Thread: Class skins

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  1. #1

    Class skins

    What if Blizzard was to add class skins to the different classes, so that players would be able to roleplay as their chosen race/class combination more accurately. Ever wanted to roleplay as a Sunwalker, Tidesage or a Blood mage, but couldn't because the spells, the customization options and a fitting armor set were missing?

    What i suggest would be to add cosmetic options to the abilities of a class, so that the icon, the description, the spell effect and maybe even the character animation would change, but the function would remain the same. That way, Blizzard wouldn't need to break their heads on how to balance it all. These cosmetic options could stretch to character customization options and gear as well. Choosing a certain cosmetic class could grant access to certain customization options and armor sets. Some examples would be:

    Druid
    - Harvest-Witch
    - Raptari/Lun'alai
    - Thornspeaker

    Hunter
    - Mountaineer/Rifleman
    - Rangari
    - Troll Headhunter/Berserker
    - Farstrider
    - Sapper
    - Wu Kao Hunter
    - Predator/Dinomancer (Zandalari)
    - Umbral Ranger
    - Outrigger

    Mage
    - Archmage
    - Blood mage
    - Arcweaver
    - Omnia Mage
    - Illusionist
    - Artificer
    - Locus Researcher
    - Tidesage

    Monk
    - Blackguard Monk
    - Scarlet Monk
    - Auchenai Monk

    Paladin
    - Knight of the Silver Hand
    - Vindicator (Draenei)
    - Blood Knight
    - Sunwalker
    - Prelate

    Priest
    - Cleric of Northshire
    - Anchorite
    - Medic/Doctor/Surgeon
    - Cultist of the Forgotten Shadow
    - Seer
    - Voidseer
    - Omnia Priest
    - Confessor
    - Tidesage

    Rogue
    - SI:7
    - Gnomeregan Covert Ops
    - Sentinel
    - Shattered Hand
    - Deathstalker
    - Farstrider
    - Wu Kao Rogue
    - Madcap

    Shaman
    - Gryphon Rider
    - Spirit Walker
    - Geomancer
    - Augur
    - Tidesage

    Warlock
    - Apothecary
    - Demoniac
    - Riftwarden

    Warrior
    - Footman/Knight
    - Mountain King
    - Sentinel
    - Grunt/Raider
    - Troll Berserker
    - Tauren Chieftain/Warrior
    - Death Guard
    - Spell Breaker
    - Bruiser
    - Black Guard Warrior
    - Riftblade
    - Vindicator (Zandalari)
    Last edited by username993720; 2021-09-04 at 02:04 PM.

  2. #2
    Class skins seem difficult to do for one core reason: classes undergo reworks all the time. They grow exponentially, as well, with new talents/abilities OR new borrowed power systems implemented. For each new ability to re-theme, the effects team would need to make a completely new spell on par with it, the UI team would need to make a new icon, the sound team would need to make new sound effects and mix it, etc.

    I think the solution is to vastly expand the glyph system and implement them as a per-spell basis. Instead of making, say, a Necromancer skin from wholecloth, one of several things could be to glyph Hand of Gul'dan to make the projectile more death energy like and have it spawn skeletal mages instead of imps, rather than doing the entire spec all at once.

  3. #3
    Everyone had hoped for Class Skins at least for Shadowlands. We didn't get it. Nor a new class. Nor any new features. Would have been cool, I loved the idea and concept.

    For Druid I would have loved Druids of The Flame ever since Cataclysm/Firelands.

  4. #4
    Herald of the Titans enigma77's Avatar
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    I'd give my left nut for a Necromancer skin for Warlocks.

  5. #5
    Definitely Void Paladin should be a class skin. The funny thing is that there is already some precedent for it, so it would make perfect sense lorewise:

    Twilight's Vindicators are hostile paladins working for the Twilight's Hammer. They are stationed at the Twilight Citadel of Twilight Highlands, area surrounding Bastion of Twilight's spire.


