Templar Class Fantasy Inconsistency

Classes Paladin
1

I have already made countless threads about this but I wanted to make one more after what I stumbled upon last night.

Ever since Templar was revealed as one of our Hero Spec options, I have been riding the hype train!

Fast forward to now, the gameplay of this Hero Spec is actually very enjoyable. I love pressing Hammer of Light and trying to maintain my Shake the Heavens buff. I much prefer this to Herald of the Sun for gameplay purposes.

The team did a great job of making this Hero Spec unique and fun to play.

Besides having a strong and defined Holystrike focus, I have been in the camp for quite some time about how it was a mistake to choose a Hammer theme for this spec rather than a Sword theme.

I am going back now to complete my Paladin Class Order hall campaign from start to finish. I’m doing this ultimately to complete The Balance of Power questline to unlock that Artifact Appearance for The Silver Hand (Really trying to embrace the Templar Hammer theme).

To my surprise, Templar’s are directly mentioned and involved in our Class Campaign. You can pick a Class Order Hall upgrade that transforms your troops into Silver Hand Templars. You can see them spawn in the Class Order Hall and you can also view them on your Scouting Map.

These Templars, are using Swords.

Does this type of inconsistency and discrepancy, really not bother anyone else? Because it really bothers me.

I understand some people enjoy the Hammers and probably prefer them. But in the end, it should be about what is logically consistent and what pays respect to already established, in-game lore.

I doubt Blizzard will do something like completely re-skin this Hero Spec. As much as I would fight that is the correct call and direction, could we maybe just see some type of future system or glyph system that augments elements of Hero Specs in some fashion that would allow us to swap from Hammers to Swords?

I won’t make another thread about this, but I want to make one last statement about how something is clearly off here.

How can so many elements point towards Templars and Swords, but we have ended up on Hammers? I do not see any grounded arguments towards Hammers that hold up against all of these additional points.

To list all other points one final time, here are all the reasons why Swords are thematically correct for the spec theme rather than Hammers…

  • The General Paladin Icon/Theme is already on Hammers. Templar, by definition as a Hero Spec, should aim to fulfil a unique twist on that Class Fantasy theme.
  • Templar’s current Hero Spec description and choice of a Hammer-theme, would be 100% indistinguishable from rather a Vanquisher or Vindicator theme. Evidence that creative change is needed for this version of the Hero Spec.
  • The Keystone Templar talent, Light’s Guidance, triggers from Wake of Ashes/Eye of Tyr. Both abilities originate from our Legion Artifact Weapons. Both of which again, The Ashbringer and Truthguard, are primarily Sword-based models.
  • On the topic of our Legion Artifact Weapons, only Holy Paladins primarily used the Hammer model. Templar is of course, the bridge between Protection & Retribution Paladins.
  • Furthermore, just to reference, Lightsmith is a bridge between Holy and Protection Paladins. Lightsmith already uses a Hammer model in its theme.
  • The first Retribution Spec talent, is Blade of Justice.
  • Righteous Cause, another Retribution Spec talent, has a Sword ability icon and augments Templar’s Verdict, giving it the chance to reset Blade of Justice.
  • Templar Strikes, the newest added Retribution active ability press via their Spec talents, is Sword-themed with a Sword-themed icon.
  • Templar Slash from that same ability combo, is also a Sword-themed ability with a Sword-themed icon.
  • Both Templar Strike and Templar Slash’s Sword-themed ability icon graphics, are specifically of The Ashbringer. Further tying back into Wake of Ashes which triggers our Keystone talent, Light’s Guidance.
  • The final Retribution talent of mention, Blades of Light, turns all of our abilites (including those Hammer-themed ones) into Holystrike damage.
  • Templar’s current Hero Spec description mentions that we use combinations of Physical and Holy attacks (Holystrike).
  • Go to WowPedia and search for Templar. The only 2 images they showcase for Templar Paladins happen to both be wielding Swords!
  • Templar will undoubtably always draw some name relation to the historical Knights Templar. Go Google Knights Templar and view images. Every image showcases them with Swords except 1.
7 Likes
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I don’t feel strongly about this as you do but yeah I don’t care for the hammer spam. Feel like I’m Stanley Kirk Burrell sometimes.

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what if they changed animations of empyrean hammers/hammer of light between swords and hammers depending on the weapon you mogged :open_mouth: that would be dope, not sure if possible though. tooltip could be empyrean blades/blade of light depending on weps

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My God that would be perfection! We can dream right?

How cool would it be to see Hammer/Sword/Axe/Spear of Light depending on what weapon model we currently have mogged.

Overall while it’s not purely only swords, it would at least play into the “Strength of Arms” fantasy that Templar has. Still more thematically appropriate than just Hammers.

For the longest time now too, I have been envisioning Sword of Light, Empyrean Swords and Bladefall instead of what we have.

Bladefall alone, sounds so much cooler than Hammerfall!

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5

I was thinking the same, not in such detail but def thought it should have been sword orientated. The thing is, they bypassed all the good themes in wow (Spellbreaker, Crusader, Vindicator, Justicar, Lightbringer) and went for dumb Diablo theme. Very lame, very lazy, the hammer theme is alright, but very boring.

While we are at it, the fact horse is taking up 5 talent slots just to attempt to compete with the new DK horse is LAUGHABLE.

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Damn, Luthorion, I don’t think you put enough thought into this. :thinking:

Speak your mind, son. :grin:

Because hammering is what we do. You must understand this, junior paladin. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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7

Well historically in real life templar (the knights templar) mostly used swords.

Maces are generally only used against heavily armored opponent’s to crush their breastplate in.

However wow paladins have always been very hammer inspired so i get why they went with that.

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Wait a sec…

I remember this arguement before… This was was brought up allot during tww test phases.

while I agree with it. It far too late for them to change it now.

But a glyph would be nice to change hammer animations to swords.

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Paladins - hammer. Death Knights - sword. Warriors- axe.
I like it that way but yea maybe vfx shouldn’t be locked to a specific weapon type.

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That would work.

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death knights logo is an axe.

Warriors is the sword.

Also templars isn’t your average (race) paladin. (reference to vegita of tfs)

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Paladin weapon of choice has always been a hammer in Warcraft. Deal with it.

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Yeah but we can let the junior paladins here have a little sumpn’ sumpn’. :wink:

I mean, they are our Brothers of the Holy Light.

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Just noticed.

The Silver Hand Templar you recruit in your Class Order Hall have a main ability.

It’s called…

SWORD OF LIGHT!

You have to correct this Blizzard. At minimum we need a Glyph :joy:

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.spell 427453 5308

You can use this mysterious code to transform it into Sword LOOOL

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:squint:

this is dark magic your tampering with

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I don’t believe there is any Blood Elf Paladin main alive who wouldn’t prefer a sword themed version of templar over the hammer theme

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I’d prefer a polearm… of the Sin’dorei! For Quel’Thalas and all that.

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Most iconic paladin weapon in the game is a Sword, the Ashbringer.

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The team that used to make creative glyphs for classes have been gone for a long time. Relegated to working on Call Of Duty games within the Activision prison system until the end of space and time.