Combat designers on World of Warcraft help to create the connection between the player and the world of Azeroth by working on the minute-to-minute gameplay and create fun and engaging abilities and mechanics to deliver engaging and fluid combat. As a Combat Designer for the World of Warcraft team you must have a strong aptitude for critical thinking and investigation, boundless creativity, a strong visual aesthetic, and a passion and recognition for what makes World of Warcraft classes and combat interesting. You will contribute to the ongoing development of player spells, talents, game balance and tuning, and any related systems.
This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The potential home studio for this role is Irvine, CA.
What you bring to the table:
Priorities can often change in a fast-paced live service environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:
Build upon existing class fantasies by designing new and interesting spells and talents for players to use in various combat situations.
Stay current of player expectations, perceptions, and behaviors with regards to class design and game balance.
Work closely with the production team to ensure timely completion of deliverables.
Collaborate with fellow designers, producers, artists, sound designers, and engineers to create interesting and fun spells and talents.
Participate in and contribute to a culture of inclusion and diversity.
Minimum Requirements:
Experience:
Portfolio demonstrating equivalent experience OR 3+ years of experience working in game design pipelines for a live service or a SaaS product.
Demonstrated experience with game development best practices in a professional or academic setting.
Experience designing class abilities or combat mechanics in open world RPG’s or MMO’s.
Knowledge & Skills:
Familiarity with World of Warcraft classes and specializations.
Proficient knowledge with industry standard tools such as Excel, game engines, and other proprietary tools required.
Creative thinker who enjoys finding fun solutions to design problems.
Ability to break down what makes combat in World of Warcraft fun, accessible, and engaging.
Proven experience working collaboratively cross-functionally.
Extra Points:
Excellent communication skills that can be used for comprehensive documentation.
Knowledge, understanding, and familiarity with the Warcraft Universe and Lore.
The ability to consider multiple, conflicting viewpoints and make the best overall decision.
We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.
Accommodation Request: We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to [email protected]. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.
Our World
At Blizzard Entertainment, we pour our hearts and souls into everything we create. Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft, we’ve been creating genre-defining games for millions of players around the world for more than 30 years. We’re on a quest: bring our dreams to life and craft the most epic entertainment experiences…ever. Hard work, iteration and polish go into the Blizzard “secret recipe,” but the most important ingredients come from talented people who share our vision. If that sounds like you, join us.
The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.
Rewards
We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:
Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.
Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.
In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $29.81 - $55.14 Hourly. This base pay range is for the U.S. and is not applicable to locations outside of the U.S. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed.