    We also have Riftblade Kelain from the Riftrunners, a ren'dorei clad in obvious paladin gear.

    When this class skin becomes available, Ren'dorei will also get playable paladin. Class skin would thus be a perfect way to extend the race/class combinations.
    Last edited by Varodoc; 2020-09-01 at 01:02 PM.
    Expansion Storylines ranking:

    Legion > Cataclysm > MoP > BfA up to 8.2.5 > Wrath > TBC > WoD > Dragonflight > BfA 8.3 > Shadowlands

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by enigma77 View Post
    I'd give my left nut for a Necromancer skin for Warlocks.
    Well, the reason i put it in the Death Knight section instead of the Warlock one (even though the Necromancer's garment very much resembles that of the Undead Warlock in the TBC cinematic) is because the idea surrounding it was incorporated into the Death Knight class. Unholy Frenzy & Raise Dead were given to the Death Knight (and Cripple was a Doomguard's ability). And since Death Coil was converted from a Warlock ability into a Death Knight ability, the only thing i can recommend is giving Shadow Bolt to the Death Knight class (with its old skull animation).

    Quote Originally Posted by Varodoc View Post
    Definitely Void Paladin should be a class skin. The funny thing is that there is already some precedent for it, so it would make perfect sense lorewise:





    We also have Riftblade Kelain from the Riftrunners, a ren'dorei clad in obvious paladin gear.

    When this class skin becomes available, Ren'dorei will also get playable paladin. Class skin would thus be a perfect way to extend the race/class combinations.
    As Void Elves cannot be Paladins, The Riftblades could potentially be a supplement for the void elves' warrior role.
    Last edited by username993720; 2020-09-02 at 09:48 PM.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by username993720 View Post
    As Void Elves cannot be Paladins, The Riftblades could potentially be a supplement for the void elves' warrior role.
    Then make void elf paladins playable, No? As I said, class skins would be a perfect opportunity to increase race/class combinations, ala Cataclysm.
    Expansion Storylines ranking:

    Legion > Cataclysm > MoP > BfA up to 8.2.5 > Wrath > TBC > WoD > Dragonflight > BfA 8.3 > Shadowlands

  8. #8
    La la la la~ LemonDemonGirl's Avatar
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    How about non-Scourge DK skins? For example there could be a Prelate/Reaper of Bwonsamdi one that uses light blue/teal magic and abilities. And you'd summon undead trolls instead of ghouls/skeletons
    I don't play WoW anymore smh.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Bwonsamdi the Dead View Post
    How about non-Scourge DK skins? For example there could be a Prelate/Reaper of Bwonsamdi one that uses light blue/teal magic and abilities. And you'd summon undead trolls instead of ghouls/skeletons
    Well, this thread is based on lore-established classes, not made up ones.

  10. #10
    La la la la~ LemonDemonGirl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by username993720 View Post
    Well, this thread is based on lore-established classes, not made up ones.
    Well, it would be easy to put in the Lore, as Prelates of Rezan aren't really a thing anymore since Rastakhan died
    I don't play WoW anymore smh.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by enigma77 View Post
    I'd give my left nut for a Necromancer skin for Warlocks.
    I honestly don't see why they don't just re-name Affliction "Necromancer" and call it a day. Likewise, re-name "Outlaw" (hate that name by the way) Bard, create some off hand items that look like instruments and just make a whole lot of people happy.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Bwonsamdi the Dead View Post
    Well, it would be easy to put in the Lore, as Prelates of Rezan aren't really a thing anymore since Rastakhan died
    Rezan or not, Prelates are still Paladins.
    They could follow Shirvallah, like the ones from Hearthstone.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kyphael View Post
    I honestly don't see why they don't just re-name Affliction "Necromancer" and call it a day. Likewise, re-name "Outlaw" (hate that name by the way) Bard, create some off hand items that look like instruments and just make a whole lot of people happy.
    That is because Necromancers are more than just Affliction Warlocks. They raise the dead, they infuse others with Unholy Frenzy and chill the living with Death Coil. The only Warlock ability i would associate them with is Shadow Bolt, as they are said to harness the shadows into bolts of incendiary energy.
    Last edited by username993720; 2020-09-02 at 09:48 PM.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by username993720 View Post
    That is because Necromancers are more than just Affliction Warlocks. They raise the dead, they infuse others with Unholy Frenzy and chill the living with Death Coil. The only Warlock ability i would associate them with is Shadow Bolt, as they are said to harness the shadows into bolts of incendiary energy.
    Oh, it would definitely be a re-tooling with some abilities likely pruned from Unholy DK's to Affliction Warlocks. What I'd keep from Affliction are mostly diseases.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Vakir View Post
    Class skins seem difficult to do for one core reason: classes undergo reworks all the time. They grow exponentially, as well, with new talents/abilities OR new borrowed power systems implemented. For each new ability to re-theme, the effects team would need to make a completely new spell on par with it, the UI team would need to make a new icon, the sound team would need to make new sound effects and mix it, etc.

