Blizzard has a reputation for asking strange questions, and this time the survey is asking World of Warcraft: Forever players whether they want new classes nobody has ever seen before. A select few users of Blizzard’s Battle.net launcher spotted an opt-in survey, and while Blizzard asked participants not to share its contents, the information has leaked online anyway. Popular YouTubers like Belluar have covered it, and the classes on offer are as eclectic as you might expect.
Survey Leaks Online
The survey appeared to a handful of Battle.net users, and Blizzard explicitly requested that anyone who took part keep the details private. That request didn’t hold. Screenshots and information have found their way onto the Classic WoW subreddit, where users have catalogued the options on offer.
Eurogamer cannot independently verify everything that has leaked online, but the details paint a picture of a company thinking well outside the box. The survey asks about a dozen classes, some familiar and some entirely new, and the overlap between the two camps is where things get interesting.
The Full List of Classes
The list runs from bard to witch, with stops along the way for a Tinker and a Necromancer. Here is what the leaked information says is being polled:
- Bard
- Death Knight
- Demon Hunter
- Illusionist
- Monk
- Necromancer
- Metalborn/Runemaster/Runeknight
- San’layn
- Tinker
- Warden
- Witch
Some of these are straight lifts from modern World of Warcraft. Death Knights, Demon Hunters, and Monks all exist in the current game, though the survey suggests they would play very differently in Forever. Others, like the Tinker and the San’layn, are wholly new ideas.
Death Knight and Demon Hunter Refreshes
The Death Knight is one of the easier refreshes to imagine. It exists in the current game, and its role in World of Warcraft: Forever would likely be similar in spirit even if the mechanics changed.
The Demon Hunter is a harder sell. According to the leaked survey details, this version would be far slower and less mobile than its Legion counterpart. It would also belong to a smaller, pre-existing faction out somewhere in Azeroth, rather than Illidan’s demon hunters from the modern game. That is a significant departure from the shirtless edginess fans know.
Tinker and San’layn as New Ideas
The Tinker is the class with the clearest roots in the Warcraft RTS series. The survey describes a pilot who fits a mech suit to their playstyle, able to tank hits, unleash big damage, or act in a supporting role. The twist: the Tinker has two lives. The mech and the pilot within live separately, a bit like D.Va in Overwatch.
The San’layn are vampiric knights in full plate armour. They suck the vitality from foes and excel in melee combat. Both classes carry a strong visual identity, and both feel like they could slot into the World of Warcraft: Forever world without stretching it too thin.
Comparing Familiar and New Classes
| Class | Origin | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Death Knight | Modern WoW | Familiar, refreshed |
| Demon Hunter | Modern WoW | Familiar, refreshed |
| Monk | Modern WoW | Familiar, refreshed |
| Tinker | RTS series | New idea |
| San’layn | New idea | New idea |
The distinction between familiar and new is the survey’s central tension. Death Knights, Demon Hunters, and Monks have a history in the current game, and their Forever versions would need to justify their existence by playing differently. The Tinker and San’layn have no such burden — they are blank slates, and the survey’s description of each is the first time players have heard of them.
What This Survey Could Mean
If Blizzard actually implements any of these classes, it would mark a major new avenue of expanding the Classic World of Warcraft setting. The game has already moved past vanilla content, and venturing back into expansions like The Burning Crusade or Wrath of the Lich King would require serious work. New classes built from scratch give Blizzard a cleaner path forward.
The survey also shows Blizzard asking for feedback on class ideas, even if the details are kept private.
Which Class Wins the Vote
Among the classes on offer, the Tinker stands out as a real winner. Its mech suit and dual-lives mechanic give it a distinct identity that sets it apart from anything else in the game. The San’layn is similarly compelling, with its vampiric knights and melee focus.
The Bard, Illusionist, and Witch round out the more adventurous options. These are classes that have never existed in World of Warcraft before, and their inclusion would be a bold move.
The Bottom Line
This survey is a fun peek into Blizzard’s creative process. It is also a reminder that the company behind World of Warcraft is willing to try almost anything, as long as players are willing to play it.
Whether any of these classes actually make it into the game remains to be seen. For now, the leaked details are enough to spark imagination. A Tinker in a mech suit, a San’layn knight drinking life from enemies, and a Bard wandering the world — that is a future worth waiting for.
Eurogamer’s early impressions of the 1-20 levelling journey in World of Warcraft: Forever were glowing, and this survey suggests the game has plenty more tricks up its sleeve.
Source material: “Tinker, Bard, Illusionist – Blizzard seemingly surveying World of Warcraft: Forever players about never-before-seen classes to add to the game,” Eurogamer.
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