All this way-too-early talk about a new expansion, coupled with the fact that I just completed Blasted Lands on my Monk (sadly, I don't think Zen Flight goes as fast as a normal flying mount, but it'll be good if I don't have to go far, or decide to jump off a cliff or something,) got me thinking about Demon Hunters.
Like Death Knights, Demon Hunters are one of those obvious options for a new class, such that it would be kind of sad if we never got to play as them.
Death Knights, of course, have been around for roughly four years, and I think they were a great success. With Mists of Pandaria, we got a second new class: the Monk. The Monk is quite different from the Death Knight. It's not a hero class. Despite some visual differences and its own "class home" (complete with daily quests that make leveling go way faster,) Monks begin at level 1, and are just ordinary folks who choose a particular way to kick ass.
If Demon Hunters are introduced, I think it would make the most sense for them to be the game's second hero class. Demon Hunters are invariably badasses who have gone through very tough training, and also all seem to have had their eyes ritually removed and replaced with demonic magic - allowing them to see what others do not see, namely demons.
There are two major obstacles to the Demon Hunter class that the Death Knight did not have to deal with (as much.) One is that Demon Hunters are obviously a leather-wearing class (the Cursed Vision of Sargeras, which is the most Demon-Hunter-appropriate piece of gear that is not the Twin Blades of Azzinoth, is Leather.) With the introduction of Monks, we now have three Cloth, three Leather, and three Plate classes. Introducing yet another class to compete with Rogues and Druids while there are still only two Mail classes might make things a little painful.
The other issue is that all of the Warcraft 3-era Demon Hunter abilities already belong to other classes - particularly Warlocks. Metamorphosis, which is one of Illidan's signature moves, is now the centerpiece of the Demonology Warlock's rotation.
That said, I don't think this is a dealbreaker. Death Knights, after all, had a lot of totally new concepts built into them that were not from Warcraft 3 at all. Death Grip? Diseases? Runes and Runic Power? Totally new. Blizzard is pretty good at what they do, so I could imagine them coming up with something.
Also, we should remember that there's other sources for Demon Hunter abilities. We fought Illidan, as well as Leotheras the Blind, and any of their abilities could potentially be scaled down to be used as player abilities.
Demon Hunters, as I see it, would fit well as tanks, melee dps, and caster dps. I always thought it was a bit of a missed opportunity that Unholy Death Knights were not ranged (and another class that could have used Intellect Plate.) As Demon Hunters are also quite magic-based, it stands to reason they could be ranged.
Now, all the nitty-gritty of actual class design is something I'm not really suited for. What I can come up with here (not that I work for Blizzard - this is a pure exercise in fun speculation) is the backstory and starting experience for Demon Hunters.
If 55 were chosen as the "standard hero class starting level," you could begin in Blasted Lands, but if they're willing to let us skip Outland leveling, there's another option:
You begin at 65 in a specially phased/instanced version of Shadowmoon Valley. You are a powerful adventurer who has been drawn to Outland by rumors of great power and hidden secrets. It would seem that Illidan Stormrage's body has been recovered. You make contact with a group of Demon Hunters (Feronas Sindweller, from Felwood, may be among them) who seek to resurrect Illidan. However, the body is in the possession of the Ashtongue Deathsworn.
The Deathsworn are hunting down all the Demon Hunters in the ruins of the Black Temple, and you must fight them off. In the meantime, you discover that agents of the Burning Legion are attempting to take Illidan's remains for their purposes, and have infiltrated Akama's forces. You battle your way through the Black Temple and use your powers as a Demon Hunter to locate and dispatch the demons possessing the members of the Deathsworn.
Having proven yourself, you ascend to the top of the Black Temple and begin the ritual to return Illidan to life. Meanwhile, there is a great battle as demons pour in from the Twisting Nether to stop you. When you finally achieve victory, Illidan is brought back, and grants you great power in return for your deeds.
Much as the Knights of the Ebon Blade served a pivotal role in defeating the Lich King, this new group of Demon Hunters could serve as the "darker and edgier" side of the conflict against the Legion (with Velen's Army of the Light taking the Argent Crusade's role.)
I realize that all this speculation is a bit early. That said, we tend to get the announcement for each expansion about a year before it comes out - which means about a year after the current one launches. That means we're a 12th of the way to finding out what the next expansion will be!
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