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NEWS

WoW Forever Beta Development Notes – Updated

BlizzardPosted

Blizzard posted a new edition of the beta development notes thread on . It collects the changes made in the two and a half weeks since the October 15 beta update, and repeats the racial changes posted earlier.

What changes for players

  • Class damage goes up across the board, with more health on higher level creatures to match. Outside of bugs and serious outliers, the developers do not plan big tuning changes before the raids open next month, and expect a large tuning pass once they have enough data from players past level 30.
  • Talents change for all nine classes, with big tree rework for Paladin, Rogue and Druid. Rogues learn the new ability Shank at level 24, and Druids and Rogues get Poised (a cheaper next Energy ability when you are out of combat at full Energy). Mage Frost Blast, Shaman Lava Burst and Paladin Salvation and Mass Salvation are removed. Builds planned on the beta need a fresh look.
  • With Salvation gone, tank threat goes up: Bear Form and Dire Bear Form to 115% (was 50%), Defensive Stance to 80% (was 30%), and Righteous Fury is learned at level 10 (was 16) and adds 33% to all threat plus 90% for Holy damage.
  • New spells are no longer added to your action bars automatically. Training class abilities from 1 to 60 now costs 206 to 207 gold for every class.
  • Racials: Dwarf Earth Fury becomes Artisan's Precision (1% hit) and Orc Savage gives way to Command (5% pet damage). Human, Orc, Skyborne, Tauren, Troll and Undead values are also adjusted, and Tauren Plainsrunning no longer raises mounted speed.
  • Bags no longer equip themselves into empty bag slots. You have to equip them yourself.
  • Respawn rates change across the world to handle launch crowds: fastest in starting zones, faster in low level zones and slower as you level. Once the launch surge settles, low level zones go back to more typical rates.
  • Gamepad support is now complete, so movement, spells, interaction and interface navigation all work on a controller.

Full development notes

Original post on the Blizzard forums ↗

Since the last full update to the Beta on October 15, we’ve continued to work to solve issues, refine classes, improve gameplay in all areas, and address feedback we received from Beta testers. What follows are the updates and changes that have been developed over those last 2.5 weeks.

We’ve included the previously-posted updates to racial talents and abilities for completeness here.

And once again, thank you so much to everyone who tested the Beta with us and provided so much feedback. Your efforts are greatly appreciated, and we can’t wait to see you on November 4!

Bug Fixes

Summary of changes

ThrowBefore: Windup: the throwing weapon's attack speedAfter: Windup: 0.5 sec
Replica Ironforge Air RifleBefore: Couldn't be used on allies who also had one equipped, Quitter debuff duration: 5 min, Stun duration: 3 secAfter: Can be used on allies who also have one equipped, Quitter debuff duration: 40 sec, Stun duration: 2.5 sec
Racial base statsBefore: Tauren Warrior strength: +2 over Human WarriorsAfter: Tauren Warrior strength: +5 over Human Warriors
Before: Root not subject to diminishing returnsAfter: Root subject to diminishing returns
Before: Root not subject to diminishing returnsAfter: Root subject to diminishing returns
Before: Root not subject to diminishing returnsAfter: Root subject to diminishing returns
Before: Root not subject to diminishing returnsAfter: Root subject to diminishing returns
Before: Root not subject to diminishing returnsAfter: Root subject to diminishing returns

Development notes

  • Throw will now correctly use the 0.5 second windup timer (was incorrectly using the throwing weapon’s attack speed).
  • Legacy Reward - Replica Ironforge Air Rifle can now correctly be used on allies that also have one equipped.
    • Duration of the quitter debuff reduced to 40 seconds (was 5 minutes).
    • Duration of the stun reduced to 2.5 seconds (was 3 seconds).
  • All Races now have the correct amount of base stats. For example, Tauren Warriors now start with the correct +5 strength relative to Human Warriors (was incorrectly +2). This fix was also applied to High Order and Windshaper Skyborne base stats.
  • Roots that occur from Procs now correctly have Diminishing Returns. Includes , , , , and .

Classes

Summary of changes

Talent trigger chance with low-rank spellsBefore: Reduced trigger chance for various talents when casting low-rank spellsAfter: No penalty regardless of rank (except Blizzard)

Development notes

  • Developer’s notes: Over the course of Beta, we came to the realization that trying to hold ourselves roughly to Classic power budgets for each class meant that every new element we added needed to come at the expense of something else. Those reductions left some iconic abilities feeling lackluster, and closed the door to other potentially exciting design options. So over the last two weeks, we’ve raised damage on classes across the game, and have increased the health of higher level creatures to compensate. This additional “headroom” has allowed us to tune things to a place that we hope feels better overall. Beyond that, some of this round of changes reflects areas where we were likely hasty in turning to Burning Crusade- or Wrath-era solutions rather than carving out new ones that better fit into the Forever combat model. Our aim in class design is not perfect numerical equality, but rather for every class to feel valuable to the groups they join, with powerful, unforgettable moments brought on by mastering them. In Forever this is accomplished by doubling down on the strengths and differences that make each class unique, rather than overly unifying them.
  • Developers’ notes: We’ve used the data and feedback gathered during Beta testing to get everything tuned to a reasonable place. However, the only true test of that tuning is the game itself. With the exception of bugs and serious outliers, we don’t plan on making big tuning changes between now and the opening of the raids next month. Once we have sufficient data from players leveling past 30 and engaging in a wide range of content, we expect that we will do a large tuning pass based on our data. And this is all merely a starting point for the classes in Forever, which will continue to evolve over the course of the months and years ahead just as they did following the original launch in 2004.
  • Various talents no longer have a penalty to their chance to trigger when casting spells of a low rank.
    • This penalty does still apply to . Blizzard continues to have a reduced chance to trigger , , and when casting a rank learned more than 12 levels lower than the caster’s current level.
  • Learning new spells will no longer cause them to be automatically added to your action bars.
  • Training costs on have been adjusted for all classes.
    • Most abilities learned at the same level have the same cost to train, with the exception of Priest race-specific abilities.
    • Total cost to train class abilities from 1-60 is now between 206 and 207 gold for all classes.
    • Warlocks costs are reduced by the expected costs of buying Grimoires for their pets.

Druid

Summary of changes

Druid

Before: Trainer ability for all Druids (from level 42, 3 ranks)After: Learned from a Feral talent (from level 25, 5 ranks)
Before: Rank 1 learned at level 32After: New Rank 1 at level 24, existing ranks moved one rank higher
Before: +50% threat generatedAfter: +115% threat generated
Before: +50% threat generatedAfter: +115% threat generated
PoisedAfter: New passive at level 32: out of combat at maximum Energy, your next Energy ability costs 10 less Energy
Before: 155% weapon damage plus bonus damageAfter: 200% weapon damage plus bonus damage
Before: 110% weapon damage plus bonus damageAfter: 140% weapon damage plus bonus damage
Before: 350% weapon damage plus bonus damageAfter: 435% weapon damage plus bonus damage

Balance

Before: +1/2/3/4/5% periodic damage and healingAfter: +2/4/6/8/10% periodic damage and healing
Before: +3% spell critical strike chance for party and raid membersAfter: +3% critical strike chance of all types for party and raid members, not stacking with

