Breakfast Topic: What class would you like to see added to the game?
by Adam Parkinson 
Oct 15th 2010 at 8:00AM
Let us ponder upon classes, the very thing that defines one's playstyle the most in World of Warcraft. Whether it be the ever-gorgeous, plate-clad warrior who shouts, "I HAZ TWO ROCKET SWORDZ, UR POINT IZ INVALID," the warlock-hating mage or the mage-hating warlock, or even the druid who thinks that Woodstock was really great, we all have our preferences on what we think is the best class of them all.
Yet if Blizzard has taught us anything, it is to plan for upsets or twists in class selection. Remember the great death knight massacre of 2008? Everyone and his great-grandmother's mailman had a death knight. They were easy to acquire, incredibly powerful and just a blast to play. Yet modern death knights are shells of what they once were. They play like the polar opposite of paladins now, but upon their initial release, they felt more like a battle mage class. Now, thanks to a complete revamp of the death knight class, the closest thing to a battle mage is long gone, leaving those who enjoyed the class idea from different roleplaying games feeling rather empty and disappointed, much the same way as when we discovered that the delicious cake we were promised was actually a lie.
It leaves us with a curious idea, though. Considering that the idea of a battle mage in WoW is doable, could it be brought in as its own class? Or would Blizzard dare to put in a totally different class?
I personally would love the idea of a monk class being brought into WoW. A class that specializes in staffs, polearms, fist weapons or just good ol' fashioned, unarmed, beat-down-style fighting would be a blast. Maybe even have a healing class that uses chants (much like a priest) but has a completely different resource known as meditative power as its ability fuel. They could switch into different trances to gain certain abilities, much how a hunter's aspects work.
If you could have any new class (whether it be from a roleplaying game of old or maybe a class you enjoyed from another MMO), what would it be? How would the class work? How would the class fit in lore-wise?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics, Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 17)
jimaras1994 Oct 15th 2010 8:06AM
My personal favorite class, would be the demon hunter. Much like blizz added LK's class, wouldn't be great to add Illidan's class too? Something between a rogue and a warlock. I would love such a class.
xenocide Oct 15th 2010 8:11AM
I have always contemplated them adding Demon Hunter's as a Hero Class similar to DK's. The problem is that there are a lot of Melee DPS and Demon Hunter's would basically be DK's using Rogue Gear with Warlock Spell Names.
The only other class I would like as a Hero Class would be Ranger's.
EaterOfBirds Oct 15th 2010 8:43AM
the thing that annoys me about the demon hunter idea is simply the word 'hunter'. with hunters already a class it feels awkward. if they were rangers this wouldnt have been a problem lol. same if we had a 'knight' class added.
Paultab Oct 15th 2010 9:39AM
Panderan Monks for all! oh, and Ponies!
Ice Oct 15th 2010 9:59AM
This.
After I did DK start zone I started to imagine demon hunter would've been like if it were put to game rather than DK.
It would start similiar way.. You are doing quests and training in black temple doing stuff for teron, mother, illidan, attack aldor/scryers etc. Similiar stuff but with demons and training demon hunters instead of naxx bosses and undead. It would give more story about illidan too.
In the end you would end up fighting group of raid-like NPCs as "trash" and always surviving by some miracle and "advancing in different direction", but in the end you end up defenseless in top of black temple and just watch how illidan falls to maiev, akama and raid-like NPC group. And in the end instead of thrall/varian you would be accepted as part of alliance/horde by Adal by some way.
Yeah its not really great when its typed but imagine it for while in similiar fashion of DK star zone and I would think it would make atleast decent machimina idea.
zajarino Oct 15th 2010 11:02AM
@Ice, I think this is a great idea, and would be an excellent follow-up lore wise.
The game has had a long run, and I could see the last expansion pack being a legion theme, with Sargeras as end boss. Demon Hunter would be perfect, and could even be a Monk type class (like DK was for the Rune-based class everyone talked about in the past). Could even wear caster-type armor (with graphical changes to legs, demon hunter skirts = insta-fail), as a spell/melee dps (think enh sham and retadin), with spell-to-ap conversion (like opposite of enh sham).
It would fit, would be epic, and would kickstart the franchise one last time before moving on to the next big MMO.
Thundrcrackr Oct 15th 2010 12:09PM
Ninjas and Pirates. =)
Jiffah Oct 15th 2010 4:28PM
@zajarino
a skirt on a Demon hunter isn't insta-fail...Most Demon Hunters in the game wears one.
http://www.wowhead.com/npc=7783
http://www.wowhead.com/npc=18417
http://www.wowhead.com/npc=21215
Clockwork Oct 15th 2010 5:51PM
This, this, a thousand times this.
