We have some big news concerning some of the smallest residents in Azeroth. Gnome players will at long last be able to play the Hunter class! That’s right—in World of Warcraft: Legion, you too will be able to rise up to become a big game hunter.
One for the Gnomies
Long at the forefront of cutting-edge technology in Azeroth, the inventive gnomes are finally ready to break out the big guns. Their propensity for things that go “bang” and knack for high-tech weapons like rocket launchers, high-powered rifles, and death rays make them perfect candidates for hunting down prey.
And with the events about to unfold on the Broken Shore, High Tinker Mekkatorque has commanded his people to get outfitted and ready for battle—any way they know how.
Mecha-Minions
Of course, gnomes wouldn’t be gnomes if they didn’t apply their own particular brand of engineering to their job—this time in the form of a new Hunter pet family: Mechanical.
Gnome and Goblin players will be able to tame this new kind of hard-to-find pet right from the start. Other races will also be able to learn how to control these artificial animals via a device Engineers will be able to make.
Most Mechanical pets will be challenging to tame, requiring you to first locate them and then use your Hunter abilities in unusual ways. (You didn’t think we’d make it easy, did you?)
For example, one rare mechanostrider requires you to create a special punch card that grants access to a closed section of Gnomeregan (we hope you remember the way). Once you locate the clockwork creature, you’ll then need to figure out how to overload its circuits. Solve the puzzle, and you’ll have this magnificent mechanized minion striding by your side.
What do you feed a high-tech pet that’s not technically alive? Mechanical Bits, of course! Hunters will be able to keep their shiny metal friends “happy” and “healthy” through the creative use of Engineering supplies such as a Handful of Copper Bolts.
And just in case you think we’re lowering ourselves by making “small” jokes, we present to you the Gnome Hunter’s starting pet—the Giant Mechanical Rabbit—as proof!
Will you rise up to the challenge and collect them all?
The Legion Alpha has officially gone live and we were lucky enough to get invited! Currently just the Demon Hunter starting area is enabled, so that’s exactly what we’ll start with! LJ and Mezzy experience it first-hand and are just a tad excited!
The first Legion beta build has been datamined by MMO-Champion and wowhead! You should definitely check out their full datamining pages, but here’s a highlight summary:
Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legion class preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Druid—to find out what’s in store for a different class, check out the overview.
We continue our early look at class and specialization design with the Druid. In these blogs, we’ll be exploring class identity, discussing Legion’s new designs, and presenting core combat abilities for each specialization—laying out the foundation upon which talents and Artifacts will build further. With that in mind, let’s delve into what it means to be a Druid in World of Warcraft.
Guardians of nature who seek to preserve balance and protect life, Druids have unmatched versatility on the field of battle. This is in part because druidism is much more than a fighting discipline—it’s a way of life steeped in traditions so ancient that even the origin of their kind is preserved largely in mythology passed on through millennia.
Druids harness nature’s raw energy for an incredible breadth of offensive and defensive abilities, as well as to restore life to the wounded. Through communion with nature and the demigod Cenarius, Lord of the Forest, Druids are supernaturally endowed with the gift of shapeshifting, allowing them to take the form of all manner of nature’s creature and access powers as distinct as they are diverse.
Known for hybrid utility and shapeshifting, Druids have four diverse and well-established specializations. In Legion, we’re focusing on empowering Balance gameplay, strengthening the cohesion of Guardian abilities and their fantasy themes, and renewing Druids’ overall trait of shapeshifting between forms to fulfill distinct functions.
Making use of multiple forms for different situations has been difficult for many years, either due to a lack of access to the “off-spec” talents that make your alternate forms feel strong or because the process itself has felt overwhelming and convoluted. To help solve this issue, we’re taking a new route by replacing Heart of the Wild with a full row of Affinity talents, which essentially allow every Druid to choose an off-spec from the remaining three specializations.
Affinities provide two benefits: first, a passive ability that is useful at all times, even to your main role; second, access to multiple key abilities to use in associated shapeshifting forms. To give you a sense for how choosing your Affinity will impact gameplay, regardless of what form you’re in, here’s a look at the passive abilities they grant:
Balance Affinity
Astral Influence: Increases the range of all spells, abilities, and autoattacks by 5 yds.
Feral Affinity
Feline Swiftness: Increases movement speed by 15%.
Guardian Affinity
Thick Hide: Reduces all damage taken by 10%.
Restoration Affinity
Ysera’s Gift: Constantly heals the Druid, or allies when the Druid is at full health.
Unlike Heart of the Wild, Affinities are not temporary buffs. This enhanced access to an off-spec, delivered through a cleaner game mechanic, empowers Druids of any specialization to make interesting situational combat decisions.
Balance
The elements that carve form into the universe are fluid forces of nature. Some beings seek to bend the power of these natural elements to their will. Druids, however, worship the protecting spirits of nature. Long ago, nature’s equilibrium was thrown out of balance, leaving the world vulnerable to catastrophic events, including the first invasion of the Burning Legion.
By leveraging the sacred powers of the moon, the sun, and the stars, balance druids access arcane and nature magics—made more potent still through shapeshifting, when the spellcaster takes the form of the moonkin—to aid in the fight against imbalance that threatens the natural order of all things.
“Balance druids access arcane and nature magics to fight imbalance in the natural order of all things”
Gameplay
Balance Druids have had a variety of cyclical rotations over the years. The core design problem in all of these cycles is that they’ve forced players into watching closely for UI cues and casting spells in largely predetermined orders. The Legion design is focused on providing a flexible combat experience, where you can use abilities as you’d like, and each has a specific purpose. The Eclipse Bar has been completely replaced by an Astral Power resource, which is built and spent, and provides a platform for abilities to create interesting, engaging, and powerful effects. Balance gameplay will center on maintaining your DoTs, generating Astral Power with a mixture of Lunar Strike and Solar Wrath, and spending Astral Power on either Starsurge or Starfall.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Balance Druids:
Moonfire
45 yd range, Instant
A quick beam of lunar light burns an enemy for minor Arcane damage and then an additional strong Arcane damage over 18 sec.
Usable while in Bear Form.
Sunfire
45 yd range, Instant
A quick beam of solar light burns an enemy for minor Nature damage and then an additional strong Nature damage over 14 sec to the primary target and all enemies within 5 yards.
Lunar Strike
45 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
Call down a strike of lunar energy, causing strong Arcane damage to the target, and minor Arcane damage to all other enemies within 5 yards.
Generates 15 Astral Power.
Solar Wrath
45 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
Hurl a ball of solar energy at the target, dealing moderate Nature damage.
Generates 9 Astral Power.
Starsurge
40 Astral Power, 45 yd range, Instant
Launch a surge of stellar energies at the target, dealing massive Astral damage.
Also grants you Lunar and Solar Empowerments, which increase the damage of your next Lunar Strike or Solar Wrath by 30%, respectively. You can accumulate up to 3 of each Empowerment.
Starfall
60 Astral Power, 45 yd range, Instant
Calls down waves of falling stars that damage enemies at the targeted location. Deals strong Astral damage over 8 sec.
Enemies in your Starfall take 30% additional damage from your Moonfire and Sunfire.
Mastery: Starlight
Increases the damage of Starfall and Starsurge, and the effect of the Empowerments that they grant by an additional 30% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Balance-specific talents:
Blessing of the Ancients
Instant
Gain a Blessing of the Ancients, activating or swapping between one of the two following beneficial effects:
Blessing of Elune – Increases Astral Power generated by Solar Wrath and Lunar Strike by 50%.
Blessing of An’she – Grants 3 Astral Power every 2 sec.
Feral
Feral druids also seek to curb imbalance in nature. They observe the fantastic intricacies of the physical world and the delicate fabric in which all living creatures are given purpose. Whether on land or in the sea, in a lush jungle or an uncultivated desert, death is part of the cycle which sustains life. Nature is an eternal dance between predator and prey.
As a shapeshifter, the feral druid endlessly pursues a greater understanding of this truth. They seek a visceral connection to the wild, and in combat take the form of a deadly feline predator. Feral druids become ferocious, agile stalkers—ripping, biting, and bleeding their enemies dry. The forces of chaos are tamed by the druid’s primal fury.
“Feral druids become ferocious, agile stalkers—ripping, biting, and bleeding their enemies dry”
Gameplay
Feral Druids have a solid gameplay foundation that complements their fiction. Design changes in Legion are tempered, and we’re paying the most attention to talent options that provide a wider array of combat customization. Making Savage Roar optional in the talent tree in Warlords worked well to open up gameplay opportunities. We’re taking this approach further by flipping it around—Savage Roar is now a talent choice matched against two compelling alternatives that cater to different play styles.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Feral Druids:
Shred
40 Energy, Melee Range, Instant
Shred the target, causing moderate Physical damage to the target. Awards 1 combo point.
Damage increased by 20% against bleeding targets.
While stealthed, Shred deals 20% increased damage, and has double the chance to critically strike.
Rake
35 Energy, Melee Range, Instant
Rake the target for minor Bleed damage and an additional strong Bleed damage over 15 sec. Reduces the target’s movement speed by 50% for 12 sec. Awards 1 combo point.
While stealthed, Rake will also stun the target for 4 sec.
Rip
30 Energy, 1 to 5 Combo Points, Melee Range, Instant
Finishing move that causes massive Bleed damage over 24 sec. Damage increases per combo point.