    I think the solution is to vastly expand the glyph system and implement them as a per-spell basis. Instead of making, say, a Necromancer skin from wholecloth, one of several things could be to glyph Hand of Gul'dan to make the projectile more death energy like and have it spawn skeletal mages instead of imps, rather than doing the entire spec all at once.
    To be honest.... most of the spells in the game are fairly generic, and as long as they refrain from changing anything *super specific*, graphics can be changed around pretty easily.

    Green Flame is just one example of this. Some class skins could benefit from either using more generic representations of new spells, or be on the level of a 'palette swap'.

    Lightforged 'Vindicator' Priest would be an example of this, changing anything shadow to light. Some things might need an actual new graphic or new model (Tentacles, Shadowbeasts) but otherwise all the other spell effects could be done with sparkly yellow light and that's it. And it would hold up for most future reworks, barring anything huge like 'old god forms' or 'summon faceless horrors'.

    I would say they would have to rethink how they approach complete redesigns moving forward in the same way they would since they've added Allied Classes. Some things will work out easy, some things will require huge amount of rework. Just look at them giving Kul Tirans and Zandalari unique forms; it means they will never get access to the Legendary forms that we saw in Legion.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Kyphael View Post
    Oh, it would definitely be a re-tooling with some abilities likely pruned from Unholy DK's to Affliction Warlocks. What I'd keep from Affliction are mostly diseases.
    That's what i'm trying to refrain from, with class skins. Re-tooling would mean balancing on Blizzard's part. And they don't want that. What i suggested would be consmetic-only.

    Quote Originally Posted by Triceron View Post
    To be honest.... most of the spells in the game are fairly generic, and as long as they refrain from changing anything *super specific*, graphics can be changed around pretty easily.

    Green Flame is just one example of this. Some class skins could benefit from either using more generic representations of new spells, or be on the level of a 'palette swap'.

    Lightforged 'Vindicator' Priest would be an example of this, changing anything shadow to light. Some things might need an actual new graphic or new model (Tentacles, Shadowbeasts) but otherwise all the other spell effects could be done with sparkly yellow light and that's it. And it would hold up for most future reworks, barring anything huge like 'old god forms' or 'summon faceless horrors'.

    I would say they would have to rethink how they approach complete redesigns moving forward in the same way they would since they've added Allied Classes. Some things will work out easy, some things will require huge amount of rework. Just look at them giving Kul Tirans and Zandalari unique forms; it means they will never get access to the Legendary forms that we saw in Legion.
    Lightforged Priests are Anchorites. They are Holy Priests. No need for them to have Light-based shadow spells. I'm reminding you, guys, again - this thread is based on lore established classes, not made up ones.

