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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast 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 16 of 17)
Krabby Oct 15th 2010 5:27PM
Two words.
MURLOC PALADIN!
Come on, I want to be able to run into Stormwind and let off a loud MRrrggglrrrllrrrrrllll!! and watch everyone suddenly twitch.
... Oct 15th 2010 6:37PM
Frankly, I think no game is complete without a bard class :]
Smoke353 Oct 15th 2010 6:41PM
Battlemage was my first thought, but it's really already there with enhancement shamans and frost DKs
catharsis80 Oct 15th 2010 7:17PM
One class I'd like to STOP hearing about being added is the "necromancer". Seriously? We practically have them already: they're called WARLOCKS.
marcsned Oct 15th 2010 11:15PM
Sapper: a class that utilizes bombs and machinery to do damage. I think there is a lot of possibility for creative game mechanics there. I think there is lore precedent with goblins and gnomes and the engineering profession.
locksoflocks Oct 15th 2010 8:15PM
What ever happened to the Necromancer?? Would love to see a Necro raising the dead carcass of a fallen foe to fight by his side (not a ghoul but the risen corpse of his enemy), give him some new curses and lots of shadow and death damage!!!
Chris Oct 15th 2010 9:10PM
Battle mage? It's called a shaman. It's been there since the start of the game.
Flamal Oct 15th 2010 9:48PM
I would play an apothecary/professor type class.
A blight flinger, or stat/appearance altering potion drinker that can use plaguehounds, aboms, and those one blight thingies.
Clu Oct 15th 2010 9:52PM
Wardens would rock. Using fist weapons for heals and melee damage that healed allies with each successful hit. would give reason to have a possible melee healer.
waddles Oct 15th 2010 10:38PM
Its not so much one specific new class, its the idea of mixing classes. After hitting a certain level, you can choose between a few classes. A few examples would be; Warrior - Mage, Shaman - Druid, Hunter - Deathknight, Warlock - Rogue, something like that.
Sure there would be mad problems in PvP for balancing, but they would just make it that if you go into PvP you are going back to your class instincts and you no longer get dual class. I've thought long and hard about what class would be added into WoW, and nothing fits. Dual classes is the way Blizzard should go if they were even going to think about implementing a whole new class.
What is a Runemaster: well they are a class that would use runes like a Deathknight.
What is a Necromancer: well they are a class that would use curses like a warlock and diseases like a warlock, so why not make that a dual class.
What is a Ranger: well they are a class that is potent at ranged combat and melee combat, so why not dual class Warrior - Hunter.
Steve-O Oct 16th 2010 1:20AM
A full Engineer Class: stationary guns, grenades, utility up the wazoo, area denial, traps, n' such.
Daniel Oct 16th 2010 3:33AM
Assassins.Pure and simple.Like a rogue,but way cooler.
Anaughtybear Oct 16th 2010 8:08AM
Lancers from the only good Final Fantasy game, FF Tactics.
Possibly Naked Drunken Barbarians that have an alcohol resource bar, which has to be "filled" to perform actions.
dcb2124@gmail.com Oct 16th 2010 8:20AM
If you want to split hairs, no, they weren't trained. Actually, Aegwynn and a few others were trained by Magna Scavell, the previous Guardian before Aegwynn who was looking for a successor. Aegwynn was the most impressive and won out over the others. But that isn't really the point. Becoming a Guardian would be awesome, and there are plenty of ways to make it work game wise and story wise.
Bolzano-Weierstrass Dec 10th 2010 11:29AM
If we all stopped to think of the Necromancer as a Warlock/Death Knight in concept, I think it could be implemented in a very creative way: as a Healer class. In fact, a Necromancers greatest fear and reason for his tendencies is death itself: by manipulating death, they hope to live for eternity. Thus, we could see a healerish Necromancer, who steals the lifeforce of other living beings to fuel his own, or his Tanks (or his fellow dpsers/healers, but Necromancers are quite selfish).
All Healer classes use powers we associate with positive entities to prevent death: the Elements, the Light or are given it by Nature itself. The Necromancer would add a new touch to healing: an unnatural way of healing by disturbing the balance instead of maintaining it.
An interesting mechanic would be to let the Necromancer start with no resource, he would first have to steal it from his foes (by doing damage to them). Then he could convert the stolen lifeforce into healing spells (closing wounds, regenerating lost parts), into preventive heals (think of D&D temporary hp, or the Last Stand/Druid equivalent buff), buffs to attributes (eg Strength by transforming the Warriors arm into an abberation of flesh) or a second life/Tank cooldown/Soulstone in the form of phylacteries. Of course, he could also use this lifeforce in a destructive way (hello dps spec) by transforming himself into some kind of abomination, raising dead bodies to fight for him or granting himself a flat damage buff (I concede, this one isn't very original...).
Since the Necromancer isn't really attuned to the powers he is manipulating (like a druid for example is), an owerflow in lifeforce inside of him would be disruptive, so he should never get to the cap, or else he gets damaged (or stunned). This could be a way to limit his dps spells, which don't have a resource associated with since they are used in the first place to build up his resource.
And finally, to enforce the idea of corrupted evil manipulator of all that's natural, he could share gear with druids (sp-leather) and have the necromancer give a more corrupted touch to it!
All this only to say that I like Necromancers and I don't want them to be thrown away as concepts just because the standart way of seeing them as a UnholyDK/Warlock hybrid thing which wears leather.
