Project Lore

Warning! This post is speculative and potentially spoiler-heavy. I won't lie. I've been cringing inside at the thought of Garrosh Hellscream replacing Thrall. How could he? What would this mean for the fate of the Horde? And why would Thrall allow it? Amatera's recent post on glimpses of the changing Horde on the PTR solidified that even more. I am not a fan of Garrosh, to put it lightly, and based on the comments on that post, plenty of others aren't, either. In fact, it's easy to name plenty of other Horde leaders who would make a better Warchief. Among the contenders, on one humorous forum thread: Cairne Bloodhoof (which would be difficult if he's dead), Saurfang, Sylvanas, Hogger (/chuckle), Westfall Chicken or a Sickly Gazelle. And with all this mounting contention against Hellscream, it was only time before the issue would be addressed via Blue Post. Kisirani took the call in a thread questioning Hellscream's ability to lead the Horde. Here's what was said:

"Garrosh is a character with a lot to prove. I realize there's a great deal of consternation out there concerning the tales of what's to come, but I want to reassure you that we understand that concern. We know where you're coming from. Why are we still going this route? With all respect, you haven't seen the entirety of who Garrosh is. You've seen a great deal of his faults, certainly, but people grow over time, and you may find, come Cataclysm, that he is not quite the disaster you portend. :) (Mind you, that doesn't mean he's Thrall, either.)"

Can you hear the collective sigh of relief? No? Well, I'm still not exactly crazy about the idea, either. But it does remind me that what we're hearing so far is only bits and pieces of what surely will be a much larger, more complicated story. If you think back to the Burning Crusade, we did see a slightly different side of Garrosh. Before he knew of his father, Grom Hellscream's heroic death, Garrosh is portrayed as ashamed, intimidated at the thought of becoming a great leader, and even a little depressed. Thrall's news that Grom had fought valiantly to his redemption is a huge part of what transforms Garrosh into the strong, confident, belligerent being that we now know. But at least we see that he is capable of growth and change as a character. My guess is that there's going to be some massive world event leading up to the Cataclysm, or it may even be the Cataclysm itself, that forces Garrosh to grow as a character once again. Let's hope that by the time Garrosh leads the Horde, if this indeed is to come, that he is a multi-dimensional character with more layers than the surface one we've seen up until now. And if that's not the case, then may Thrall (or one of those other potential leaders - I'd root for Sylvanas) overthrow him and retake the Horde!

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Only a few weeks ago, WoW's faction change service went live, and now it looks like race changes within the same faction are up next. Earlier this month, Blizzard added a button for Race Change ("Coming Soon") to its list of paid services under Account Management. As you  may recall back in July, when Blizzard blue poster Nethaera put up an FAQ on the faction change service, one of the questions was whether characters would be able to change their race within faction. The answer?

"No. Players will only be able to switch to a race of the opposite faction."

But then earlier this month, after the button was added to the web site, Nethaera amended that, saying:

"Based on further community feedback, we have also decided to offer a race change service in the future. Players who choose to switch races will be able to change their race within their same faction and class. Additional details will be released at a future date."

Not surprisingly for Blizzard, it's a pretty non-committal response, in terms of how soon the service may be offered. But it looks like it may be coming up quickly. Thursday, Bornakk again addressed the upcoming service, saying that:

"More information will be provided on this upcoming service when we are closer to launching it. Hang tight, it's not far off."

Just on pure speculation, it would indeed seem that the service probably isn't far off since the more complex issues involved with faction changes already have been addressed. Faction change service came quite a bit sooner than a lot of people had anticipated, so perhaps we really will see this new service roll out in the near future. Perhaps even the next patch? Then there's the question of cost. Well, character re-customization costs $15. And a faction change will run you $30. So I'd guess an in-faction race change will be somewhere in the middle, probably $20-$25. Once again, this has not been confirmed, but it seems logical that it may be within that range. Personally, I'm happy with my character's race, faction and general appearance. But I know a couple of my guildies are super-excited for the chance to change their race. Whether just for looks and aesthetic preferences or to gain a different set of racial skills and passives, I'm sure there are plenty of reasons to get a new look. Who else is looking forward to using the service once it's released?