Feral

Before: Feral tree talentAfter: Restoration tree talent (swapped with Furor)
After: New 1-point talent on row 4, column 3 (in place of ): no longer converts extra Energy but still deals the extra damage
Before: +3% melee and ranged critical strike chance for party and raid membersAfter: +3% critical strike chance of all types for party and raid members, not stacking with Moonkin Aura
Before: +2/4/6/8/10% melee ability damage on Bleeding targetsAfter: +3/6/9/12/15% melee ability damage on Bleeding targets
BerserkBefore: Row 7, 31-point talent: for 15 sec, hits up to 3 targets with no cooldown, and Combo Point generators gain 100% critical strike chanceAfter: Removed
Before: 1-point talent on row 4After: 31-point talent on row 7 (requires ), 3 ranks
Before: 1-point talent on row 4 (requires )After: 31-point talent on row 7 (requires )

Restoration

Before: Restoration tree talentAfter: Feral tree talent (swapped with )
Before: +1/2/3/4/5% all damage, cast time 0.1 to 0.5 sec shorterAfter: +2/4/6/8/10% all damage, and cast time 0.1 to 0.5 sec shorter
Gift of the Earthmother → Before: Rejuvenation, Swiftmend and global cooldown 0.5 sec shorterAfter: When Rejuvenation or Regrowth expires, the target is instantly healed for 100% of your Spirit (50% if dispelled)
Before: Could consume another Druid's Rejuvenation or RegrowthAfter: Only consumes your own Rejuvenation or Regrowth
Before: Instant castAfter: 3 sec base cast time

Development notes

  • is now a Feral talent and not learned by all Druids.
  • has a new Rank 1 at level 24. All the existing ranks were re-labeled one rank higher.
  • and : Threat bonus increased from 50% to 115%. This is to compensate for Blessing of Salvation being removed.
  • Poised: New passive ability learned at level 32. “When you are not in combat and have your maximum Energy, you will gain Poised. Poised reduces the Energy cost of your next Energy ability by 10.”
  • : Weapon damage percent increased to 200% from 155%.
  • : Weapon damage percent increased to 140% from 110%.
  • : Weapon damage percent increased from 350% to 435%.
  • : Base points and attack power scaling increased by about 25%.
  • : Base points and attack power scaling increased by about 25%.
  • : Base points and attack power scaling increased by about 25%.
  • : Base points and attack power scaling increased by about 25%.
  • : Base damage points increased by about 40%.
  • Balance
    • : Now increases periodic damage and healing by 2/4/6/8/10%, up from 1/2/3/4/5%.
    • : The critical strike bonus from this talent is again an increase to all types of critical strikes and is again exclusive with .
  • Feral
    • : The talent has moved to the Restoration tree, swapping with .
    • : This is now a 1-point talent on row 4, replacing . Lacerate has two new ranks added to accomodate being learned earlier.
    • : This is a new 1-point talent on row 4 in column 3, replacing . “Your ability no longer converts extra Energy into damage but still deals extra damage based on your excess Energy.” It has no pre-requisite talents.
    • : Moved to column 1 (was column 3).
    • : The critical strike bonus from this talent is again an increase to all types of critical strikes and is again exclusive with .
    • : Moved to column 4 (was column 1).
    • : Moved to column 1 (was column 3). Damage bonus increased to 3/6/9/12/15% (was 2/4/6/8/10%).
    • Berserk talent removed.
    • : Replaces Berserk as a 1-point talent on row 7, column 2, with as a pre-requisite. Number of ranks reduced to 3.
    • : Now a 1-point talent on row 7, with as a pre-requisite. Like row 4, we now have two different 31-point talents for Feral: one focused on Bear gameplay and one focused on Cat gameplay.
  • Restoration
    • : This talent has moved to the Feral tree, swapping with .
    • : Now increases all damage by 2/4/6/8/10%, up from 1/2/3/4/5%. Now also reduces the cast time of by 0.1/0.2/0.3/0.4/0.5 seconds.
    • : This talent has moved to row 2 from row 3, swapping with .
    • : This talent has moved to row 3 from row 2, swapping with .
    • Gift of the Earthmother: This talent has been removed.
    • : New 1-point talent in 3rd row, replacing Gift of the Earthmother. “When your or spell expires due to its duration, the target is instantly healed for an amount equal to 100% of your Spirit. If either spell expires due to being dispelled, the target is healed for 50% of your Spirit instead.”
    • : Now requires the or effect on the target to be one placed by the casting Druid.
    • : Now has a base casting time of 3 seconds.

Hunter

Summary of changes

Hunter

Before: Different ranks could be stacked on one target, Rank 4 gave less Ranged Attack Power than Rank 3After: Only one Mark per target, Rank 4 grants 143 Ranged Attack Power (Rank 3: 98)
Hunter trapsBefore: Separate cooldowns for Fire-based and Frost-based trapsAfter: All traps share a 30 sec cooldown
Before: Bonus damage 20/34/55/89/125/166 (ranks 1-6)After: Bonus damage on all ranks increased by ~110%
Before: Base damage 20 to 217 (ranks 1-8), Attack Power coefficient 0.1After: Base damage on all ranks increased by ~30%, Attack Power coefficient 0.15
Before: Attack Power coefficient per tick 3%After: Attack Power coefficient per tick 5%, base damage on all ranks increased by ~20%
Before: +15/22/30/38/47/55 Ranged Attack Power (ranks 1-6)After: +20/35/50/70/90/110 Ranged Attack Power (ranks 1-6)
Pet innate Attack Speed passivesBefore: Lost when untraining the petAfter: Kept when untraining the pet

Marksmanship

Before: Multi-Shot, and Volley damage +3/7/10%After: Multi-Shot, and Volley damage +5/10/15%
Before: Bonus damage 160/225/295 (ranks 1-3)After: Bonus damage on all ranks increased by 100%
Before: Party or raid Ranged Attack Power +15/22/30/40/50 (ranks 1-5)After: Party or raid Ranged Attack Power +20/35/50/75/100 (ranks 1-5)

Survival

Before: A weaker new effect did not overwrite the existing oneAfter: A new effect from the same Hunter always overwrites the existing one
Before: +2/4/6/8/10% AgilityAfter: +3/6/9/12/15% Agility

Development notes

  • Hunter’s Mark can no longer be applied to a target multiple times by using different ranks of the spell.
  • Fixed an issue where Rank 4 Hunter’s Mark was providing less Ranged Attack Power than Rank 3.
  • Fixed an issue with the wording of the debuff.
  • All types of Hunter traps now have the same shared 30 second cooldown, instead of separate cooldowns for Fire-based and Frost-based traps.
  • : Bonus damage on all ranks increased by ~110%.
  • : Base damage on all ranks increased by ~30% and Attack Power coefficient raised from 0.1 to 0.15.
  • : Attack Power coefficient per tick increased to 5% from 3%. Base damage on all ranks increased ~20%.
  • : Ranged Attack Power bonus increased on all ranks. New values: 20, 35, 50, 70, 90, 110 for ranks 1-6.
  • Hunter pets should no longer lose their innate Attack Speed passives when untraining them.
  • Beast Mastery
    • : This talent moved from 2nd row to 3rd row.
  • Marksmanship
    • : Damage increase raised to 5/10/15% from 3/7/10%.
    • : Bonus damage on all ranks increased by 100%.
    • : Ranged Attack Power bonus increased on all ranks. New values: 20, 35, 50, 75, 100.
  • Survival
    • : This effect will always overwrite an existing one from the same Hunter, even if the new effect is weaker damage per second.
    • : Agility bonus increased to 3/6/9/12/15% from 2/4/6/8/10%.

