We will probably see a new Class during the Worldsoul Saga

[Enrif]

It is by now standard that Blizzard adds a new class after about two to three expansion.

• Classic to Wrath were 2 expansions
• Wrath to Mists were 2 expansions
• Mists to Legion were 2 expansions
• Legion to Dragonflight were 3 expansions

The worldsoul sage will cover three expansions, so it is highly likely that at least one new class will come during that time.

The question is, will it be for Midnight or The Last Titan? and what class would fit?

Midnight

• Will be in Quel'thalas
• Will bring the elven races closer together
• Will probably have a heavy void theme

With theme of elven unity and the zone of Quel'thalas i can see finally getting Spellbreaker as a class, with Warden influences. It is even easy design wise: Plate or Chain class, uses shields and onehanded weapons (including warglaives!). A tank spec (warden?), a melee dps that uses sword and board, and a ranged caster dps.

The Last Titan

• Will be in Northrend
• Will witness the return of the titans
• Will probably deal with Iridikron

With the zone of Northrend and the Titans as a theme, it is far more difficult to tie in a fitting class. But, this might finally be the time to shine for the tinkerer! The titans are the epitome of mechanical engineering with their forged creatures and machinery all across azeroth. Probably a chain armor class, though i could see leather, uses firearms in at least one of its specs as a main weapon, with others probably being going sword and board to use all those shields with gears and cogs!

My personal wish would be the spellbreaker, as i like that fantasy far more than anything tinkerer related

[Eurhetemec]

In three expansions? Yeah it's quite likely we'll see one.

However I'm rather unconvinced it'll be either a Tinker/Engineer or a Spellbreaker/Warden. It's hard to see a Spellbreaker/Warden really fitting in with the rest of the classes in WoW thematically, not impossible, but I think it's unlikely. Tinker/Engineer is a bit more plausible, but the existence of engineering as a profession continues to sort of run against that.

I think it's a bit more likely we'll see some novel kind of caster.

[Triceron]

There was a Spanish streamer who said he heard leaked info from a Blizz Employee at Blizzcon (not sure if it was a Dev or CM or what) that there would be multiple new Classes in the upcoming expansions, and that he knows the number of classes there would be but not what classes they would be. And he also said he wouldn't say that number out of respect for the devs.

It's just a rumor at this point, but could be interesting if true.


If spitting out expected classes: Bard and Tinker seem like the obvious.

They're both classes represented and hinted at by Pedgi and Melly Teletone.

Quel'thalas would be an ideal setting to present Bards, who have a connection to Silvermoon through the legacy of Lirath Windrunner. Tinkers have the obvious Northrend/Ulduar connection through Mimiron.

Bard might seem unlikely, but they put a lot of effort into Support Class mechanics for the Evoker, and openly talked about exploring more Support specs in the future. That screams potential Bard.

[Jujudrood]

With new classes, I don't think anyone (without insider info) saw Evoker coming, so I wouldn't put it past them to reach way out into left field and invent something completely random as the next class.

[Enrif]

In three expansions? Yeah it's quite likely we'll see one.

However I'm rather unconvinced it'll be either a Tinker/Engineer or a Spellbreaker/Warden. It's hard to see a Spellbreaker/Warden really fitting in with the rest of the classes in WoW thematically, not impossible, but I think it's unlikely. Tinker/Engineer is a bit more plausible, but the existence of engineering as a profession continues to sort of run against that.

I think it's a bit more likely we'll see some novel kind of caster.

Why wouldn't a spellbreaker fit into the rest of the classes? It is a iconic warcraft unit, it can easily fit into multiple roles, we have seen it not only in quel'thalas, but have seen versions of it in Suramar too. It also delivers on a widely used fantasy, that of the spellblade, a warrior that is equally good at fighting with weapons and casting magic spells.

- - - Updated - - -

There was a Spanish streamer who said he heard leaked info from a Blizz Employee at Blizzcon (not sure if it was a Dev or CM or what) that there would be multiple new Classes in the upcoming expansions, and that he knows the number of classes there would be but not what classes they would be. And he also said he wouldn't say that number out of respect for the devs.

It's just a rumor at this point, but could be interesting if true.


If spitting out expected classes: Bard and Tinker seem like the obvious.

They're both classes represented and hinted at by Pedgi and Melly Teletone.