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All right, it's time to get down to business. We've seen a little gameplay footage of the Goblin and Worgen. We've read first-hand accounts on how each new race plays. We know that Goblins like to blow stuff up and Worgens are still shrouded in mystery. But what real crux of the conversation are we all missing? It must be that we don't know what either new Cataclysm race will do for their /dance. After all, I think we learn a little bit more about what makes each race burn with passion inside by the way they shake it. Plus, with us recently learning that The Old Republic MMO also will have a /dance, Blizz has to step up to the plate again to proclaim its /dance supremacy. On the new Cataclysm forums, there have been a few threads speculating on what dance possibilities lie ahead for WoW. We've also had a few of dance suggestions here on our own forums and on previous Project Lore blog posts. I've taken some of the best suggestions I've seen, added a few of my own wild ideas, and put it all together for us to laugh, and perhaps, cry over. Let the show begin. Worgen male I had to start here, because I've seen so, so many people begging for the Worgen male to dance to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Now no matter what you think of the man, I think its undeniable that MJ was a dancing genius. But some may question whether "Thriller" is right for the Worgen. After all, the dancers in the videos are more like zombies, and the only wolf-like creature from the video doesn't actually do the dance. Plus, Blizzard could not secure the rights to Micael Jackson's "Billie Jean" for the BlizzCon dance contest, so I wonder if that might inhibit them from any sort of rights required to borrow another of his dances. Regardless, "Thriller" has been performed by inmates and movie stars alike. Perhaps male Worgen are destined to be next up. Another idea from the forums that I had to include, although I'm not so sure it would work. Perhaps for those of us who like to think of the Worgen as no more than cute puppy dogs. Here's the Snoopy dance: Worgen female Next up, the female Worgen, with another obvious but perhaps fitting suggestion. We still only have a loose guess of what the female version of the Worgen will even look like. But many forum posters are betting that she'd look good performing a dance inspired by Shakira's "She Wolf." While I like this option, I think it'd be fun to incorporate a lesser-known option (at least for those of us not from Asia). In the past, Blizzard has borrowed dances from French artist Alizee and Bhangra singer Daler Mehndi - so why not some Korean pop influence next? Here's the super-cute Girls' Generation performing "Gee." Goblin female I haven't seen too many suggestions yet for either male or female Goblin, so these are mostly my own ideas. Knowing the Goblins' stereotypical love of commerce and exchange, why not have the females dance to a song demanding a diamond ring? It's a great dance song with some neat moves, plus it's already been the inspiration for a WoW spoof song. Know what I'm suggesting yet? Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring on It)." Here's a version that includes a preview of what could be the next BlizzCon dance contest. Beyonce not your cup of tea? Here's something a bit more classic. A scene from the movie "Flashdance." Goblin male Do Goblins already have a dance? Well that depends on whether you think this is enough for a full on /dance: If that's not satisfactory enough, I'll suggest an alternative: Soulja Boy's "Superman" dance. The little green Goblins would look fantastic pulling this one off. One final suggestion that I've seen thrown around a ton on the forums should not be taken lightly. This goofy, crazy, seizure-inducing meme could be inspiration for the Goblin male, or really, any of the new characters. Here's some Caramelldansen: Well, there's your list folks. What are your fave options? Did I leave something out that you think would work better? Let me know. This post will serve as a good running list of possibilities - so we can see if any of us predicted correctly once Cataclysm is released!