Mage

Summary of changes

Mage

Frost BlastBefore: Deals Frost damage and slows movement speed by 40% (level 24)After: Spell removed

Arcane

Before: Consumed at the end of the channelAfter: Consumed at the start of the channel
Before: Up to 2 points, Armor increased by 50% of IntellectAfter: Up to 3 points, Armor increased by 75% of Intellect
Before: Consumed by even with active, Could not be triggered by Arcane MissilesAfter: Not consumed by while is active, Can be triggered by Arcane Missiles
Arcane FocusBefore: +1/2/3/4/5% hit chance with Arcane spellsAfter: Talent removed (combined into Precision in the Frost tree)
Before: Per stack: +175% mana cost, Spell Damage equal to 15% of Intellect; lasts 15 secAfter: Per stack: +100% mana cost, Spell Damage equal to 12% of Intellect; lasts 18 sec

Fire

Before: Applied only to Flamestrike's initial damageAfter: Also applies to Flamestrike damage after the initial hit
Before: Up to 3 points, +6% critical strike chance on affected spellsAfter: Up to 5 points, +10% critical strike chance on affected spells
Improved Fireball → Before: Fireball and cast time reduced by up to 0.5 secAfter: Fireball, and cast time reduced by up to 0.5 sec
Before: Up to 5 points, +10% critical strike chance with Fire spellsAfter: Up to 3 points, +6% critical strike chance with Fire spells

Frost

Piercing IceBefore: +2/4/6% Frost spell damageAfter: Talent removed
Before: had a chance to reflect spellsAfter: has a chance to fully negate the spell's damage without being depleted
Elemental Precision → Before: Up to 5 points, +1/2/3/4/5% hit chanceAfter: Up to 3 points, +2/4/6% hit chance with all spells
Before: +200% damage to Frozen targetsAfter: +300% damage to Frozen targets, 8 sec cooldown shared with
Before: damage taken +5% per stackAfter: damage taken +20% per stack

Development notes

  • Imbue Iceknife’s visual has been changed to better convey that it is a Root and not a Stun.
  • Frost Blast: This spell has been removed.
  • Arcane
    • is now correctly consumed at the start of the Mage’s channel (was consumed at the end).
    • has been moved to the 2nd row from the 1st row.
    • has been moved to the 1st row from the 2nd row. It now allows up to 3 talent points to be spent for a maximum armor increase of 75% of Intellect.
    • is no longer consumed on if is active at the same time.
    • Fixed an issue where Arcane Missles did not proc .
    • Arcane Focus: This talent has been removed, as it is now combined into the talent in the Frost tree.
    • : Mana cost increase per stack reduced to 100% from 175%. Percent of Intellect as Spell Damage reduced from 15% to 12% per stack. Duration increased to 18 seconds.
  • Fire
    • Fixed an issue where was not applying to damage past the initial instance.
    • : This talent now allows spending up to 5 talent points for 10% critical chance on affected spells, up from 3 talent points for 6%.
    • Improved Fireball: Renamed . Now also reduces the cast time of by up to 0.5 seconds.
    • : This talent has been reverted to a maximum of 3 talent points, instead of 5, for a total of 6% critical strike chance increase, down from 10%.
    • moved to 3rd row from 1st row.
  • Frost
    • The Piercing ice talent has been removed.
    • now increases your Frost Damage dealt by 15% for 1minute when activated and grants an additional 5% Frost Damage while the barrier holds.
      • Developers’ notes: Removing Piercing Ice gives the player a few more talents to play around with early on in the tree, and empowering Ice Barrier gives the Mage a reason to go all the way down the tree for PvE.
    • increases the amount of damage your and s can absorb.
    • no longer has a chance to Reflect spells but instead has a chance to fully negate the damage of the spell without depleting the .
    • Elemental Precision has been renamed Precision and is back to being a 3-point talent, granting 2/4/6% chance to hit with all spells (was 1/2/3/4/5%).
    • now has an 8 second cooldown shared with . Bonsu damage to Frozen targets increased back to 300%.
    • Winter’s Chill: Bonus to damage increased to 20% per stack.

Paladin

Summary of changes

Paladin

Before: Learned at level 16, +90% threat from Holy attacks, Still cost Mana under The Quick and the DeadAfter: Learned at level 10, +33% all threat, plus another +90% threat from Holy attacks, Free under The Quick and the Dead
Before: Target party member generates 30% less threat for 1 hourAfter: Removed
Before: Raid or group members of the target's class generate 30% less threat for 1 hourAfter: Removed
Before: Removes Salvation or from a party or raid memberAfter: Removed
Before: on the target heals up to 400 more and up to 115 more, for 1 hourAfter: Removed
Before: Taunt duration: 4 secAfter: Taunt duration: 3 sec

Holy

Before: 2-point talent, 35% chance per rank not to lose casting time when damaged (70% max)After: 5-point talent, 14% chance per rank not to lose casting time when damaged (70% max)
Before: 3-point talent, +5% Seal and Judgement damage per rank (15% max)After: 5-point talent, +3% Seal and Judgement damage per rank (15% max)
Before: 3-point talent, 10% of Mana regeneration per rank continues while casting (30% max)After: 2-point talent, 15% of Mana regeneration per rank continues while casting (30% max)
Before: Immune to Silence and Interrupt effects for 6 sec, 3 min cooldownAfter: Removed
Before: 3-point talent, Up to +18% hit chance with Holy spellsAfter: 2-point talent, Up to +8% hit chance with Holy spells, Silence effects on you up to 20% shorter
After: New row 4 talent: 5 min Oath on an ally, increasing your , and healing on them (8% of base Mana, 40 yards)
After: New row 5 talent: up to +30% critical strike chance on allies without your
Before: Up to +15% critical strike chance for and , up to +5% for all other spellsAfter: Up to +50% critical strike healing bonus for Holy spells
Before: Also usable on enemies (next deals Holy damage and refunds 75% Mana)After: Friendly targets only

Protection

Before: Did not attack once per stack, gained stacks while sittingAfter: Attacks once per stack, no stacks while sitting
Before: Up to +4% total Stamina, , and cooldowns up to 60 sec shorterAfter: No Stamina, cooldowns up to 60 sec shorter, Forbearance up to 10 sec shorter
Improved Seal of FuryBefore: Restores 60 Mana when 's shield is fully absorbedAfter: Removed
Before: Not dispellableAfter: Magic effect, dispellable
Before: Up to 6% less damage taken while is activeAfter: Up to 9% less damage taken while is active
Before: 3-point talent, +10% shield block value and 33% Mana restore chance on block per rank (30% and 100% max)After: 2-point talent, +15% shield block value and 50% Mana restore chance on block per rank (30% and 100% max)
Before: Finishes Judgement's cooldown, next Judgement costs no ManaAfter: Instantly unleashes your active Seal (separate cooldown from Judgement)
One-Handed Weapon SpecializationBefore: Up to +10% damage with one-handed melee weaponsAfter: Removed
After: New row 5 talent: Stun and Charm effects on you up to 20% shorter
Before: 5-point talent, Up to +25% threat, up to 10% less damage taken for 6 secAfter: 3-point talent, Up to +30% threat, up to 6% less damage taken for 6 sec
After: New row 7 talent: cooldown 4 sec shorter, Holy Strike triggers on-block talents without using charges, Block spells for 6 sec

