Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 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 6 of 17)
Cinnamilk Oct 15th 2010 8:32AM
Psh, battle-mages already exist.
They're called enhancement shamans.
VSUReaper Oct 15th 2010 8:33AM
Other than the combat part (being melee) the current holy priest is already **similar** to a monk. They "attune" chakra's to buff their spells, chant hymns (I think they are still hymns?), and when the going gets rough the do smite their foes... granted its a caster smite.
I think a battle mage would be a cool addition to the game, but their would need to be a healing class as well at some point. I just cant think of any kind of healer other than what we have. Nothing seems to fit the genre w/o ripping off another class, ala Arch-Druid.
Battle mage would work like a DK, melee strikes mixed in with spell casts. I kinda think the infrastructure for one could be found in DK's and Ret's, and they could share the gear with either shaman or druids. The hardest part would be making it fun with out ripping off another class's play style.
Farnoth Oct 15th 2010 8:34AM
I would like to see a Rune Master class.
Rune Masters would be a melee-caster class, with the brunt of their abilities being melee.
The way they would work is with resources like a Death Knight's runes, giving them 1-2 of each of the 4 runes they can use. Each rune would correspond with a set of ability types revolving around an aspect of nature.
Using a rune (or combination of runes, up to 2 at once) would give them a period of time in which certain skills could be used (and the ones usable at any time would get a slight buff) depending on which rune was used. Example : Firey-Fist (Single fire based melee attack) would be 'unlocked' by activating a fire rune, where Icey Blows( 3 melee ice-based attacks in a row) would be unlocked by a water rune. Activating two at once would give Frost-Fire Barrage - a hybrid move dealing multiple frost and fire attacks at once.
After activating these runes, they would go on CD for some period of time while giving a buff corresponding to that/those runes activated.
Their weapons would be fist weapons, staffs, or maces. Armor type would be either leather or mail. The specs would each revolve around a main element; Water for fast, fluid attacks (rogue like), Earth for heavy hitting but slower attacks (warrior like), or Fire for a higher emphasis on magic related skills.
Rune Masters could get a small set of passive group/raid buffs. Each would once again correspond with their spec's element. Water would be haste, earth would be attack power, fire would be crit.
The races able to be Rune Masters on the Alliance would be Dwarf, Night Elf, Draenei, And on the Horde; Orc, Tauren, and Goblin.
albanesp Oct 15th 2010 11:07AM
@Farnoth: As Cinnamilk said a few posts above your comment -- you are describing Enhancement Shamans.
We imbue our weapons with wind, fire, frost, and earth
We toss around lightning bolts and lava bursts
We use lighting, ice and earth shocks
We use lighting and water shields
We can summon fire and earth elementals
Our Totems apply buffs and attacks based on different aspects of nature.
Zheo Oct 15th 2010 8:34AM
I suggested this a number of years ago for a different game, but I like the idea nonetheless.
Have class-specific hero classes.
These would be challenging to get (think somewhere between getting a warlock/paladin mount in Vanilla and acquiring Shadowmourne (the legendary, not the epic).
Death Knights would be ineligible for this because they're already a hero class of sorts.
Paladins could be Templars, Crusaders, or Bastions (prot, ret, and holy hero specs, respectively)
Priests would amount to Clerics or Dark Clerics
Warriors could build off their specs and be Battlemasters, Juggernauts, or Berserkers (Arms, prot, fury)
Warlocks I have no idea, maybe Shadowmasters, Plaguebringers and somethign to do with Destro (never played a lock)
Rogues could go Assasin, Thief, or Blademaster
Druids would choose which type of Druid they want (Claw, Talon, etc)
Mages - Battlemage (this would be the simplest one...just a general buff to abilities, regardless of spec)
Hunter - Ranger, Beastmaster, or Trapper (marks, BM, surv)
Shaman - Totemic (for the life of me can't think of 3 seperate names for the 3 specs)
Jonisjalopy Oct 15th 2010 8:45AM
"Shaman - Totemic (for the life of me can't think of 3 seperate names for the 3 specs)"
Ele - Farseer
Enchance - Totemic Warrior
Resto - Witch Doctor? Life Caller?
Batweb Oct 15th 2010 8:55AM
Isn't this what they've done with the new talent system?
How would "Assasin, Thief, or Blademaster" differ from the choice of Assassination, Combat or Subtlety?
Zheo Oct 15th 2010 10:00AM
@Batweb
They are spec-based hero classes, so for the rogue, yes they are a little thin. I'm sure Blizz could work their magic with names.
Hymar Oct 15th 2010 8:36AM
Though I don't have a specific class in mind, I'd really like to see a "melee healer", at least as a specialization. Currently healers all stand back and cast their spells, even healadins that are clad in full plate.
I'd like a class that is either really low on mana and needs to beat enemies to gain it back, or use combo points like a rogue to cast instant heals on the nearby tank. Damage would be negligible, but you would need to hit something to heal effectively. That's something we don't really have in WoW. An Enhancement Shaman's Maelstrom Weapon is too unreliable and his heals to weak to count.