Ferocious Bite
25 Energy, 1 to 5 Combo Points, Melee Range, Instant
Finishing move that causes damage per combo point and consumes up to 25 additional Energy to increase damage by up to 100%.
When used on targets below 25% health, Ferocious Bite will also refresh the duration of your Rip on the target.
Critical strike chance doubled against bleeding targets.
Omen of Clarity
Passive
Your autoattacks have a chance to reduce the Energy cost of your next Cat Form ability by 100%.
Primal Fury
Passive
You gain an additional combo point when you critically strike with a combo-generating attack.
Damage over time cannot trigger this effect.
Mastery: Razor Claws
Increases the damage done by your Cat Form bleed abilities by 60% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Feral-specific talents:
Jagged Wounds
Passive
Your Rip, Rake, and Thrash abilities deal the same damage as normal, but in 33% less time.
Guardian
Like their feral brothers and sisters, guardian druids attune themselves to nature through the animal kingdom. They commune with the wild to understand how life perseveres through adversity. They know that the creatures who survive are often those built to best protect themselves and their kin. In this, the guardian druid finds a deep and harmonious value in the steadfast—all the while recognizing that sturdiness requires an aggressive stance when danger comes near.
Taking the form of a great bear, the guardian druid becomes a massive wall of fur, claw, tooth, and rage, aided by the forces of nature, standing between allies and any opposing threats.
“Taking the form of a great bear, the guardian druid becomes a massive wall of fur, claw, tooth, and rage”
Gameplay
Powerful themes fuel the Guardian Druid, but the gameplay falls short of delivering on them. In particular, Guardian Druids have had a strong emphasis on avoidance, dodging attacks more than almost any other tank, with abilities accentuating that. However, this doesn’t mesh well with the image of the tough and sturdy bear. We want Guardian Druids to survive through their sheer tenacity, thick hide, massive resilience, and strong regeneration. To this end, we’ve redesigned several parts of the Druid combat ability toolkit to instead focus on those core defensive ideas—health, armor, mitigation, and regeneration—while deemphasizing dodge.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Guardian Druids:
Mangle
Melee Range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
Mangle the target for strong Physical damage, reducing the target’s movement speed by 50% for 12 sec. Deals 20% additional damage against bleeding targets.
Generates 5 Rage.
Lacerate
Melee Range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown
Lacerates the enemy target, dealing moderate Bleed damage and an additional moderate Bleed damage over 15 sec. Stacks up to 3 times.
Lacerate has a 25% chance to reset the cooldown on Mangle.
Thrash
Instant, 6 sec cooldown
Strikes all enemy targets within 8 yards, dealing minor Bleed damage and applying Lacerate for an additional moderate Bleed damage over 15 sec.
Moonfire
40 yd range, Instant
A quick beam of lunar light burns the enemy for minor Arcane damage and then an additional strong Arcane damage over 12 sec.
Usable while in Bear Form.
Defensive
Ironfur
40 Rage, Instant
Increases armor by 100% for 6 sec.
Multiple uses of this ability may overlap.
Mark of Ursol
40 Rage, Instant
Reduces magical damage taken by 30% for 6 sec.
Frenzied Regeneration
10 Rage, Instant, 20 sec recharge (2 charges)
Heals you for 100% of all damage taken in the last 6 sec over 6 sec (minimum 5% of maximum health).
Mastery: Nature’s Guardian
Increases your maximum health and healing received by 40% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Also increases your attack power by 20% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Guardian-specific talents:
Rend and Tear
Passive
Your Lacerate bleed now also reduces the target’s damage done to you, and increases damage you do to the target, by 3% per stack.
Restoration
The many gifts provided by nature must sometimes be reciprocated. Restoration druids seek order in the world by tending directly to its many life forms. Friend to flora and fauna alike, restoration druids celebrate birth and growth. Where there is decay, they bring rejuvenation. Where there is abatement, they summon regrowth. Life not only needs protection—it needs nourishment.
To foster this harmony, the restoration druid builds a bond with the things that grow, gaining inspiration from the flower’s bloom, the seed’s sprout, the mushroom’s spores, and the tree’s growth. Like nature, the restoration druid perseveres through patience and persistence, the foundation upon which all life is built and sustained. They use this power to mend wounds and provide persistent remedies that keep their allies from falling.
“Friend to flora and fauna alike, restoration druids celebrate birth and growth”
Gameplay
Restoration Druid themes are clearly defined, and there’s a lot of cohesive flavor to love in how the spec plays. As a result, we’re making minimal changes. Their Mastery had the most room for improvement, having basically become a passive effect. We’ve redesigned it to emphasize layering healing-over-time effects, favoring more engaging gameplay, while also catering to the Restoration themes.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Restoration Druids:
Mastery: Harmony
Your healing is increased by 12% (with Mastery from typical gear) for each of your Restoration heal over time effects on the target.
Healing Touch
2% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
Heals a friendly target for a moderate amount.
Regrowth
3.7% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
Heals a friendly target for a moderate amount and another minor amount over 12 sec.
Regrowth has a 60% increased chance for a critical effect.
Rejuvenation
1.9% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
Heals the target for a moderate amount over 15 sec.
Lifebloom
2% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
Heals the target for a moderate amount over 10 sec. When Lifebloom expires or is dispelled, the target is instantly healed for a moderate amount.
Lifebloom can be active only on one target at a time.
Efflorescence
4.3% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
Grow a healing blossom at the target location, restoring a moderate amount of health to three injured allies within 10 yards every 2 sec for 30 sec.
Only 1 Efflorescence can be placed at a time.
Swiftmend
1.6% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 30 sec cooldown
Instantly heals a friendly target for a large amount.
Heals up to 6 injured allies within 30 yards of the target for a moderate amount over 7 sec.
Healing amount starts high and declines over the duration.
Living Seed
Passive
When you critically heal a target with the direct healing portion of Switmend, Regrowth, or Healing Touch, you plant a Living Seed on the target.
When the target is next attacked, the Living Seed will bloom and heal for 50% of the initial amount healed.
Omen of Clarity
Passive
Your periodic healing from Lifebloom has a 4% chance to cause you to enter a Clearcasting state, causing your next Regrowth to be free.
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Restoration-specific talents:
Flourish
Instant, 1 min cooldown
Extend the duration of all of your heal over time effects on friendly targets within 60 yards by 10 sec.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to Druid class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’ll wrap up our series tomorrow with a look at Rogues.
Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legion class preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Rogue—to find out what’s in store for a different class, check out the overview.
We finish off our early look at class and specialization design with the Rogue. In these blogs, we’ve been exploring class identity, discussing Legion’s new designs, and presenting core combat abilities for each specialization—laying the foundation upon which talents and Artifacts will build further. With that in mind, let’s delve into what it means to be a Rogue in World of Warcraft.
Rogues fend for themselves, looking for fights in which they dictate the terms. They’re the shadows in the night that remain unseen until the right moment comes to strike—then they dispatch an opponent with quick blade work or a deadly toxin snuck acutely into the bloodstream. Rogues are opportunistic thieves, bandits, and assassins, but there’s an unparalleled art to what they do.
As with Hunters, the three Rogue specializations have long suffered from a lack of distinct identity. What truly sets an Assassination Rogue apart from Subtlety? And just what is a “Combat” Rogue anyway? Aren’t all three pretty focused on the art of combat? With that in mind, we’re making some bold changes that take each spec in a much more pronounced direction. We’re finding what makes them each special and amplifying their fantasy by creating abilities and talents unique to each spec that better align with their core theme.
Assassination
One of the favorite tools of the assassin is a pair of daggers coated with vicious poisons. The damage they inflict is deceiving at first—the initial wounds often seem survivable, even superficial. Then the toxins set about their business. Wounds don’t close, and blood loss continues unabated. Assassins begin their work stealthily, choosing their targets and methods of engagement carefully—but once committed to a course of action, they stick to their target until the job is done rather than disappearing into the shadows to avoid their quarry’s blows.
“Assassins begin their work stealthily, choosing their targets and methods of engagement carefully”
Gameplay
For Rogues, no specialization describes itself better than Assassination, which also remains closely aligned with its existing fantasy. And we’re further enhancing those themes through their gameplay. First, this is now the only Rogue spec with access to poisons and bleeds, making much of your damage a little more delayed, but nonetheless massive. In addition, Venomous Wounds triggers based on a combination of bleeds and poisons now to accentuate that gameplay. Assassination is home to the most volatile combo-building. Mutilate is already effective in this regard, but Seal Fate needed some improvement—it now can trigger from both hands with Mutilate.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Assassination Rogues:
Garrote
45 Energy, Melee Range, Instant, 15 sec cooldown
Garrote the enemy, causing strong damage over 18 sec and awarding 1 combo point. Silences the target for 3 sec when used from Stealth.
Mutilate
55 Energy, Melee Range, Instant
Attack with both weapons, dealing strong Physical damage. Awards 2 combo points.
Envenom
35 Energy, 1 to 5 Combo Points, Melee Range, Instant
Finishing move that drives your poisoned blades in deep, dealing instant Nature damage and increasing your poison application chance by 30%. Damage and duration increased per combo point.
Rupture
25 Energy, 1 to 5 Combo Points, Melee Range, Instant
Finishing move that tears open the target, dealing bleed damage over time. Lasts longer per combo point.
Seal Fate
Passive
When you critically strike with a melee attack that generates combo points, you gain an additional combo point.
Venomous Wounds
Passive
You regain 10 Energy each time you deal Bleed damage to a poisoned target.
