Machinery is all throughout Azeroth, it IS Azeroth. No more “they wouldn’t fit”. If Evoker can exist after being pulled out of thin air, the class with over 2 decades of established lore absolutely can exist. Currently, it exists as an NPC-only class, in which they display prowess far beyond the capabilities of the very mundane Engineering profession.
They fit from a gnome/mechagnome/goblin perspective. (Goblin/Gnome/MG Tinkers)
They fit from a Dwarf/Dark Iron, Human, Kul Tiran perspective (Engineers)
They fit from an Orc, Mag’har perspective (Iron Horde mechanics)
They fit from an Undead perspective (Apothecaries)
They fit from a Draenei/Lightforged/Nightborne perspective (Artificiers)
They fit from a Blood/High Elf perspective (Arcane Tech)
They fit from a Vulpera perspective (Scavengers & Scrappers)
and now, they fit from an Earthen perspective (Machinespeakers)
To say that the ‘Tinker’ class couldn’t exist because Engineering already does, would be to say Mage shouldn’t exist because Enchanting already does, that Monks shouldn’t exist because Inscription already does, Shaman shouldn’t exist because Alchemy already does, or that Demon Hunter shouldn’t exist because there are already Warlocks in the game.
There isn’t any other class as broadly spoken for in WoW that isn’t also playable at this point. That is an anomaly in and of itself. We’ve gotten an entire spec mid-expansion before, as well as a plethora of new races an entire year after launch.
Blizzard- now is the time: After the Iron Horde, after BfA’s delving into World Soul & Titan machinery, and now these new engines of the planet itself- the Earthen mark yet another race in the game with extremely evident & justifiable connections to machinery, and by proxy, a Machine-based player class. The time to finally introduce the Tinker; a class that dabbles with machinery, turrets, gizmos, gadgets, exo-suits, and more.
The Tinker class- whether it’s called that, or “Machinespeaker”, “Mechanic”, “Artificier”, “Engineer”, “Technician”, or anything else- many have said that the class wouldn’t work unless the expansion involved heavy themes about machinery. Well the first time Machinery was blatantly plot-centric was when the forces of Alternate-Universe Draenor launched an assault upon us- with immense and overwhelming technology. When the Mag’har finally joined the Horde as an allied race, it is absolutely possible that many of those were ex-Iron Horde mechanics & technicians, who would likely collaborate with the Orcs to share ideas and blueprints.
The second time was when we discovered the Isle of Mechagon, an entire civilization of machine-like beings so deeply rooted in Tinkering, that their technologies threatened the entire planet itself and required the combined forces of the Alliance and Horde to fight back. The real absurdity is that when the Mechagnomes finally were playable as an Allied Race, the only class they couldn’t be was the one class they should’ve been the most.
And now? We delve to new regions, discover a new NEUTRAL RACE, who are heavily ingrained with machinery to a level on par with the Mechagnomes themselves- where it is their lifeblood and culture. But for the Earthen? It is of a religious extent that their kinship with machinery exists.
And just like how we learned the ways of the Monk from the Neutral Pandaren race;
& the ways of the Evoker through the Neutral Dractyhr race;
Story, logic, player demand, and all other signs point to the ways of Tinker-hood to be taught by none better than through the Neutral EARTHEN Race.
As mentioned before, the many denizens of Azeroth that are already proficient with machines, but the Earthen offer a very unique and central angle to the Tinker class; which is by a more hollistic means- by teaching the races of Azeroth that machinery is not just a matter of ingenuity and craft- but also the very core of the planet itself.
Many people (myself included) have their own ideas and spins on how to do a class like this (mine is just below), but all ideas and concepts share a constant theme of Exo-suits, Guns and turrets, Bombs and Minis, and lots of gunpowder, explosions, fire, and electricity. Depending on the angle Blizzard could take? The class’ resource bar might be Azerite, which we’ve seen can power machinery extremely well to immacculate results. If not? Fuel, Charge, Electricity, or even an “Ammo” system… or it could be the first resource-less class, instead leaning into the fantasy of being really resourceful and improvizational in the lack of any magical skill or prowess, and utilize ingeniuity as a compensation for the lack of magical prowess.
