New professions, the question is why?

Ok this may be the wrong place for this thread but as I've been going through other threads I've seen many new ideas for professions. Now don't get me wrong a lot of them are quite brilliant but I'm wondering why we need new professions. Many of these class ideas could actually be created by adding a few new skills, weapons, and maybe a new look or two to the existing classes, granted you wont get the fancy title but you'll have the same effect. Example, I've seen ninja come up. The Ranger class given their wide variety of abilities, use of poison, traps, speed, and over all evasion abilities, are perfect candidates for a rouge/ninja class just give them the ability to use daggers (expertise based) and maybe a few new skills and you have the perfect melee assassin. Granted it's still a Ranger but if you add the new looks to the creation you could have a ninja character quite easily. This is only an example; my point is a lot of the already existing classes either combined together or tweaked slightly could easily fill in for some of the new classes many people are coming up with. No I'm not saying stop trying, what I'm bringing up is the fact that when creating a new class it's very difficult to design one that is original and unique to the game and not something that can already be done using class combinations. Just something for you to think about.

My wishes for this thread are simple, this is not to flame any who have come up with new ideas for new classes. On the contrary I want this to be a thread where you can not only post your ideas for new classes but ideas for the existing classes to get the same effect. Much like my example of the ninja.

I agree. I heard druid and shapeshifter mentioned a lot. Why not just incorperate these abilities into the ranger since they both have something to do with nature. New weapons can be made for the warrior and new summons and maybe even some energy regeneration lowering enchantments for the necromancer like the monk has. New armor could get the look off too.

Exactly my point. Shapeshifting could be tied to the Rangers beast mastery attribute. Allowing him to not only fight along side his animal companion but fight as an animal himself. Something I'd like to see this thread become (and I will edit the first post to express that) is a place for not only the innovative profession ideas. (ones that truely cant be mimiced by any existing class) as well as modifications to the existing classes to get the effect people desire for the game.

The primary reason why new professions are good (but I don't think necessary) are because they will add more variety to the game. You see people get bored now in PvE as it is. Adding new professions gives those players a chance to play as something they couldn't really play as before, also: new professions means new enemy types means new challenges to encounter.

I, personally, don't think the game will suffer and die if we don't get 6 new professions every chapter (or even 1 or 2), but if they asked me whether I would like the opportunity to play as a new profession, I would say yes.

Well I'm not exactly against new professions either. The point I was trying to make is that many already existing classes can fill most roles pretty easily. I'm trying to get people to not only think about how to change the existing classes to this end. But to come up with class ideas that are truely unique and cannot be mimicked by an already existing class.

I wonder if the moderators give their opinions on these forums...haven't seen any yet.

I suggest that new skills/abilities/looks/weapons be implemented into the game (for every profession).

I agree but I'm looking for something a bit more specific. Meaning what changes or additions would you make?

New professions would add to the game, give more tactical options and stuff. The problem is finding a professions that's unique enough compared to the current classes yet still adds something meaningful to the gameplay, without upsetting the balance too much...

This is my point exactly. I've seen so many threads about professions that really are just modifications of the existing classes. I'm hoping that this thread will inspire some inovative ideas for new classes to add something more to the game.

new playable race (s) have been mentioned as possible.

the main idea of new professions is to give more ways to play as well as new distinct looks

I think you're missing my point. You can add new looks to the different classes (there by giving more variety to apperance). But what I'm saying is that I would like to see ideas for new classes that cannot already be mimicked by the other classes. I gave my example for the rouge. Another example might be a Samurai class. Really it's just a warrior class with a new skin for the sword to make it look like a katana (maybe a two handed sword) and a different body frame and armor. Throw in a few new skills and you've got yourself a samurai. These are only examples that I'm using I'm sure there are plenty of creative classes out there I'm just wanting people to think about them in a way of "How is this class going to be different from any other?"

'Nother melee class. Nuff said.

Well....because 90% of the new class ideas would fall into the ranger. :/ Why? Cause they already do everything -_-;; They have spirits, why shoudl they be able to summon elementals, being tied to nature and all. They can be an assasain. They can be a druid.

Not give me 3 new "roles" for the rest of the classes.

This is why, imho, new classes should be made, and not jsut additions to the existing ones.

I agree with you completely. I read people's class ideas and I had the same thought. It'd be nice if there was another melee type of character, but then, you could really accomplish the same thing by just giving the warrior more options and more character model variety. I've tried thinking of something unique, and have had a hard time.

I think I have a good idea, and I posted it here, but then I decided I'd be hijacking your thread if I did that, so I'm posting that here instead.

Apart from that idea, I think it'd be very difficult to come up with a class you cannot already make yourself with the right combo of skills.