Mastery: Potent Poisons
Increases the damage done by your poisons by 70% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Assassination-specific talents:
Elaborate Planning
Passive
Your finishing moves grant 20% increased damage done for 4 sec.
Combat
GONE!
OK, not exactly. The lack of a clear theme for the Combat Rogue really gave us an opportunity to reimagine the spec in Legion, to ensure that they have their own depth of character and a unique fighting style that sets them apart from the other Rogue specs.
Outlaw
“To survive in such a world, outlaws must become master swordsmen in toe-to-toe combat—and they can’t shy away from fighting dirty”
Outlaw rogues are the unscrupulous scoundrels of Azeroth. Operating outside the law, they bend the rules and distort the truth to get what they need. While they share plenty in common with other rogues, these outlaws have little use for tact or discretion, happy to engage in a tavern brawl or spontaneous duel, rarely patient enough to wait in stealth for the opportune time to engage. To survive in such a world, outlaws must become master swordsmen in toe-to-toe combat—and they can’t shy away from fighting dirty. If blade fails to cut too deeply, the outlaw takes advantage of a concealed pistol, catching the enemy by surprise with a quick blast.
Gameplay
To achieve the “swordmaster” fantasy we’re going for with the Outlaw Rogue, we’re giving them several new and upgraded abilities, such as Saber Slash and Pistol Shot. We’re also deemphasizing Stealth, with Ambush being their only remaining opening move. Stealth will still provide its core Rogue utility, but Outlaws are more comfortable fighting toe-to-toe with a sword than skulking about. Finally, we’re ensuring that Outlaws retain several signature abilities from Combat, such as Adrenaline Rush and Blade Flurry. These abilities provide a good basis on which to build new and distinct flavor. A wide variety of talents enhance the fantasy further with themes of the swordmaster, brawler, or even pirate.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Outlaws:
Saber Slash
50 Energy, Melee Range, Instant
Viciously slash an enemy, causing moderate Physical damage and awarding 1 combo point. Saber Slash has a 35% chance to strike an additional time, granting additional damage and combo point, and making your next Pistol Shot free.
Pistol Shot
40 Energy, 20 yd range, Instant
Draw a concealed pistol and fire a quick shot at an enemy, dealing moderate Physical damage and reducing movement speed by 50% for 6 sec. Awards 1 combo point.
Slice and Dice
25 Energy, Instant
Finishing move that consumes combo points to increase attack speed by 40%. Lasts longer per combo point.
Lunging finishing move that causes damage per combo point and has increased range.
Combat Potency
Passive
Your off-hand attacks have a chance to generate 15 Energy. Slower weapons have a higher chance.
Ruthlessness
Passive
Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point spent to grant a combo point.
Mastery: Main Gauche
Your main-hand attacks have a 44% (with Mastery from typical gear) chance to trigger an attack with your off-hand that deals minor Physical damage.
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Outlaw-specific talents:
Quick Draw
Passive
Free uses of Pistol Shot granted by Saber Slash now generate 1 additional combo point, and deal 50% increased damage.
Subtlety
Subtlety rogues are the masters of the shadows, and they strike unseen. They don’t have the lethal poison-tipped daggers of the assassin or the brawling prowess of the outlaw, but their acumen on the battlefield and ability to hide in plain sight are unrivaled. Some claim the art of subtlety looks like malevolent shadow magic—but no matter from where their power is derived, these rogues are capable of performing devastating assaults on their enemies, slipping away unharmed to strike again without detection. Most rogues train their entire lives to learn how to walk in the shadows—subtlety rogues were born there.
“The subtlety rogue’s acumen on the battlefield and ability to hide in plain sight are unrivaled”
Gameplay
As the true masters of stealthy gameplay, we’ve pushed Subtlety further toward making heavy use of Stealth as their primary combat mechanic. The new version of Shadow Dance allows Subtlety to weave in and out of Stealth rotationally. Meanwhile, Shadowstrike provides incredible mobility for attacking from Stealth. Finally, to further reinforce the matter of their relationship with sinister Shadow magic, Subtlety makes use of a new ability called Nightblade, which applies Shadow damage over time.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Subtlety Rogues:
Shadowstrike
40 Energy, 30 yd range, Instant, Requires Stealth
Strike through the shadows, appearing behind your target and dealing strong Physical damage. Awards 2 combo points.
Backstab
35 Energy, Melee Range, Instant
Stab the target, causing moderate Physical damage. Damage increased by 30% when behind your target. Awards 1 combo point.
Nightblade
25 Energy, 1 to 5 Combo Points, Melee Range, Instant
Finishing move that infects the target with shadowy energy, dealing Shadow damage over time and reducing movement speed by 50%. Damage and duration increased per combo point.
Eviscerate
35 Energy, 1 to 5 Combo Points, Melee Range, Instant
Finishing move that disembowels the target, dealing increased damage per combo point.
Shadow Dance
Passive
Your finishing moves have a 20% chance per combo point to activate Stealth. For 3 sec, this Stealth will not break when you autoattack or take damage. When this effect occurs, a Shadow Decoy will appear nearby, confusing your enemies.
Developer Comment: This will function differently in PvP, granting the use of abilities that require Stealth, but not actually providing Stealth.
Shadow Techniques
Passive
Your autoattacks have a chance to generate a combo point.
Mastery: Executioner
Increases the damage done by your finishing moves by 55% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Subtlety-specific talents:
Relentless Strikes
Passive
You gain an additional 40 Energy when you enter Stealth.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to Rogue class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’re looking forward to hearing more feedback and sharing in ongoing conversations with the community regarding these and all of the other changes we’ve discussed in this series, and we’re excited to get this information out before our broader beta phase to make sure we have as much time as possible to iterate and carry on the conversation.
Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in the Legion beta!
Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legion class preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Warrior—to find out what’s in store for a different class, check out the overview.
We continue our early look at class and specialization design with the Warrior. In these blogs, we’ll be exploring class identity, discussing Legion’s new designs, and presenting core combat abilities for each specialization—laying the foundation upon which talents and Artifacts will build further. With that in mind, let’s delve into what it means to be a Warrior in World of Warcraft.
Warriors are the quintessential fearless fighters on the battlefield, and their pure martial prowess inspires courage in allies and despair in enemies. Experts in all manner of melee weaponry and possessing incredible physical strength and skill, Warriors are perfectly suited to serve as frontline combatants and battlefield commanders.
Warriors are thematically informed by our own history, dating back to ancient clashes when close-quarters, shield-and-sword combat was the backbone of battlefield strategy. Warriors in WoW are steeped in this tradition, with each specialization filling distinct niches.
One notable goal we have for Warriors in Legion is to significantly expand their customizability through talents, especially for Arms and Fury. If the below core abilities seem sparse, it’s to leave room for more from talents than ever before. Both specs now have five rows of core throughput talents (mostly different between Arms and Fury, too), with a strong mix of active rotational abilities, passives, procs, cooldowns, and other interesting effects. You’ll find old favorites like Overpower, Heroic Strike, and Opportunity Strikes, returning classics like Avatar, Dragon Roar, and Storm Bolt, along with a host of brand new talents. We look forward to seeing the combinations that you put together.
Arms
Across culture and kingdom, men and women who demonstrate great physical aptitude are transformed into mighty warriors through tests of strength, endurance, and fighting capability. Their friendships are forged not in the classroom, tavern, or workshop, but in the dueling pits and on the arena floor. As a childhood of sparring defines a warrior’s destiny, so too does one’s choice of weapon determine their role on the battlefield. Arms warriors gravitate toward two-handed weapons instinctively. It’s more than a matter of preference—it speaks to the character of the wielder. Arms warriors are patient in a fight, waiting to capitalize on moments when an opponent is left exposed. Two-handed weapons allow them to deliver devastating, overpowering blows, fully exploiting their enemies’ weaknesses.
“Arms warriors are patient in a fight, waiting to capitalize on moments when an opponent is left exposed.”
Gameplay
The defining character traits of Arms Warriors already mesh well with their gameplay, but there’s room for more flavor. In Legion we’ve opened up a wider variety of potential gameplay styles based on your talent choices, as discussed above. We also replaced their Mastery with Colossal Might, which increases the effectiveness of Colossus Smash, playing into their theme more directly. As before, Arms Warrior Rage generation comes from auto-attacks.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Arms Warriors:
Mortal Strike
20 Rage, Melee Range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
A vicious strike that deals strong Physical damage and reduces the effectiveness of healing on the target for 10 sec.
Slam
15 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
Slam an opponent, causing moderate Physical damage.
Colossus Smash
Melee Range, Instant, 45 sec cooldown
Smashes the enemy’s armor, dealing massive Physical damage, and increasing damage you deal to them by 20% for 6 sec.
Execute
10 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
Attempt to finish off a foe, causing strong Physical damage to the target, and consuming up to 30 additional Rage to deal up to massive additional damage. Only usable on enemies that have less than 20% health.
Tactician
Passive
Slam, Whirlwind, and Execute have a 20% chance per target hit to reset the cooldown on Colossus Smash.
Mastery: Colossal Might
Increases the damage of your Colossus Smash by 50%, and causes it to increase damage taken by an additional 50%.
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Arms-specific talents:
Titanic Might
Passive
Increases the duration of Colossus Smash by 200%, but halves its effectiveness.