Quel'thalas would be an ideal setting to present Bards, who have a connection to Silvermoon through the legacy of Lirath Windrunner. Tinkers have the obvious Northrend/Ulduar connection through Mimiron.

Bard might seem unlikely, but they put a lot of effort into Support Class mechanics for the Evoker, and openly talked about exploring more Support specs in the future. That screams potential Bard.

i can for the best of me, not see a bard as a truly potential new class. Maybe as one of the specs of a class, but not a full class. It would instantly gain the same popularity as monk, not much. And it runs into a gearing problem. What weapon does a bard use? We don't have a instrument weapon group, and after warglaives i don't think we will anytime soon see any other weapon. It also would be most likely a leather class, which is already the most overrepresented armor group with 4 classes. A bard could probably be a cloth class i guess, but that would feel weird and would highly limit the transmog options for a bard, which are more represented in leather gear.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I can imagine Tinker being introduced in The Last Titan, as it will be based in Ulduar, and ofcourse the Titans are engineers, Ulduar is run by the engineer Mimiron (he's the guy who picks up the phone when Magni calls Ulduar in BFA), and the dwarves and gnomes are Titanic in origin. A little harder to fit bard into the next three expansion themes, though. I am of the opinion that classes do not need to be thematically linked to the current expansion story.

[Enrif]

I am of the opinion that classes do not need to be thematically linked to the current expansion story.

You maybe are, but Blizzard isnt'

Wrath has a major focus on Death Knights
Mists is the home of the Pandaran Monks
Legion deals with, well, the legion and the demon hunters are the prime, well, demon hunters
Dragonflight was all about dragons, so we get the dragon class.

Whatever next class we will get, will have thematic overlap with something in the expansion.

Stuff like bard, necromancer or whatever other classes people wished over time will never occur if they have no great fitting in the expansion.
And since we know for the first time ever what the next expansions will be about, we can make educated guesses what the classes could be.

Though, i personally dislike the idea of the tinkerer class, i can see it very well slot into the Last Titan.

[Triceron]

i can for the best of me, not see a bard as a truly potential new class. Maybe as one of the specs of a class, but not a full class. It would instantly gain the same popularity as monk, not much. And it runs into a gearing problem.

So would Spellbreaker or Tinker. These are also niche class concepts. We're coming to the point where all the A tier options are pretty much playable or have their themes covered. We're reaching into B-C-D tier options at this point. Bards are often as in demand as Tinkers, as of recently.

What weapon does a bard use? We don't have a instrument weapon group, and after warglaives i don't think we will anytime soon see any other weapon.

Those aren't actually problems, those are excuses.

You could still use the same excuses against Dracthyr not physically using weapons in combat. What weapons do spellcasters use when they just rub their hands to cast magic, or in the case of Dracthyr, they literally spew it from their mouths? Not a good argument, since weapons for casters are generally considered to be 'stat sticks' anyways.

What does a holy Paladin actually do with their mace and shield when they heal? They don't. How does a Holy Paladin cast spells? They rub their hands or bring out a Tome in their animations. Where does the Tome come from? It's a class visual. Now you have the answer to where Instruments would come from.

It also would be most likely a leather class, which is already the most overrepresented armor group with 4 classes. A bard could probably be a cloth class i guess, but that would feel weird and would highly limit the transmog options for a bard, which are more represented in leather gear.

You literally put Tinker as a Leather class, so is this really the argument you want to present here? Sounds like you're applying a double standard here, and I'm not sure why.

I am of the opinion that classes do not need to be thematically linked to the current expansion story.

It's a fair opinion, but until we hear/see otherwise, the devs have been pretty transparent about wanting new classes to fit the Story and Setting of the expansions they tell.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Now that I think about it, Tinkers could be introduced the Midnight expansion, which is about a Void invasion of Quel'thelas. Remember, the Blood Elves also have tinkers, first of the more magitek variety in TBC with the crystal powered golems, and then in Throne of Thunder they recovered those Mogu anima golems and began reverse engineering them. So an anima golem tinker could be a way to give WoW tinkers a distinct flavor. We also know that the Draenei will be there for the final war against the Shadow, too so we might get their magitek golems in as well.

[Enrif]

So would Spellbreaker or Tinker. These are also niche class concepts. We're coming to the point where all the A tier options are pretty much playable or have their themes covered. We're reaching into B-C-D tier options at this point. Bards are often as in demand as Tinkers, as of recently.

