Originally Posted by
Imperator4321
You're making the same mistake that Teriz by assuming Blizzard has some sort of sacred adherence to how classes/characters were depicted back in WC3, Blizzard draws from WC3 just as much as they ignore/retcon it.
Elune worship & Loa Worship are not "missing" from the priest class, they're not represented visually, they gave Night Elf Priests a weaker version of Starfall (Starshards) back in vanilla & a elune themed buff, they gave Troll priests hex of weakness & shadowguard, those were removed not because Troll & Night Elf priests aren't worshipping Loa and Elune but because they were hard to balance, what the hell do you think Elune & Troll priests are worshipping? or the multiple times we've seen Troll Priests and Night Elf Priests using Light and or Shadow powers.
In a perfect world yes Night Elf priests would have a star/moonlight based spells (like starshards or starfall) or at least the visual look to their spells and Troll priests the same but for Loa but they can't because of how balancing classes & or lack of time investment on Blizzard's part
I have no idea what direction they're going with storywise with Sylvanas or Tyrande's new powers/alliegances but I somehow doubt we're getting a class based on making a pact with a character whos probably going to be dead by the time the expansion is over (the jailor) and a power thats described as nothing but self destructive to those that wield it (night warrior)
Those Death Knights just use Warlock or Warrior abilities they weren't given a Death Knight or Necromantic makover, the Dark Ranger abilities we saw throughout BFA were either outright hunter abilities (disengage, multi-shoot, aimed shoots) or Hunter abilities reflavored to be necromancy themed like shot-type abilities given a shadow or plague theme (shadowburn shot, plague tipped arrows) or a revive pet ability given a necromancy flavor (dark revival), pretty different from just giving them Hunter abilities, same way Night Elf Priests might be shown casting a star or moonlight based spell while the playable version can't or a Troll priest will cast a curse or hex.
Priests did not take the Demon Hunter thematic or anything else outside of mana burn which is a fairly inconsequential part of the Demon Hunter identity and Warlocks despite a devs attempts to have them absorb the Demon Hunter identity was unsuccessful at doing so.
Once again your subscribing to this idea that Blizzard has some sort of sacred mandate to hold everything true to how it was depicted in WC3 a nearly 2 decade old game they ignore/retcon just as much as they reference.
Tidesages visually, thematically and gameplay wise incorporate elements of Mages, Shamans and Priests (use of arcane, water elementals, communion with the elements, clerical, religious order, use of shadow-based powers) Tidesages absorb and incorperate elements of multiple classes and therefore cannot be accurately depicted by any singular one of them, they are a unique archetype in-universe but said archetype is split between multiple classes available to us.
for comparison Witch Doctors (and Shadow Hunters by extension) visually, thematically and gameplay wise incorporate elements Shamans, Warlocks and Priests (wards/totems, spiritual abilities, hexes/curses and light/shadow powers), they cannot be accurately represented by any one of them because while they are a unique archetype in-universe said archetype is split conceptually between multiple classes
The point is that NPC classes that are combinations of multiple classes available to us or use abilities we can't use are nothing new, we've had them since the beginning of the game and continue to have new ones added (like tidesages), Dark Rangers, Witch-Doctors, Shadowhunters, Priestess of the Elune, Tinkers and Alchemists are not special because they come from WC3.
What does the archetype of a sapper/explosives expert have to do with the themes of a Hunter which is about mastery of wilds, beasts, "hunting weapons" (i.e spears and bows), tracking and traps, explosives are a minuscule part of the Hunter identity, currently what do hunters have in terms of "explosives" are explosive shot and wildfire bomb? (and wildfire bomb evokes more of an alchemical type explosive, not to mention "wilfire" is a type of fire causes by combustable vegetation so it still relates back to the "wilds" theme of Hunters). "explosives expert" is the last thing i think when i think "Hunter".
What do the archetype of a Dark Ranger (a fallen ranger who uses necromancy) a Priestess of Elune (chosen worshippers of a moon goddess) and a Sea Witch (witches of the magic of the sea) have to do with eachother beyond the fact that they used bows and (different) types of magic and before you say "but Rangers" let me clear something up a Ranger as a fantasy class/archetype are not about "bows and magic" it's always been defined as about Woodlore, Wilderness survival, Beast mastery, tracking and are commonly associate with nature magic and "practical" combat skills i.e archery/marksmanship, axeplay and spearplay the "Ranger" archetype already exists in WoW are was turned into the Hunter class
Let me just go over a couple of classes and how their themes inform and relate back to their specs while still keeping a thematic whole that makes a class what they are regardless of spec.
Rogues: opportunistic and underhanded fighters, Masters of poison (assassination), stealth (subtlety), quick bladework (outlaw)
Warriors: masters of arms & armor who fuel their rage into a flurry of raging strikes (Fury), heavy and decisive blows (arms) or protection of their allies (protection)
Paladin: Holy Warriors who use holy magic and weaponry to punish their foes (retribution), heal their allies (holy) or protect themselves and their allies.
Hunter: Master of the Wilds who uses tamed beasts (beastmastery), marksmanship (marksmanship) or venoms and traps (survival) to bring down their foes
Priest: Wielders of light & shadow magic who use holy light to heal (holy), shadow powers to harm (shadow) or balances the two to harm and heal (discipline)
Warlock: Dark Spellcasters and Summoners who use fel & shadow magic to curse and drain life (affliction), eradicate with chaotic and destructive pwoer (destruction) or uses an small army of demonic servants (demonology)
Notice how despite the differences between specs all of them still relate back to their core thematic identity of their parent class meanwhile what does your Ranger have as a thematic idenity? a master archer who uses necromancy or holy moon magic or ocean magic? how do those magic relate to eachother? what does being an archer have to do with using those forms of magic? "Bow + Magic" is not a thematic identity nor is being an Elf, by this logic Paladin, Death Knight and Spellbreaker can all be made into the same "Knight" class because all 3 use melee weapons + magic or Warlock, Mage and Priest can all be one class due to all being "spellcasters" you're hyperfocusing on the most superficial aspects of Priestess of the Moon, Dark Rangers and Sea Witches that their weapon type and using (different forms of) magic, instead of the themes of what a Dark Ranger, Priestess of the Moon and Sea Witch are a Fallen Ranger, a chosen of a moon goddess and a Ocean witch, 3 concepts which have no relation to eachother beyond the superficial (bows, using different types of magic and being/formerly being elves).
It wouldn't call it pushing so much as musing/thoughts on ways a Necromancer class could be added in such a way that it wouldn't be thematically/visually overlapping with Death Knights by giving them others themes that don't interfere with what DK's do DK's would still be about Blood, Frost and Unholy while a Necromancer could be themed around around insects/spiders/nerubians, poison, corpses, constructs, bone and other aspects of the scourge/necromancy not currently represented well by the DK class.
I've "rejected" your concepts because of instead of suggesting ways Dark Rangers, Priestess of the Moon, Sea Witches, Shadow Hunters, Blademasters and Wardens could be expanded to make them more distinct from Hunters, Priests, Shamans, Warriors or Rogues, you instead just took already existing abilities, themes and visuals from Classes that exist, essentially doing what happened with Demonology and Demon Hunters on a far larger scale and doing it do themes and abilities that are core aspects of those classes identities instead of what was a single spec that was using a thematic (turning into a demon) that was ill fitting of them and was ultimately the result of a single overzealous dev. Or you mashed unrelated concepts together into a "class" that would be a thematic and visual mess.