Fury
On the battlefield and in the arena, the most feared combatants are often the furious berserkers who lust for battle and thirst for blood. Through a lifetime of training and sparring, these merciless warriors have become masters of carnage—often wielding a weapon in each hand to maximize the destruction. Even without the protection of a shield, the fury warrior leaves little opportunity for an opponent to strike without suffering grievous wounds in return—delivered in a whirlwind of blades that dooms anyone its wake. Brute force becomes a breathtaking display when fury warriors relentlessly dive into the fray.
“Brute force becomes a breathtaking display when fury warriors relentlessly dive into the fray.“
Gameplay
Fury is a thematically grandiose take on the classic warrior archetype, and in Legion we want the gameplay to convey this better. To help deliver on the fantasy of a relentless death-dealer, we’ve bolstered their gameplay around quickly building Rage and then going wild with Rampage. In particular, Enrage is now considerably more powerful, doubling your attack speed (and thus Rage generation, since the majority of Rage is still generated by auto-attacks), along with increasing damage based on Mastery. Similar to Arms, a multitude of talent options will expand your combat abilities in a wide variety of ways.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Fury Warriors:
Bloodthirst
Melee Range, Instant, 4.5 sec cooldown
Attack the target in a bloodthirsty craze, dealing moderate Physical damage, generating 10 Rage, and restoring 5% of your health.
Bloodthirst has an additional 40% chance to be a critical strike.
Enrage
Passive
Bloodthirst critical strikes or activating Berserker Rage will Enrage you, increasing attack speed by 100% and damage taken by 30% for 6 sec.
Raging Blow
10 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
A mighty blow with both weapons that deals a total of strong Physical damage.
Only usable while Enraged.
Rampage
50 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
Unleash a series of 5 brutal strikes over 2 sec for a total of massive Physical damage.
Rampage always deals damage as if you were Enraged.
Execute
30 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
Attempt to finish off a foe, causing a total of massive damage Physical damage. Only usable on enemies that have less than 20% health.
Mastery: Unshackled Fury
Increases damage done while Enraged by 28% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Fury-specific talents:
Frenzy
15 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
Furiously slash at the target, dealing moderate Physical damage, and increasing your Haste by 5% for 10 sec. Stacks up to 5 times.
Protection
Like their counterparts, protection warriors are virtually bred for physical dominance, having been raised in the art of close-quarters combat—but their measured approach to battle is what distinguishes them from their comrades-in-arms. They demonstrate an uncanny knack for blade and shield, nullifying an opponent’s advances and creating opportunities for counterattacks. For the protection warrior, being the toughest soldier on the front means nothing if allies are left vulnerable to the enemy’s attack. Stalwart defenders are integral to the success of any military campaign—the protection warrior seeks to be an unbreakable wall.
“For the protection warrior, being the toughest soldier on the front means nothing if allies are left vulnerable to the enemy’s attack.“
Gameplay
Protection gameplay ties strongly to Warrior lore and exemplifies the very foundation of the tank role in the game, so we’re primarily focused on fine-tuning their mechanics. Shield Block and Shield Barrier in particular often created a trap choice for players. We’ve replaced Shield Barrier with a new ability, Ignore Pain, which massively reduces damage taken (up to a cap based on maximum health) and functions as your primary defensive Rage-spender. It doesn’t compete as much with Shield Block, and thus provides you with distinct tools in your arsenal to apply to different situations. In terms of Rage, Protection Warriors now primarily generate Rage through taking damage, supplemented by a baseline Rage income from ability usage. This plays well with Ignore Pain as their primary Rage-spender; it’s most useful when you’re taking a lot of damage, which is also when you’ll have a lot of Rage to use on it.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Protection Warriors:
Offensive
Devastate
Melee Range, Instant
A direct strike, dealing moderate Physical damage.
Devastate has a 30% chance to reset the cooldown of Shield Slam.
Revenge
Melee Range, Instant, 9 sec cooldown
Swing in a wide arc, dealing strong damage to all enemies in front of you.
Generates 4 Rage.
Your successful dodges and parries reset the cooldown of Revenge (cannot occur more than once every 3 sec).
Deep Wounds
Passive
Your Devastate and Revenge cause the target to bleed for strong Physical damage over 15 sec.
This effect is cancelled if the target reaches full health.
Thunder Clap
Instant, 6 sec cooldown
Blasts all enemies within 8 yards for moderate damage and reduces their movement speed by 50% for 10 sec.
Shield Slam
Melee Range, Instant, 9 sec cooldown
Slam the target with your shield, causing strong Physical damage.
Generates 6 Rage.
Heroic Strike
30 Rage, Melee Range, Instant
Instantly deals moderate Physical damage.
This ability is not on the global cooldown.
Defensive
Shield Block
10 Rage, Instant, 12 sec recharge, 2 charges
Raise your shield, blocking every melee attack against you for 6 sec. These blocks can be critical blocks.
Shield Slam deals 30% additional damage while Shield Block is active.
Ignore Pain
40 Rage, Instant
Fight through the pain, ignoring 90% of the next massive amount (based on maximum health) of damage you take.
Spell Reflection
Instant, 25 sec cooldown
Raise your shield, reflecting spells cast on you and reducing magical damage taken by 30%. Lasts 5 sec or until a spell is reflected.
Mastery: Critical Block
Increases your chance to block by 10% (with Mastery from typical gear) and your chance to critically block by 30% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Also increases your attack power by 20% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Protection-specific talents:
Shield Discipline
Passive
Shield Slam extends the duration of Shield Block by 2 sec.
Shield Block increases the damage of Shield Slam by an additional 30%.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to Warrior class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’ll continue our series later today with a look at Monks and Druids.
Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legionclass preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Monk—to find out what’s in store for a different class, check out the overview.
We continue our early look at class and specialization design with the Monk. In these blogs, we’ll be exploring class identity, discussing Legion’s new designs, and presenting core combat abilities for each specialization—laying out the foundation upon which talents and Artifacts will build further. With that in mind, let’s delve into what it means to be a Monk in World of Warcraft.
Monks were introduced in Mists of Pandaria, and their story is woven directly into the expansion’s rich and vibrant lore. Monks bring a unique martial arts style to any fight, and harness an exotic form of magical energy that’s unfamiliar to those who practice other arcane arts. They seek spiritual balance in life and in combat, and as dangerous as Monks can be on the battlefield, they’re rarely looking to pick a fight without just cause. They view the world through a different lens, finding power through serenity and inner peace—then expressing it through artful combat techniques and powers that mend life. Perhaps most surprisingly, Monks are also adept at producing powerful brews they consume to aid them in battle.
In Legion, we’re focusing on making sure Monk abilities and gameplay better match the class’s vivid backstory. We’re also looking at abilities that already lend themselves well to the Monk’s character, but whose mechanics are in need of polish.
Brewmaster
The brewmaster is a quirky character, though dangerous when underestimated. Brewmasters may seem to struggle with balance as they chug their concoctions in the middle of a fight, but this unpredictable behavior is far from foolhardiness. Most opponents barely have time to process the erratic nature of the brewmaster’s fighting tactics before they find themselves laid low—possibly the result of a keg smash to the head. When an opponent actually manages to land an attack, it’s often unclear how much the brewmaster feels it . . . if at all.
“The brewmaster is a quirky character, though dangerous when underestimated.”
Gameplay
The gameplay for Brewmasters hasn’t quite fit their archetypes to this point. Rather than being the tricky martial artists, staggering around with an evasiveness that frustrates their opponent while being a little squishy when taking an unmitigated blow, Brewmasters have been more focused around large absorption shields and clutch self-healing. Our new design approach is to get more gameplay depth out of their strong, thematic abilities. Instead of Chi as a resource, which had little depth for Brewmasters, we’re switching to charges on Brew abilities that other abilities still interact with.
Here’s a basic look at the core defensive and offensive combat abilities for Brewmaster Monks:
Defensive
Ironskin Brew
Instant, 20 sec recharge, 3 charges
Increases your Stagger amount by an additional 60% for 6 sec.
Shares charges with Purifying Brew.
Purifying Brew
Instant, 20 sec recharge, 3 charges
Instantly purifies all of your staggered damage.
Shares charges with Ironskin Brew.
Gift of the Ox
Passive
When you take damage, you have a chance to summon a Healing Sphere visible only to you. Moving through this Healing Sphere will heal you for 25% of your maximum health.
This chance is increased the lower health you are.
Mastery: Elusive Brawler
Each time you are hit by a melee attack, you gain 20% (with Mastery from typical gear) Dodge, until your next successful Dodge.
Also increases your attack power by 20% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Offensive
Keg Smash
40 Energy, 15 yd range, Instant, 8 sec cooldown
Smash a keg of brew on the target, dealing strong damage to all enemies within 8 yds and reducing their movement speed by 50% for 15 sec.
Reduces the remaining cooldown on your Brews by 4 sec.
Tiger Palm
50 Energy, Melee Range, Instant
Attack with the palm of your hand, dealing minor damage.
Reduces the remaining cooldown on your Brews by 1 sec.
Blackout Strike
Melee Range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown
Thwack the enemy with your weapon, dealing moderate Physical damage.
Shares cooldown with Breath of Fire.
Breath of Fire
Instant, 3 sec cooldown
Targets in front of the caster take minor Fire damage. If affected by Keg Smash, they will also burn for minor Fire damage over 8 sec.
Shares cooldown with Blackout Kick.
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Brewmaster-specific talents:
Elusive Dance
Passive
Purifying Brew also grants up to 15% Dodge for 6 sec, based on the level of Stagger damage purified.
