This post isn’t complete, and I never will finish it now. However, in the previous Warcraft post I mentioned this and I figured I would get it out of my draft folder.

There are eleven classes in Warcraft right now. Three are complete hybrids which can tank, heal and dps (paladin, druid and monk), four are partial hybrids which can either tank and dps (death knight and warrior) or heal and dps (priest and shaman), then there are the four pure classes which can only dps (warlock, hunter, mage and rogue).

The game started with nine classes, eight of which were available to each side (paladins for Alliance, shamans for Horde) and two more have been added since release (death knight and monk) in Wrath of the Lich King and Mists of Pandaria respectively.

There is no hard and fast rule as to what blizz adds in each expansion box. TBC brought two new races and unlocked the ninth class for each faction, Wrath brought the death knight class, Cata brought two new races (goblin and worgen) and unlocked more class/race combinations. Mists had a new race (pandaren) which was available to both factions and a new class (monk) and Warlords brought nothing but new character models.

So what’s the class I have in mind?

Whenever the topic of a new class or race is brought up there are differing opinions. Some say that we have enough options and what could blizz add that would be different? Others have favourite races that they would like to be playable, or have an idea in mind for a new class. Obviously given the topic of the post I have an idea for a new class. It’s nothing that hasn’t been suggested before by others, it’s hardly original but I’m going to write about it anyway because I would love to be able to play it.

I have yet to use my level 90 boost as I have 8/11 classes already at level 90, with the remaining 3 level 82+ so I really have no need for it. I have a level 80 Horde paladin already and I have a level 80 alliance paladin, for if I ever get round to doing Herald of the Titans. I really don’t need a fourth paladin and I don’t see the point in a duplicate of any other class. However, keeping hold of my boost and using it to get a headstart on a new class, not have to do a large chunk of that annoying levelling, that seems like a plan.

The Mercenary
Also known as the Bounty Hunter, a simple description using what we already know would be part hunter, part warrior and part engineer. I can’t see blizz adding another pure class, in fact there’s a vocal movement that suggests they should make all classes hybrids. However, this class I really can’t see it as a healer, it would be another tank/dps combo.

Currently there are five classes that can tank and five classes that can heal. This number has been unequal before as there were only three classes that could tank opposing four healers until death knights were introduced. Therefore having an unequal number doesn’t seem to be out of the realms of impossibility. Ideally a new class would be a complete hybrid but I don’t think it has to be.

The Merc would wear plate armor and be on the Paladin/Priest/Warlock token, meaning that four classes used each of the tokens which is fairer than it being 4/4/3. Sadly they did away with ‘stat’ sticks and while hunters still have an offhand slot, the ranged weapon is a ‘two-hander’ and therefore the slot is always empty. Balancing it so that Mercs and hunters could use the same weapons but Mercs had an offhand would be difficult. However, I envisage Mercs with a gun in one hand and a sword in the other. I suppose that they could introduce one hand guns but it’s simpler not to introduce new items that are only good for one class.

The Three Specs
I suppose the simplest expression of three specs would be to enhance one of the attributes of the Merc. So one tree would add a ranged bonus, another would add a melee bonus and a third would have some neat engineering bonuses. All of the specs would use elements of all three, the Merc is a ranged brawler with gadgets and no spec would change that.