Retribution

Before: 5-point talent, Up to +5% critical strike chance with melee attacksAfter: 3-point talent, Up to +6% critical strike chance with all spells and attacks
Before: Target's Attack Power reduced by up to 200, your Attack Power up to +3%After: Target's Attack Power reduced by up to 200 (no Attack Power for you)
Before: Up to +6% damage with two-handed melee weaponsAfter: Up to +6% Holy and Physical damage, up to 20% less threat with a two-handed melee weapon
Instrument of LawBefore: cast time up to 1 sec shorter, up to 20% less threat without After: Removed
Before: 3-point talent, Spell damage up to 60% of IntellectAfter: 5-point talent, Spell damage up to 60% of Intellect, cast time up to 1 sec shorter
Before: Stacks up to 3 times, requires After: Stacks up to 5 times, requires
After: New row 5 talent: cast time up to 1 sec and cooldown up to 10 sec shorter, also affects Demons
Twist of Light → Before: Seal spells cost 20% less Mana, and replacing a Seal applies the old Seal's effects to your next melee attackAfter: Melee attacks store your active Seal for 15 sec (up to 3), a hit with a different Seal gives each stored copy its chance to activate, requires Repentance

Development notes

  • is now available to train at level 10 (was 16). This mirrors the level that other Tanks gain access to their tanking stance.
  • , , and have been removed.
  • now grants a 33% increase to all threat generated, and an additional 90% threat from Holy damage.
  • has been removed.
  • is now properly made free by the Legacy Talent, .
  • 's duration reduced to 3 seconds (Was 4 seconds).
  • Holy
    • moved to Row 1 (Was Row 2). Changed to a 5-point talent (Was a 2-point talent). Max rank unchanged.
    • changed to a 5-point talent (Was a 3-point talent). Max rank unchanged.
    • moved to Row 2 (Was Row 3). Changed to a 2-point talent (Was a 3-point talent). Max rank unchanged.
    • moved to Retribution.
    • moved to Row 2 (Was Row 3).
    • removed.
    • moved to Row 3 (Was Row 4).
    • moved to Row 3 (Was Row 4).
    • moved
    • moved to Row 4 (Was Row 5). Changed to a 2-point talent granting 4/8% chance to hit with Holy spells (Was 6/12/18% chance to hit with Holy spells). Additionally, Divine Precision now also reduces the duration of Silence effects on you by 10/20%.
    • New Talent in Row 4. 40-yard range, 8% of Base Mana cost. No cooldown. Swear an Oath to protect target ally for 5 min, increasing the healing of your , , and spells. Only one Oath of Light may be sworn by the Paladin at any one time. The amount of bonus healing increases with the player's level.
    • New Talent in Row 5. Passive - Increases the critical strike chance of your spell by 15/30% when cast on allies not affected by your .
    • changed to Increases the critical strike healing bonus of your Holy Spells by 10/20/30/40/50% (Was Increases the critical strike chance of your and spells by 3/6/9/12/15%, and all other spells by 1/2/3/4/5%).
    • is now only usable on friendly targets and has had its offensive capabilities removed. The tooltip has been reworded to reflect this.
  • Protection
    • will now correctly perform its number of attacks based on stacks, and Reckoning will no longer gain stacks while sitting.
    • moved to Row 1 of Protection (was Row 1 of Holy).
    • moved to Row 2 (Was Row 3).
    • no longer grants % increase to Stamina. In addition to its cooldown reduction on , , and by 30sec/1min, it now also reduces the duration of your Forbearance effect by 5/10 seconds.
    • Improved Seal of Fury removed.
    • moved to Row 3 (Was Row 5).
    • is now a Magic effect and dispellable.
    • 's damage reduction changed to 3/6/9% (was 2/4/6%).
    • changed to a 2-point talent granting 15/30% increased shield block value, and a 50/100% chance to grant 4% of your Maximum Mana. (Unchanged at max rank).
    • moved to Row 3 (Was Row 1).
    • moved to Row 4 (Was Row 2).
    • changed to instantly unleash your active Seal. Does not share a cooldown with Judgement (Was resets the cooldown of your Judgement ability).
    • One-Handed Weapon Specialization removed.
    • New Talent added to Row 5. Reduces the duration of Stun and Charm effects on you by 10/20%.
    • moved to Row 5 (Was Row 7).
    • changed to a 3-point talent (Was a 5-point talent) and increases the threat generated by by 10/20/30%, and grants 2/4/6% damage reduction for 6 seconds (was 5/10/15/20/25% increased threat, and 2/4/6/8/10% damage reduction).
    • New Talent added to Row 7. Reduces the cooldown of your ability by 4 seconds. Additionally, Holy Strike now strikes with your shield, triggering all talents that activate when you block without consuming their charges or triggering their cooldowns, and allowing you to Block spells for 6 seconds.
  • Retribution
    • moved to the 3rd Row of the Holy Tree (was 2nd Row of Retribution).
    • has been moved to Row 2 (was Row 3).
    • moved to Row 2 (Was Row 3).
    • changed to grant 2/4/6% critical strike chance to all spells and attacks (Was 1/2/3/4/5% to just melee attacks).
    • no longer grants an increase to Attack Power (was 1/2/3% increased Attack Power.
    • moved to Row 3 of Retribution (was Row 2 of Holy).
    • moved to Row 4 (was Row 5).
    • changed to increase both Holy and Physical damage by 2/4/6% (Was just Physical damage).
    • changed to also reduce the Threat generated by the Paladin by 7/14/20% while wearing a two-handed melee weapon.
    • Instrument of Law Removed.
    • changed to increasing the Paladin's spell damage by 12/24/36/48/60% of their Intellect and also reduces the cast time of by 0.2/0.4/0.6/0.8/1.0 seconds.
    • changed to stacking up to 5 times (Was stacking up to 3 times).
    • now requires (was requiring ).
    • New Talent added to Row 5, - Reduces the cast time of your spell by 0.5/1.0 sec, its cooldown by 5/10 sec, and allows it to affect Demons.
    • Twist of Light removed.
    • is the new 31st talent. Your melee attacks store a copy of your active Seal for 15 sec, stacking up to 3 times. Landing an attack with a different Seal consumes all stacks, giving the stored Seal its normal chance to activate once per stack.
    • now requires .

Priest

Summary of changes

Priest

Before: Could not be replaced by a of equal or greater rankAfter: Can be replaced by a of equal or greater rank
Before: Deals 10% of your maximum Health to you if the target survives, Damaged you even when it missedAfter: Deals 30% of your maximum Health to you if the target survives, No damage to you when it misses
Before: Broke crowd control effectsAfter: No longer breaks crowd control effects

Holy

Binding Heal → Before: A spell that heals a friendly target and yourself (1.5 sec cast)After: on another target also heals you for 50% as much (no threat)

Shadow

Before: Also spread from crittersAfter: No longer spreads from critters
Before: Healing could critically hitAfter: Healing can no longer critically hit
Before: Cancelled by casting Cure Disease or After: Kept when casting Cure Disease or

Development notes

  • can now correctly be replaced by a Power Word: Shield of equal or greater rank.
  • now causes 30% of maximum Health damage to the Priest if it fails to kill the target, up from 10%. Shadow Word: Death will no longer damage the Priest when the spell misses.
  • Fixed an issue causing Undead Priest’s to still break crowd control effects.
  • Holy
    • removed.
    • New talent in ’s slot: . When the Priest heals a target other than themselves with , 50% of the healing done by the Flash Heal is also done to the Priest. This healing generates no threat.
  • Shadow
    • no longer spreads if it is spreading from a critter.
    • Healing can no longer roll a critical effect.
    • Fixed an issue where and would take the Priest out of .

