Dragonflight Alpha/Beta General Discussion

[Nymrohd]

Okay, Prediction time.

We are getting Class Skins, they will be the Pre-Order Bonus of 10.0 and will be added on next weeks PTR.

That would be awesome.

[maplesyrupgl]

I've believed class skins were coming for a while. I honestly think it's one of the reasons why they stopped class sets. I think they only brought them back for 9.2 because so many people complained, but having class sets every tier make class skins unmanageable so I imagine they won't have them in 10.0 if class skins come.

They make sense, they're the same "quantity over quality" concept as allied races, where they can give us the things people have been asking for with less work.

I was working on a visual representation of this idea for a while but never finished it so here:

Class skins:

Warrior = Dragon Knight (red Dragon themed character customisation and abilities)

Paladin = Spellblade (Arcane themed abilities)

Shaman = Dragonsworn (Dragon themed character customisation and abilities from all flights)

Hunter = Dark Ranger (death themed character customisation and abilities and undead pets)

Druid = Dreamer (green Dragon themed character customisation and abilities as well as Dragon forms)

Rogue = Infiltrator (Black dragon themed character customisation and abilities, black dragonkin form when stealthed)

Monk = Brawler (non-kungfu/panda related abilities)

Mage = Spell-binder (blue Dragon themed character customisation and abilities)

Priest = Timelord (Bronze Dragon themed character customisation and abilities for holy abilities, infinite themed for shadow)

Warlock = Necromancer (death themed character customisation and abilities, undead minions replace demons)

A lot of Dragon stuff, but if that's the expansion theme it makes sense to me. I also feel like hero classes won't get class skins but that's just a vibe I have.

[Mferna]

I'm on the same page.

I think they are really done with adding classes.

Dragon Warrior could be totally a warrior thing.
Warriors already have dragon themed spells and armour.

I could see new specs for existing classes. A shaman tank, mage healer, demon hunter range? Death knight healer? All of these could make sense and be pretty intriguing

[Zankai27]

Class Skins are an idea I just absolutely cannot get behind. Especially at the cost of actually putting the effort in for a new class.

What are they, really? Cosmetics, masquerading as a different class while never actually being one? What’s left for people who want an actual new flavor to play with, almost 7 years since the last one?

Nothing, apparently. Just iteration, and people excited over the idea of cosplaying as other classes. No effort from anyone but the art and UI teams.

And can we stop pretending Warriors have any dragon flavor? They have dragon roar, a move that barely qualifies, and are otherwise just cut and paste warriors (and that’s fine, by the way)

Don’t shoehorn dragons on to everything and just let dragons be their own thing.

[maplesyrupgl]

And can we stop pretending Warriors have any dragon flavor? They have dragon roar,

I laughed.

[therumblings]

Class skins are just lazy ways of making multiple new classes at once. Demon Hunter could have just been a class skin for a rogue, etc. Pretty much every single one I saw except for things like Dark Ranger and Blademaster, can just be realized into full classes.

[Wangming]

Class skins are just lazy ways of making multiple new classes at once. Demon Hunter could have just been a class skin for a rogue, etc. Pretty much every single one I saw except for things like Dark Ranger and Blademaster, can just be realized into full classes.

Blizzard needs to be tricked into delivering content somehow.

[Syegfryed]

Class Skins are an idea I just absolutely cannot get behind. Especially at the cost of actually putting the effort in for a new class.

What are they, really? Cosmetics, masquerading as a different class while never actually being one? What’s left for people who want an actual new flavor to play with, almost 7 years since the last one?

Nothing, apparently. Just iteration, and people excited over the idea of cosplaying as other classes. No effort from anyone but the art and UI teams.

And can we stop pretending Warriors have any dragon flavor? They have dragon roar, a move that barely qualifies, and are otherwise just cut and paste warriors (and that’s fine, by the way)

Don’t shoehorn dragons on to everything and just let dragons be their own thing.

think class skin as what they did with warlock green fire, and go beyond just color. Yes they can make a dragon class as lazy as DH, but most of the class skin are not dragon related imo.

There is a lot of "things" that aren't classes on their own, and would only dilute the classes we have, like "warden" or "dark ranger", so, those as class skin or 4spec would be the right way to go.

but we all know blizzard, most profit for less effort, so its hard to say what it will be, the "right" decision in my eyes is to redo the MOP scenario dragon class and dragon race, but maybe is asking too much for then.

[therumblings]

IMO Class Skins are a bad idea, replace them with Racial Class Skins, things that will never become their own class, so each unique racial class lore (Sunwalkers, Blademasters, etc) can be realized.