Mistweaver
Mistweavers are unique among those who heal. The energies they channel are mysterious, oftentimes misunderstood by commoners—who rarely travel beyond the borders of their homelands—as some form of folk medicine. But those who weave the mists wield the power of life’s essence, using a mixture of preventative and restorative spells to mend their allies’ wounds. The inner tranquility that guides mistweavers allows them to sustain their healing for long periods of time, and gives them the strength to care for multiple injured allies.
“…those who weave the mists wield the power of life’s essence, using a mixture of preventative and restorative spells to mend their allies’ wounds.”
Gameplay
Our goal with Mistweaver Monks is to accentuate the existing characteristics that define them, and resolve some core gameplay issues. In simple terms, this means we’ve redesigned their abilities so that you can directly use the spells you want rather than having to set up an excessive amount of other abilities first.
The most prominent example of this was Renewing Mist, which served primarily as a setup for Uplift; we’ve reworked Renewing Mist to stand on its own, and replaced Uplift with a couple of new spells: Vivify and Essence Font. In addition, a new passive Soothing Mist mechanic gives Mistweavers a unique healing style with variable efficiency, over which you have more direct control.
We’re also focusing Mistweavers solely on healing, rather than supporting a type of mixed attack-healing gameplay that felt awkward and ultimately didn’t live up to our goals for the spec—it was unintuitive, and chiefly useful as a mana management tool. Lastly, Mistweavers will now use Mana, not Chi, as a resource, since it reduced choices and restricted gameplay in many situations.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat healing abilities for Mistweaver Monks:
Mastery: Gust of Mists
Your targeted heals also cause a gust of healing mists, instantly healing the target for a minor amount (increasing with Mastery from gear).
Soothing Mist
Passive
Your Effuse, Enveloping Mist, and Vivify also trigger Soothing Mist.
After casting these spells, you continue to channel healing mists into the target, healing them for a minor amount every 0.5 sec, until you take any other action.
Developer Comments
Need efficient healing? Cast any heal and let Soothing Mist continue to provide free healing as long as you feel comfortable!
Need high-throughput healing? Cast any heal and move onto the next target in need of healing, without spending time on Soothing Mist.
For Mistweavers, it’s OK to have open global cooldowns between heals—Soothing Mist fills these gaps.
Effuse
1.8% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
A fast and efficient spell, healing the target for a minor amount.
Enveloping Mist
6.0% Mana, 40 yd range, 2 sec cast
Wrap the target in healing mists, healing them for a huge amount over 6 sec, and increasing healing received from your spells by 30%.
Renewing Mist
3.5% Mana, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
You surround the target with healing mists, restoring a huge amount of health over 20 sec.
If Renewing Mist causes any overhealing, it will travel to the most injured ally within 20 yds.
When Renewing Mist heals, it has a 4% chance to increase the healing of your next Vivify by 50%.
Essence Font
8.0% Mana, 40 yd range, Channeled
Unleash a rapid twirl of healing bolts at up to 6 allies within 25 yds, every 1 sec for 3 sec.
Each bolt heals the target for a moderate amount, plus an additional moderate amount over 8 sec.
Vivify
5.0% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
Cause a surge of invigorating mists around the target, healing them and their 2 nearest injured allies for a moderate amount.
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Mistweaver-specific talents:
Mistwalk
40 yd range, Instant, 20 sec recharge, 2 charges
Instantly dash to an ally, and heal them for a large amount.
Windwalker
Among monks, none have mastered the martial arts as the windwalkers have, and few across Azeroth can fight with their grace. Windwalkers possess unparalleled physical finesse, and are capable of overwhelming their enemies with a dizzying flurry of punches and kicks. Their skill comes primarily from a lifetime of intense training and discipline, but the power they exhibit is shrouded in more mysticism than meets the untrained eye. The combination of their peak physical conditioning, state of inner calm, and leveraging of mystical chi makes windwalker monks a true force to be reckoned with.
“Windwalkers possess unparalleled physical finesse, and are capable of overwhelming their enemies with a dizzying flurry of punches and kicks.”
Gameplay
Similar to Brewmasters, here we focused on getting more depth out of less complexity. Windwalkers’ new Mastery, Combo Strikes, encourages mixing a variety of abilities, which provides a constant gameplay hook that influences every ability they use and draws inspiration from classic fighting games. In addition, we’ve polished Storm, Earth, and Fire to remove some cumbersome mechanics. Windwalkers still use a combination of Energy and Chi, along with a heavy dose of short cooldowns.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Windwalker Monks:
Mastery: Combo Strikes
Your abilities deal 25% (with Mastery from typical gear) more damage when they are not a repeat of the previous ability.
Tiger Palm
50 Energy, Melee Range, Instant
Attack with the palm of your hand, dealing minor damage and generating 2 Chi.
Tiger Palm has an 8% chance to make your next Blackout Kick cost no Chi.
Blackout Kick
1 Chi, Melee Range, Instant
Kick with a blast of Chi energy, dealing moderate Physical damage.
Rising Sun Kick
2 Chi, Melee Range, Instant, 8 sec cooldown
You kick upwards, dealing strong damage, and reducing the effectiveness of healing on the target for 10 sec.
Fists of Fury
3 Chi, Melee Range, Channeled, 20 sec cooldown
Pummel all targets in front of you, dealing massive damage over 4 sec. Deals reduced damage to secondary targets.
Can be channeled while moving.
Spinning Crane Kick
1 Chi, Channeled
You spin while kicking in the air, dealing moderate damage over 1.5 sec to enemies within 8 yds.
Storm, Earth, and Fire
Split into 3 elemental spirits, suited to attacking 3 or more enemies. Each spirit deals 50% of normal damage and healing.
The Monk directly controls the Storm spirit, while Earth and Fire spirits mimic the Monk’s attacks on different nearby enemies.
Lasts until toggled off, or either Earth or Fire are destroyed.
Developer Comment: Now a simple toggle—no targeting necessary! Spirits will automatically seek out nearby enemies to attack while you attack your target.
Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Windwalker-specific talents:
Hit Combo
Passive
Each successive attack that triggers Combo Strikes in a row grants 1% increased damage, stacking up to 10 times.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to Monk class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’ll continue our series later today with a look at Druids.
Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legion class preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Shaman—to find out what’s in store for a different class, check out the overview.
We continue our early look at class and specialization design with the Shaman. In these blogs, we’ll be exploring class identity, discussing Legion’s new designs, and presenting core combat abilities for each specialization—laying out the foundation upon which talents and Artifacts will build further. With that in mind, let’s delve into what it means to be a Shaman in World of Warcraft.
For millennia, since the primitive tribal cultures of Azeroth and Draenor, the natural elements of the physical universe have been celebrated, feared, and even worshipped. Mystics sought communion with the earth, air, fire, and water, and learned to tap into their raw power. In time, these spiritual guides came to understand that nature’s elemental forces aren’t wholly benevolent, but have, in fact, been locked in an unending conflict of chaos and primal fury that once consumed the physical realm. So began the calling of the Shaman, to bring balance to these volatile energies, leveraging their intensity to mend wounds . . . or inflict them.
The use of totems is integral to the Shaman archetype, and we’re addressing some persistent issues with their mechanics. For a long time there have been significant constraints associated with totems, like the fact that they can only be dropped at the Shaman’s feet, or that they only have 5 health, or that no more than one of the same elemental type can be active at one time. While these constraints were intended to ensure that totems felt unique, they ultimately drove us to creating strange tools to allow the Shaman to bypass such constraints, such as Totemic Projection or Totemic Persistence. In Legion, we’re eliminating this awkwardness and simply removing the constraints.
Totems of the same nature type can now be summoned together, allowing you to have Healing Stream Totem and Healing Tide Totem up at the same time. Elementals are no longer tied to totems, but are guardians that follow and assist you. Totems’ maximum health will always equal a percentage of your maximum health. In addition, totems that need to be placed at a specific location will be directly placed using a targeting reticle. If you want to place Earthgrab Totem in the middle of a big pack of nasty orcs, you can do that without having to run into that nastiness or use a separate spell to throw the totem there. In general, totem mechanics are concentrated around temporary effects (either beneficial or hostile) in a localized area, as opposed to “maintenance buff” cooldowns you need to make sure are up at all times.
Finally, we’re bringing needed clarity to Shaman resources, particularly to move away from disguising a couple key resources as buffs. Lightning Shield charges for Elemental Shaman, Maelstrom Weapon charges for Enhancement Shaman, and Mana have all been replaced for Elemental and Enhancement with a new resource: Maelstrom. Mana is a fitting Restoration Shaman resource and will remain for that spec.
Elemental
Certain shaman have dedicated themselves above all else to forging a deep bond with the elements. They have peered beyond the Elemental Plane, gleaning visions of an ancient past where manifestations of volatile energies once raged unimpeded across primordial Azeroth. Through careful study and dedication, the elemental shaman is able to channel such power into destructive magical surges. Through the body of the shaman flows bolts of lightning, as if from storm, and bursts of fire, as if from molten earth. They manipulate the land itself and summon spirits of earth, fire, and storm to their aid. To battle an elemental shaman is to taunt the very forces of nature.