Tinker and Spellbreaker where WC3 units and have multiple NPCs in game that represent them, so they have at least a basis and background. Bards, inside of Warcraft, have nothing that really makes them a thing, except the literal musician NPCs, they are on the same level as a Vendor Class, or Darkmoon Faire Goon class.

Those aren't actually problems, those are excuses.

You could still use the same excuses against Dracthyr not physically using weapons in combat. What weapons do spellcasters use when they just rub their hands to cast magic, or in the case of Dracthyr, they literally spew it from their mouths? Not a good argument, since weapons for casters are generally considered to be 'stat sticks' anyways.

What does a holy Paladin actually do with their mace and shield when they heal? They don't. How does a Holy Paladin cast spells? They rub their hands or bring out a Tome in their animations. Where does the Tome come from? It's a class visual. Now you have the answer to where Instruments would come from.

A holy paladin, is still a paladin, a warrior monk, a crusader, and their other specs use weapons heavily. At most for casters you are somewhat right, but still, the classic weapon for a spellcaster is the staff, and each and every offensive spellcaster can wield a staff. For demon hunters, blizzard added warglaives so they could represent their fantasy fully. To make bard a thing, they would have to present instruments frequently. Could it be solved with some effects, like the handcrossbow/handgun for Survival/Outlaw? Perhaps, but that would be unsatisfying. Unless, bard is just a spec of another class, then it would be somehwat okay.

You literally put Tinker as a Leather class, so is this really the argument you want to present here? Sounds like you're applying a double standard here, and I'm not sure why.

I said probably chain, but i can see leather. Note, that my first mentioning is chain. Leather would be unsatisfying for tinkerer, for multiple reasons, one of them is the gearing aspect, the other is the transmog aspect. but tinkerer is difficult to place, it would aesthetically sit between chain and leather. Thus i mentioned i could see leather, even though i think it would be stupid.

[Teriz]

As I've said before, for Midnight I see us getting another race/class with the evolved Nerubians via Xal'atath and those Evolved Nerubians being able to shapeshift into Spider Lords/Crypt Lords using void magic;



For the Last Titan, gotta go with Tinker, but I could see Blizzard throw a bit of a curve ball and give us an Artificer class that would give the technology class a more titan-based bend;

[Enrif]

Isn't a Crypt Lord just a Nerubian Death Knight?

[PaladinBash]

I'd imagine they will expand on the sub-class specialisations and use them to flesh out various archetypes if it proves successful/liked.

[Teriz]

Isn't a Crypt Lord just a Nerubian Death Knight?

No, the Crypt Lord has abilities unique from DKs. Abilities mainly stemming from it being a massive insect with insectoid abilities.

In fact, if my theory holds true, Crypt Lords would be to Druids what DKs are to Paladins.

[Triceron]

Tinker and Spellbreaker where WC3 units and have multiple NPCs in game that represent them, so they have at least a basis and background. Bards, inside of Warcraft, have nothing that really makes them a thing, except the literal musician NPCs, they are on the same level as a Vendor Class, or Darkmoon Faire Goon class.

ANd Blizzard still added an Evoker before both concepts. I mean, I get where you're going with the patterns and original sources, but when it comes to new Classes, Blizzard has completely different priorities to simply adhering to WC3 units with multiple NPC representations.

Consider that there were zero Evoker NPCs prior to Dragonflight.

A holy paladin, is still a paladin, a warrior monk, a crusader, and their other specs use weapons heavily. At most for casters you are somewhat right, but still, the classic weapon for a spellcaster is the staff, and each and every offensive spellcaster can wield a staff. For demon hunters, blizzard added warglaives so they could represent their fantasy fully. To make bard a thing, they would have to present instruments frequently. Could it be solved with some effects, like the handcrossbow/handgun for Survival/Outlaw? Perhaps, but that would be unsatisfying. Unless, bard is just a spec of another class, then it would be somehwat okay.

If you argue them being part of a spec would be okay, then it's literally no different than if they were their own class. It's an odd and irrelevant argument you're implying.

Like saying a Paladin wouldn't work as its own class because its themes would work as a part existing classes like Priests and Warriors. Yes, it's true that their themes could fit into an existing classes, but it would also work as part of its own class. There's no mutual exclusivity here, especially if we're talking about a completely new class that hasn't even been designed yet.

