New race-class combos for 10.0

Community General Discussion
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When you do them, please, do them well.

No more clumsy of half hearted attempts. Orc mages, Sunwalkers were done very poorly.

More of the calibre of Drust druids and Zandalari ones - that was handled much better. See, I don’t expect humans to suddenly be druidic - or learn to be druidic, but if there is an ancient drust tribe where htis knowledge is practised , then that makes a difference, especially when we see drust magic - it’s unique, it’s different, it’s a verison fodruidism but different.

This is done well. Off course other race-class combos we got in cata had some that made sense based on existing lore entirely… so when you do new ones. Please make it involved, interesting, make sense - none of “they learnt it from books” or their faction budddies taught them

Preserve the lore and the fantasy, take it seriously blizz, don’t toss it into the fire because you cba. I loved the new customisations, but wildhammer, sand trolls, high elves - could have had a bit more than :make it up in your head".

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Every race can, in theory, be any class.

I await the day goblins can be monks.

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Race class combos still remaining are as follows: I do not expect all to be given, but some can be. Some can have some interesting and even iconic lore introduced. Some can connect quickly. ANd some should just be avoided.

DKs
DHs
Druids:
Hunters
Monks
Mages

Warlocks

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Whiles that is technically true, the wya it works is that there has to be a large enough following for it to be a thing with a racial idnetiy to it. This is better than just plunking every class for every race. "You lose somethin when you do that.

You remove interesting avenues of good lore, iconci lore and fantasy which is bedrock of these games that draws people
You also diminish the potency of having races - races in warcraft are iconic, have a lot of individuality to them histories, habits, mannerisms, they can’t nor shoudl they just be any class
Classes also have lore to them, this is part of the design framework too, and some of those concepts clash with certain races… which means theyshouldn’t be there unless interesting circumestnaces can create apthway fro some, to the etent they may even need som extra customisation to pull it off

As long as it is done well and correctly , eventually everyone can be every class.Or at least I won’t object.

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Gameplay > Lore.

I hate that I can’t play any class with any race, as Its just a block for the sake of blocking.

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Brown orcs and fel are mutually exclusive in lore. If one would become a warlock they’d turn green.

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But regular orcs already have warlocks - so I guess you could skip warlock for Mag’har.

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They should do night elf paladins. Lorewise we already have them.

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That’s what I hope if they ever do a world revamp, they could use that opportunity to add more lore, regardless if they would add some NPCs that are already a thing (class/race combo), but for example, they could revamp northern Kalimdor and one of the (even short is okay) storylines is how many Night Elf priests decided to take the weapon and become Paladins of Elune.

Some are missing some logical race/class combos such as Worgen & Goblin Monks. Especially Goblins. I understand that the starting zone was probably the main reason of the block, but the new starting experience is the answer to that.

You mentioned Human Druids. That could work in my opinion - but it really needs a good new lore and it’s possible because of their Gilnean & Kul Tiran cousins. Maybe they could make a dude called Elywnn.

There has also been a lot of speculations about “class skins” and I believe some races would need class skins if they get that new class/race combo. The first thing that comes to my mind is a Void Paladin for VEs, but I don’t want to argue about that too much. It’s just personal opinion.

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I thought every class could be a monk…
Well, it’s a surprise.

Fingers crossed for belf druids. I might get to love the class in that case… somehow I could never play it for a prolonged time.

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looks at Akaari Shadowgore, an Eredar rogue that was one of Sargeras greatest weapons

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That may be what some players think or even the majority, yet they can’t afford to adopt that attitude.

Players aren’t designers, they don’t always know nor understand (or care to) how things like environment, ambience, music, fantasy, all feed into the pleasure and enjoyment, even fascination with the game they play.

A developer cannot afford to be that ignorant. These things matter, even if the player thinks it doesn’t or doesn’t care even realising they matter.

They must still make the effort. Sure, open up combos, but do them well and do them right, don’t just fling em in.

The extra effort is worth it. Allied races/vs just throwing in customisations proves this. AS do many other things.

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They too greedy to be zen.

It’s a bit sad races becoming monks don’t ahve a bit more to them. but maybe the monk was designed with that in mind. Anyone can be zen and it lends itself to individuals rather than having a faction or tribe that are more inclined to that way off life - at least that is how they’ve presented the class in lore.

As such, why can’t goblins just be monks without pump? I mean i’m fine with them not being monks, but it would be good to have established lore and precedence over this.

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Which makes sense, and yet… broken are some of the best?

You’d think that maybe just covering your hooves with some soft material will workl//

It could be that they are also too large, so even on soft ground or with padded hooves, they cause too much vibration in their steps and anatomically are not able to shift body weight to lighten their steps like other races cna.

Now this would actually be an intersting thing to add in the lore of races like Draenei and Tauren, which precludes them from being rogues.

Unless they employ magic ofc. . like we see some rogue Eredar. Broken being much shorter and seemingly have a far more stable centre of gravity might actually have that functionality their larger former selves do not.

If you add magic to the picture, would some sort of spell allow Draenei rogues? or should they be part of a different subrace of draenei that can be rogues like maybe the Eredar, and it be noted they use the fel to accomplish stealth and quiet magically.

But then, have blizzard given up on trying to make the lore make sense or soudn right?

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Many allied races should just be options for their Core races.

They can, especially since they’re losing people left and right - and its not because of more classes being unlocked.

It’s not being ignorant.