“Through the body of the shaman flows bolts of lightning, as if from storm, and bursts of fire, as if from molten earth”
Gameplay
Elemental Shaman already have a strong, thematic ability repertoire. We’re retaining much of that existing gameplay in Legion, while smoothing the rough edges. The previously mentioned switch to Maelstrom as a resource is most significant. Elemental Shaman will build Maelstrom through their Lightning Bolt, Lava Burst, and Chain Lightning, and spend it on abilities like Shocks and Earthquake. This change also allows us to remove the cooldown on Shocks, since they instead compete for resources. Shock usage is now more flexible for Elemental Shaman, such as using more of their Maelstrom on Flame Shock to DoT multiple targets. Another notable change is the return of Elemental Overload as their Mastery; Molten Earth never lived up to our hopes, being too non-interactive and confusing.
To give you an idea of the Elemental Shaman in action, here’s a basic look at their core combat abilities:
Lightning Bolt
40 yd range, 2 sec cast
Fires a bolt of lightning at the target, dealing moderate Nature damage, and generating 15 Maelstrom.
Lava Burst
40 yd range, 2 sec cast, 8 sec cooldown
Hurl molten lava at the target, dealing strong Fire damage. If your Flame Shock is on the target, Lava Burst will deal 50% additional damage. Generates 15 Maelstom.
Flame Shock
0 to 20 Maelstrom, 45 yd range, Instant
Sears the target with fire, causing minor Fire damage and then an additional minor Fire damage every 2 sec. Lasts 10 to 30 sec based on Maelstrom spent.
Earth Shock
10 to 100 Maelstrom, 45 yd range, Instant
Instantly shocks the target with concussive force, causing massive Nature damage, based on Maelstrom spent.
Lava Surge
Passive
Your Flame Shock damage over time has a chance to reset the cooldown of Lava Burst and cause your next Lava Burst to be instant.
Mastery: Elemental Overload
Grants a 40% (with Mastery from typical gear) chance for Elemental Overload to occur. Elemental Overload causes a Lightning Bolt, Chain lightning, or Lava Burst spell you cast to trigger a second, similar spell on the same target that causes 75% of normal damage and Maelstrom generation, and no threat.
Additionally, to provide a glimpse at how some talents may build upon this, here’s one example of an Elemental-specific talent:
Maelstrom Totem
40 yd range, Instant, 30 sec cooldown
Summons a Maelstrom Totem near the target for 15 sec that repeatedly attacks an enemy within 30 yards for moderate Nature damage. Every time the Maelstrom Totem attacks, it will generate 5 Maelstrom for you.
Enhancement
Intense communion with fire, earth, air, and water isn’t exclusive to the elemental shaman. In many ways, enhancement shaman similarly bond with nature and leverage its power on the battlefield. What distinguishes them in their training—and in their connection with the elements—is their combat methodology. These shaman favor empowering their physical attacks with elemental energies and facing their adversaries up close. They don’t shy from the frontlines, wielding magically augmented weapons, potent elemental attacks, and totems that shape the tide of battle.
“These shaman favor empowering their physical attacks with elemental energies and facing their adversaries up close”
Gameplay
The identity of the Enhancement Shaman is cool, but we don’t feel that the mechanics do well to establish that. We want this spec to be more than a melee-range Elemental Shaman, while having a distinct “Battle Mage” feel. Enhancement’s niche focuses on dishing out devastating spells and punishing strikes at melee range to destroy their enemy. Rather than leaving you with a multitude of buttons, many of which are inconsequential, we’re emphasizing empowering your weapons and allies in the fray. Enhancement Shaman become increasingly deadly as they build their power through Maelstrom generation. They must be careful not to let it overflow, while maintaining enough to utilize their most dominant attacks at critical moments.
To give you an idea of the Enhancement Shaman in action, here’s a basic look at their core combat abilities:
Rockbiter
10 yd range, Instant
Assault your target with earthen power, dealing moderate Nature damage, and generating 15 Maelstrom.
Flametongue
10 yd range, Instant, 12 sec cooldown
Scorch your target with fiery power, dealing moderate Fire damage, and enhancing your weapons.
Each of your weapon attacks cause up to minor additional Fire damage, based on weapon speed. Lasts 16 sec.
Windfury
Passive
Each of your main-hand attacks has a 7% chance of triggering three extra attacks, dealing minor Physical damage.
Lava Lash
30 Maelstrom, Melee Range, Instant
Charge your off-hand weapon with lava and strike your target, dealing strong Fire damage.
Energize your weapons with lightning and deliver a massive blow to your target, dealing heavy Physical damage.
Maelstrom Weapon
Passive
When you deal damage with a melee weapon, you generate 5 Maelstrom.
Stormfury
Passive
Each of your attacks has a 2% chance to cause Stormfury, resetting the cooldown on Stormstrike, and causing your next Stormstrike to cost 50% less Maelstrom and to trigger no cooldown.
Mastery: Enhanced Elements
Increases the chance for Stormfury and Windfury to trigger by 5% (with Mastery from typical gear), and increases all Fire and Nature damage done by 40% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Additionally, to provide a glimpse at how some talents may build upon this, here’s one example of an Enhancement-specific talent:
Sundering
60 Maelstrom, Instant, 20 sec cooldown
Shatter a line of earth before you, causing strong Physical damage and knocking enemies to the side.
Restoration
Some shaman find a serene affinity for the restorative properties of water. These shaman do not necessarily seek the Light or turn to the divine, yet they feel a profound spiritual connection with the source from which all mortal life took root. So strong is their connection with water that the shaman is able to restore life and heal afflictions. They balance this with a command of the other elements, finding harmony in nature and purifying their allies as a tidal surge washes across a sandy shore.
“Restoration shaman feel a profound spiritual connection with the source from which all mortal life took root”
Gameplay
Restoration mechanics are informed well by the themes of the spec, and we want to avoid disrupting what healers already like about it. What has changed has primarily been in terms of tweaking their gameplay in more fun directions. There’s now slightly more emphasis on targeted healing, and slightly less on Chain Heal spam. We’ve also significantly improved their talents, offering more impactful and varied options. Additionally, Restoration gains the most from the removal of totem restrictions.
To give you an idea of the Restoration Shaman in action, here’s a basic look at their core combat abilities:
Healing Wave
2.1% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
A slow but efficient wave of healing energy that restores a moderate amount of a friendly target’s health.
Healing Surge
4.1% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
A quick but expensive surge of healing energy that restores a moderate amount of a friendly target’s health.
Chain Heal
5.6% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
Heals the friendly target for a moderate amount, then jumps to heal the most injured nearby party or raid members. Healing is reduced by 30% after each jump. Heals 4 total targets.
Riptide
1.5% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
Restorative waters wash over a friendly target, healing them for a moderate amount and an additional moderate amount over 18 sec.
Blanket the target area in healing rains, restoring a moderate amount of health to up to 6 allies in the area over 10 sec.
Healing Stream Totem
1.7% Mana, Instant, 30 sec cooldown
Summons a Water Totem at the feet of the Shaman that heals an injured party or raid member within 40 yards for a minor amount every 2 sec. Lasts 15 sec.
Tidal Waves
Passive
When you cast Chain Heal or Riptide, you gain the Tidal Waves effect, which reduces the cast time of your next Healing Wave by 40% or increases the critical effect chance of your next Healing Surge by 40%. Stacks up to 2 times.
Mastery: Deep Healing
Increases the potency of your healing spells by up to 60% (with Mastery from typical gear), based on the current health level of your target (lower health targets are healed for more).
Additionally, to provide a glimpse at how some talents may build upon this, here’s one example of a Restoration-specific talent:
Create a surge of water that flows forward, healing all friendly targets in a wide arc in front of you for a strong amount.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’ll continue our review tomorrow with a look at Warriors, Monks, and Druids.
Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legion class preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Warlock—to find out what’s in store for a different class, check out the overview.
We continue our early look at class and specialization design with the Warlock. In these blogs, we’ll be exploring class identity, discussing Legion’s new designs, and presenting core combat abilities for each specialization—laying out the foundation upon which talents and Artifacts will build further. With that in mind, let’s delve into what it means to be a Warlock in World of Warcraft.
Warlocks are the most volatile and insatiable of spellcasters. Though they often pledge themselves to the service of noble causes and are not innately evil, their desire to understand darker magics and exercise unwavering command over demonic forces breeds mistrust among even their closest allies.
Warlocks peer into the Void without hesitation, leveraging the chaos they glimpse within to devastating ends in battle—their greatest abilities are fueled by the souls they’ve harvested from their victims. They exploit powerful Shadow magic to manipulate and degrade the minds and bodies of their enemies. They employ Fire magic, dropping hellish rain from the sky, to immolate the opposition. They summon and command indomitable demons from the Twisting Nether to do their bidding, or even to be sacrificed as the Warlock sees fit, empowering and protecting the dark caster from harm.
The foundation of the Warlock class has been long and well established in Warcraft lore. However, while Affliction and Destruction Warlocks have maintained consistent, distinguished fantasies, the core identity of the Demonology Warlock has strayed too far from its roots in recent years. A primary goal for Warlocks in Legion is to accentuate the existing motifs for Affliction and Destruction, while returning Demonology back to its roots of summoning, utilizing, and empowering demons.
Warlock resources have also become too cumbersome, causing confusion that outweighed their depth. To this end, we’re going to once again standardize Warlocks on their most class-defining resources: Mana and Soul Shards. Finally, demons have always served various utility purposes, but most of them are very niche, while the same one or two demons see the vast majority of limelight. We want to re-incentivize demon variety, strengthening the various utilities that each demon supplies, and causing some demons to be favored based on the Warlock’s spec.