Rogue

Summary of changes

Rogue

Before: Made a sitting target stand upAfter: No longer makes a sitting target stand up
PoisedAfter: New passive at level 18: out of combat at maximum Energy, your next Energy ability costs 10 less
ShankAfter: New ability at level 24: 5 Energy, 10 sec cooldown, off-hand strike for 50% weapon damage that generates 15 Energy (25 Energy at Rank 2, level 44)
Before: Attack Power coefficient 0.0045After: Attack Power coefficient 0.009
Before: Attack Power coefficient 0.005After: Attack Power coefficient 0.01

Assassination

Before: Made a sitting target stand up when it activatedAfter: No longer makes a sitting target stand up
Before: +2/4% damage against Humanoids and GiantsAfter: Removed
Before: 5 points: +4/8/12/16/20% critical strike damage bonusAfter: 2 points: +10/20% critical strike damage
Blood SplatterAfter: New talent (Row 3, 1 point): Rupture lasts 6 sec longer, Garrote 9 sec longer
Before: 1 point: finishing moves have a 20% chance per Combo Point to restore 25 EnergyAfter: 5 points: finishing moves have a 4/8/12/16/20% chance per Combo Point to restore 25 Energy
Before: Finishing move: +30% Poison damage and +10% chance to apply Poisons (9 to 21 sec by Combo Points)After: Passive: Shank grants +30% Poison damage and +20% chance to apply Poisons for 6 sec
Before: 5 points: 20/40/60/80/100% chance for an extra Combo Point on critical strikes from Combo Point abilitiesAfter: 3 points: 33/66/100% chance for an extra Combo Point on critical strikes from Combo Point abilities
Before: 75% weapon damage plus a bonus amountAfter: 90% weapon damage plus a higher bonus amount

Combat

Improved Eviscerate → Coup de GraceBefore: +7/13/20% Eviscerate damageAfter: +7/13/20% Eviscerate damage, +7/13/20% damage and storage rate
Improved Sinister Strike → Efficient StrikesBefore: costs 3/5 less EnergyAfter: and Hemorrhage cost 3/5 less Energy
ComposureAfter: New talent (Row 3, 2 points): Poised reduces Energy costs by 5/10 more
Before: Eviscerate costs 10 less EnergyAfter: Eviscerate costs 15 less Energy
Before: +2/4/6% , Backstab and Eviscerate damageAfter: +5/10/15% and Eviscerate damage
Before: 5 points: +5/10/15/20/25% off-hand weapon damageAfter: 2 points: +25/50% off-hand weapon damage
Flash of SteelAfter: New talent (Row 6, 5 points): Shank generates 3/6/9/12/15 more Energy, cooldown 0.4/0.8/1.2/1.6/2.0 sec shorter

Subtlety

Before: Dealt far more damage than intended with a Dagger, Target takes 15% more Rupture damageAfter: Intended damage with a Dagger, Target takes 15% more Rupture and Garrote damage
Before: Dealt far more damage than intended with a Dagger, No effect on Ambush or GarroteAfter: Intended damage with a Dagger, Your next Ambush or Garrote within 7 sec doesn't require Stealth
Before: 33/66/100% chance for a Combo Point after a dodge or full spell resistAfter: 15/30/45% chance for a Combo Point after a dodge or full spell resist
Before: 2 points: +5/10% Backstab, Garrote, Ambush and Mutilate damageAfter: 5 points: +4/8/12/16/20% Backstab, Garrote, Ambush and Mutilate damage
Before: 5 points: 3/6/9/12/15% Stealth movement speed, Stealth cooldown 2/3/4/5/6 sec shorterAfter: 3 points: +5/10/15% movement speed in Stealth, Stealth cooldown 2/4/6 sec shorter
Before: Distract radius 3/5 yd larger, distracted enemies detect Stealth as if 1/2 levels lowerAfter: Removed
Quick GetawayAfter: New talent (Row 4, 2 points): 1/1 more Sapped targets at a time, +15/30% movement speed for 3 sec after Sap
Before: +2/4/6/8/10% , and Hemorrhage damage against targets below 35% healthAfter: Removed
Before: Backstab has a 3/6/9/12/15% chance to let your next Ambush within 10 sec skip StealthAfter: Removed
Boot KnifeAfter: New talent (Row 6, 5 points): Shank has a 20/40/60/80/100% chance to add 2 Combo Points
Before: Each Rupture tick makes your next Hemorrhage or Backstab within 10 sec cost 3 less Energy (stacks up to 5)After: Removed
Death MarkAfter: New talent (Row 7, 1 point): finishing move, 25 Energy, 10 sec cooldown, stores part of your damage for 6 sec and then deals it (Garrote and Rupture stored at twice the rate)

