On September 30, Blizzard launched Class Deep Dives, a series of detailed official looks at WoW Forever classes. By October 7, four articles covering eight classes had been published. With the November 4 release approaching, these are the most detailed official explanations of talents and new abilities so far.
The ground rules
The first wave arrived on September 30: Hunter and Druid, followed by Priest and Warrior. On October 7, Blizzard added two more pairs: Rogue and Warlock, and Mage and Shaman.
Every article sets out the same basic rules:
- talents unlock at level 10;
- key single-point talents, which Blizzard calls "gold medals," sit at the 11-, 21-, and 31-point milestones, with a new milestone at 16 points;
- talents, including Legacy talents, are changed at a class trainer in a capital city;
- dual specialization unlocks at level 40.
Class highlights
Here are the most notable additions for each class:
- Druid. Shifting Power, a new 16-point Feral talent, instantly grants 40 Energy at a substantial Mana cost, with a 16-second cooldown. Improved Shifting Power reduces that cooldown to 8 seconds. This is how the developers are bringing back powershifting, which disappeared after the Furor rework. According to Warcraft Tavern, both talents were not due to reach the beta until the following build.
- Hunter. All Hunters get Aimed Shot at level 20, and traps can be placed in combat, with a 30-second cooldown.
- Priest. Fear Ward and Devouring Plague are available to every Priest from level 20, regardless of race. Shadow Word: Death becomes a baseline ability at level 32, while Penance is now a 21-point talent.
- Warrior. Victory Rush, available from level 20, restores 10% health and has a 30-second cooldown.
- Rogue. Sap no longer breaks Stealth, one-handed axes are available, and Mutilate is now a 21-point talent. Find more about the class in our Rogue section.
- Warlock. Curse of Agony and Curse of Doom have become Banes: each Warlock can have only one Bane active on a target.
- Mage. At level 40, Mages learn Frostfire Bolt: a 3-second cast whose damage counts as both Fire and Frost.
- Shaman. The global cooldown for totems has been reduced from 1.5 seconds to 1 second. Totems with ongoing effects last 5 minutes instead of 2, and Call of the Elements, available from level 20, places 4 totems at once.
What is still uncertain
In every article, Blizzard notes that abilities and talents may change during the beta. The developers have already acknowledged some issues: Warriors have Rage generation bugs in the beta, and Shaman Totemic Recall does not yet refund Mana. None of the articles explains what Legacy talents are.
Keep the level cap in mind, too: the beta currently stops at level 30, so you cannot try dual specialization or Frostfire Bolt there yet.