Ah,
BlizzCon. Two solid days of all-Blizzard-all-the-time entertainment is coming your way next week. And even if you can't be there yourself, you can expect full coverage of everything happening on the show floor to be here on WoW Insider -- so be prepared to live vicariously through our videos and photo galleries. (I've got 1000 pictures worth of storage for my digital camera -- but the question is whether that will be enough!) But while we're waiting for the convention to begin, we're scratching the days off on our calendar and thinking about what we're going to see when it all begins. Yesterday, we asked you
what feature you most wanted to see in the expansion, and an overwhelming number of you answered that what you most wanted was either new classes or hero classes.
So today, let's continue that thought. I won't try to make a poll for today's discussion, because there are simply too many possibilities. Instead I'll just ask: what do you want to see from a new class in
World of Warcraft? Or a Hero class?
Tags: blizzcon, blizzcon 2007, blizzcon countdown, Blizzcon2007, BlizzconCountdown, world of warcraft, WorldOfWarcraft, wow
Filed under: BlizzCon
Jul 28th 2007 at 8:32AM 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sohanstag Jul 28th 2007 8:47AM
I would much prefer to see "hero class" tweaks or revamps rather than a brand new class to level to 70. Who wants to grind through all that old content again? Blech! Or, hey...how 'bout some new mid level content?
bwest0526 Jul 28th 2007 8:54AM
What other class could you possibly have the hunter is basically a beastlord/ranger mix, you have a druid, shaman, warrior all the "normal" Fantasy classes--I mean I guess you could make a barbarian sort of a Warrior Hybrid. The warlock is basically a necromancer although it doesn't control Undead like a Necromancer would. I think the best way to go with it would be to make the classes we have now into the Heroic classes say a LVL 71, They get one level above everyone else (even if the level cap was raised they would stay one level ahead of everyone) AFTER completing a LONG Drawn out Quest that took them all over Azeroth and making it very difficult to obtain (which would have to be done SOLO). This way few would obtain it and many would aspire for it. That gives it the meaning behind HEROIC. Once you reach heroic status you would get a very special ability usable either once a day (game time) or somewhat limited but still make it very very special (Like a warrior could do a sword swipe that takes out/decapitates anywhere from 1-10 MoBs that are 1-5 levels below the warrior or something to that effect...killing them all instantly.)
A Heroic Toon would also be visiably different than your normal toon as well.
If I had to add a class I am thinking something along the lines of a pure ranger type. Bows and Arrows doing Awsome Crit damage from a distance without a spell!
Mats Jul 28th 2007 8:55AM
Heroic classes would let me go deeper into my existing characters, and perfect them more. This is far better then a class I might like, and I would not need to grind the way up to 70 (or now 80) again. (We all agree that 10 new levels must come either way right? We can't just have a expansion pack with lots of new content, and no xp gain)
Varus Jul 28th 2007 8:59AM
Add some new Epic/Hero talents outside the existing talent trees and design quest lines to obtain them - much like was done for the tier 0.5 armor sets, Druid epic flying form, netherdrakes etc.
Give one or two talents per talent tree for every class, but make them unique, so you can just have one active Hero talent in use. Switching between Hero talents - once the quest lines have been completed - should be just a question of visiting the Hero Talent Trainer, so you wouldn't have to grind through the quests again if you ever wanted to change spec.
Could also make PvP specific Hero Talents - these would require completing some PvP related quest chains / objectives.
How about that?
Jeff Jul 28th 2007 9:06AM
New classes I'd like to see are bards, monks, runemasters, and necromancers.
blkmasta Jul 28th 2007 9:56AM
I demand Demon Hunters! Like a pally, but a cross between a rogue and a lock instead. Only real problem would be keeping it balanced (being a amalgamation of the two, arguably, most overpowered classes in the game).
blkmasta Jul 28th 2007 9:56AM
Also, Hero classes should come with some kind of visible mark... glowing eyes and red outline glow anyone?
Chris Jul 28th 2007 10:04AM
I would LOVE a bard (to #5)! I never thought of that one. They could have a skill lullaby which puts the enemy to sleep for X seconds. Or a high pitch note which damages the enemy. There could be guitar, harp and flute talents; one for each type of weapon. Each can do their own type of spells. And the weapons! Think about it for a second: A bard with an acoustic guitar with a Fiery Enchantment! Flaming guitar for the win.
Anyways, a new class would be great. The more the better. EverQuest had a ton of classes! I understand that high levels want more content but Bliz has to address the fact that half the people playing AREN'T level 70. Thus, we need new classes for those people with mad alts and mid level content for the average person playing this game.
Tarid Jul 28th 2007 11:03AM
GOGO TINKERER!!! :D
anthony Jul 28th 2007 11:33AM
What I want more than anything is a Shadowknight. Essencially the opposite of a Paladin (the cross of a priest and a warrior) the Shadowknight is a cross of a necromancer/warlock and a warrior. You wear plate armor and are considered a "tanking class" but you have abilities like draining life and special dark magic buffs.