Development notes

  • Casting no longer causes the target to stand up if sitting.
  • Poised: New passive ability learned at level 18. “When you are not in combat and have your maximum Energy, you will gain Poised. Poised reduces the Energy cost of your next Energy ability by 10.”
  • New Spell Added: Shank. Learned at level 24. 5 Energy cost. 10 second cooldown. Melee range. Instantly strike with your off-hand weapon, dealing 50% weapon damage and generating 15 Energy. Shank cannot Miss. Rank 2 learned at level 44 and generates 25 Energy.
  • Attack Power coefficient increased to 0.009 (Was 0.0045)
  • Attack Power coefficient increased to 0.01 (Was 0.005)
  • Assassination
    • The talent activating no longer causes the target to stand up if sitting.
    • moved to Row 2 (Was Row 3).
    • has been removed.
    • changed to a 2-point talent granting 10/20% increased Critical Strike damage to the abilities listed (Was a 5-point talent granting 4/8/12/16/20%).
    • moved to Row 3 (Was Row 5).
    • New Talent: Blood Splatter. Passive. 1 point talent in Row 3. Increases the duration of your ability by 6 seconds and your ability by 9 seconds.
    • moved to Row 5 (was Row 3).
    • change to a 5-point talent granting a 4/8/12/16/20% chance per Combo Point to restore 25 Energy (was 1 point granting 20% per combo point).
    • moved to Row 5 (was Row 7).
    • is now a Passive that causes your Shank ability to increase your Poison damage by 30% and your chance to apply Poisons by 20% for 6 seconds.
    • changed to a 3-point talent granting your critical strikes from abilities that add Combo Points a 33/66/100% chance to add an additional Combo Point.
    • moved to Row 7 (was Row 9).
    • s damage increased to 90% of weapon damage plus an additional amount that was also increased (was 75% weapon damage and a lower amount).
  • Combat
    • Improved has been renamed , Increasing the damage done by your Eviscerate ability by 7/13/20%, and the damage and storage rate of your Death Mark ability by 7/13/20%.
    • Improved renamed to and now reduces the Energy costs of Sinister Strike and by 3/5 (was just Sinister Strike discounted).
    • moved to Row 2 (was Row 3).
    • New Talent: Composure. Passive. 2-point talent in Row 3. Increases the Energy cost reduction of your Poised ability by 5/10.
    • energy cost reduction increased to 15 (was 10).
    • moved to Row 4 (was Row 6).
    • moved to Row 4 (was Row 6).
    • changed to increasing the damage of and by 5/10/15% (was Sinister Strike, Eviscerate, and by 2/4/6%).
    • moved to Row 5 (was Row 4).
    • changed to a 2-point talent granting 25/50% increased off-hand weapon damage (was 5 a points granting 5/10/15/20/25% off-hand weapon damage).
    • New Talent: Flash of Steel. Passive. 5-point talent in Row 6. Increases the energy generated by your Shank ability by 3/6/9/12/15 and reduces its cooldown by 0.4/0.8/1.2/1.6/2.0 seconds.
  • Subtlety
    • Fixed an issue where and were dealing much more damage than intended when using a Dagger.
    • moved to Row 1 (was Row 2).
    • changed to a 15/30/45% chance to add a Combo Point to your target after Dodging their attack or fully resisting one of their spells (was 33/66/100% chance).
    • changed to a 5-point talent granting 4/8/12/16/20% increased damage to , , , and (was 2 points granting 5/10%).
    • moved to Row 2 (was Row 5).
    • moved to Row 2 (was Row 1).
    • changed to a 3-point talent granting 5/10/15% increased movement speed in stealth and reduces stealth’s cooldown by 2/4/6 seconds (was 5 points granting 3/6/9/12/15% and 2/3/4/5/6).
    • moved to Row 3 (was Row 4).
    • moved to Row 3 (was Row 4).
    • moved to Row 4 (was Row 2).
    • moved to Row 4 (was Row 3).
    • now also causes your next or cast within 7 seconds to not require .
    • removed.
    • New Talent: Quick Getaway. Passive. 2-point talent in Row 4. Increases the maximum number of targets you may have ped by 1/1 and increases your movement speed by 15/30% for 3 seconds after sapping a target.
    • moved to Row 5 (was Row 4).
    • changed to increase the damage of the caster’s and abilities by 15% (was only increasing Rupture by 15%).
    • has been removed.
    • has been removed.
    • New Talent: Boot Knife. Passive. 5-point talent in Row 6. Gives your Shank ability a 20/40/60/80/100% chance to add 2 Combo Points to the target.
    • has been removed.
    • New Talent: Death Mark. Active. 1 point talent in Row 7. 25 Energy cost. 20-yard range. 10 second cooldown. Curse. Finishing move that marks the target, storing a portion of the damage dealt by your attacks per Combo Point. and damage is stored at twice the rate. After 6 sec, the stored damage is dealt up to a maximum increased by Attack Power and Critical Strike chance.

Shaman

Summary of changes

Shaman

Totemic Projection → Totemic CallBefore: Relocates your active totems to a chosen location, 1 min cooldownAfter: Teleports your totems to your own location, 30 sec cooldown
Before: Max rank base damage 185 to 207After: Base damage up on all ranks, max rank +80% (about 78% of Classic Era)
Before: Cast time 2 sec, Primary target base damage 116 to 130, 315 Mana (rank 4)After: Cast time 2.5 sec, Primary target base damage about 145% and Mana cost about 225% of comparable

Elemental

Before: 3/7/10% chance for and to cast againAfter: 10/20/30% chance for and to cast again
Lava Burst → Call of ThunderBefore: Hurls lava for Fire damage, +20% damage if is on the target (10 sec cooldown)After: +5% critical strike chance for and
Elemental Mastery → Lightning MasteryBefore: Named Elemental MasteryAfter: Named , new icon
Before: Also reduced Totemic Projection's cooldown by 10/20 secAfter: No longer reduces Totemic Projection's cooldown

Enhancement

Before: Chance to trigger on melee damageAfter: Twice the chance to trigger
Before: 100% normalized weapon damage, Cooldown: 8 secAfter: 150% normalized weapon damage, Cooldown: 6 sec
Before: Attack Power increased by 33/67/100% of IntellectAfter: Attack Power increased by 50/100/150% of Intellect
Before: +5/10/15/20/25% attack speed for 3 swings after a melee critical strikeAfter: +6/12/18/24/30% attack speed for 3 swings after a melee critical strike

Restoration

Before: Direct heal plus healing over 15 sec, Cooldown: 6 secAfter: Healing over time only, no initial heal, Cooldown: 12 sec, Mana cost reduced by about 40%

Development notes

  • now causes the Shaman to animate an additional weapon swing attack.
  • now causes the player to animate an additional weapon swing attack.
  • Totemic Projection renamed . It now teleports the Shaman’s totems to the Shaman’s own location, and its cooldown is reduced to 30 seconds.
  • : Base damage of all ranks increased, with larger percentage increases on the higher ranks. Max rank was increased by 80%. Each rank’s new base damage is roughly 78% of the base damage as the Classic Era version (but cast time is lower than Classic Era).
  • cast time increased to 2.5 seconds. Primary target base damage increased to approximately 145% of comparable rank base damage. Mana cost increased to approximately 225% of comparable rank Lightning Bolt Mana cost.
  • Shocks: All shock base damage reverted to match Classic Era values (higher than previous Forever Beta values).
  • Elemental
    • : Talent now grants a 10/20/30% chance to trigger a duplicate spell, up from 3/7/10% chance.
    • : Removed. Replaced with Call of Thunder, which increases critical strike chance of and by 5%. All references to Lava Burst removed.
    • Elemental Mastery renamed . Icon changed.
    • no longer reduces the cooldown of Totemic Projection.
  • Enhancement
    • moved from 2nd row to 4th row.
    • : Chance to trigger doubled.
    • : Now deals 150% normalized weapon damage, up from 100%. Cooldown reduced to 6 seconds from 8 seconds.
    • : Now increases the Shaman’s Attack Power by 50/100/150% of Intellect, up from 33/67/100%.
    • : Now increases attack speed by 6/12/18/24/30%, up from 5/10/15/20/25%.
  • Restoration
    • : Mana cost reduced by about 40%. Cooldown increased to 12 seconds from 6 seconds. Riptide no longer deals any initial healing, just healing over time.

Warlock

Summary of changes

Warlock

Before: Spellstones increased Shadow and Fire damageAfter: Spellstones increase Shadow damage only
Pet HealthBefore: 7.5 Health per point of the master's StaminaAfter: 2 Health per point of the master's Stamina
Before: Damage did not update dynamicallyAfter: Damage updates dynamically
Before: Chance to grant a Soul Shard when dealing damageAfter: Much lower chance to grant a Soul Shard when dealing damage (kills unchanged)

Affliction

Before: Did not properly affect and After: Affects and
Before: Also increased Wrack damageAfter: Increases Mana drained by , no longer increases Wrack damage
Before: Base damage per second at level 60: 36After: Base damage per second at level 60: 86 (+2.5 per level), spell damage coefficient doubled (0.286 per second)

Destruction

Before: +2/4/6/8/10% Shadow or Fire damage after Conflagrate or Shadowburn hitsAfter: +4/8/12/16/20% Shadow or Fire damage after Conflagrate or Shadowburn hits

Development notes

  • Spellstones now correctly only increase Shadow damage (was increasing Shadow and Fire damage).
  • Pets now gain 2 Health per point of Master’s Stamina (was 7.5 Health per point of Master’s Stamina).
  • now correctly dynamically updates its damage.
  • : This chance for this spell to grant a Soul Shard on dealing damage (not a kill) has been reduced significantly.
  • Affliction
    • now correctly affects and .
    • : Now increases ’s amount of Mana drained but no longer increases damage.
    • : Spell damage coefficient doubled, to match the expected coefficient per cast time of 0.286 per second. Base damage per second now increases with each level by 2.5. Base damage per second at level 60 effectively increased from 36 to 86.
  • Destruction
    • : The damage bonuses from this talent now increase Fire or Shadow damage by 4/8/12/16/20%, up from 2/4/6/8/10%.