Affliction
Affliction warlocks are masters of shadow-touched powers, but unlike shadow priests—deadliest when pushed to the brink of insanity—these warlocks delight in using fel forces to cause intense pain and suffering in others. They revel in corrupting minds and agonizing souls, leaving enemies in a state of torment that would see them undone in due time. Even the most battle-hardened warriors can be deceived, landing blow after blow against the warlock, only to succumb to their suffering as their very vitality is siphoned away by the dark spellcaster.
“These warlocks delight in using fel forces to cause intense pain and suffering in others”
Gameplay
Affliction Warlocks’ gameplay has always aligned well with their character, but in terms of abilities, we want to avoid the feeling that DoTs are amplifiers for your channeled single-target damage. Applying spells that do damage over time is very core to Affliction, so we want to reinforce these spells as the primary source of damage, with other “filler” spells feeling more secondary. We’re adjusting the Affliction rotation so that DoTs are stronger, and your focus is more on figuring out how best to juggle those DoTs to maximize damage output.
Mechanically, we’re altering how Soul Shards are generated and spent, in part to better deliver on the more DoT-driven damage. Soul Shards are now generated by each Agony you have up on your targets, instead of only by your most recent Corruption cast, to favor placing DoTs on several targets rapidly (multi-dotting). You’ll then spend Soul Shards on an extremely strong DoT in Unstable Affliction, reinforcing the focus on DoTs.
Finally, in keeping with the Affliction theme, Drain Life serves as the main filler spell, instead of Malefic Grasp or Drain Soul. This better matches the Affliction identity because its damage stays secondary to the DoTs, which should be the primary focus of damage, instead of dwarfing them. It also adds significant self-healing, further playing to the Affliction motif.
To give you an idea of the Affliction Warlock in action, here’s a basic look at their core combat abilities:
Corruption
3% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
Corrupts the target, causing moderate Shadow damage over 14 sec.
Agony
3% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
Inflicts increasing agony on the target, causing up to a huge amount of Shadow damage over 18 sec. Damage starts low and increases over the duration. Refreshing Agony maintains its current damage level.
When Agony deals damage, you have a chance to regain a Soul Shard.
Unstable Affliction
1 Soul Shard, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
An especially insidious affliction that deals strong Shadow damage over 8 sec.
If the target dies, the Soul Shard will be refunded.
If Unstable Affliction is dispelled, the dispeller suffers strong Shadow damage and is silenced for 4 sec.
Drain Life
3% Mana, plus 4,800 per sec, 40 yd range, Channeled
Drains life from the target, causing moderate shadow damage and restoring 18% of the caster’s health over 6 sec.
Drain Life’s damage is increased by 50% for each of your Corruption, Agony, and Unstable Affliction effects on the target.
Mastery: Potent Afflictions
Increases the damage of Agony, Corruption, and Unstable Affliction by 62.5% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Additionally, to provide a glimpse at how some talents may build upon this, here’s one example of an Affliction-specific talent:
Contagion
Passive
After you cast Unstable Affliction, you can cast a second one for free, within 3 seconds.
Demonology
By their very nature, demons are leeches on the living universe—but the demonologist has mastered harnessing the power of these malefic beings on the field of battle. Warlocks harvest the souls of their defeated enemies; those specialized in the ways of demonology use this life essence to tap into the Void, pulling all manner of abomination from the chaos of the Twisting Nether. While such a practice is often considered by outsiders to be wicked and reckless, the demonologist maintains absolute control over the summoned creatures. These malignant entities are fully beholden to—and empowered by—the will of the warlock, until banished to the realm from whence they came.
“The demonologist has mastered harnessing the power of malefic beings on the field of battle”
Gameplay
While all Warlocks maintain the power to summon demons, Demonology is distinguished by the ability to call forth waves of demons to overwhelm the opposition, and also to further empower the demons they summon. Over the years we strayed too far from this design, to the extent that Demonology gameplay was defined more by the Warlock becoming a demon. Legion provides a fitting opportunity for us to realign the spec around its core function of mastering control of demons, not transforming into them.
We also recognize that Demonology had a large array of intertwined mechanics that weren’t intuitive, and they’ve undergone a greater degree of redesign as a result. For those who played Demonology during Warlords of Draenor, the gameplay will feel quite different in Legion. Beta test feedback will be essential in helping us to ensure that the new spec feels strong and enjoyable and that we’ve accomplished our goal of returning Demonology to its foundations.
To give you an idea of the Demonology Warlock in action, here’s a basic look at their core combat abilities:
Shadow Bolt
6% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
Sends a shadowy bolt at the enemy, causing minor Shadow damage. Generates 1 Soul Shard.
Summon 2 ferocious Dreadstalkers to attack the target for 12 sec.
Hand of Gul’dan
1 to 5 Soul Shards, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
Calls down a demonic meteor full of Wild Imps which burst forth to attack the target for 12 sec.
Deals up to a strong amount of Shadow damage to all enemies within 8 yds and summons up to 5 Wild Imps, based on Soul Shards consumed.
Demonic Empowerment
6% Mana, 1.5 sec cast, 12 sec recharge, 3 charges
Empowers up to 3 of your active demons with dark energies, increasing their Haste and health by 50% for 12 sec.
Prefers stronger demons first.
Mastery: Master Demonologist
Demonic Empowerment also increases the damage of your demons by 50% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Doom
2% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
Inflicts impending doom upon the target, causing absolutely massive Shadow damage after 20 seconds
Generates a Soul Shard when it deals damage.
Demonwrath
2.5% Mana per sec, Channeled
Your demons crackle with demonic energy. Every 1 sec, all enemies within 10 yds of any of your demons take minor Shadow damage.
Each time Demonwrath deals damage, it has a 15% chance to generate a Soul Shard.
May be channeled while moving.
Additionally, to provide a glimpse at how some talents may build upon this, here’s one example of a Demonology-specific talent:
Implosion
6% Mana, Instant
Causes all of your Wild Imps to be violently yanked toward the target, and then explode, dealing moderate Shadow damage to all enemies near them.
Destruction
Warlocks who command the power of destruction favor incantations of pure chaos and aggression in battle. In this regard, they’d find a stronger kinship with fire mages than warlocks of other disciplines—if not for their propensity to make use of magic deemed detestable by all mage orders. The destruction warlock is well-versed in discharging a dizzying array of shadow, fel, fire, and chaos magics upon opponents that rattle souls and conflagrate bodies. They require little motivation for the havoc they wreak, happy to revel in the destruction they cause—thrilled at any opportunity to watch the world erupt in discord around them.
“Warlocks who command the power of destruction favor incantations of pure chaos and aggression”
Gameplay
Destruction mechanics are in a solid place overall and are already a good match thematically, so we’re taking the opportunity in Legion to provide additional polish on existing gameplay. While resource mechanic functionality isn’t being drastically overhauled, we’ve changed Burning Embers back to Soul Shards. Not only does this return consistency across all Warlock specs, it also reestablishes the Soul Shard as the iconic source of Warlock power.
To give you an idea of the Destruction Warlock in action, here’s a basic look at their core combat abilities:
Incinerate
6% Mana, 40 yd range, 2 sec cast
Draws fire toward the enemy, dealing moderate Fire damage.
Immolate
6% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
Burns the enemy with fire, causing minor Fire damage and an additional strong Fire damage over 15 sec.
Immolate critical strikes have a 30% chance to generate a Soul Shard.
Triggers an explosion of fire on the target, dealing moderate Fire damage and generating a Soul Shard.
Also causes Backdraft, reducing the cast times of Incinerate and Chaos Bolt by 30% for 5 sec.
Chaos Bolt
2 Soul Shards, 40 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
Unleashes a devastating blast of chaos, causing huge Shadow damage. Chaos Bolt always critically strikes and your critical strike chance increases its damage.
Havoc
8% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 20 sec cooldown
Mark a target with Havoc for 8 sec, causing your single target spells to also strike them. Limit 1.
Mastery: Chaotic Energies
Your Destruction spells deal up to 40% (with Mastery from typical gear) additional damage, randomly.
Additionally, to provide a glimpse at how some talents may build upon this, here’s one example of a Destruction-specific talent:
Channel Demonfire
4.8% Mana, Channeled, 12 se cooldown
Launches 15 bolts of felfire at Immolated enemies within 40 yds, over 3 sec. Each bolt deals moderate Fire damage.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’ll continue our review later today with a look at Death Knights and Shaman.
Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legionclass preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Death Knight—to find out what’s in store for a different class, check out the overview.
We continue our early look at class and specialization design with the Death Knight. In these blogs, we’ll be exploring class identity, discussing Legion’s new designs, and presenting core combat abilities for each specialization—laying out the foundation upon which talents and Artifacts will build further. With that in mind, let’s delve into what it means to be a Death Knight in World of Warcraft.
The first new class introduced to World of Warcraft after its launch, Death Knights came into the fray with an identity unmistakably tied to the Wrath of the Lich King story. The Death Knights of Acherus, their cold bodies lifted from the grave in the Scarlet Enclave, were commanded by the Lich King and Highlord Darion Mograine to slaughter every villager in Tyr’s Hand, New Avalon, and Havenshire, and to sack Light’s Hope Chapel, decimating both the Scarlet Crusade and the Argent Dawn.
