The next expansion will offer players to play the first of many planned hero classes, the Death Knight. Here are my thoughts about the much anticipated class based on the information we have now.
First of all, almost everything we know about the Death Knight class is not set in stone but what is confirmed is that it will start out at a much higher level. While other classes start out at level one, the plan is for Death Knights to starts out somewhere between 55 and 70. Starting out at higher levels is part of the prestige they will get out of being a hero class but this also opens up a whole new set of issues, good and bad. Starting out at higher levels will shorten the grind to 80. Leveling is fun but I’m sure everyone will agree that it can also be a painful and long grind.
Starting out at higher levels also brings more pressure to learn the class as soon as possible. You don’t have that leisure to go through the more forgiving low level instances like Deadmines and Wailing Caverns. If someone screws up in the higher levels a wipe is almost always imminent. Yes that’ a learning experience but it’s not the way we always want to learn. The Blizzard CM Bornakk says the following about having enough time to master the class.
Just leveling up to reach Northrend will take time and should provide players some great experience in learning the new class.
worldofwarcraft.com
That is enough time indeed but that depends if the player uses that time to learn the class. I play a paladin as an alt and she’s level 32 right now. Putting aside the runs my high level guild mates have brought me too, I can say I’ve never ran an instance at all. I’m level 32 and I can’t say I learned how to heal and tank since I soloed my way up. What’s stopping me from going all the way to 70 now and skipping all the dungeons along the way? What’s stopping me from doing that and deciding that I’ll heal or tank in instances at 70 without prior experience? What’s stopping me from rolling a Death Knight come expansion and soloing my way to 80 and as a result not knowing exactly how I should act in groups? Nothing! But as a result I’ll be hated in groups for sucking at playing the class. So while starting out at a higher can put pressure into learning your class sooner, it also could give rise to more and more high level players who don’t know how to play. It’s no coincidence that hunters, the easiest class to solo with, is also generally the most idiot filled class around, thus was given the huntard title.