This is the only viable option for a Bard class in WoW. Would you play it?

[jackofwind]

An awful end credit sequence somehow justifies the inclusion of bards as a playable class?

[Triceron]

If anything, the Hearthstone expansion shows how Bard or Rockstar could be a profession instead of a Class. Looks like all of those images could easily work as a Profession set of transmogs and crafted items.

They could have instruments and various outfits obtainable through a prestige ranking with a profession-specific faction, like buying rep gear. The greater your reputation and fame, the more options you have.

[Berkilak]

An awful end credit sequence somehow justifies the inclusion of bards as a playable class?

Metal aesthetics, and ultimately the music itself, is absolutely foundational for the WarCraft franchise. If anything, I feel they've strayed too far from that core.

That being said, if we got a Bard based upon that, I think it's too flagrantly lampshading that fact. It would completely change the tone of the setting if we ingrain it so deeply that it's plausible that Grom Hellscream could have literally been the lead singer of an Orcish death metal band, played straight. It's one thing to have a winking addition to the setting like that credit sequence, or ETC and Blight Boar existing.

You take it a step too far when you have that self-referential content having actual agency in-universe.

[Biomega]

Metal aesthetics, and ultimately the music itself, is absolutely foundational for the WarCraft franchise.

I feel like you might have this backwards. "Metal aesthetic" is inspired by medieval fantasy, not the other way round.

[shane brannigan]

power metal maybe but that aesthetic statement is just factually wrong.

[bloodmoth13]

If this had been playable when I started the game then I very well might have picked it. But I'm too invested in my paladin now so at best it would be an alt.

- - - Updated - - -

What's the point of this?
Bard in lol is closer to the zereth Mortis noisy robots than arthas on electric guitar, they have nothing in common and the war3 outro isn't exactly canon so ... I don't get the point of this reply?
While the existence of noisy robots fly in the face of cosmic musicians being a poor fit I'd argue that noisy robots felt completely out of place in wow and were partly to blame for some of the general dislike in zereth Mortis.
As a playable class cosmic noisy robot wouldn't overlap with anyone's concept of a bard and would be completely out of place in azeroth. That was the point of them, they existed to make things feel otherworldly and disconnected from what was known.

[Triceron]

power metal maybe but that aesthetic statement is just factually wrong.

Agreed. It's a classic part of Warcraft, but always in an easter egg fashion, not a part of its foundation.

Even in WC2, it only really appears in homage and easter egg fashion, not as a part of the actual lore or fantasy where Orcs are parading around with electric guitars.

[shane brannigan]

yeah sorry brah I was really directing that to the guy directly above me with the "Metal aesthetic" is inspired by medieval fantasy, not the other way round." stuff.

I personally think all the foundational images to Warcraft are pretty metal.
The nu art, not so much.

[Berkilak]

I feel like you might have this backwards. "Metal aesthetic" is inspired by medieval fantasy, not the other way round.

Both can be true. I can't comment to the history of metal aesthetics. But I can for WarCraft's - Metzen and Didier both directly credit metal as an artistic influence. Whether metal was influenced by something else prior is neither here nor there.

[shane brannigan]

Both can be true. I can't comment to the history of metal aesthetics. But I can for WarCraft's - Metzen and Didier both directly credit metal as an artistic influence. Whether metal was influenced by something else prior is neither here nor there.

that didier warcraft3 faction art is foundational to what the IP was and should be.

[Echo of Soul]

As long as Chris Metzen is alive we're not getting bards. It's one of a handful of things that are strictly forbidden by him.

[Triceron]

As long as Chris Metzen is alive we're not getting bards. It's one of a handful of things that are strictly forbidden by him.

I mean, historically his voice has been outweighed by the designers, so I don't think he has much say in that regard. He's been wanting to add Naga for ages, they say no and it remains that way. He wanted Druids to be Night Elf only as per the lore, and the designers went ahead with adding Tauren (and this was a time when Paladins and Shamans were still faction exclusive). He has control of the story, but I think if the designers were really pushing for a certain new playable class, it would be up to them and not Metzen.

We even have some pretty concrete information for how the Death Knight came to be, and it wasn't like it was up to his decision for that either even if he probably had a pretty big say in it. It came down to having the designers vote it out between Necromancers, Runemasters or the Death Knight, with Corey Stockton's idea winning out (a DK that is a mix of the best of all 3 concepts)

[Echo of Soul]

I mean, historically his voice has been outweighed by the designers, so I don't think he has much say in that regard.

Ah like that one time that it never happened? Give proof

[Triceron]

Ah like that one time that it never happened? Give proof

Proof of what?

Chris Metzen was the creative director. He controlled the story and lore. Classes were always in the realm of game design, outside of his direct control. What is difficult to understand here?

If anything, you'd have to prove he was responsible for being the one who finalized the list of playable classes, which wasn't his job at all if you actually understood what he actually did at Blizzard.


With 2002's Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Metzen was the creative director, a role he would hold in all of Blizzard's later video games, and provided the game's story concept and script.[11] Metzen's work with 2004's massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft was not as extensive as his earlier work, but he still contributed with script writing, artwork and voice work.[12]


And now he is Creative Advisor, meaning he has less direct control of the narrative than before. It'a practically a consultant role for the story.


I don't believe Metzen set anything in stone for all designers to follow in the future even after he left the company and returned as a creative advisor.