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Over at WoW Insider, Tim Y. posted about the potential for a Necromancer class in World of Warcraft (WoW), which was once seen as a logical choice for a Warlock Hero Class. With Blizzard’s change of heart regarding Hero Class implementations, it’s unlikely that we’ll see Necromancers walking around Azeroth as player characters anytime soon, if at all.

Looking at Blizzard’s implementation of Necromancers in Diablo 2, we can see a very fun class to play, albeit one greatly handicapped during boss fights. What made the Necromancer so invaluable was that he could effectively zerg the opposition with an army of undead servants, resurrecting the newly dead as his armies crushed demon NPCs. Since all opposition in Diablo 2 was evil, there was no problem with a Necromancer’s minions being on an “aggressive” stance, in which they would attack anything they could, when they could.

In WoW, things are different. There are characters from the opposing faction, mobs we don’t want to aggro, and neutral NPCs we want to increase our reputation with. In other words, we can’t have our minions attacking anything they want to. This is partially why Hunter and Warlock pets have mechanics that allow them to be directed by their master, and why a one-pet-at-a-time implementation works so well; as cool as a Diablo 2-style Necromancer General character is, controlling multiple pets, while still being effective oneself, is simply unwieldy.

Perhaps the simplest fix for a playstyle involving the control of many “lesser” minions is to reduce the power of the Necromancer himself, but this creates problems in PvP play where minions can often be ignored. Unless Blizzard intends on letting Hunter and Warlock pets to continue fighting after their respective masters have died, don’t expect on Necromancer minions being capable, if alive, after a Necromancer’s death.

There is also the problem of such minions being too fragile in PvE encounters, just as Necromancer minions against bosses in Diablo 2 were quickly crushed. This is partially why Diablo 2 golems were necessary, since their resilience was the only trait allowing them to lasting more than a few seconds against a boss.

Then there is the issue of lag; “General” archetypes in Diablo 2 caused significant lag for their peers in Diablo 2, as their armies filled the screen and bogged down everyone’s game. Imagine the introduction of a Necromancer class in WoW, where Shattrath quickly becomes filled not only with a hundred new Necromancer characters, but their respective armies as well.

From a design perspective, I’m not too sure that Necromancers will create the appropriate synergy with existing classes, either. If a Necromancer class is designed in which one, or even two minions are controlled at a time, how will the class differ significantly from Warlocks and Hunters? Do we make them more CC capable and borrow from the Hunter’s Survival tree? Or do we maintain the DPS feel of ‘locks and Hunters and add yet another high-damage class into the mix?

At the rate Hero Classes are being created, I expect them to fulfill the ideals of two classes in one. That is to say, rather than Blizzard revealing one Hero Class per existing class, they will likely reveal one Hero Class per two existing classes. The Death Knight, for example, is a DPS/tank hybrid, akin to the base expectations of many Warriors and Paladins. Following this thought, the Necromancer class needs to bridge the gap between two other classes, namely the Warlock, and Mage or Hunter. The gameplay mechanic used will have to be different, however, as is the Death Knight’s lack of rage/energy/mana. Unfortunately, it’s tough to concieve of a Necromancer without mana, or fit a role very different from the one played by Warlocks today.

As it stands, as novel an idea as it is, I don’t expect to see Necromancers walking around Azeroth anytime soon. In fact, I expect the second Hero Class to be healing-oriented, perhaps with a melee DPS slant ala Diablo’s Monk. I shall call this creation, the Leather-Wearing Healing Ninja (LWHN).

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