Extended Classes, Prestige/Elite classes and customisations for Classes

[Starstride-nordrassil (Starstride)]

I wonder… when I look like certain classes like Warden and Necromancer - one really feels they are a combinations of existing classes.

Elite/Prestige Concept

Surely an elite/prestige class system can be done combining certain classes?

Warden = Outlaw rogue spec/ Survival hunter .

Can’t they reskin those specs and combine them into a class you can choose either spec?

Necromancer = Unholy DK meets Affliction warlock.

Again, 2 spec class, but also reskin it - and voila Necromancer:

Class Reskins

Some iconic classes can just be straight up reskins:

Moon Priests = Night elf reskin of priest
Night Warrior = Night elf reskin of Paladin
Ranger = reskin of Hunter
Blademaster = Reskin or Demon hunter (this might be more advanced

New Identities

You impose a new identity on an existing class, it’s basically a reskin, but for more abstract versions

e.g. Blood elf Botanist - this is a new class, but it’s essentially a druid reskin, but it’s not a druid

Elf shaman: Arcane Entropists - that use the arcane to manipulate the elementals and elementals - this is also a new class, but it just reskins the shaman.

This is sort like allied races but for classes. You can get Void Knights (void elf paladins), Valewalkers (Nightborne drudis)

Racial Class Customisations

Two Options:

1. Give every race a bunch of 5-8 racial spells that are based on the race, not the class, and you can glyph the racial version over a corresponding spell type.

e.g. Night elves get star/moon spells , void elves get void spells, Blood elves get fire & light spells.

What happens here is that you have a racial type of each of the following abilities:
Single target melee
Single target range
AoE cleave
AoE mass
Heal
AoE Heal
Special

And what you can effectively do is regardless of what class you are, you can instead say or glyph in your single target class ability for the race one.

2. iunvolves giving certain fixed spell variations for iconic classes of races

e.g. Void elf hunters would get void arrows, Night elf priests would swap a fixed number of shadow and holy spells for arcane and moonlight ones. Like a soft resking

New Classes

Maximise new class playstyle by allowing it cover multiple identities. Sort of like a 3 in 1.

Let say you design a new playstyle new class. Call it the Tinker:

Now you can create skins and identities for the Tinker. Instead of just the Tinker you are having the Locus Walker and the Spellblade - totally different identities, just using the same class mechanic redressed.

You are creating many more options for players

[Golganar-draenor]

Would be fun, but it would take insane amount of time to implement something like this. Maybe in 10.0, who knows?

[Starstride-nordrassil (Starstride)]

Yeh, it would be so cool though.

But again, like allied races and customisations, you don’t do everything at once… you do it little by little.

You can introduce:

• 1 New Class - an entirely new mechanic operating class
• 1 New identity for that class - e.g. Locus Walker - more to come later
• 3 New elite/prestige classes - like Necromancer, Warden etc - more to come
• 5 New class skins - Void Knight, Night Warrior (VElf/NElf Pala), Botanist, Valewalker, Moon Priest etc - more to come
• 23 sets of 8 new Racial abilities for each race - this isn’t a balancing situation, this is more like cosmetic racial aligned ones. THis is the only one you have to give all at the same time.

New Class is the major systems work
Elite class (that combine specs) is far less work, so you can introduce more of these, but they also will have unique skins

Art team would be most engaged for all of these, they’ll do the effects for all the racial spells, that’s 23 x8 abilities, all the new abilities for new class and identity, all the abilities for the 3 prestige classes, and all the abilities for the 5 new class skins.

This is your launch, from at perspective, it’s work for 10 classes at launch, plus the racial abilities. It’s nothing compared to the revamps of races.

Then you introduce more every patch - so every patch people can get excited about what new skin is coming. Another option is some could come in the shop.