We have now seen The War Within’s release patch extensively, and machines are the narrative focus, and evident through cosmetics, mounts, additional gamemodes, dungeons, and more. With 11.1, we will be venturing to Undermine, the goblin city that is a marvel for being the home of their iconic crude, rusty, oily brand of Tinkering. This marks 2 patches consecutively that effectively communicate Tinker culture across two wildly different races to the players who still may not understand, and may still think “Engineering” as a profession, is enough (it never was).
In between these two patches, there will also be a cosmetic unlockable set in the Siren Isles, that looks like the most steampunk, tinker-coded outfit that has ever existed in game. Which is profoundly unique again given the theme of this expansion. To put it all flatly, the last time an expansion had this much consistent iconography of a single class was Wrath of the Lich King, when the Death Knight came out, Mists of Pandaria, when the Monk came out, Legion, when the Demon Hunter came out, and Dragonflight, when we get Evokers.
All of that said; the Tinker as it currently stands is a cake waiting to be baked, all of the ingredients are there, prepared, ready. There is no more any speculation as to “what” a Tinker could possibly look like", or why it should exist alongside the Engineering spec, because now we see it in plain sight. We see NPCs of various different cultures, walking around with wildly different mech suits, or having exo-suit backpacks like Speaker Brinthe, or creating Machinery that matches the races’ Aesthetic. It’s all there, hiding in plain sight. No matter how Blizzard choose to take all of those ingredients, I am extremely confident that what will be baked up will be rich with substance, full of goodness, enjoyment for everyone, and for those who don’t like cake? Completely ignorable if it’s not your preferred flavour.
This is not a matter of if, anymore but when.
Narratively, if for some reason Patch 11.1 doesn’t seem like the justified time to release this class, 11.2 could be, and if not then, The Last Titan is another perfect window in the climactic finale of the Worldsoul Saga, where we will return to Ulduar, Mimiron, the OG Tinker himself will likely play a major role in the story as he helps us navigate the immense complex machinery of the manifold, and we likely get Order Halls and Artifact Weapons 2.0, as we need them again to square off against the Titans themselves.
Spitballing; but the Tinker Order Hall could be; The Corridors of Ingenuity in Ulduar, King Mechagon’s (former) throne room, A Skybreaker-inspired floating geek club for all brilliant minds, a pocket dimension like the Council of Reeds (or Ricks) from Marvel Comics, or even something as ballsy as retrofitting the now-defunct Frozen Throne to be a sky high Inventor’s society much like Stark Tower.
The Tinker class could even see unique weapons much like how Bows are for Hunters, Warglaives are for Demon Hunters- Tinker’s unique weapon could be “Cogwrenches”, a unique weapon type for them that serve as their weapon for repairing their own Turrets, Torbjorn style, or to pummel enemies that come in close range while their turrets back them up. Alternatively, their primary weapon could be Guns, and their Wrenches would function similarly to the Outlaw Rogue’s pistol. However when Transmogging a Tinker, you could still transmog any known mace, axe or sword into your wrench. Despite not having one equipped.
Their Artifact 2.0 weapon could be “The Hand of Mimiron” a legendary wrench that is one of Mimiron’s very own discarded arms that he no longer needed due to personally upgrading himself. Alternatively, their Artifact weapon, if a gun, could be “G.G.E.Z - The Ultimate Hybridized Gnomish & Goblin Explodey Zapatron 9001”. There’s a lot of potential here, but I digress.
Obligatory “Blizz, Pls”. Give us the Tinker class we’ve been wanting since the dawn of this game. Just like with player Housing, the edging can only go on for so long before we hit a fever pitch.
(Metzen, Hazzikostas, I know you two can see this!!!)