The mentioned monk in these comments would fit well, and WoW doesn't have an 'unarmed' class yet.
Neyssa Oct 15th 2010 9:19AM
This is what I was hoping for for a long time, and my wish seems to come true.
Try playing a holy paladin in 4.0.1 :)
Mine is only lvl77 so far, but this is what I do:
- stand in meele, hit mob with Crusader Strike and Holy Shock (which generates Holy Power), and when I have 3 HoPo I use them for Word of Glory. Since I already have Beacon of Light on the tank, I just heal any dps who received damage, or I just put WoG on the tank. Plus I can damage with free and instant Exorcism proc, Hammer or Wrath, etc.
- In every 6 seconds (Crusader Strike - Holy Shock - CS - thats 3 HoPo in 6 sec), you can cast a Word of Glory, which was enough for me to heal a tank (about 10k heal on lvl77), and besides, I made more damage than the tank! I hope this lasts into lvl80 as well, but this is exactly what a paladin should be like.
Also, you NEED to Judge your enemies in order to receive the haste buff.
And when we become lvl83, we will get a heal that shines around us. What is the best use for that? Of course standing in the meele group.
Adamar Oct 15th 2010 8:37AM
I would like to see the good old Ranger class added to the list, if any.
Classes could include the more melee oriented ranger, a fully ranged oriented class and even a healer class (based on herbs and spices perhaps).
ersiusp Oct 15th 2010 12:14PM
I too would be interested in bards. For the soloing concerns, they could have a song/aura/presence/whatever it ends up being called that buffs their own dps at the expense of their other buffs.
Kennebec Oct 15th 2010 8:39AM
Battle Mage. Take a Mage give them either leather or spell mail depending on the tree. Leather for the spellcaster/lighter physical dps tree. Or mail for the heavier physical /lighter spellcaster dps tree. Third tree? Hum, maybe a rogue type leather spellcaster who will spell their daggers for extra damage like a rogues poison. It would be interesting having them in a 5 man rolling "need" on both spell leather and mail.
bin Oct 15th 2010 8:41AM
Easy piecie, I want a Healer hero class!. I do not care what other trees and abilities they give him, I want a prot monk for one of the trees. A class that do not heal. It instead focusses on damage mitigation. I'd like to see a class that can make you dodge 50% attacks for 8/10 secs, or parry 50% for 15 secs or 100% for 5 secs. Tha can put all kind of shields on the players, like priests absorbing shields, but also shields that convert the amount of damage of next attack/spell to heal. And some can be single target or party-wise. Than can cure conditions and hexes. Blizzard is always complaining about the mechanics of reactive healing. Well, nothing gets more pro-active than protection!
Other trees can be a buffer/debuffer. Kind of like a shammy, but with all buff/debuffs i the same tree. The third tree would be the dps one, for solo content. That can be whatever, some kind of mage/warlock/shadow priest.
Ned Oct 15th 2010 8:43AM
How about a beserker class? Insane physical DPS but very easily killed as they have no regard for their own safety. (I know plenty of mages who play like this already so the class would suit them.
Tovin Oct 15th 2010 8:42AM
Ever since the Dark Rangers started patrolling Undercity, I've always thought it would be cool to play a Ranger--a class known for stealth that is lethal at range or in melee. Of course, the easy way to implement such would be to basically merge the stealth & hand to hand abilities of rogues with the ranged abilities of hunters. To me, the ranger class would be another good candidate for a HERO class.
Since rangers in popular lore are very self sufficient, having a couple HOTs or low level burst heals would be good. As far as gear is concerned, leather and mail. (It would be interesting to see a system where a class at high levels could use a better armor type but only in certain slots--example, rangers can only wear mail armor in the chest slot). Regarding weapons, sharp weapons (no maces) and throwing weapons/bows/crossbows (no guns). To reinforce the line between hunters and rangers, the ranger class would not be able to train/use pets.
The lore behind the new class would be rather simple to implement--each faction/race needs highly trained agents for espionage, the rangers would help fill (or augment in the case of SI:7) that role nicely.
Obviously, the big design challenge would be similar to that of the oft proposed arch druid. The devs would have to design the ranger class in such as way that people would want to continue to play hunters and rogues.
That's my 2 cents. Keep the change...
hikikomori417 Oct 15th 2010 8:43AM
Merchant / store owner class
Consolidate all the secondary professions and bank alts into their own class. Cooking, fishing, first aid, and archeology would be the classes primary skill set. All the empty store buildings in major cities could become player owned stores fronted by interactive npc's. The theme for the store would be based off their profession. They would operate like a mix between the auction house and the npc stores that exist now.
Jonisjalopy Oct 15th 2010 8:43AM
Two Words:
Goblin Tinkerer
Naloa Oct 15th 2010 1:36PM
Every time I read your comments I read it with your portrait's voice.
Is that bad?
Naloa Oct 15th 2010 1:37PM
Every time I read your comments I read it with your portrait's voice.
Is that bad?