Tinker Class: more roles with Ranged Weapons

Community General Discussion
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In Modern WoW. We have many different and interesting classes that use Magic. We have many different and interesting classes that use Melee.

But only 1 measly class that uses ranged weapons. In fact, only 2 of its specs use ranged weapons, and it uses them only to Damage.

What a waste of assets, what a shame.

I propose a solution with deep roots in the Warcraft Universe: A Tinker. As far back as Warcraft 3, Tinkers have been powerhouse Intellect Heroes, that use their minds, and mechanical know-how to fight. Using a combination of Shredder suits, explosive ordinance, and Turrets to help them dispatch enemies.

In Modern WoW, We’ve seen Tinkers in just about every single expansion, But most recently we’ve seen them divided into 3 specs.
Tank: (In a Mech)
Ranged DPS: (Using missiles and turrets)
Healer: (Using Healing grenades and healbots)

Today, I propose that all 3 of these specializations could use Ranged Weapons. Finally allowing another class to use Ranged Weapons, without limiting them to being DPS and ONLY DPS.

Ranged DPS
This one is obvious, a Tinker could use Ranged weapons while deploying turrets, and firing missile barrages. Guns are an obvious fit.

Ranged Healer
Dart Guns! Ever Play Overwatch or TF2?
Using a ranged weapon to both Heal allies and Damage enemies is a neat trope that isn’t represented often enough in games. Especially not in RPGs.

A Unique healer that is able to use ranged auto attacks to heal their allies, while using Healing gas grenades, and deploying healbots.

Tank
This is the hard one to justify ranged weapons for.
Which is why I recommend Stat-Sticks. Over the entire 16 years of WoW we’ve seen plenty of Tinkers piloting Mechs or Shredders.

I suggest that a Mech suit tank, should use the same mechanic as druid Shapeshifts, where you inherit that stats on your weapon, without it limiting or effecting your abilities.

What would this new class provide?

  • A class that can fulfill every role in a dungeon, like Paladin or Druid.
  • A class that can Tank with Intellect as their primary stat
  • The ability to use Ranged weapons for more than just damage
  • The ability to use Ranged weapons on more than just Hunter
  • A class that truly fits the fantasy of Goblins and Gnomes
  • A class that is part of the Warcraft Universe, as far back as WC3
  • Engineering would Finally be able to sell to more than Hunters.
  • Engineering would have 2 classes to produce scopes for
  • Engineering would have 2 classes to produce guns for

Thank you for reading! <3 I hope my ideas are taken for consideration.

9 Likes
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There’s a lot of people who want this. There’s also people in the camp of “no more classes.”

I’m hoping we’ll get new classes after SL.

Other common requests are: Ranger, Necromancer, or Bard.

IMO, Tinker is the most unique of the 4.

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Personally, I would love to have a tinker class. I know some want Necromancers but I feel DKs and Locks are close enough to one. We don’t need 3 similar classes. But tinker could be awesome. You can have ranged, heals or tank. The tank can be in a mecha robot like Mekkatorque.

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Only nerds ask for bard.

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Tinker also seems the most likely of the 4.

Like I said in the post above. We’ve seen Tinkers in game already with Data-mined abilities and specs and everything. Even things like Level requirements are already in games.

We know Blizzard loves to reuse assets. And BFA has a lot of Assets for Tinkers. So I have hope.

This is really my argument on the matter. Tinkers could be cool and unique compared to existing classes. Not rehashing existing themes.

3 Likes
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Exactly. They could really do some fun cool new things with it too since it would be so unique.

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Mech suit Tank!
I’d never reroll.

Someone gets it. :sunglasses:

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If this is done the tank tinkers mech suit should be a separate hp bar. When it dies it blows up and the “tank” is super vulnerable. We’ve seen this with dva and most bosses that have mech suits. It would make for interesting playstyles

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Sounds neat.
A lot of tanks have a Cheat Death passive already.

I imagine this could be a really weak, intentionally crappy cheat death, as a Passive.
When you Die in Mech-form you pop out as the Pilot. But you’re still a super squishy intellect stacking class. So you’d probably just die instantly.

