Another mid class?

*I'm not suggesting adding classes is something Phoenix should do, but it is fun to think about*

If Phoenix was going to consider releasing some of the Catacombs classes in the future they would have to be very careful with how they did it.

Most of the classes Mythic added to the game with Catacombs were designed for an environment with bots. Specifically they were designed for people who didn't want to/couldn't run bots. The Warlock could chamber spells, the Vampiir was inherently buffed, and the Heretic had baseline and self buffs. When Mythic released the classic servers it was pretty clear that these were a little bit of a problem (granted, the heretic was only so because of PD). The vamp roll out to RvR in epic armor and crush characters of equal equipment easily. Warlocks were designed to do way more damage with their chambers and "quick cast" than unbuffed health pools could handle. Given my experience on the classic servers here is how I would handle adding new classes

Heretic- I think the Heretic class would be fine, if not under-powered, as long as their pulses are left at or near the original 3.0 second tick rate. I don't think their buffs would make up for the lack of base stats/weapon skill as a melee spec. They would probably be mediocre soloers and not wanted in most groups. Still, an option that adds some variety to the normal solo and small man choices, and would probably be a fun char to sit in a zerg. The Albion zerg leader (Rubixx?) on Lamorak was a Heretic I believe.

Warlock- No

Valkyrie- Fun class. Before they were given a leviathan equivalent they were fairly well balanced for a non-buff environment. The HoT would probably have to be to nerfed, and I think you would have to remove the buff shears, but their poor weaponskill and relatively weak weapon lines (perhaps the spear proc would need to be adjusted) would keep them from being over powered. They are a blast to play in a small man as, unlike the Warden and Friar, they are healers that can actually heal while they are in combat. They aren't uber healers and they aren't great DPS, but they fill a nice middle ground and work well for someone that wants to add some healing but still be dishing out some melee dps.

Vampiir- No

Bainshee- I think with some small delve reductions this class would fit right into classic. They are another class that was designed with ToA/buffed health pools in mind and some of the spells (AoE bolt and pbae pulse for example) might be a little overbearing. It has unique spell mechanics, cool graphics and a fun theme. They might see play in 8 mans due to their pure damage and would be a great zerg char, but they don't have that sweet sweet baseline stun.

Mauler- This class is and the expansion it was included in are abominations. It is a result of multiple levels of laziness on Mythic's (EA's?) part. They didn't want to be bothered creating and balancing multiple classes so they just released one shitty one that has a bunch of random, unrelated abilities and some proc styles. I think it could probably be balanced for a classic release, but why would you bother?

I strongly disagree with the theory that more classes = spread out utility = bad. To be honest, if I were forced to play devil's advocate and argue that point I don't think I would even know where to begin,

If the Heretic, Valkyrie and Bainshee were released with proper care taken to balance them out they would all fill fairly unique niches and generally wouldn't out-compete other classes. I don't think it being "easy" to make group setups is a good sign of a game's state. It just means that it is unquestionable which classes are best in each role and the meta is clearly defined. Variety in and of itself is not a bad thing, especially in a game with rigid mechanics like DAoC. The problem arises when you overlap too many of the classes' unique abilities. See: Mythic giving celerity and leviathan to every realm.