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And when I say "Project Lore," I really mean "myself." I don't want to speak for the rest of my fellow bloggers, but I made a great number of predictions in my series of Cataclysm Countdown articles, leading up to the events this weekend. While I still maintain that most of them were logical considering what we knew at the time, Blizzard threw a major curveball that negated many of my initial preconceptions. Lore Malfurion Stormrage, Lord of the Druids A lot of people predicted that Queen Azshara would be the big baddie, the number one villain, of Cataclysm. But she was rarely referenced in any of the panels, and was all but missing from the expansion's reveal. At first, I believed that she might be brought into the story as Cataclysm rolls along. Maybe you'd defeat Deathwing after the first patch or something, and then Azshara would rise from the depths, ready to challenge players in the wake of the Black Dragon Aspect's demise. But through all of the live feed interviews and panel Q&As, it's been brought to light that they have no plans at all for Azshara or the Maelstrom to be included in this expansion. The best we can hope for, it seems, are a few related story elements revealed in the Vashj'ir zone. Other lore elements, such as Thrall becoming the next Guardian of Tirisfal or Cairne Bloodhoof being framed for betrayal, were completely side-stepped. I'm not sure anybody even bothered to ask during the Q&A sessions. However, a few revealed plot details do cooberate these ideas. Malfurion, who is supposed to be key in turning Thrall into the next Guardian, has indeed returned from the Emerald Dream to defend the World Tree from Ragnaros, and it was also mentioned that Garrosh is the one behind the changes to Orgrimmar (Dark Iron reinforcements) and the creation of a new Horde base near Darkshore. They stopped short of calling him the new Warchief , but clearly, he is privy to some power and influence that he didn't have before. Azeroth Remade Oh yes, the old Azeroth is gone, but not quite in the way we expected it to be. Once again, the supposed inclusion of Azshara implied something happening with the Maelstrom, and a water-related apocalypse. We've yet to see how Deathwing's explosion into the world has affected every zone (my guess is that Blizzard has shown those that are farther along like The Barrens and Darkshore), but we do know that lava, fire, and large gutters literally burned into the earth feature far more prominently than any sort of flooding. And in places where water has affected the environment (Desolace), it seems more like a positive change. Likewise, if the world map used to display the new zones is any indication, we will not be seeing any large, sweeping changes to the coastline. In some places, there may be light flooding, or new estuaries formed as the ocean fills in ancient rivers, but we have not seen anything on the scale of Swamp of Sorrows being completely washed away or Durotar being destroyed. Then again, there is still plenty of time for things to change, and as development progresses, we may still see several classic zones undergo similarly drastic transformations. New Zones I sincerely thought that we'd see a lot of the South Seas and the Maelstrom open up with the expansion, but with Azshara being nixed, that no longer seems to be the case. The two zones which represent the area, The Lost Isles and Vashj'ir, are both completely new, previously unrevealed in the lore. It is reported that Kezan will make a brief appearance (I'm guessing in the 1-5 level Goblin content, before they are forced to flee), but that's about it. Instead, we received a rather large surprise. To supplement the opening of previously closed mainland zones like Uldum and the area near Grim Batol (now the Twlight Highlands), we're also getting access to the Elemental Planes. These were long supposed to comprise an expansion all their own, and while it's slightly disappointing that we'll only be able to see small parts of them (aside from Deepholm, which we'll get to see all of), they are an exciting and interesting addition. My biggest disappointment? Probably the distinct lack of anything related to Trolls! I suppose there's always a chance that Zandalar could show up in a content patch somewhere down the road. Kul Tiras was missing, too. Mention of the Alliance nation was nowhere to be seen, but the prison in the new PvP/daily zone Tol Barad was reportedly built by then. That's something, I guess. Raids The first article in my Cataclysm Countdown series dealt with potential raid content. I proposed six different raid zones: Nazjatar, The Rift, Zandalar, Grim Batol, CoT: War of the Ancients, and Blackrock Mountain. Without the Maelstrom, those first two are completely out. Zandalar, as I've already said, I lament the exclusion of. And the War of the Ancients is no longer as integral to the expansion's story as it would've been (though Deathwing still played his part). That leaves Grim Batol and Blackrock Mountain (specifically, Blackwing Descent). I suppose one-third of my predictions isn't too bad in the grand scheme of thing, and I nailed two of the four raids. Right? Right? Blackwing Descent 2D Concept I'm also glad that we got to hear some details about Icecrown Citadel, something I was afraid might get completely overshadowed by the expansion announcement. PvP Now I was way, way off here. I anticipated all sorts of new PvP options to be implemented with the expansion, but it seems that Blizzard is largely content to stick to their roots. We get a new Wintergrasp-style area (Tol Barad, complete with Vault of Archavon-style raid instance) and the promise of three new Battlegrounds. The first of which will be the Battle for Gilneas, a fight for control of the capital city's various districts. Though I cited Hillsbrad as the primary area of contention, it's nice to know that I wasn't completely off when I said that the Forsaken would be causing havoc in the area. The only other revelations we saw at the convention were the promise of new arena maps and ranked Battlegrounds. I suppose this is something we'll be hearing a lot more about down the road. The Right of Wrong My final article laid out several rumors to be wary of going into BlizzCon, and I think I scored on every one of those. The oft-cited list of expansion zone sets was completely disproved. Just like my own predictions, it's easy to assume what zones might be included when you think you know what the next expansion is about. Both "The List" and I considered the whole of the South Seas fair game, but that was when we all thought Cataclysm was simply code for the Maelstrom. Then there was Cataclysm's release date. As expected, no specific date was given, but it was made clear that StarCraft 2 was their first priority for 2010. Nonetheless, while Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime tried his best to side-step saying anything definitive, he couldn't deny that they were, indeed, targeting two releases for next year. Finally, we got confirmation on the status of the old Azeroth. It's gone. For good. Finito. You'll never be able to go back and, no, the new version of the world won't simply be phased over it. There is one, single Azeroth. But phasing will still be used extensively. Perhaps even more exciting is that Blizz has figured out how to phase terrain, something previously said to be a limitation. This means that phasing can make the play experience even more dynamic. I questioned the Globes of Ulduar and came away with a win. The artwork included in both the Ulduar raid instance and Halls of Lightning displayed a freshly sundered Azeroth, in several stages. Many of the zones have changed, but we have seen no evidence of any of them completely disappearing or being underwater. There was an awful lot of denial going around before the reveal. A lot of people read the spoilers and said that most of it couldn't be done. That Azeroth wouldn't change so drastically. That the new race/combinations were impossible because they didn't jive with the lore. Well, most of it ended up being true, proving that the developers are the true masters of their lore. But that doesn't make them appreciate their watchdog fans any less. Chris Metzen stated, in one of the live feed interviews, that there is so much lore to consider, that during heavy and rapid development, it is quite possible for them to miss inconsistencies, and that the fans do a lot to keep them in check. So that's it for BlizzCon 2009. We (I) got a few things right, and a lot of things wrong. I'm willing to admit it! In the end, I'm glad we couldn't predict everything, as that would've taken the punch out of many of the surprises they had in store. But I still hope that we end up seeing all the things I touched on somewhere down the line. For now, it seems like Blizzard has their hands full implementing all of the content they revealed over the past few days! As usual, keep your eyes on Project Lore. After all, the more you know, the more questions you have. And the more questions you have, the more they consume your mind. We are in for another good year of speculation!