RogueJedi86 Jul 28th 2007 11:49AM
I was gonna suggest Shadowknight too. It's likely way too late to turn the Paladin's Retribution DPS tree into a Shadowpriest-type tree, so yeah, throw them out as their own class.
rick gregory Jul 28th 2007 12:40PM
@10... right, because that would be SOOO balanced.
Have any of you considered how your proposed new classes would actually fit into the game? No? Thought not...
Superbeef Jul 28th 2007 12:49PM
I think any new class would have to be a tank.
There's 4 jobs that can main heal.
4 jobs dedicated to just dps and cc, as well as specs designed to increase dps.
and only 3 tanking jobs/specs.
WoW is already very dps heavy, and i know with a new tank job warriors will cry like crazy, paladins will have a harder time convincing ppl that we're probably the best 5 instance tanks, and druids will be quiet and get buffed.
Another healing job might not hurt, just cause it might draw someone new to try healing. and nobody argues with more healing.
But I think a new tanking job would be very cool. I have my own ideas for that, but that's neither here nore there.
Lori Jul 28th 2007 1:42PM
A new class that can do NO damage in their natural form. Rather they must "take over" the body of a mob to fight and then use that classes abilities.
Sirg Jul 28th 2007 1:55PM
More classes would ruin the game, because I think WoW has enough classes. I don't understand why people would want a new class, because I doubt that people who voted for new classes played all the available classes to level 70.
Hero classes, derived from the current ones at level 70 (or 60) is the best improvement for the game, besides rethinking and adding more mid level content.
There is so much content that is almost wasted and could be improved or used for new quests and stuff.
Kristianna Jul 28th 2007 7:48PM
I think that keeping new classes pretty simple but using existing flavors would be awfully sweet - I'm still praying for a chance to play as either the holy/fire clothies or the plate-wearing shadow casters that the NPCs already get to be! And a small change like that adds flavor within the existing system and doesn't really take a mountainous volume of work to balance out.
SwampFox Jul 28th 2007 8:01PM
I know they would probably be very similar to warlocks, but I'd love to play as a Necromancer, Diablo style. I'd drop my 70 priest in a heartbeat to melt faces with an army of undead horrors.
bwest0526 Jul 29th 2007 12:51AM
I don't know about too many new classes, The Bard and SK (shadowknight) are very good suggestions. SKs would not be overpowered, if they are then so are pallies (which aren't). Bards are the Jack of all trades class, good at a lot of different things but Master of none. Those are the only fesible classes I can see being implimented. In EQ they added a Barbarian to the mix and that was just WAY out there and they were digging for that one...one or two more classes to play would be good but see my post earlier #2 and I still think Heroic is a better choice for this expansion, maybe in the next one...cuz now WoW is gonna start throwing out expansions every 6 months to a year like EQ did and end up rakeing in the money while chasing off customers that don't want to spend the extra money every 6 months....
Mastari Jul 29th 2007 2:38AM
I've really been thinking about this for sometime; regarding balance issues, group dynamic, not taking away from the current classes, etc. These are the two class I see working.
Necromancer: Another caster class. The necromancer is wholey devoted to cc yet it would lack the raw dps a mage brings. The Necro would not be designed as a dps class. Where other classes have a single pet, the Necro would be able to summon more and more. This would make them slow starting the fight but constantly gain power as the battle went on.
Talent trees:
Reanimation- making the constructs stronger
Confusion- the cc tree
??- I'm undecided on the third, maybe a dps tree that is average at best like retribution paladins
Humans, Gnomes, Blood Elves, Trolls
Darknight: Dark because I don't think the Alliance would allow "death" knights. Pretty much Antipaladins or a Shadow Priest/Warrior mix, not warrior/warlock hybrids. In theory, a Paladin in reverse, able to duel wield but with still no real ranged abilities. Their aura's would debuff the enemy and their seals/judgements would harm the enemy while giving buffs to themselves only rather than allies. (Seal, judgments, and blessings all called something else. More dark sounding.) They would be able to be a tanking class with a rage or energy bar, not mana, for their abilites. (Maybe a purple bar called Guile or Hatred to make them unique.) Being able to tank by draining health with each strike.
Talent trees:
Darkness- antithesis of Holy. Based around the Dknight's draining and debuffs skills
Processed- the tanking tree. The Fury Warrior-Shadow Priest.
??- again undecided
Humans, Dwarves, Night Elves?, Orcs, Blood Elves
Astrokitten Jul 29th 2007 2:50AM
I don't know if we'll ever see new classes. Wow may not have as many different classes as other mmorpg's but I think people forget that one class is essentially three depending on how you spec. As far as the ones suggested the only one that would be even remotly different enough from what there already is would be bard. But it would most likely end up being a buff bot that isn't really that much fun to play. A shadow knight is pretty pointless if it's just a paladin with a darker feel and different spell names.
Hero characters would probably be just like jedi in Star Wars Galaxies. They will make the quests so hard to where there is only 2 hero's on every server. Then everyone cries because they want to be one so blizz makes it easy and it becomes the norm. Then it will just be one more thing to grind to keep up with everyone.