Warrior

Summary of changes

Warrior

Before: +30% threat generatedAfter: +80% threat generated
Before: Cooldown: 18 secAfter: Cooldown: 15 sec

Arms

Before: Retain 3/6/9/12/15 additional Rage when changing stances (5 points)After: Retain 5/10/15 additional Rage when changing stances (3 points)
Before: +1/2/3% damage with two-handed melee weaponsAfter: +2/4/6% damage with two-handed melee weapons
Before: 4/8/12/16/20% chance on Main Hand hits against Rended targets to allow Overpower (5 points)After: 10/20% chance on Main Hand hits against Rended targets to allow Overpower (2 points)
Before: Reduces Slam's cooldown by 3/3 secAfter: Reduces Slam's cooldown by 2.5/5 sec

Fury

Before: Generated threat when restoring Health, could activate while sittingAfter: No threat, does not activate while sitting
Before: Generated threat when restoring HealthAfter: No threat
After: Also reduces 's Rage cost by 5/10/15/20/25%
Reckless SwingsAfter: New talent: costs 25% of base health, your next 4 melee attacks within 8 sec generate 5 additional Rage, 15 sec cooldown
Before: +5/10/15/20/25% attack speed for 3 swings after a critical strike, 5 pointsAfter: +10/20/30% attack speed for 3 swings after a critical strike, 3 points
Improved WhirlwindAfter: New talent: Whirlwind cooldown reduced by 1/2 sec, +15/30% damage to the closest enemy

Protection

Before: +5/10/15% threat in with a shieldAfter: +7/13/20% threat in with a shield

Development notes

  • Fixed an issue with the tooltip of incorrectly displaying the amount of damage it would deal.
  • : Threat bonus increased from 30% to 80%.
  • The cooldown of has been reduced to 15 seconds (was 18 seconds).
  • Arms
    • changed to a 3-point talent granting the ability to retain 5/10/15 additional Rage when changing stances (was a 5-point talent granting 3/6/9/12/15 Rage retention).
    • changed to grant 2/4/6% increased damage when using a two-handed melee weapon (was 1/2/3% increased damage).
    • changed to a 2-point talent granting your Main Hand melee attacks against enemies afflicted by your a 10/20% chance to allow an activation of (was a 5-point talent granting a 4/8/12/16/20% chance).
    • ’s reduction to ’s cooldown changed to 2.5/5 seconds (was 3.0/3.0).
  • Fury
    • The and talents no longer generate threat when restoring Health to the Warrior.
    • will no longer activate when sitting.
    • now also reduces the Rage cost of by 5/10/15/20/25%.
    • moved to Row 3 (was Row 4).
    • New Talent: Reckless Swings. Row 4. 1 Point. 15 second cooldown. Costs 25% of base health. Your next 4 melee attacks generate 5 additional Rage. Lasts 8 seconds.
    • moved to Row 5 (was Row 6) and is connected to now instead of .
    • is no longer required for .
    • changed to a 3-point granting 10/20/30% increased attack speed for 3 swings after a critical strike (was 5 points granting 5/10/15/20/25% increased attack speed).
    • New Talent: Improved . Row 6. 2 Point. Passive. Reduces the cooldown of your Whirlwind ability by 1/2 seconds and increases the damage it deals to the closest enemy by 15/30%.
    • now has as a required talent.
  • Protection
    • : Threat bonus increased to 7/13/20% from 5/10/15%.

Player versus Player

Summary of changes

Darkspear Islands flagBefore: Dropping the flag gave you the Recently Dropped Flag debuffAfter: No debuff when you drop the flag

Development notes

  • In the Darkspear Islands battleground, dropping the flag no longer places the “Recently Dropped Flag” debuff on the player who dropped it.

Races

Summary of changes

Dwarf

Earth Fury → Before: +2% critical strike damage and healingAfter: +1% hit chance with spells and attacks

Human

Before: +2% critical strike chanceAfter: +1% critical strike chance
Before: +5% SpiritAfter: +10% Spirit

Orc

Savage → Before: +1% critical strike chanceAfter: +5% Warlock and Hunter pet damage
Before: Cooldown: 3 minAfter: Cooldown: 2 min

Skyborne

Before: +3% spell, melee and ranged hasteAfter: +2% spell, melee and ranged haste
Before: +100% Health and Mana regeneration, 30 sec without a leyline or 15 min at oneAfter: +50% Health and Mana regeneration for 15 sec, At a Ley Line also grants Attuned for 1 hour: regeneration bonus 100%, persists through death, removed on entering a raid
Before: +10% movement and mounted speed, 30 sec without an elemental convergence or 15 min at oneAfter: +15% movement speed for 15 sec, At an elemental convergence also grants Charged for 1 hour: movement speed bonus 30%, persists through death, removed on entering a raid

Tauren

Before: +1% movement speed every 5 sec moving, up to 30%, +3% movement speed while mountedAfter: +2% movement speed every 5 sec moving, up to 60%, No mounted speed bonus
Before: +5% health, +2% critical damage and healingAfter: +5% health

Troll

Before: Duration: 10 secAfter: Duration: 15 sec

Undead

Before: Not usable while immune to Physical damageAfter: Usable while immune to Physical damage
Before: Triggered less often than intended, 25 sec before it can trigger againAfter: Triggers as often as intended, 15 sec before it can trigger again

Development notes

  • Dwarf
    • Earth Fury (2% increased critical strike damage and healing) removed.
    • Added: - Increases hit chance with spells and attacks by 1%.
  • Human
    • now increases critical chance by 1% (was 2%).
    • Human Spirit now increases Spirit by 10% (was 5%).
  • Orc
    • Savage removed (1% increased critical strike chance).
    • re-added, increasing Warlock and Hunter pet damage by 5%.
    • ’s cooldown reduced to 2 minutes (was 3 minutes).
  • Skyborne
    • Wind-Blessed Haste bonus reduced to 2% (was 3%).
    • now increases Mana and Health regeneration by 50% (was 100%), with a 15-second duration. This ability cannot be used while is active, and will be replaced by Innervate as a more powerful effect.
    • Using at a Ley Line now also grants “Attuned” for 1 hour. While Attuned, the benefit of Read Leyline is increased to 100% regeneration increase. Attuned persists through death, and is removed upon entering a raid.
    • is now a 15% increased movement speed (was 10%), with a 15-second duration.
    • Using at an elemental convergence now also grants “Charged” for 1 hour. While Charged, the benefit of Skysight is a 30% movement speed increase. Charged persists through death, and is removed upon entering a raid.
  • Tauren
    • now grants 2% movement speed per stack (was 1%), for a total max increase of 60% (was 30%).
    • no longer increases mounted movement speed.
    • no longer provides any modifiers beyond 5% increased Health (no hit chance or critical damage modifiers).
  • Troll
    • duration increased to 15 seconds (was 10 seconds).
  • Undead
    • can once again be used while immune to Physical damage.
    • Fixed an issue where was not activating frequently enough.
    • Fixed an issue where was leaving a beam visual behind.
    • internal cooldown reduced to 15 seconds (was 25 seconds).