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With the great shadow of Blizzcon looming on the horizon, how can we not get worked up about it? How can we not begin to wonder what goodies they're just waiting to unleash on us die-hard fans like front-liners at a GWAR concert? We expect to walk away from this thing tired, satisfied, and maybe just a little sticky! But laying restless in bed this morning, I began to think: Blizzard's got this huge expansion coming up, but they've still got at least one major piece of content to release for Lich King. Likewise, they stated they'd like to get a new expansion out every year -- an unrealistic goal for a company like this, but perhaps a year-and-a-half is within the realm of possibility. And then I remembered that they just pushed StarCraft 2 back into 2010. Having two major releases coming out back-to-back like that is virtually unheard of! That might push Cataclysm (as we assume the expansion to be named) to next Fall for a release date similar to Lich King two years previous. And that means that they've got until next Blizzcon to give us all of the real juicy details. I believe that most people, at this point, assume that there's going to be a deluge of information about Cataclysm this year, but that may be jumping the gun. No doubt we'll get something, perhaps a reveal of new races and some very early look at the content, a trailer even, but let's not forget that there is still the matter of the Lich King to resolve. If the rumors of Icecrown Citadel being enormous are true (not 31-boss big, of course, but I believe the intention of size was expressed), I expect we may hear a log more about how this expansion is going to wrap up before even going into the next one. Once again, I'm going mostly on conjecture here, but I do remember one of the Blues mentioning (when asked about how far off the Argent Coliseum would be) that their timetable was not as lengthy as we players might expect. And, indeed, we saw the release of 3.2 just three months or so after Ulduar. Now that opens the possibility of seeing the Citadel released by the end of the year or early next. If Cataclysm releases in the Summer, no biggie. But Fall 2010? That would leave a huge 9-10 month gap between content releases. That would mean that there may be some post-ICC release, a 3.4 if you will, that would function much like Sunwell at the end of Burning Crusade. If that's the case, we may begin to hear something about that content, as well. And really, when it boils right down to it, the end of the Lich King is potentially such a big deal, are they going to want us knowing a whole lot about the aftermath just yet (which learning about Cataclysm would probably entail)? My head's spinning just trying to consider all this and I hope you're all still with me at this point. But I'm currently of the opinion that we're going to get a real introductory look at the next expansion, with the remainder of Wrath content getting the bulk of attention at the show. Do I hope I'm wrong? Most certainly. I'd love nothing more than to experience the largest fangasm ever from the impending surge of information that could be coming our way. I'd die for Mike Morhaime to ascend to the stage and tell us that they're finished with Icecrown Citadel, the expansion's coming within six months, and that, Oprah-style, we all get a beta invite. But I also expect Blizzard to take as much time as they feel they need to complete their products, and considering their track record, that's what supersedes everything else. They're tackling more releases at this point in time than they ever have at once before. We're going to hear tons about StarCraft 2 and the revamped Battle.net. We'll get the dish about Diablo, too. Let's not forget there's also that "next-gen MMO" hanging on the horizon, as well. If they wanted to release all of these games on the same day, they could probably get away with it. So maybe it's not so far-fetched to consider the sequel to StarCraft and the new expansion to hit shelves so close to each other. After all, one shouldn't really cannibalize sales of the other... much. Don't worry for a second. Blizzcon will be packed to the brim with details, but with so many things to cover, I just keep coming back to the idea that Cataclysm's dynamite reveal may quickly be overtaken by the rest of the show's content. What do you guys and gals think? I know I presented a lot of possibilities above, a lot of variables to consider. This kind of idle thinking leads to a whole lot of brain spew (something else you'll see at a GWAR concert, by the way). Do you agree? Disagree? The way content is being handled, just what will we end up hearing about at Blizzcon? Maybe the reveal of new races and a quick overview? A teaser trailer for Cataclysm? Is Blizzard ready to show us that much of the game's future?