[Syegfryed]

Class skins are just lazy ways of making multiple new classes at once. Demon Hunter could have just been a class skin for a rogue, etc. Pretty much every single one I saw except for things like Dark Ranger and Blademaster, can just be realized into full classes.

the ones who should be full classes:

Bard
Necromancer
Tinker
Dragonsworn

the rest is just classskin

[therumblings]

the ones who should be full classes:

Bard
Necromancer
Tinker
Dragonsworn

the rest is just classskin

I agree, there are probably more I'm forgetting, but turning everything into a class skin is just a bad idea and I doubt Blizzard would throw out potential future expansion content in some soulless feature.

[crusadernero]

I'd like them to somewhat "simplify" the main story of future xpacs and have the villains be somewhat more straigthforward. The problem with the Jailer was how convoluded all of his intensions and plans was, and why he did what he did. heck, SL is done and dusted and we still dont have a clear picture.

While streamlining the main story and make it cool and easy to understand, they could also develop cool smaller questlines in each new zone. Here they could make it much more complicated and layered, here they can have freedom to tell a cool little story but its by no means a critical part of the main story of the xpac.

Look at the world in classic. All those quests in all the zones. All of them tell a story. Some(many probably) not very interesting, some are very cool and rather complex. Some have long questchains. It tells a story that belongs within the world. It might not be about the main bad guy, but its a story worth told in the game. This helps building a greater sense of a "living" world.

At the same time - these quests arent needed to do, but cool to experience.

Its getting a bit boring that every zones is jammed with "follow this streamlined questline that is 99% about the main villain of this xpac" repeated in every zone.

[therumblings]

I don't know why so many people still believe it's going to happen one day,

Because it's seen as lazy and easier for Blizzard to do

[Wangming]

I'd like them to somewhat "simplify" the main story of future xpacs and have the villains be somewhat more straigthforward. The problem with the Jailer was how convoluded all of his intensions and plans was, and why he did what he did. heck, SL is done and dusted and we still dont have a clear picture.

The problem was more like how it was communicated.

- - - Updated - - -

Need I remind you that the author of the fake Dragonflight leak himself admitted that he made it all up.

Really? I think I missed that.

[therumblings]

Really? I think I missed that.

I think Utsuko is talking about Empire of Dragons, unless everyone else in this thread missed that too.

[crusadernero]

The problem was more like how it was communicated.

- - - Updated - - -

Whatever it was, its been a huge failure and the jailer is most likely the most forgettable villain in wow ever. He might not be in the lore(books or whatever), but in game? Useless from start to end.

[Wangming]

I think Utsuko is talking about Empire of Dragons, unless everyone else in this thread missed that too.

Well duh that one is obviously fake.

[Syegfryed]

I don't think it's any easier for them to do it, and even if it were they wouldn't do it. Because it doesn't make sense.

Seriously, I don't know how anyone can support this madness.

its the same line of work of allied races, is easier and cheaper to do a class skin, that only change animations/colors than create an entire different class.

A lot of "new class suggestions" are not class on their own, are just thematic fitting for a race, so it would be crap to make then an entire new class, by example, 'dark ranger" or "shadow hunter", who are tied to forsaken and trolls.

Necromancer is new class material, unlike those two i mentioned

[Nymrohd]

IMO Class Skins are a bad idea, replace them with Racial Class Skins, things that will never become their own class, so each unique racial class lore (Sunwalkers, Blademasters, etc) can be realized.

I honestly would fold those into class skins. Yes you can have Necromancer but you could also have e.g. Shadow Hunter for Darkspear only. I also think that it shouldn't have to reskin an entire class. It could be something as simple as a reskin for one spec (Subtlety Rogue into Warden). You could even have a class skin be available for two specs in different classes (Arms & Windwalker into Orc Blademaster)

And I still think you could do Tinker that way; Beastmaster, Survival, maybe also Fire Mage into Techmage (let them use a gun) and Protection Warrior (let them craft a mech with engineering and just reskin so the mech does everything)

[Raetary]

Class skins are just lazy ways of making multiple new classes at once.

Class skins are a much desired and perfectly fine way of including warcraft archetypes that wouldn't be turned into classes otherwise.

Priestesses of the Elune
Shadow Hunters
Dark Rangers
Blademasters
etc.

Archetypes that are too specific to add as its own thing, or its themes are already being partially included by the existing classes.

I agree that some people are shoving in archetypes that don't belong, like tinkers or dragonsworn, etc. but some people doing that shouldn't discredit the whole concept.