Gamepad Support

  • Gamepad Support has entered a complete functional state.
    • In World of Warcraft: Forever, all major gameplay and core user interface experiences can be played with a controller, including movement, spells, interactions, UI navigation, etc.
    • Gamepad settings can be customized through Edit Mode and the Options menu.
  • Action Bars
    • AoE items bound to the Gamepad Action Bar can now be used and placed at a targeted location.
      • Press the Action Bar button again to confirm placement, consistent with ground-targeted AoE spells.
    • Fixed an issue where changing the current keyboard and mouse Action Bar page would cause Gamepad Action Bar buttons to be offset.
    • Fixed an issue where Gamepad Action Bar settings were not immediately reflected while in Edit Mode.
  • Add-ons
    • Improved Gamepad UI compatibility with user-created add-ons to reduce the likelihood of add-on conflicts causing interface issues.
  • Bags and Inventory
    • Fixed an issue where Gamepad focus could move away from the inventory after confirming or canceling the destruction of an item.
    • Fixed an issue where horizontal Gamepad navigation could behave incorrectly when moving between bag columns of different heights.
    • Fixed an issue where navigating the inventory with a Gamepad during a trade could cause a Lua error.
    • Fixed an issue where opening individual bags with the keyboard and mouse UI could cause a Lua error after switching from the Gamepad UI.
    • Improved bag management when using a Gamepad.
    • Improved the Gamepad Bag UI.
      • Added updated visuals and clearer bag states.
      • Added remaining bag space and ammo count indicators.
      • Improved bag prompts and interactions.
      • Improved Keyring navigation and highlighting.
      • Improved the inventory search layout.
  • Character Select & Ruleset Selection
    • Added Gamepad support for navigating and interacting with ruleset selection screens.
    • Fixed an issue where newly created characters were not automatically selected when returning to the Character Select screen while using a Gamepad.
  • Cinematics
    • Added Gamepad support for skipping or exiting cinematics.
  • Combat and Targeting
    • Added Gamepad support for targeting a previously assigned Focus Target.
      • LB + RB + Face Down can be used to select your Focus Target.
      • The target context menu displays Clear Focus when your current target is also your Focus Target.
    • Friendly corpses can now be targeted with a Gamepad.
      • Friendly Analog Targeting can target friendly corpses.
      • Friendly Tab Targeting can target friendly corpses.
    • Improved Gamepad targeting for critters.
      • Hostile Analog Targeting can target critters.
      • Soft Targeting can target critters.
    • Improved Gamepad targeting of enemy players.
      • Enemy players can no longer be selected by Friendly Analog Targeting.
      • Enemy players can be selected by Hostile Analog Targeting regardless of PvP flag status.
    • Units behind the player can now be selected with Analog Targeting when they remain visible on screen.
    • Feign Death units that remain attackable can now be targeted if and only if the Gamepad reticle is positioned over them.
    • Fixed an issue where certain attackable enemies could incorrectly display an Interact icon when using a Gamepad.
    • Fixed an issue where looting or closing the loot window could leave a corpse incorrectly locked as the player’s target.
  • Flight Paths
    • Added Gamepad support for ending a flight path early using the Back/Cancel action.
      • Players will dismount at the next available flight point.
  • Navigation and Focus
    • Fixed an issue where Gamepad focus could be lost from the Options panel after closing a graphics settings confirmation dialog.
    • Updated popup behavior so non-user-initiated popups no longer automatically steal Gamepad focus.
      • These popups can be explicitly focused using the View/Select action or equivalent controller input.
    • Updated Gamepad navigation prompts to use LT and RT button indicators when navigating between supported UI panels.
  • Pets
    • Added Gamepad support for the Pet Move command.
      • Pet placement can be confirmed using the Interact button or by activating the ability again.
  • Professions
    • Fixed an issue where Gamepad users could not use the Train action at Profession Trainers when a skill upgrade was the only available option.
    • Fixed an issue where the Gamepad prompt for removing a Profession did not indicate that the button needed to be held.
  • Quests
    • Fixed an issue where viewing quest details in a different map region with a Gamepad could cause a Lua error.
  • Swing Timers
    • Fixed an issue where the Off-Hand Swing Timer could fail to appear after logging in on dual-wielding characters.
  • Tooltips and UI
    • Added Gamepad support for adjusting opacity in the Color Picker.
    • Fixed an issue where Gamepad LB and RB prompts could incorrectly appear in the Equipment Manager while using the keyboard and mouse UI.
    • Updated Gamepad tooltips to remain visible rather than allowing them to be toggled on or off with the controller.

Items

Summary of changes

Equipping bagsBefore: Automatically equipped into empty bag slotsAfter: Must be equipped manually

Development notes

  • Bags
    • Bags will no longer automatically equip into available bag slots and must now be manually equipped by the player.

Quests and World

Summary of changes

Some satyrBefore: Creature type: HumanoidAfter: Creature type: Demon
Ruins of Lordaeron dungeon questsBefore: Minimum level to start: 15 or 16After: Minimum level to start: 15

Development notes

  • Adjusted respawn rates for many different areas in the world.
    • Developers’ notes: Our goal with these adjustments is to properly support large player volumes at launch, so that players aren’t hitting hard bottlenecks and can continue to enjoy the game. Some contention for spawns is expected and part of the experience - it is not our goal to remove that. These adjusted rates are generally on the faster side in lower-level zones - with starting zones being the fastest - and gradually fall to slower rates as you level up, consistent with when players naturally spread out across the many zones available in WoW Forever. Once the initial launch surge of low-level characters has settled down, we will adjust the lower-level zones down to more typical rates.
  • Adjusted experience values on various quests.
  • Adjusted pre-requisites and level settings on some quests to improve flow across the world.
  • Added mouseover tooltips for objectives on various quests.
  • Added missing point-of-interest markers and adjusted incorrect ones on various quests.
  • Fixed incorrect zone sorts in the quest log on various quests.
  • Fixed various quests where destroying the associated item would not abandon the quest, and vice versa.
  • Fixed an issue where some satyr were classified as humanoids instead of demons. They are now 100% more scared of Paladins.
  • Alterac Mountains
    • Fixed an issue where Dalaran Summoners were really amazingly good at summoning and would summon until their little hearts couldn’t summon anymore. And then they’d summon some more anyway.
  • Barrens
    • You can now speak to Rethgar Deathgate to begin the event for “Counterattack!” if it is not currently active.
    • The Alliance Outrunners now spawn in random locations.
  • Darkshore
    • The quest “Holy Diver” now gives an XP reward.
  • Mulgore
    • Gloomrise Hatchlings now give lower XP, commensurate with their lower health values.
  • Orgrimmar
    • Fixed an issue during “Hidden Enemies” where the Lieutenant’s Insignia would remain in inventory after quest completion.
  • Ruins of Lordaeron
    • Ruins of Lordaeron dungeon quests now consistently require a minimum of level 15 to start (was a mix of 15 and 16), and some pre-requisites have been adjusted.
  • Teldrassil
    • The Cleft - There are now slightly fewer spiders in this area for the quest “Twisted Hatred”.
  • Wetlands
    • Fixed an issue where Carnage reset near the end of the fight for the quest “Carnage”.
    • Fixed an issue during “Destruction in Deadmines” where Alba Fairmoon would become unavailable to turn-in the quest.

Sources