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BlizzCon! Rumors incoming! With BlizzCon less than two weeks away there is no surprise that we are starting to see leaks and rumors. MMO-Champion had reported on the races first with their data mining showing new Halloween masks that featured Goblin and Worgen races (of both sexes) and then pixiestixy brought us news today that WoW.com confirmed this information with sources close to the company, and specifically that Goblin will be Horde and Worgen will be Alliance. To be quite honest, this news is a little underwhelming. This doesn't specifically add content outside of the starting zones and is quite a bit of work (all items have to be remodeled/skinned for these new races) for something that really doesn't ADD to the gameplay (argue all you want but it's merely a cosmetic upgrade). With the races apparently set in stone (we will know for sure at BlizzCon) I find that to be disappointing. The announcement of Blood Elves and Draenei had a much stronger impact because of the classes that you could use with those races, which were previously exclusive to the Horde (Shaman) and Alliance (Paladin). Blizzard really should make these races start out neutral (can't interact with any Alliance/Horde player characters) and either the actions you take through your questing will decide your faction at, say level 20, or you just flat out get to choose. With faction transfers incoming, this would seem to be a logical extension of that model and where Blizzard wants to make the game as accessible and varied as possible. This alongside the lore implications that both these races are (generally) faction nuetral. Based on past experience though I am inclined to believe that the new races are in the next expansion. We knew about Burning Crusade days before BlizzCon 2005 and BlizzCon 2007's announcement of Wrath of the Lich King was known a few days before as well. Funny though was that when I picked up my press badge that year they gave me a program guide with all the details about WotLK (which hadn't been officially announced) so that kind of killed the suspense of the opening ceremony but it was nice to see that the rumors were true. With BlizzCon so close I expect to see a lot more "rumors" pop up, at this point be skeptical of nearly everything from this point on and we will all know August 21st (and we hope to see you there!)! Let us know what you'd like to see related to the new races, do you think picking your faction in game (rather than associated race) would be a good idea? What kind of ideas do you have if they continue down this path of alternating race/class additions every other expansion?