I imagine the Demon Hunter in the sense of... Death Knight is to Warrior as Demon Hunter is to Rogue. Basically, a Rogue with a smattering of Demonic magic abilities. The best thing about them, to me, is that their weaponry and armor are so iconic, their tier gear could be really awesome and creative. For instance, most Demon Hunters in the game fight shirtless with minimal armor - just a skirt, their blindfold, and in some instances, pauldrons - and their warglaives.
I think it would be epic to see their tier gear, instead of always being actual armor, actually be just a variety of different demonic tattoos - each a different color with a different effect and such.
Haden Oct 15th 2010 9:32PM
The expansion that is all about fighting the burning legion is the one that will give us Demon hunters as a class. We will be going back to outlands (the Neather) and all the demon hunters illidon was training will just be walking around shadowmoon until they see that we need aid to take down the burning legion. we ask them for help they join up bla bla bla. what races will they be? probolbly all of them, but they really should only be Orc, BloodElf, NightElf, and Draenei
zajarino Oct 16th 2010 12:06AM
@Jiffah
Good call. Then they should be constantly shirtless, lol.
Imnick Oct 15th 2010 8:05AM
Death knight massacre of 2008!?
Damn has it really been that long?
Nawaf Oct 15th 2010 10:39AM
I thought of the same thing
Earthmama Oct 15th 2010 8:06AM
I have to agree on the Monk class... I would like to take it a step further and really make it a customized hero class.
You have a max level character, and you can convert it to a monk class, thus losing your character and starting over say at lvl 65-70. And depending on what your class was, the monk gets special abilities pertaining to it. Priest can do some physical heals, like pressure point healing, mages can use fire/frost/arcane punches or kicks, Hunters can bring their pet along, warriors can bring on a tanking aspect...
Yeah it would mean a hell of a lot of extra programming, and what not.. but imagine how unique it would be to have a Warrior-Monk, or a Shaman-monk..
I can imagine an awesome phased intro ground where you gradually give up your talents and abilities while meditating and carrying out various tasks...
Who knows.. hehe. :)
Imnick Oct 15th 2010 8:12AM
I think people would find it far too annoying to have to give up their character, and Blizzard would end up having to DOUBLE the amount of classes already in the game for not very much benefit, and then try and balanced all 20 classes! They're finding it hard enough when they've only got 10!
It's one of those ideas that sounds good in your head but then if you think about it a bit actually isn't that great at all.
Boz Oct 15th 2010 8:25AM
If Blizzard felt that a new class would help retain its playerbase and/or attract new gamers then it's worth the extra effort to add. Monks have a lot of appeal as melee fighters and, potentially, healers if the mechanics differed sufficiently from Rogues.
Kira Oct 15th 2010 9:00AM
its not one class though, when talking about it, yeah, its one class with some different abilities, depending on previously class, programmatically though, its 10 classes, and they would be more likely to just make a couple new full classes than try to design and balance 10 derived classes, especially since they would have to update them every expansion to take into account people switching at the new max level.
Finwe Oct 15th 2010 5:57PM
That idea for a class-monk somes really cool.
Boz Oct 15th 2010 9:22AM
@Kira - I meant only that a single additional class would be worth the extra effort to add, not the particular implementation suggested by Earthmama.
Personally I would prefer to see a traditional 1-80/85 leveling class for Monks. There is plenty of lore to back it up as a class that focuses on balancing The Light and the Nether/Chaos/Dark, and a mechanic that required players alternate between Light and Dark powers to balance each other would be unique.
"I'm gonna Light Punch that dragon in the face, then Shadow Kick his tail!"
"Then I'll meditate."
Vogie Oct 15th 2010 9:24AM
I've thought about this as well. I think it would be amazing if every time you got a toon to max level, it unlocked things for your other toons for when you're soloing.
For instance you have a max-level druid, now all of your toons have nature's ward and a Wild buff. Max level mage, you have a teleport to your main city and free food. Hunter, Guardian pet & FD; Warlock, Fel Intelligence & healthstone; Warrior, Field Dressing & last stand; Priest, Fort & Desperate prayer; Rogue, Poisons on weapons and Vanish/Shadowmeld; DK, STR/AGI & haste; Paladin, Might & PoJ; Shaman, Reincarnate & a combination shield (one lightning orb, one water, one earth.)
Again these would kick in while just out and about, in groups less than 4, in non-arena & non-instanced settings. Allowing for zones with insane mobs that can only be taken down if you have 3-4 max level alts.