In case you've been hiding under a rock, get ready. The Burning Crusade expansion is giving a Paladin class to Horde and a Shaman class to Alliance. I don't care how they are making this fit into the lore, this is a completely BORKED idea and approach. All this says to me is that Blizzard knew people wanted a new class but they didn't have any planned for the expansion. So what do you do? You expose an existing class to each faction. No new balancing or skills necessary - it's a ready made class opportunity. I'm shocked that they hadn't forseen the need for new classes and hadn't planned any for BC, but even more so, that they decided to do this as an answer. WOW - and I don't mean that in a good way. All this announcement does is make me think of the many posts I've read recently about the lack of innovation in the current monster games. I'm boggled and dismayed.
Somewhere lovers of Warcraft lore who have left this plane of existence, and are off in the next, are turning in their graves.
I like the idea. Check out http://www.wowwiki.com/Broken . It's been out there. That the Draenei were NOT going to be Shamans was the bad lore. This is much more intune. Now, Gnome Warlocks and Blood Elf Paladins? I'm half way to accepting those. ;)
Posted by: Kinless | July 23, 2006 at 02:20 PM
The move is a cheap way to give each faction a new class. However, keeping unique features for both sides is causing problems with faction imbalance. I support the decision mainly because I've never played a shaman and I will get a chance to in the expansion. I am too firmly established on my current server to play on more then one.
relmstein.blogspot.com
Posted by: relmstein | July 24, 2006 at 10:15 AM
Kinless - I did read the information you linked to but it appears as though this is more recent lore, not something long standing. So I'm still inclined to believe that is a result of WOW the game, and not Warcraft lore.
I think that they are having balancing issues and the idea of no new classes in an expansion that is coming out a year after launch wasn't a going down well. Most of the players I know are rolling new toons as a way of continuing to play the game because it gets stale 5 months into being level 60. And a good deal of players, have already rolled any class that they even had an interest in playing so where do they go if no new classes are coming? An Alliance Shaman - I can't get over it.
Blizzard has done some amazing things with this game. The proof is in the number of players. But this feels like when sitcoms start running out of show ideas so they add a new kid - baby found, long lost relatives, and the alike to add something new.
Posted by: Saylah | July 24, 2006 at 12:23 PM
Yeah, sitcom writers are bad about that, aren't they? And something like this conjuring up that kind of image does disappoint somewhat.
BUT I am looking forward to playing a Blood Elf Paladin. This coming from the guy who has hated Paladins from Day One -- and not just because they've been the bane of his Horde Rogue's PvP existence. I never had fun playing an ALLIANCE Paladin, being as they were Human and Dwarven and neither race has any lasting appeal for me, so playing a Blood Elf Paladin might make a difference. Then again, it might not. Time will tell, and I'm willing to put in the time to give it an honest trial.
I'm another of those who hit 60 with a character and, after the initial thrill of reaching the milestone, the game went flat for me. After a short hiatus, I came back and rolled a new Hunter who is doing well, leveling slowly and collecting pets, trying to accumulate some wealth, and generally filling the void left by my not playing the Rogue. Maybe he'll reach 60 and it'll be deja vu all over again. By then, I reckon, it'll be time to load up the expansion and roll a Blood Elf, so the addiction continues uncured, and possibly the cycle remains unbroken. Though I hope not.
Unless, of course, a genuinely creative WoW-Killer comes along that really can capture my imagination more than just my eye. Something from someone who took note of the situation with WoW, and I mean by that especially the lack of soloable post-60 content and what-not. That would be an interesting day.
Posted by: Ric | July 24, 2006 at 05:16 PM
Hi Ric - My son has a level 60 pally and he raids with him. He likes the raiding aspect but levelint to 60 on a pally is bru-TAL. And as for AV well, from all accounts it sucks to be a Pally in AV. For pvp he sticks to his hunter.
As for myself, I rolled a hunter to 48 and dropped my pally at 42. Soloing on a hunter is hot stuff. I was in all sorts of zones much earlier than you should be on PVP servers. I think what killed it for me was that I had just done the pally and grinding thru the same content became boring. The pally was just to slooooooooooow at leveling solo. Watching her kills mobs was like watching paint dry.
Next to my warlock, my shadow priest has been the most fun to level. I got her to 48 in half the calendar time of the other two, because she was more fun to play. And if you're in the mood for an instance you can get a group immediately as a priest. I recently xfer'd servers to play with friends. However, even that hasn't brought back the magic on my Warlock. I've been playing with them for a week and am already ready to put her back to sleep. I think that I'm so over my Warlock that even the idea of level 70 won't be appealing unless some really cool spell upgrades come with the grind. I mean beyond that, what will be new or different 60 to 70. Raiding is raiding, is raiding.
The only thing that I want to do that I havent tried is a Mage. I have been waiting for the xpac to do as Blood Elf so I can have the new area as an incentive and play as horde for the first time. The problem is that I want something different now! :-) I'm also worried, as you mentioned, that I'll eventually just get bored with her too.
I don't see any WOW-killers on the horizon. I'm not reading any stellar reviews from people doing BETAs on the current crop. So if something does exist it is waaaaaaaaaaaay out in the future. Geez, even Spores is starting to look good to me.
Posted by: Saylah | July 24, 2006 at 05:47 PM
"But this feels like when sitcoms start running out of show ideas so they add a new kid - baby found, long lost relatives, and the alike to add something new."
One of those "Jumping the shark" moments? Yeah, could be.
As for that bit on the Broken, I was reading up on the various possibilities way back when news of the expansion first came out, when neither new race was known. The Draenei were suggested, pointing to the Lost Ones in the Swamp of Sorrows. But the point against them, albeit their being the enemies of the Orcs, and from Draenor, was that they were Shamanistic. To dispense with that fact, to drop the Shamanistic heritage, that was how they altered the lore to bring them into the Alliance and not bring in Shamans. (And the story about them being Demons too. ;) ) I'm of the mind that by allowing them to be Shamans for the Alliance is in fact in keeping with the lore. And I've gotten a Tauren Shaman to 60. It'll be something pretty interesting feeling to play one, hooved too, for the Alliance.
I want/hope to be amazed by the Outlands. I hope it won't be like the ennui when I got my mount.
Posted by: Kinless | July 25, 2006 at 02:26 AM
Saylah we will convert you to a germs .. um I mean Spore fan. I honestly think this game might become a genre in itself. I wish they had gotten a better name for the game since spores is associated with fungus and disease.
Posted by: relmstein | July 25, 2006 at 11:04 AM
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-394434397798392775
Paradigm shift comes to mind. :0
Posted by: Kinless | July 25, 2006 at 02:55 PM
Kinless, thanks for the pointer. I'd seen a shorter demo that made me think, "Hmm, maybe." When it comes to SIMulation games, most people would agree that Will Wright is certainly the Mack Daddy. So I shouldn't have been too surprised that it looked good. The name leaves much to be desired and will be the butt of many jokes. :-)
Posted by: Saylah | July 25, 2006 at 04:49 PM
Hey in the year of the Wii entertainment system, Spore doesn't sound too bad.
Posted by: relmstein | July 26, 2006 at 10:23 AM
Anyone looking at Huxley??? I'm not much into the scifi genere, but I'm going to take a closer look at this game: http://www.webzengames.com/Game/Huxley/default.asp
Posted by: Saylah | July 26, 2006 at 01:13 PM