Ultimately, as a result of such uncompromising ambition, the Lich King was betrayed by Highlord Mograine in an act that freed the Death Knights from their servitude. Under Mograine’s leadership they formed the Knights of the Ebon Blade and began joining the ranks of the Horde and Alliance forces bound for Icecrown Citadel to end the reign of Arthas, the Lich King. Though now free from the Lich King’s grasp, these once virtuous champions remain knights of darkness, wielding runeblades of death and destruction and mercilessly stealing the very life essence of their enemies.
We always want to reflect the Death Knight origin story and identity in how they play. The biggest area where we see room for improvement is in their resource system. Runes are a very iconic resource, but their functionality has always been convoluted. In Legion, we’re making Runes more straightforward by removing their division into separate Blood, Frost, and Unholy types. Death Knights now have six unified Runes to spend, with a maximum of three recharging at any one time.
With this change, it’s also important that we preserve the existing gameplay familiarity of Death Knights by making mostly minor changes to core ability functionality and cost—we don’t want the Rune change to create a situation where the best Frost rotation is just Obliterate, Obliterate, Obliterate. Finally, we’re reducing ability overlap between specializations, giving each a single disease with a unique trait and creating a talent tree that’s largely populated with spec-specific talents to better distinguish them.
Blood
In undeath, some death knights find a special affinity for the blood and bone of the living. They carve into their enemies, sustaining themselves with deadly sanguine strikes, while using the bloody, shattered remains of the dead to fortify their own defenses. These crimson-soaked knights bend the very rules of mortality to control the frontlines of the battlefield.
“These crimson-soaked knights bend the very rules of mortality to control the frontlines of the battlefield”
Gameplay
The core abilities for Blood should be familiar, though we’ve touched them up to bring added clarity to the specialization. Each core ability now better leverages that sinister command of blood and bone to fuel your survivability. In particular, we’ve changed Death Strike to cost Runic Power instead of Runes. This results in a more clear choice of resource expenditure; you can’t lock yourself out of being able to heal if you spend a Rune at the wrong time, and also gives Runic Power generation a bigger impact.
Instead of Rune Tap, we’re positioning Bone Shield to be the primary complement to Death Strike for active defenses to better tie into the fantasy and provide more flexibility. Marrowrend is a new attack which allows you to rotationally generate Bone Shields. To provide gameplay contention between Runes of a single type, Blood Strike now generates additional Runic Power on top of the standard amount gained for spending a Rune.
Here’s a basic look at the core defensive and offensive combat abilities for Blood Death Knights:
Blood Strike
1 Rune, Melee Range, Instant
Instantly strike the enemy, causing moderate Physical damage and infecting the victim with Blood Plague.
Generates 10 bonus Runic Power.
Blood Plague
A disease that deals minor Shadow damage and heals the caster for 1% of their maximum health every 3 sec for 30 sec.
Marrowrend
2 Runes, Melee Range, Instant
Smash the target, dealing strong Physical damage and generating 3 charges of Bone Shield.
Bone Shield
Surrounds you with a barrier of whirling bones that reduces all damage you take by 25%. Each damaging attack consumes a charge. Lasts for 30 sec or until all charges are consumed.
Death Strike
40 Runic Power, Melee Range, Instant
Focuses dark power into a strike that deals strong Physical damage and heals you for 50% of all damage taken in the last 6 sec (minimum 7% of maximum health).
If you are below 35% health when this is cast, all Runic Power is consumed, increasing the potency of the healing effect.
Mastery: Blood Shield
Each time you heal yourself with Death Strike, you gain 40% (with Mastery from typical gear) of the base amount healed as a Physical damage absorption shield.
Also increases your Attack Power by 20% (with Mastery from typical gear).
Death and Decay
1 Rune, 30 yd range, Instant, 30 sec cooldown
Corrupts the ground targeted by the Death Knight, causing moderate Shadow damage over 10 sec to targets within the area. While you remain within the targeted area, your Blood Strike will hit all nearby enemies.
Crimson Scourge
Passive
Your successful autoattacks on targets infected with your Blood Plague have a 25% chance to reset the cooldown on Death and Decay.
To give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this core rotation, here’s an example of a Blood-specific talent:
Bonestorm
15 Runic Power per sec, Instant, 1 min cooldown
A whirl of bone and gore batters nearby enemies 3 times per second to deal minor Shadow damage, healing you for 1% of your maximum health per strike.
Frost
Combining martial prowess with supernatural cold, frost death knights leave their enemies chilled to the bone—and broken of the will to fight. Unlike mages who learn to harness frost magic to great effect, these death knights are born of it, rime gripping their decaying hearts. These frozen undead warriors wield dual blades to strike with ferocity and inflict deathly cold upon anyone who would stand against them.
“These death knights are born of frost magic, rime gripping their decaying hearts”
Gameplay
The mechanics of the Frost Death Knight are quite solid and we don’t want to do too much to change that. You’ll notice that the core combat abilities listed below are largely familiar. One small area where we found room for improvement, however, is in Killing Machine’s passive interaction with the core rotation. While the automatic critical strikes it provides feel good, it’s often better to ignore its proc in favor of spending resources as fast as you can, as your damage output suffers if you wait for the different resources required for using Obliterate and Frost Strike to become available. Killing Machine now only affects Obliterate, and making wise use of its effect should feel more meaningful.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Frost Death Knights:
Howling Blast
1 Rune, 30 yd range, Instant
Blast a target with a frigid wind, dealing minor Frost damage to that target, and minor Frost damage to all other enemies within 10 yds, infecting all targets with Frost Fever
Frost Fever
A disease that deals minor Frost damage and has a chance to grant the Death Knight 5 Runic Power every 3 sec for 30sec.
Obliterate
2 Runes, Melee Range, Instant
A brutal attack with both weapons that deals massive Physical damage.
Frost Strike
20 Runic Power, Melee Range, Instant
Chill your weapons with icy power, and quickly strike the enemy with both weapons, dealing massive Frost damage.
Rime
Passive
Your Obliterate has a 45% chance to cause your next Howling Blast to consume no Runes, generate no Runic Power, and deal 300% additional damage.
Killing Machine
Passive
Your autoattacks have a chance to make your next Obliterate automatically critically strike.
Remorseless Winter
1 Rune, Instant, 30 sec cooldown
Radiate extreme cold, dealing moderate Frost damage to all enemies within 10 yards of you over 10 sec.
Mastery: Frozen Heart
Increases all Frost damage done by 40% (with Mastery from typical gear).
To give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this core rotation, here’s an example of a Frost-specific talent:
Glacial Advance
1 Rune, Instant, 12 sec cooldown
Summon glacial spikes from the ground that advance forward, each dealing moderate Frost damage to enemies near their eruption point.
Unholy
While free from the Lich King’s grasp, some death knights still embody the ever-corrupting nature of the Scourge plague that once threatened to consume Azeroth. No matter their allegiance or cause, they remain defilers of life; and nowhere is their callousness more on display than when threatened. Inflictors of the most aggressive of diseases—and masters of raising unhallowed minions from the ground—these unholy death knights are vicious melee combatants, capable of striking with the force of an undead legion and unleashing pestilence that would bring their foes to ruin.
“Unholy death knights are vicious melee combatants, capable of unleashing pestilence that would bring their foes to ruin”
Gameplay
Unholy is receiving slightly more mechanical changes than Blood and Frost, to better realign with their unique identity. We want to ensure that Unholy continues to be the spec with the most active use of diseases. In this regard, we recognize that Festering Strike lost its luster over time and have developed a new mechanic to ensure the ability remains integral in the Unholy rotation.
Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Unholy Death Knights:
Outbreak
1 Rune, 30 yd range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
Deals minor Shadow damage and surrounds the target in a miasma lasting for 6 sec that causes the target and all nearby enemies to be infected with Virulent Plague
Virulent Plague
A disease that deals moderate Shadow damage every 3 sec for 21 sec. It erupts when the infected target dies, dealing moderate Shadow damage, split evenly between nearby enemies.
The disease also has a 30% chance to erupt each time it deals damage.
Festering Strike
2 Runes, Melee Range, Instant
Deals massive Physical damage and infects the target with 1 to 3 Festering Wounds.
Festering Wound
A pustule-ridden lesion that may be burst by Scourge Strike, dealing moderate Shadow damage and generating 3 Runic Power.
Scourge Strike
1 Rune, Melee Range, Instant
An unholy strike that deals strong Physical damage and strong Shadow damage. Triggers a single stack of Festering Wound, if it is present on the target.
Death Coil
30 Runic Power, 40 yd range, Instant
Fires a blast of unholy energy at the target, causing strong Shadow damage to an enemy, and restoring 10 Energy to your Ghoul.
Sudden Doom
Passive
Your autoattacks have a chance to make your next Death Coil cost no Runic Power.
Dark Transformation
Instant, 1 min cooldown
Transform your Ghoul into a powerful undead monstrosity for 20 sec. The Ghoul’s abilities are empowered and take on new functions while the transformation is active.
Death and Decay
1 Rune, 30 yd range, Instant, 30 sec cooldown
Corrupts the ground targeted by the Death Knight, causing moderate Shadow damage over 10 sec to targets within the area. While you remain within the targeted area, your Scourge Strike will hit all nearby enemies.
Mastery: Dreadblade
Increases all Shadow damage done by 50% (with Mastery from typical gear).
To give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this core rotation, here’s an example of an Unholy-specific talent:
All Will Serve
Passive
Your Raise Dead spell summons an additional skeletal minion, and its cooldown is removed.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’ll continue our review later today with a look at Shaman.
