More variety for Ranged DPS and Healer would be appreciated. If Blizzard intends to follow the idea of a time skip when we return from Shadowlands then maybe the world is in an industrial revolution to have Tinker fit the theme.

Necromancer fresh off the heels of Shadowlands is the most logical choice when considering how classes follow the themes of the expansions they are involved in. It would be simple to give the class four specs and theme them around each of the four covenants with four different roles like Druid. Kyrian Tanks, Necrolords Melee DPS, Night Fae Healers, and Venthyr Caster DPS. Their general spell animations following the colour palette of anima while their spec spells follow the colour palette of the Shadowlands realm they represent. Personally I would prefer them to be a purely DPS class with the options of Melee DPS, Caster DPS, and Minion DPS like Demonology Warlock. Minion DPS is something I'd be hyped for where you would take Demonology, remove all their direct-damage abilities besides DoTs, and put their spells focused into which minions to summon and how to buff them.

Bard is one that people have been asking for longer than any other, at least to my memory. It's a classic D&D class that's been around longer than Tinker, Necromancer, Death Knight, or Demon Hunter by decades. The big question that always comes up in conversations about it being in WoW is: how would it work? How I see it is that Blizzard would introduce a new weapon type as they did for Demon Hunters, instruments. Lute, flute, and harp would be my best guesses for the three appearances instrument weapons would take on, each with their own simple animation sets. Either that or the type of instrument that appears in their hands would depend on the spell/ability they are using and would swap out in an instant. In this case, their weapon slot would just be filled with a charm of some sort or an ordinary weapon for auto-attack. There is also the possibility of having instrument types work like old Warrior Stances. Definitely a Caster class and most likely following the theme of Priest in the way of two Healer specs with one DPS spec.


So what are your thoughts on these? Are you hoping for one in particular, all three, or perhaps another class that was unmentioned?

I could see tinker being cool if it worked with a kit kind of like Heimerdinger from LoL. Build turrets that do your damage. Use abilities to upgrade them. Throw little bombs and such for CC. The basis for introducing turrets is already there with shaman totems. I feel like this could be very interesting and easily doable.

[neik]

Tinker - yes please.
Other two - conceptualize it into a instanced content.

[Mermeoth]

Tinker sounds possible and I would like to see them as class.

Necromancer would be perfect class for shadowlands. Considering this and that we have already death knights, warlocks and shadow priest I am pretty sure they are not gonna happen.

Bard? This is warcraft. They have absolutely no ground for this. Adding them would be nonsense. Almost like monks.

[skumnasty]

I doubt they'll add a new class anytime soon, but to entertain those, I think tinker is the only one that would be a potential. Necro would seem too close to DK/Demo, and bard? What would they do with a bard? Maybe my vision is too narrow but I don't see a good way to make that a fulfilling class in WoW.

Now that I've entertained the unlikelihood of new classes, I'd much rather see new specs. Some examples: gladiator as a 4th spec for warrior (RiP), some sort of dark ranger DoT spec for hunter (RiP old survival), a tank spec for shaman, a viable shockadin spec for pal, a non-pirate themed combat spec for rogue (unlikely since DH is practically that). They could even make necromancer a spec for DK or warlock. I get that it would be even more to balance, but I think it'd be easier than completely reimagining, designing, and tuning a new class.

- - - Updated - - -

Class Skins are the way to go IMO.

That way you can have all those options together without any big conflict.

Tinkers use Mech Forms, so they can adapt Druid gameplay. Tank form (Guardian), Artillery form (Balance), Shredder form (Feral) and Combat Medic form (Resto)
Necromancers are already a fit using Warlock gameplay.
Bards are support, so they can use Priest gameplay. I'd adapt their theme more towards 'Wardrummer' like the Kodoriders of War3.

I like this idea. No extra need to balance, just different visuals. Could be gated behind unlocks like destro locks' green fire and what not.

[crakerjack]

I vote no. There's already 36 specs in WoW, it doesn't make sense to add anymore. Unless you've played all 36 specs recently, not just over the course of almost 16 years of WoW, then you really don't have any valid reason to demand a new class. It's like complaining about an ice cream store not having enough flavors. You only tried 8 of them but you continue to kick rocks outside the store all while demanding a new flavor.

[Lakrin]

In the past, I've seen threads on Dark Rangers, Shadow Hunters, Hexxers, and Dragonsworn, too. I personally think all of them are two close to existing classes to work without some major reconceptualizations to existing classes and the theme of the proposed new class, but Blizzard made Demon Hunters work when I was pretty sure there was no room for them, so I'm ready to be wrong if the right idea is done well.