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Project Lore bloggers have been all over speculation over the last few months. iTZKoopa has been talking about the possibilities in the next expansion, and our posts about lore are certainly not devoid of our own theories. pixiestixy has also had her fair share of wacky ideas. As far myself, way back, just after the release of patch 3.1, I wrote about what we might expect in patch 3.2, which was just released today. How well did my crazy speculation hold up? My first prediction is that this patch would not contain a major raid instance. This was largely wrong, but not completely off. The Crusader's Coliseum instances do not contain trash, and bring a new model for raids that is more friendly to non-hardcore raiders. In that sense, I was not far off the mark. In fact, many of our bloggers consider the new style of raiding to hardly be raiding at all. Blizzard probably wants to get as many players ready for the final battle with Arthas in patch 3.3 as possible. Do you consider Crusader's Coliseum to be a major raid instance, or is it just to appease the progression raiders with something to do until patch 3.3? Where I was really spot on was the topic of PvP. A new battleground was indeed introduced, and it is an epic 40 versus 40 battleground. The battleground system was updated heavily, with some small mechanic changes and increased honor when battling near objectives. Wintergrasp was indeed largely reworked with a limit on players, a queue, and auto-forming raids. The Horde versus Alliance theme is being pushed, and we will likely see some major Horde versus Alliance take place with the final encounter with Arthas. Now, crazy ideas for patch 3.3 are a-brewing in my head. What do you think? What do you want to see in patch 3.3 along with the fall of Arthas?

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That's A Lot Of Classes! To date, our series of speculative creativity has relied upon some inkling of a rumor as the basis of most of the pieces.  I am going to pull a hard 180 and go completely off the cuff with this one.  No backroom discussion, drunken rant or friend of a friend who knows a guy that dated some girl who roomed with Chris Metzen sparked my neurons.  As such, the class details below are entirely fake! Currently we only know one thing about World of Warcraft's third expansion, that it exists.  Beyond that it's all been conjecture, speculation and well wishes, and yet none of these have touched upon any major gameplay feature.  Masks aside (and I consider that rumor a huge leap of faith) we lack the faintest idea of what could be announced as part of the official declaration of expansion the third. What you thought Sams would walk to the podium, whisper "World of Warcraft: Cataclysm" and walk away?  Fólkvangr no.  There will be a ridiculous amount of information given that faithful day, whenever it may be.  What I am trying to figure out is what the big gun is going to be?  Another new class?  A pair of new races?  An incredible amount of dungeons and raids spread across all levels?  A working Wintergrasp? I found the idea of new classes to be the most interesting despite the fact that Wrath just brought us one.  That and guessing classes is a shot in the dark. Alliance:

• Mountain King (Dwarf only) - The mighty Mountain King will be a tank of a different nature.  These steadfast warriors will be capable of absorbing obtuse amounts of damage no matter their specialty.  Their stocky stature enables them to create earth shattering Thunder Claps to frighten, disorient and slow foes in the immediate vicinity, and a well-timed Storm Bolt stops almost anything in its tracks.  Unfortunately the bulk is a defensive mechanism, causing overall DPS to be lower than other melee classes.
• Warden - Popularized by Maiev Shadowsong, the Warden makes a return to reclaim Fan of Knives from rogues hunt those who have done injustices to Night Elves, and the rest of the Alliance.  The nimble class' focus will be close-ranged AoE combat.  Single target DPS suffers when compared to the class' ability to handle two or more mobs via close range AoE attacks and spells.  Shadowstrike, a non-channeled, multi target Mind Flay can be used to lay waste to fugitives.

Horde:

• Dark Ranger (Undead only) - At the basic level Dark Rangers are to be compared to their bow-loving buddies, the Hunters, but DRs have a completely new set of spells and abilities.  The most notable difference would be the lack of a pet.  Instead of fuzzy companions these former Scourge officers have the ability to resurrect fallen corpses to fight for them.  However, these beings act more as fodder than DPS.  The devastation instead comes from the DR's Silencing abilities, Life Drain and an overall more powerful, yet slower, standard shot that is charged with dark energy.
• Dread Lord - The Nathrezim have played a large role in the Warcraft universe, but haven't received much press in WoW (at least as far as the Alliance can tell).  It's unlikely that they could be added as a class without the addition of the race itself, but the Dread Lord makes for an interesting class.  These dastardly beings are quick attacking, weaponless fighters that use a mix of instant or fast spells (one second or less) and strong claw-based attacks to drop foes.  A revamp of the Sleep spell that allows units to be damaged would be their stun and the Vampiric Aura adds fantastic group appeal.

Neutral (more on this tomorrow):

• Goblin Tinker - Another class that can only be applicable as part of a new race, the Goblin Tinker specializes in machine-based battle.  The short race makes up for its strength inadequacies by placing themselves in crazy battle mechs.  The new class will feature mindless, summonable minions which detonate on aggressive mobs if they are not killed quickly.  Attacks include a targetable rocket AoE stun, a slow swinging wrecking ball for white damage (also another weaponless class) and a personal buff along the lines of Inner Fire, but with damage attributes too, call Mechanical Mayhem.
• Goblin Alchemist - In an effort to once keep a solid number of healers being played at all times comes the Goblin Alchemist.  Instead of mechanical ingenuity, this diminutive class relies on its ability to create chemical and biological agents for offense and defense.  Alchemists specialize in short to mid-range AoE combat, with nearly all of their spells, healing or damaging, being targetable AoE abilities (think bombs).  Instead of mana, the class is reliant upon how fast the brews can be concocted, causing the cooldowns to be the only limiting factor.
• Demon Hunter - The DH would have made a more logical addition in The Burning Crusade, but one could argue that the amount of demons in the world then caused an vast increase in these heroes, on both sides of the fence.  With the threat largely neutralized the dedicated hunters have begun looking for other work.  Following the outcast class' lore, the melee (fist, swords and dagger) machines would subsidize their strikes with powers from the dark taint they hunger to banish from Azeroth, such as Immolation.  Spectral Sight allows Scourge and Demon tracking.  A fantastic chance for Blizzard to show our characters changing over the course of time (leveling) thanks to the demonic energies corrupting one's body.

Any Warcraft III fan can see that I picked the most applicable and unique heroes from the past lore and spiced them up with some World of Warcraft twists and mechanics.  What are the odds that one of these bad girls gets selected, assuming a new class is announced?  Who's the most likely candidate? Which toon would you want to play?  Personally I think the Goblin Alchemist sounds pretty freaking cool, but Storm Bolting never gets old.

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