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World of Warcraft 16 Sept 2026, 15:16

World of Warcraft: Josh Greenfield calls Paladin a ‘dad class’ during BlizzCon coverage

World of Warcraft: Josh Greenfield calls Paladin a ‘dad class’ during BlizzCon coverage

World of Warcraft senior game designer Josh Greenfield called Paladin a ‘dad class’ and joked he’s a ‘dog dad’ with a ‘dad bod’.

In the same GameSpot report, Jeff Parrott, senior art director at World of Warcraft, said Hunter is his favorite class and also the one he plays most.

The same source also mentions a playable beta on 17 September and a release on 4 November for World of Warcraft: Forever, without confirming the exact year in the supplied material.

What happened

GameSpot quoted Josh Greenfield, senior game designer at Blizzard and World of Warcraft, as saying that Paladin is “certainly” a “dad class”. The comment was presented as a lighthearted description of the class, not as an official Blizzard label. In the supplied source, Paladin is framed as a class that fits a durable, supportive playstyle, with an emphasis on healing and protection.

Greenfield tied that description to a joke about himself. He said he is not a father, but he is a “dog dad” with a “dad bod”, explaining why the term, in his view, fits his image of Paladin. The wording makes it clear this is a personal comparison, not a patch note, balance change, or formal design announcement.

The same article also mentions Jeff Parrott, senior art director at World of Warcraft. Parrott said Hunter is his favorite class and also the one he plays most. That places two different Blizzard employees side by side in the coverage: Greenfield on Paladin and Parrott on Hunter.

The source places those comments in the context of BlizzCon coverage around World of Warcraft: Forever. In the same report, a playable beta on 17 September and a release on 4 November are mentioned. The supplied material does not explicitly confirm which year those dates belong to, so only the day and month can be stated with certainty.

Timeline

  • 17 September: according to the report, a playable beta goes live for World of Warcraft: Forever.

  • 4 November: according to the same report, World of Warcraft: Forever is scheduled to release.

  • During BlizzCon coverage: Josh Greenfield calls Paladin a “dad class” and links that to his own description as a “dog dad” with a “dad bod”.

  • In the same report: Jeff Parrott says Hunter is his favorite class and also his most played class.

  • In GameSpot’s coverage: Paladin is described as a class with healing and protection abilities.

Background

Josh Greenfield is identified in the source as senior game designer at World of Warcraft, while Jeff Parrott is identified as senior art director. The comments therefore come from two senior Blizzard staff members rather than from a patch note, hotfix, or balance update. That matters because the remarks speak mainly to their personal preferences and wording, not to an official change to the game.

The term “dad class” is used in the source as an informal description. Based on the supplied information, there is no indication that Blizzard uses the term officially as a marketing label or design category. The source also gives no sign that the comment was meant as a formal classification of Paladin within the game’s structure.

The report links Paladin to a role with healing and protection. That fits the way the class is often seen in World of Warcraft as a sturdy, supportive choice. The source does not mention specific numbers, talent changes, or new abilities; it is purely a description of the class in the context of Greenfield’s quote.

The same news cycle also includes information about World of Warcraft: Forever. The source mentions a beta on 17 September and a release on 4 November, but leaves the exact year open. In the supplied internal context, those dates are linked to 2026, but that year is not explicitly stated in the quoted GameSpot text itself. Caution is therefore needed when repeating the schedule.

The combination of Paladin, Hunter, BlizzCon, and World of Warcraft: Forever shows that the report bundles several separate remarks into one news item. Greenfield’s comment about Paladin is the centerpiece, while Parrott’s preference for Hunter adds extra context about the Blizzard staff present. The source therefore offers a snapshot of how two developers talk about their favorite classes, not a gameplay balance update or a new expansion reveal.

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