Origin Oct 16th 2010 8:36AM
I recall the Monk class back from Everquest. Soft but powerful damage dealers, very much in the vein of WoW's Rogue class, but with a big stick and a robe instead of pin-stickers and leather garb.
However, I'd like to see a Bard class implemented.
Killing mobs softly with my song back in EQ, was a ton of fun once you got the hang of orbital kiting and AE-ing mob groups to death with your gee-tar.
The utility they bought to raids too, was not insignificant either. Although my raid main was a Shadowknight (the inspiration behind WoW's Deathknight class imho), the most fun I ever had was playing a Bard.
Sarabande Oct 16th 2010 11:20AM
Maybe some kind of a summoner class. The closest we have now are Shaman, with the various elementals. And to some extent, Warlocks and Hunters are similar.
And while I don't want this to become Pokemon or something, it might be fun to have a class that has various short-term summoned attacks that vary with whatever summons they have on them. I kind of like the Materia system used in Final Fantasy VII, but maybe with more limits.
I would say the class could have a sort of relic that can hold a certain number of summons (they can HAVE more, like we can learn glyphs and change them out) but may have a cooldown or reagent to change them out. During the summon, the caster is incapacitated and taken out of battle. Summons could take a while to happen (maybe a cast time of 10 or more seconds). They would either be controlled in a limited way or not at all, once they are out and last a short time (maybe about 10 to 20 seconds). They might confer certain buffs on the group when out. They may vary in power - and the more powerful they are, the more "summon slots" they would take up in an item. It's possible to enhance the summons by using gems or enchants on the item, and add variety to the class.
When not summoning, they would be some kind of caster or combination caster/melee with an emphasis in magic. Maybe the specs would determine what kind of magic (like of like mages) and would provide restriction on the summoned creatures.
They would most likely gain the various summons by stealing essences out of bosses. They would not be replicating the bosses but taking creatures that may have certain characteristics or abilities of the bosses.
Of course, this has the potential to be a bit too OP - but if they make each summon very specific in their power and ability, it might be fun. :)
Oh well . . . I was a fan of FF VII and VIII so . . there ya go. :D
Glyphstone Oct 16th 2010 11:30AM
If it hasn't already been mentioned, I believe that Pandarens aren't a viable race in WoW (and likely will never be) because of the Chinese cultural taboo against pandas being involved in violence. WoTLK and the Forsaken were enough of a hurdle for Blizzard to eliminate all the visible skulls and bones (another Chinese taboo), but having a Pandaren race/class as expansion material would basically make an entire expansion off-limits to the Chinese market. They could give China a "Furbolg" race instead, but it'd be so much more than an art reskin (art, starting zones, quests, npcs) that Blizz would never invest the time into it.
Runemaster would be awesome though, all about zone-based AoEs on the ground that buff/debuff/damage/heal things standing inside them, while "glyphing" their bodies for bonuses.
skrewged Oct 16th 2010 4:38PM
I would have to say I want a Swashbuckler type class like 3 Musketeers style.
Armed with whips, bolas, hand crossbows, pistols, small & light blades that can be duel-wielded.
Whip attacks that can trip, disarm, drag enemies and small duration fear effects.
Bolas attacks that can stop a charge attack, slow enemies, knock prone a moving target or put a DoT choke hold on enemies.
Blade attacks that also have disarm and control style debuffs or DoTs.
Hand held ranged attacks on single targets or small cone AoE
Duel wielding a blade and whip. Heavy on dodge, evasion style skills and acrobatic type moves.
Armor should be combo of cloth, leather and chainshirt.
Another class I think would be cool would be a Witch. DoTs, by way of Poison, Hexes, Curses and Spirit like spells.
Make the Witch heavy on Alchemical like spells/attacks, throwing poison vials, explosive stuff, diseased/rotten fruit or animals.
Everyone sees little critters in the game like snakes, rabbits, squirrels and rats... Let the Witch have an ability to summon a swarm of those critters for an attack that also Diseases/Poisons/Bleeding Dots on targets. Another Critter like attack could be to make the critter become enlarged and a raging aberration version of themselves to attack for the Witch.
AoE attacks by summoned Spirits/Ghosts, Explosive cauldrons conjured near enemies...
Charm spells on targets, Possession of a target, Fear attacks by way of a cackle like laughter, polymorphing targets into newts, frogs, that maybe attack instead of sitting there for crowd control.
Let them have a pet/familiar of Raven, Crow, Cat or Small Spirit. Instead of pet attacking like hunters/other classes let them be able to move pet to target for some kind of distracting debuff or let the Witch cast spells through the pet so their spells would have increased range or something.
Witch would use Tomes, Staffs, Wands, Daggers and Relics/Totem-like things.
juicyjuice Oct 16th 2010 11:32PM
One of the most enjoyable parts of the wow universe for me was the way that the world integrates complicated albeit sang machinery into a fantasy world.
That being said i would love to see (and i don’t see it being too far fetched) a new class that is based on machinery and using technology. Basically an uber engineer, it could be sort of a hybrid spec with damage and healing and maybe even tanking roles.
It could have high powered bombs or the like (but obviousy more effective than regular engineering bombs) it could sent out engineered pets and things, erect shields, deploy REAL healbots, etc. Just a thought.,