How? It would dramatically expand class identity. Legion class halls were fun but one problem with them was that they made it very clear how limited the current class identity is. All the paladins were hanging out as the Silver Hand and praising the Light as they do, but then the Tauren were just over here to the side pretending like they were anything like the rest. It’s even worse now that the Zandalari have pallies too, from an entirely different source.
The classes aren’t monoliths. They shouldn’t be presented that way. There’s more than one way to arrive at the same conclusion. The whole “holy necromancy” thing with Callia demonstrated that.
Necromancer isn’t a class though. Nor should it be.
I’ve seen fire death knights proposed actually, using Bolvar’s toasty appearance as inspiration. Class skins would probably have some overlap in theme. I don’t really think that’s a problem, personally. That’s not the same as outright stealing abilities, as you imply.
A lot of people want a necromancer class because the fantasy of being a dark caster using death magic isn’t really covered for them personally by DKs. I think inventing a whole class for it would be unnecessary, but a warlock skin would scratch that itch. DKs don’t have exclusive rights to all necromantic themes, any more than fire mages own that, to use your example - shaman and paladins also use fire themed abilities.
A big selection of class skins would mean a lot of crossover of aesthetics and themes. I do see your point that you think that would dilute class identity, but I just don’t see it that way.
All fire abilities should be removed from Warlocks because Mages have those abilities already and Mages deserve them more. All Shadow abilities should be removed from Warlocks because Shadow priests have those abilities and Shadow Priests deserve them more. Pets should be removed from Warlocks because Hunters already have those abilities and Hunters deserve them more. Just sayin’.
Like if cosmetic armor wasn’t as uh… very unarmor themed as it now is so like just seeing someone no longer can even begin to give away their class, the abilities are basically the only thing you can use to tell what they are
So if I see someone with ghouls, Im going to assume a fellow chad DK but oh it’s a wiener lock instead
Or someone shooting lightning bolts and being like oh a shaman, no its a “tinker hunter”
Or idk what witch doctor shaman would be, guy throwing frogs instead of lightning bolt?
You are sayin, just not sayin anything important lol
I also ain’t gunna lie, part of it is 100% me being a DK and how we’ve gotten the customization shaft compared to the other “hero” classes
DH get a bunch of special stuff just for them, DK lost their unique hair colors/allied races weren’t even started for their stuff/some skin colors were made available to all instead of just DK
Next Ima lose my ghouls and have nothing unique about my class
Ill admit, really all i want from class skins is to allow void elf paladins to use void attacks/heals and not light ones because a void elf being a warrior of the light is just ridiculous to the extreme.
I also want void elf druids to be void monstrosities. But kul tiran and zandalari show blizzard is happy to be flexible with that class at least.
Any other support i show for class skins is just me trying not to be selfish haha
I honestly dont care one way or the other if warlocks get to customise the ability summon zombies instead of demons.
My point was that Necromancer abilities can be changed so they neither resemble Warlock or DK abilities. For instance, Necromancers could have abilities like Diablo IV’s Necromancer abilities, like Bone Spear, etc.
The Necromancer pets don’t have to look like DK pets. They could have skeletons wielding swords and shields instead of ghouls or skeletal mages or undead Nerubians.
They won’t give classes the ability to completely supplant their own visual identities for the sake of adding a million new RP tools, because they clearly have an unchanging ideal vision for them as they are now.
I’m sick of hearing about necromancer warlocks. Maybe even more than void paladins at this point, which is saying a lot.
I passionately hate the idea of warlocks as necromancers, be it as a visual toggle or a fourth spec, because they were never supposed to be necromancers in the first place. They summon demons, they had quests to bind their demons back in vanilla, they ride demon horses, pre-Legion Demonology let them turn into demons, their class hall was in the Twisting Nether, their artifacts included a staff made by Sargeras’ servants, a scythe made by Sargeras himself, and the skull of an eredar warlock, etc. Demons are ingrained into every facet of the class. Enemy warlocks in the lore may have raised the dead, but warlocks as a class have had virtually nothing to do with necromancy in 20 years.
As some will gladly point out, giving warlocks necromancers as a second identity would be, by nature, cannibalizing a theme from DKs, for the purpose of supplanting their original, unique identity with that of a Wish version of the latter. Warlocks also summon a lot of different types of demons, most of which don’t have any feasible undead equivalents. There are no undead small enough to replace imps, for example. Plus, hunters can tame undead beasts. If a warlock can replace their felhunter with an undead dog and they’re teamed with a hunter in a BG or arena who has a pet of the same model, that’s going to cause problems. Just because they work in D4 doesn’t mean they work here.
Creating 2-3 new specs for an undeath/necromancy based class without robbing from the DK/warlock identity WOULD be very difficult and impractical. Reskinning warlock spells and Pets would get you 99% of the way there with none of the headache