But presumably, you COULD live. The healer could work miracles and keep you alive until combat is over. Then you could hop into your mech suit again.

As a caveat, you should instantly be put into Mech-form after being the target of a Battle-Res.

I think we can achieve the desired result without adding a second HP bar. That sounds unnecessarily buggy, you know?

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Still rooting for this?

Turret/mortar/Tesla coil/cannon construct for heavy damage, either AOE or single target.

Mid-range grenadier stuff; sap grenades, stun packets, proximity mines, throwing explosives, bomb-crawlers. This would be cc-centred.

Mekkasuit for tanking and mid-range to point-blank range AOE as well as tab-target melee with stuns, (pve).

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Momma didn’t raise a quitter.

Your concept seems to be Damage, Damage, Tank.
Which is something I’m not sure blizzard will do.
I know blizzard never wants to add another pure dps class to the game, and that’s fine by me. Pure DPS classes are boring in my opinion.

I Think Damage, Tank, and Healer is the most likely.

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Pfft like the bodyguard in SWTOR? boo.

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I don’t compare anything in WoW to Swotor but I also don’t know anything about Swotor.

I just think that Tinkers would make the most sense as Healer. Tank, and Ranged DPS. I only think that because that’s what we’ve seen the island expedition teams do.

So you think a CC-centered class would work?
How do you mean CC centered? Just a lot of stuns?

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stuns, slows, dots, hots (meager), misdirect, proximity mines, stealth detectors, deployable spidermines from Starcraft 2, self-destruct(all specs), robo-animal decoys.

Basically the assassin from diablo 2 minus the combat points

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These kinds of abilities are Class-wide now and have nothing to do with spec.

Leg sweep on monk
Frost Nova on Mage

The Ideas for Crawler mines and proximity mines are cool, but I still think they’d work well across all 3 specs.

I guess what I’m trying to say is. You could make these abilities class wide and still have 3 specific specs. You don’t need to make an entire separate spec for all the PvP abilities.

I love all of these Ideas, but I see no reason they can’t be class-wide abilities.

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Because it would be deemed OP by all other classes if you had access to an entire kit of controlling moves as high dps. Just isn’t fair.

Shouldn’t ever happen. You either are a dps a cc troller spec or a tank.

But hey, this is your thread. Please keep expanding upon it.

Tinker/Sapper Iis an awesome concept.

Oh and also? make enhancement shaman tank

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with Shadowlands, basically every class in the game has all of their CC and utility baseline regardless of specialization now.

Warrior for example have Intervene and Spell reflect, on all 3 specs.
Monks have always had Leg Sweep and Paralysis on all 3 specs.
Rogues are back to Sap, Cheap Shot, and Kidney shot on all 3 specs.
Druid has Entangle and Cyclone on all 4 specs.

So Tinker should also have CC and utility abilities on all of its specs.

You don’t need to give all the CC to one spec, and therefore reduce it to being a “PvP” specialization.

I think Tinkers should have a Self-Destruct ability. But that’s just me.

Shaman should have a Tank spec. Enhancement shouldn’t be destroyed for that though

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4-spec and 2-spec, (dh i know lol) are irregularities to the game.

All should have 3 specs and be useful.

especially hunter and warlock, and now tinker.

Needs to be clean cut and dry to allow min-maxing and then talent selection be freedom which it looks like they might consider in future expansions.

After they stop using borrowed power.

Pipe dream, I know but no less valid than your post.

Cordially

-Jim

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To be honest, One of the reasons I think Tinker would work is because it’s simple enough to fit into Blizzard’s borrowed power systems.
Is doesn’t need anything too outlandish, or game changing.

Clearly Blizz likes borrowed power, so the next class they add will probably have room for Borrowed power.

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The issue with tinker for me is it’d be ranged without any sort of magic…much like a hunter. I can’t help but feel it fits as more of a spec than a class on its own. Maybe survival should be an entirely different class, for that matter…

That said, I like the idea of arrows mixed with magic. Missing from WoW atm!