Blizzard has stated on multiple occasions that Gameplay comes before Lore.

Zandalari are, in lore, taller and larger than Draenei. Yet they can be rogues.

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I think the Class Combos are fine at the moment. No need to change it up anymore.

Except maybe Monk for Goblins.

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Not many, only a few,
But, totally agreed, at least for Mag’har, LF, HM and VELves (after they removed the buffed body type - but as they weren’t being tied to blood leves they need to be separate, same with NB))

Yet, it was far more interesting to get them that way, and inf act, rather than add them as customisations, many would have preferred if they did a bit more work on those 3 to make them more different, rather than just lump them into customisations.

SOme ahve often said Taunka shoudl have been the allied race, with HM being a customisation - I agree on that one.

Mag’har while could have been a customisation, I think have benefitted far more by being an allied race, as it allowed them to have a level of depth that they wouldn’t have had if just customisation.

THis is another advantage of having it as an allied race. The current options we have for Mag’har would be far less if it was thrown in to the orcs as new skin tones.

Also being recognised as a faction themselves, with a story,has a level of oomph to it that just hasn’t come across with the new customisaitions that came with the message of “you can play wildhammer or high elf in your head” - it’s now canon, just ignore the starting area

This is what I’m trying to avoid.

I disagree on this one, peopel want them to make effort, show they care, do it well, not just slap in. If having more race/class combos would bring epople back, then it’s worth doing, but if just slapping them on without proper care, then it samcks of cheap effort/gimmick where it could have been a lot more interesting and an extra source of engagement that got people into wow more.

These are the things that get people into wow more and keep them, if it’s just gameplay, you get bored quickly with just gameplay. It’s exciting for a time, but without the story, the fantasy, the ambience, the talking up and embellishment, thehype to sustain you loving the fantasy, trying new options… ever thought how playing the same class but on a different race can appeal to a person?

WEll if race had no lore, it would just be either a cosmetic change or maybe one for racial… but if you added a cool fantasy that had time put into it, the new race class combo looks and feels cool - where does that impression come from?

You have to creat e it… with cool models and cool looking gear, but also a cool fantasy, it’s the fantasy taht makes it appealing most of all… it informs you this gear is cool, and makes you WANT it more than just be mildly piqued.

There is value in engagement. Anyone worth their salt in production/marketing can understand value.

Which should never be interpreted as lore doesn’t matter. They do understand, they can’t afford not to. Even that admission they have to realise by now was a wrong thing to say.

But they neither have hooves, and their make up is similar to elves and humans, who we know can regulate their steps… it could be that hooved beings actually cannot lighten their steps so you would alwys know one is coming.

Blizzrd ofc hasn’t explainned, but I would fight that actually more interesting explanation to explore.

Human beings love puzzles, love discovering things, love things making sense and having a reason, they love to discover these things, if you fail to provide that, you are just kicking yoruself in the foot where a little effort could make your product a lot more engaging.

I’m convinced it’s worth doing and worth doing well.

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Some combos have powerful and acceptable reasons already around to happen, with little “new” lore to give.

e.g.

  1. night elf paladin - a lot of backdrop for this done in previous expansions, just give it
  2. night elf warlocks - only if they are Illidari night elves (i.e. the same type used for demon hunters)
  3. Draenei warlocks - if they are okay of given the Eredar customisation to Draenei just for that class.
  4. Nightborne druids - 7.0 had Farodin save them with the arcan’dor, druids from val’sharah helping em - the whole balance thing is their new thing, and they always loved nature

All of these need little explanation.

  1. Blood elf druids - they’d be botanists, we had some of these in botanica, we know high elves love nature, blood elven botanists could be more for weaponising it in a version of druidism they’ve enhanced by dealings with others.

  2. Void elf druids - this would need some story - but druids keep struggling with the nightmare in the Emerald drream, easy to see void elves finding a solution and exploring nature with void to make void druids after training with Nelves

  3. Goblin monks - even a zen state can be turned into making profit from.

  4. Human druids - these will be drust druids , and actually be kul’tiran with human models having attracted humans who had been influenced by night elves but never quite managed to handle their total devotion, but found a version taht suits them via the drust

  5. Elven Shaman - these are moon/duskguard/highborne trained conjurists that specialise in harnessing elemental power via the arcane, and they teach the rest of the elven communities, except for void elves

  6. Void elf shaman - Entropists they’re called, they use the elements to do good unlike the twilight cultists - however it’s control and subjugation of corrupted elementals rather than normal ones.

  7. Draenei Rogues - these will use the Broken model instead , unless they become a playable allied race.

I mean i coudl do a massive post and include everyone, but you can come up with something fairly decent based on existing lore for every class combo to exist. And not just be lumped in there.

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This argument is null since at least WoD

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(I’m Gakkiz, changed my posterboi)

Draenei can be warlocks, as there is a group of draenei loyal to the Legion in WoD called the ‘‘Sargerei’’, and they are not Eredar.

Could work either way, just look at High Botanist Thel’arn in Nighthold, so could work.

Should already exist.

Eeeeeeh, not sure on this one.

Could probably work. Farstriders were/are very close to nature.

This one I don’t really think could work - imo.

Obv could work, and there even is one in Legion.

Can work, just like they could potentially be shamans.

Regular draenei can be rogues, as we already have proof of that with the rangari and Akaari Shadowgore (an Eredar, but more or less same thing).

Could work, due to how Twilight Hammers have Elementalists.