Look at D&D Bards. They don't only use instruments in combat. They also use regular weapons, and merely sing songs as a part of their spellcasting or performance. That's literally no different than a Paladin whipping out a Tome or a Hunter using Traps. Where do those come from? Well they're built into the Class.

I said probably chain, but i can see leather. Note, that my first mentioning is chain. Leather would be unsatisfying for tinkerer, for multiple reasons, one of them is the gearing aspect, the other is the transmog aspect. but tinkerer is difficult to place, it would aesthetically sit between chain and leather. Thus i mentioned i could see leather, even though i think it would be stupid.

Bards can literally be any armor class considering the entire system is archaic.

If you really break it down, are Hunters and Shamans in typical fantasy RPG known for wearing mailed armor? Not really. They're known for wearing Leather. The Mail class doesn't make sense at all in WoW considering none of the current Mail-wearers are classes that are traditionally known for wearing mail armor. Even Evokers don't make sense as mail-wearers since they're pure Spellcasters who are able to fly; they would make more sense as Cloth wearers but Blizzard decided to make em Mail just cuz.

And it's not like the visuals matter either since you have Paladins wearing robes or Mages and Warlocks wearing what looks like plated pieces, or Monks wearing what looks like cloth, or Shamans and Hunters wearing animal skulls and leather, etc. Arguing the Armor system is quite pointless, since it doesn't define what would be or should be playable.

[neocount]

Honest, genuine question:

Why do people clamor for more classes?

It seems to me that less is more. I'd prefer is Blizzard focused on making the existing classes better and more balanced - especially with the coming "hero talents" to muddy the waters even further. The more classes there are, the less likely your favorite class will get attention.

[Teriz]

Honest, genuine question:

Why do people clamor for more classes?

It seems to me that less is more. I'd prefer is Blizzard focused on making the existing classes better and more balanced - especially with the coming "hero talents" to muddy the waters even further. The more classes there are, the less likely your favorite class will get attention.

If you play a Gnome or a Goblin, it'd be rather nice to actually play a class that resembles the homeland your race comes from.

So yeah, give us a technology class.

[Enrif]

No, the Crypt Lord has abilities unique from DKs. Abilities mainly stemming from it being a massive insect with insectoid abilities.

In fact, if my theory holds true, Crypt Lords would be to Druids what DKs are to Paladins.

hmm, i'm not sure if blizzard would do this again after evoker.

the biggest callout from people was, that evoker made your transmog collection worthless. I know that druids get around this call out, but i think it is because you have options to be not in a shapeshift form all the time (balance/restoration).

And with the last two classes being so heavily tied to very few races (dh only for nelves/belves, and dracthyr evoker) i think the community would not like another class that is highly tied to a single race. I think a class that is more available to different races will have a wider appeal.

[Teriz]

hmm, i'm not sure if blizzard would do this again after evoker.

the biggest callout from people was, that evoker made your transmog collection worthless. I know that druids get around this call out, but i think it is because you have options to be not in a shapeshift form all the time (balance/restoration).

And with the last two classes being so heavily tied to very few races (dh only for nelves/belves, and dracthyr evoker) i think the community would not like another class that is highly tied to a single race. I think a class that is more available to different races will have a wider appeal.

I don't believe Nerubians are going to have the same issue as Dracthyr, because they won't have horns or massive wings to jack up standard armor. So because of that, you won't have the transmog issue, and Nerubians themselves will likely be able to choose other classes besides the Crypt lord.

In terms of class adoption, Dracthyr Evokers have seemingly done very well, despite being limited to only one race and class.

[Enrif]

I don't believe Nerubians are going to have the same issue as Dracthyr, because they won't have horns or massive wings to jack up standard armor. So because of that, you won't have the transmog issue, and Nerubians themselves will likely be able to choose other classes besides the Crypt lord.

In terms of class adoption, Dracthyr Evokers have seemingly done very well, despite being limited to only one race and class.

still, this heavily hinges on nerubians becoming playable. but after sehtrak, naga, arrakkoa, saberon, ogres, high elves and probably some other races i forget, i'm not that hopeful for nerubians to become playable and wouldn't bet my class prediction on another prediction. Perhaps once we are a patch or two deep in The War Within, this might change. but for now, i think it is even less likely than bard, and bard is already at the bottom of the barrel.