You're right, the Necromancer doesn't need to be... A Death Knight. Your argument throughout is that it would inly be a Death Knight, when your explanation here makes it clear that a Necromancer can have different themes and mechanics derived from other games and sources.
Just as much as you are trying to make a case they are too similar and would be even more similar if they were melee, theres more than enough to build an entirely new identity such as how Monks were presented with Mistweaving and Windwalking.
Heck, most people who are talking about Necromancers are even expecting a Heal spec out of it, which makes sense since Necromancers are support casters in the RTS and usually mirror the Priestly healer units.
I think you are misunderstanding.Your example really doesn't line up with what we're talking about here. You're arguing that Blizzard needs to address a group of fans that demand a necromancer class
There is no need for Blizzard to appease any group. They get final say on any decision. This is why we don't have a new class this expansion.
The point I make is in direct response to you claiming that there is no reason for a Necromancer class. I am presenting a very significant reason - popular demand. This is the sole reason the Demon Hunter is playable today despite all the reasons you used previously to dismiss it.
Blizzard didn't have to make a Demon Hunter playable at all. They chose to.
So what reason would they have to make a class that has very limited unique mechanics, only 2 specs worth of gameplay, that has very simplified mechanics, that is exclusive to 2 races, wears leather yet again, and takes away gameplay from other classes?
To please fan demand. To sell more copies of the game. Period.
You mean how they lost all these necromantic abilities in order for Covenants to provide necromantic abilities for all classes? Oh wait, they were able to make completely new necromantic abilities that didn't infringe on DK gameplay, go figure!There are Warlock players who are still bitter about losing metamorphosis to Warlocks. Imagine that bitterness magnified because Death Knights would be forced to lose abilities
Your argument amounts to DKs play like Warlocks since you are comparing the Necromancer directly to both classes. Your argument would imply that DKs having minions directly takes away from the Warlocks unique Summoner theme. Your argument implies Warlocks can be DKs because they both use Necromancy.
You just don't realize how baseless and invalid those arguments are because you're hyper focused on dismissing the Necromancer while using arguments like 'Warlocks already use Necromancy' and 'Another class that uses Necromancy would take things away from the Death Knight' are in direct conflict with one another. Your argument invalidates itself on the basis of the game already showing clear precedent for none of that mattering.
If Blizzard was really worried about what fans felt, then Pandarens and Gnomes would have been removed from the game long ago. That's the argument you're making here.