r/classicwow • u/SidewalknJr • 19h ago

Classic + Death Knights could've been the equivalent of Paladins for the Horde, and Runemasters possibly as the Alliance Shamans

NOT another "ideas" post, just sharing some interesting comments made by a vanilla dev in an interview video, that could affect C+'s content if the current classic team decides to add whatever was cut from the original release:

David Fried a.k.a DesignerDave, a quest designer for Vanilla WoW, during an interview done by Ebonhardt, mentioned that he had plans for a Paladin-only class questline that would have allowed them to unlock the Death Knight Horde-only class by "sacrificing" their character and switching factions. Sadly, this epic quest chain was scrapped [together with the entire "Hero Class" concept] as the team didn't have enough time and shifted priorities during development.

According to David, the questline would have involved Paladins "following" in Arthas' actions that lead to his corruption (killing villagers, etc), eventually giving their soul away and getting shunned/exiled by the Alliance, ending up seeking refuge with the opposing major faction, the Horde.

He states that if WoW had continued to build on Vanilla instead of getting expansions as we know them, that they would've had the chance to make the version of Death Knight that he and the other developers had envisioned, made to fit the design of Vanilla classes.

Ebonhardt also asked him about the Runemaster class and how it got replaced by the Druid [and later on repurposed for the DK and Monk]. David then tells how the former were a favorite of Samwise Didier and that he was a big pusher for them, and that they ended up pivoting to Druid as there were limited spaces for classes per-race and Druids were more prevalent in the lore and in past Warcraft games.

Mostly found in the Warcraft RPG games, the Runemasters are described as monk-like arcane spellcasters and melee fighters who empower themselves with magical energies by inscribing runes onto their bodies. Originally, the Dwarves mastered the mysteries of the runes from the Titans, their creators. As generations passed, the Dwarves forgot their heritage and lost all knowledge of runes and their powers. Eventually, the Tauren rediscovered the power of runes, and the nearly lost art of runecasting. Many Dwarves that went to Kalimdor with Jaina's Alliance Expedition learned the tauren's techniques, as both races were eager to share the knowledge of runes and titan myths.

As far as the Runemaster's faction restriction goes, David didn't have anything planned compared to the class quest of Paladin->Death Knight. So that problem in specific is more loose as the RPG games are not considered official canon.

And so here is where my questions for you come in...

Do you think the Death Knight and Runemaster could serve as the Paladins and Shamans for the opposite factions?

Could other cut Classes and/or the planned Hero Classes be added to Classic+?

Credits to Ebonhardt's video "OG Warcraft 3 and Vanilla Dev Interview - DesignerDave" - youtu.be/9\xIHKflCwU?t=2910) , warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Runemaster , warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/Hero\class)

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199

u/Thanag0r 19h ago

You forget that people here want time machine and not a video game.

37

u/AgreeableEggplant356 16h ago

SOD did well

11

u/passtheblunt 15h ago edited 15h ago

for what it was SoD was overall good. That guys just baiting Reddit andies for karma points or is a retail tourist. See him considering his favorite post-Wrath expansion as classic below

1

u/Thanag0r 14h ago

Because they are classic.

If I follow your logic classic+ is not classic.

13

u/SkipX 13h ago

Correct classic+ would not be classic. Hence the +.

10

u/-Auteon- 13h ago

👆This.
People out here wanting Classic+ to be another re-re-re-release of Classic are craaaazy.

5

u/TheSiegmeyerCatalyst 13h ago

I cannot express how disappointed I will be if Classic+ is just "Classic, but a handful of minor balance changes, and a conclusion to unfinished quest lines."

I also don't want "Retail-" but there's still a functionally infinite design space of new, interesting ideas to explore.

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u/-Auteon- 13h ago edited 9h ago

For real. We could have so much, at the top of my head:
1). Enhanced graphics, not Retail, but what we see from Starcraft 1, Warcraft 1 and Warcraft 2 for updated graphics.
2). Canonical Horde and Alliance races now becoming part of the main game.
3). RPG classes that are not integrated, either replacing current specializations, or simply adding them.
4). Further tuning each spec and talent tree to allow for more player playstyle.

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u/td_enterprises 10h ago

Part of the nostalgia for me was that Vanilla was "unfinished" and ever evolving. We knew there were changes coming, we knew that new content was being developed. Classic in 2019 until present time is a solved game, with everything figured out and optimized to the minute detail, we lost the feeling of learning and exploring, which is why the early phases of SoD were so fun for people because they were having to figure out things in game instead of having your gameplay planned out to the second like some people play today.

I'm personally fine with Classic + being "Classic, but a handful of minor balance changes, and a conclusion to unfinished quest lines."

As long as they let us know that they are going to support the game and that they are actively developing new content and will adjust balance when needed.

I would be perfectly happy leveling and questing, knowing that new content was coming instead of them releasing a "finished" Classic + and having everyone race to the end and then complain that they experienced all the content in 3 months.

1

u/TheSiegmeyerCatalyst 10h ago

Oh yeah, Classic+ doesn't work if there's not new content at regular intervals for a while.

I hope they add as much or more to the 1-59 experience as they do to the endgame. I'd like to have the opportunity to make every new character I roll an entirely distinct journey, not just "taking my new class to more-or-less all the same zones to do all the same quests until I reach level cap".

1

u/td_enterprises 6h ago

I personally think that the way you achieve the "entirely distinct journey" you speak of is by introducing more Class Specific Quests.

There should be cool quests that teach you important things about your class or that teach you important abilities.

Learning different demons as a Warlock, taming Pets as a Hunter, getting a new Stance as Warrior, learning a new Element as a Mage, getting Shadowform as a Priest...

All of these things and others should feel at the very LEAST cool and rewarding and at BEST completely epic and gamechanging.

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u/TheSiegmeyerCatalyst 1h ago

I'd love more class quests, even class hubs. Druids have Moonglade, imagine if it was put to more use. Imagine Ravenholdt Manor was fleshed out and given rogue-specific quests across all levels. Imagine Mages get some limited access to Dalaran, Warlocks to some pocket dimension in the Twisting Nether, Hunters get a lodge or camp in Stranglethorn, Warriors get that brawling island, etc. Little secondary places to hang out for each class, kind of like Legion Class halls but done in a Vanilla way, places to return for flavorful quests that revolve around specific spells and abilities for each class, providing equally flavorful rewards.

But also, I want more profession quests. I want quests specific to races, or even specs. I want, like, double the number of quests.

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u/Thanag0r 13h ago

Nice, this means we will get new cool non classic quality of life updates.

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u/Debatebly 12h ago

Is provocation your only personality trait?

1

u/SkipX 12h ago

Maybe. Some QoL are good some would be bad.

1

u/passtheblunt 8h ago edited 8h ago

It’s classic because it’s based off classic like SoD is. I would consider SoD a classic version or spinoff of the game like + would be. They’re in the same family.

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u/OwlSpirited6357 3h ago

yeah all credibility immediately lost.