    Plus, Kul Tirans and Zandalari do get access to artifact appearances in Shadowlands.
    Last edited by username993720; 2020-09-03 at 09:16 AM.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by username993720 View Post
    What if Blizzard was to add class skins to the different classes, so that players would be able to roleplay as their chosen race/class combination more accurately. Ever wanted to roleplay as a Dark Ranger, a Priestess of the Moon or a Blood mage, but couldn't because the spells, the customization options and a fitting armor set were missing? No place is it more profound than in the Priest class. There are many different religions amongst the different races, but only 3 priest specs. That is why, at some point, Blizzard added racial abilities to the priest class, but later on removed them.

    What i suggest would be to add cosmetic options to the abilities of a class, so that the icon, the description, the spell effect and maybe even the character animation would change, but the function would remain the same. That way, Blizzard wouldn't need to break their heads on how to balance it all. These cosmetic options could stretch to character customization options and gear as well. Choosing a certain cosmetic class could grant access to certain customization options and armor sets. Some examples would be:

    Death Knight
    - First generation of Death Knights
    - Necromancer

    Druid
    - Archdruid
    - Harvest-Witch
    - Haruspex/Raptari/Lun'alai
    - Thornspeaker
    - Druid of the: Claw, Talon, Antler, Fang, Grove, Moon, Pack, Scythe, Flame, Saber, Swarm, Rat

    Hunter
    - Mountaineer/Rifleman
    - Tinker
    - Sentinel (Archer/Huntress)
    - Rangari
    - Beastmaster
    - Troll Headhunter/Berserker
    - Farstrider
    - Sapper
    - Dark ranger
    - Wu Kao Hunter
    - Predator/Dinomancer (Zandalari)
    - Umbral Ranger
    - Outrigger

    Mage
    - Archmage
    - Arcanist
    - Blood mage/Sorceress/Magister
    - Arcweaver
    - Omnia Mage
    - Illusionist
    - Artificer
    - Locus Researcher
    - Tidesage
    - Telemancer

    Monk
    - Pandaren Brewmaster/Shado-Pan (Blackguard)
    - Scarlet Monk
    - Auchenai Monk

    Paladin
    - Knight of the Silver Hand
    - Vindicator (Draenei)
    - Blood Knight
    - Sunwalker
    - Prelate/freethinker

    Priest
    - Cleric of Northshire
    - Anchorite
    - Priestess of the Moon
    - Medic/Doctor/Surgeon
    - Witch Doctor
    - High/Blood elf Priest
    - Cultist of the Forgotten Shadow
    - Seer
    - Voidseer
    - Omnia Priest
    - Confessor
    - Tidesage

    Rogue
    - SI:7
    - Gnomeregan Covert Ops
    - Warden/Sentinel
    - Shattered Hand
    - Deathstalker
    - Farstrider
    - Shado-Pan (Wu Kao)
    - Madcap

    Shaman
    - Farseer/Shaman
    - Gryphon Rider
    - Spirit Walker
    - Witch Doctor/Shadow Hunter
    - Geomancer
    - Augur
    - Tidesage

    Warlock
    - Apothecary
    - Blood Mage
    - Demoniac
    - Riftwarden
    - Felsworn

    Warrior
    - Footman/Knight
    - Mountain King
    - Tinker
    - Sentinel/Warden
    - Grunt/Raider
    - Blademaster
    - Troll Berserker
    - Tauren Chieftain/Warrior
    - Death Guard
    - Spell Breaker
    - Bruiser
    - Shado-Pan (Blackguard)
    - Riftblade
    - Vindicator (Zandalari)
    Let me add a few that could make that list:



    • Moonguard, Astromancer and Starmancer which are largely kaldorei empire mage versions based on star/moon magic.
    • Highborne could also qualify as a Mage skin. (Yes I am aware it's a night elven caste, and also an ancient name for the High elven race - but it can also be a mage skin for elven types - probably only making sense with the current Darnassian night elves where they are effectively mages as well as a caste).
    • Illidari Fel Lord/warlock would be a good skin to add for warlock.
    • Ranger is the most famous hunter skin for elves (both night elves and Thalassian elves) - and yes i am aware both Farstriders and Sentinels can be rangers, but not all Rangers can be Farstriders or Sentinels.
    • Drust druid seems obvious too, as the Kul'tiran form of druidism is already partially a skin itself.
    • Gonk druid also seems unique enough to make the list,, they would just need alternatives for the stellar/solar spells which are very much a kaldorei thing in kaldorei based druidsm.
    • Void Knight could be a void based Paladin, and Night Warrior an Elune based Paladin too.
    Last edited by ravenmoon; 2020-12-08 at 05:42 PM.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by ravenmoon View Post
    Let me add a few that could make that list:



