Hypothetical Expansion 6: New Classes

Scenario 6: New classes in existing races

The Possibility: Among the fans and players there have always been ‘better options for such and such archtype’ and this has led to several small-time requests and rumors that like other MMOs a new class will be tacked on to existing races, such as the Hammerer for Dwarves, a class that was removed and replaced by slayers, or Assassins for Dark Elves, the male equivalent of Witch Elves.

The Pros: Although not a mainstream thought, there are enough calls for adding classes that exist in the tabletop but not in Warhammer Online that who knows. This would certainly give players something new to experience and the best part of this type of expansion is it doesn’t require the creation of any new maps or pairings. All that would be required is creating new models and ability sets.

The Questions to be Raised:

• Would a new archtype be introduced or would the new class fulfill an existing archtype simply with different abilities and mechanics?
• Would new classes only branch two races, or could we expect each race to receive a 5th class? Certain armies are certainly more flexible and have room for a 5th class, others are not.
• Class balance? That ever pestering issue that is a thorn in Mythic’s side.
• Would current models be restructured to allow other classes which better fit that roll? Most vivid example that sticks in my mind is the Sword Master which is hardly a tank in lore; uber melee dps – yes, sword and board tank, no. The same can be said for Black Guards which in lore better fit the role of tank, however in Warhammer Online are played more like mdps in heavy armor.

Candidates:

• Dwarf Hammerer – possibly a medium/heavy armor dps – bumping the slayer down to light armor
• Night Goblin Fanatic – Goblin mdps
• Empire Greatswords – Heavy armor mdps
• Another knightly Order from the Empire
• A wizard from another college
• Phoenix Guard for High Elves
• Dragon Princes – mounted High Elf tank/mdps
• Dark Elf Assassins
• Dark Elf Executioners
• Chariot Units for any race

The Finances: There are many possibilities for new classes, and anything new would bump up revenues for Warhammer. Depending on how Mythic handled new classes this could be a good move for the game. If a new archtype was introduced such as mounted dps there is an interesting world of possibilities for Warhammer.

Conclusion: New classes would certainly mix up the game and allow Warhammer fans to play a different beloved character. Questions arise when it comes to archtypical roles and role shuffling since some of the current classes do not really fit the roll they’ve been jammed into, but this is among the easiest possible expansions since no new maps would have to be added which would be the case if a new racial pairing was added. Although not a mainstream expansion theory, certainly something to be looked at in terms of ease of implementation and revenue boost.