[LemonDemonGirl]

A Necromancer would be a cloth wearing Caster version of a DK, like how Priests and Paladins are to each other. Shadowlands would be the perfect expansion to add them in, unless we're going to return to the Shadowlands at some point

[Durff123]

A Necromancer would be a cloth wearing Caster version of a DK, like how Priests and Paladins are to each other. Shadowlands would be the perfect expansion to add them in, unless we're going to return to the Shadowlands at some point

I've thought of this too when I see people making the argument that Necromancer would be too similar to Death Knight. The same argument can be used for Paladin and Priest, in fact they were so similar during Vanilla they actually shared cross-class cooldowns with their shielding abilities.

[Garretdejiko]

So, three popular potential classes I see people predicting are:
Necromancer, Tinker, Bard

For me Necromancer should be a 4th spec for Warlock. Although it would be difficult to differentiate from UH Dks.
Bard should be a spec as well. Maybe Rogue, their class hall had one. Or Hunter as a nod for a better MMO from the past? lol
Tinker as a class I'm all for it. Assault Mode; Meele DPS. Siege Mode; Ranged DPS. Field Medic; Healer. Can't think on anything for Tank, should be called just that.

Of course, i've always loved the idea of bringing race specific specs following the WC3 fantasy, namely Shieldbreakers, Riflemans, Shadowhunters, etc.

[Triceron]

For me Necromancer should be a 4th spec for Warlock.

That'd only work from a gameplay perspective, otherwise Necromancers have little to do with the Warlock identity. Kinda like making Demon Hunter the 4th spec for Warlock as people used to suggest.

[Garretdejiko]

That'd only work from a gameplay perspective, otherwise Necromancers have little to do with the Warlock identity.

Lorewise too, since Gul'dan, KT, Dar'Khan Drathir, Noth the Plaguebringer, Gothik the Harvester were cloth wearer characters, with some tied to fel magic as well.

Kinda like making Demon Hunter the 4th spec for Warlock as people used to suggest.

Demon Hunter was such an iconic hero from WC3 and had enough defined differentiations from Warlocks that, the "people" that used to suggest it, should have been trippin' hard. Maybe saying adding San'layn to mages would have made much more sense.

[Teriz]

People really need to ask themselves which concept on that list is actually relatable to Warcraft and won't take concepts away from existing classes. In that, the Tinker is really the only option. Everything else is refried variations of what we already have in the class lineup.

I could see tinker being cool if it worked with a kit kind of like Heimerdinger from LoL. Build turrets that do your damage. Use abilities to upgrade them. Throw little bombs and such for CC. The basis for introducing turrets is already there with shaman totems. I feel like this could be very interesting and easily doable.

Yeah, the Tinker hero from HotS fits that description as well. I think a RDPS spec revolving around turrets and bombs could be very interesting if properly implemented.

[Mermeoth]

At the end. Blizz can do whatever they want. They gave us things i would never see to happen

[Mirishka]

Tinker all the way. The idea of tanking a raid as a big-ass mech a'la Mekkatorque makes me giddy in a way few WoW things could.

[Amunrasonther]

The Bard naysayers are making me happy. I'm currently deep in a WoW class concept for them (thanks Corona quarantine), and I look forward to convincing them otherwise.

I will admit, it's a lot more difficult than my Necromancer concept (see sig), where ideas poured in very easily.

[Triceron]

Lorewise too, since Gul'dan, KT, Dar'Khan Drathir, Noth the Plaguebringer, Gothik the Harvester were cloth wearer characters, with some tied to fel magic as well.

Lorewise, the rest weren't considered Warlocks. Gul'dan is a bit wavy since he did create the Death Knights, but he certainly wasn't a Necromancer in terms of the class archetype we know it as today. It's wavy if we're just defining them by historic lore rather than a class identity, since every Warlock and Necromancer we know of were once Mages or Shamans who just started using Necromancy or Fel Magic. I wouldn't suggest the Warlock to be a 4th Mage or Shaman spec either just because of that lore connection.

Demon Hunter was such an iconic hero from WC3 and had enough defined differentiations from Warlocks that, the "people" that used to suggest it, should have been trippin' hard. Maybe saying adding San'layn to mages would have made much more sense.

Well no one would have ever thought Death Knights would be playable on the Alliance and Horde if not for *insert big world-changing event that allows it to happen*. All we need is some big revelation on how and why Necromancers suddenly join the ranks of the Alliance and Horde.