    • Moonguard, Astromancer and Starmancer which are largely kaldorei empire mage versions based on star/moon magic.
    • Highborne could also qualify as a Mage skin. (Yes I am aware it's a night elven caste, and also an ancient name for the High elven race - but it can also be a mage skin for elven types - probably only making sense with the current Darnassian night elves where they are effectively mages as well as a caste).
    • Illidari Fel Lord/warlock would be a good skin to add for warlock.
    • Ranger is the most famous hunter skin for elves (both night elves and Thalassian elves) - and yes i am aware both Farstriders and Sentinels can be rangers, but not all Rangers can be Farstriders or Sentinels.
    • Drust druid seems obvious too, as the Kul'tiran form of druidism is already partially a skin itself.
    • Gonk druid also seems unique enough to make the list,, they would just need alternatives for the stellar/solar spells which are very much a kaldorei thing in kaldorei based druidsm.
    • Void Knight could be a void based Paladin, and Night Warrior an Elune based Paladin too.
    - Couldn't find a Starmancer in lore. You, probably, mean, Astromancy.

    - Highborne are not a class skin but, a race skin. And Night elves already have them (White hair, dark colored skin) with Shadowlands customization options.

    - Illidari do not have Fel Lords or Warlocks among them, and Fel Lord is a race. I really don't know how you got to this concept or what it means, visually...

    - That's why i specified what kind of Ranger for each race. Blood elves/High elves will get a Farstrider/Silver Covenant (Warcraft II even) kind of skin; Dark Rangers for, supposedly, undead elves; Sentinel for Night elves; and Umbral/Rendorei for Void elves. I don't know what, and if, Nightborne use.

    - I already suggested Thornspeaker, which is a Drust/Kul Tiran Druidic Group.

    - I already suggested Raptari, which are the Druidic group for Zandalari Trolls.

    - I don't know what a Void Knight is. if Blizzard wanted that, they would have added this title to the Void elves. Night Warrior is a Priestess of the Moon skin. That would, probably, be a Night elf Paladin, part of the Sisterhood of Elune.
    Last edited by username993720; 2020-12-10 at 01:09 PM.

  18. #18
    Monk - Brawler.
    Something I've wanted due to playing an orc or tauren monk.

    Loses the monk stances for the more generic one fist stance that every class has.
    Change the monk animated abilities to something less flippy.

    Blackout kick - use rogue kick animation
    Rising sun kick - use the warrior shoulder check animation
    Spinning crane kick - instead of a tornado spin kick, T pose and spin hit with fists.
    Chi Burst - bowl a keg in a straight line.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by kuhntasmash View Post
    Monk - Brawler.
    Something I've wanted due to playing an orc or tauren monk.

    Loses the monk stances for the more generic one fist stance that every class has.
    Change the monk animated abilities to something less flippy.

    Blackout kick - use rogue kick animation
    Rising sun kick - use the warrior shoulder check animation
    Spinning crane kick - instead of a tornado spin kick, T pose and spin hit with fists.
    Chi Burst - bowl a keg in a straight line.
    Brewmaster: "A sturdy brawler who uses liquid fortification and unpredictable movement to avoid damage and protect allies."

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by username993720 View Post
    Brewmaster: "A sturdy brawler who uses liquid fortification and unpredictable movement to avoid damage and protect allies."
    From the poster that literally suggested Necromancer for Death Knight.
    Which is just unholy dk in a dress. OK

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