Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legion class preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Priest—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 Priest. 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 Priest in World of Warcraft.

Priests have a strong identity as spiritual practitioners who harness divine power to inspire and protect allies, heal the injured, and cure the ailed. But while this clearly holds true for Holy Priests, these ideas are less fundamental to Discipline Priests—and the ideals and beliefs of Shadow Priests are antithetical to those of Holy Priests.

Despite these differences, Priests of any spec share one key thing in common: unwavering faith in something from which they draw great power. What delineates specializations is the source of that power. In Legion, we’re going to explore that dichotomy in greater depth than ever through the gameplay for each specialization.

Holy

After spending much of their lives in temples studying ancient doctrine, preaching the tenets of their faith, and pledging their full devotion to the divine powers they follow, the most adept priests leave their houses of worship to serve on the battlefield, as shepherd to flock. There, they use their holy powers to bless allies and mend wounds. And while most stay behind the frontlines to aid their comrades, these holy champions are also capable of smiting foes and carrying out sacred justice. They’re also morally opposed to the use of Shadow and Void magic—rather, they are exemplars of the incredible grace and power of the divine and the Light, and even death cannot fully stop their healing capabilities.

“The most adept priests leave their houses of worship to serve on the battlefield, as shepherd to flock”

Gameplay

Given the innate purity of the spec, we want to ensure that Holy Priests continue to have a large repertoire of compelling healing spells. The Chakra system was cumbersome, requiring additional setup to optimally use most spells and restricting how much you could fluidly shift between healing methods. We have removed it in favor of a more dynamic play style focused around Holy Words. New Holy Word spells are designed to feel absolutely miraculous, having huge effects balanced with long base cooldowns. The new passive effect of Serendipity allows those long base cooldowns to be reduced, letting you use them more frequently. Finally, in keeping with the resolute beliefs of the Holy Priest, they can make no use of Shadow spells. Smite, Holy Fire, and Holy Word: Chastise are the instruments used by Holy Priests to inflict damage upon their enemies.

Here’s a basic look at the core combat healing abilities for Holy Priests:

• Heal
  • 2.0% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
  • A slow but efficient spell that heals an ally for a moderate amount.
• Flash Heal
  • 3.5% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
  • A fast but expensive spell that heals an ally for a moderate amount.
• Holy Word: Serenity
  • 4.0% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown
  • Perform a miracle, healing an ally for an absolutely massive amount.
• Prayer of Healing
  • 8.0% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
  • A powerful prayer that heals up to 5 injured allies within 15 yards of the target for a strong amount.
• Prayer of Mending
  • 2.0% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast, 10 sec cooldown
  • Places a spell on a party or raid member that heals them for a moderate amount the next time they take damage. When the heal occurs, Prayer of Mending jumps to another party or raid member within 20 yds. Jumps up to 5 times and lasts 30 sec. after each jump.
• Holy Word: Sanctify
  • 5% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 1 min. cooldown
  • Release miraculous light into a target location, healing up to 6 allies within 10 yards for a huge amount.
• Renew
  • 2.5% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
  • Fill the target with faith in the Light, healing them instantly for a minor amount and then a large amount over 15 sec.
• Serendipity
  • Passive
  • When you cast Flash Heal or Heal, the cooldown of Holy Word: Serenity is reduced by 6 sec.
  • When you cast Prayer of Healing or Prayer of Mending, the cooldown of Holy Word: Sanctify is reduced by 6 sec.
  • When you cast Smite or Holy Fire, the cooldown of Holy Word: Chastise is reduced by 6 sec.
• Mastery: Echo of Light
  • Your direct healing spells heal for an additional 25% (with Mastery from typical gear) over 6 sec.

Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Holy-specific talents:

• Apotheosis
  • Instant, 3 min cooldown
  • Enter a pure Holy form for 30 sec, increasing the effects of Serendipity by 200%.

Shadow

The Light in which many priests bathe is brilliant and effervescent, granting them immense divine power. But the brightest light casts the darkest shadow—and from within this blackness, a rival power dwells. Shadow priests fully embrace this opposing polarity, their faith equally resolute as their holy counterparts—but focused on shadowy magics and mental manipulation. Like all priests, they dedicate much of their lives to worship—but they derive their power from the Void, straying dangerously close to the domain of the Old Gods. To truly understand such ancient, corruptive influence is to be driven mad. This is the state in which these dark priests thrive, embracing insanity and feeding off of the minds of their opponents to reach terrifying new limits.

“These dark priests thrive, embracing insanity and feeding off of the minds of their opponents to reach terrifying new limits”

Gameplay

We’ve long alluded to the Old God influences of Shadow Priests in their spells and abilities, and we’re making that more distinct in Legion.

A new resource, Insanity, provides a better fit for Shadow, having more granularity and gameplay that emphasizes the immense but fleeting power that the Void offers. Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, and Vampiric Touch will build Insanity. Reaching maximum Insanity will transform Shadowform into Voidform, giving the Shadow Priest access to stronger Void magic, but it is unable to be maintained indefinitely. This should make for interesting gameplay as Shadow Priests try to maintain the height of their Insanity as long as possible to prey on the minds of their enemies.

While not under the effects of Insanity, Shadow Priests continue to rely heavily on abilities that inflict sustained damage over time. Finally, having turned away from the Light, Shadow Priests eschew such spells as Heal, Flash Heal, and Prayer of Mending. Power Word: Shield and Shadow Mend are their primary healing tools.

• Voidform
  • Passive
  • When you reach 100 Insanity, you enter Voidform, transforming your Mind spells into Void spells, and increasing your Shadow damage by 30%.
  • While in Voidform, you gain 2% Haste every 1 sec. This Haste will also persist for 20 sec after Voidform ends.
  • Voidform causes your Insanity to constantly drain, faster and faster, until completely drained, and Voidform ends.
• Mind Flay
  • 40 yd range, Channeled
  • Assault the target’s mind with Shadow energy, causing minor Shadow damage over 3 sec and slowing their movement speed by 50%.
  • While in Voidform, transforms into Void Flay, which also extends Shadow Word: Pain by 3 sec.
• Mind Blast
  • 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast, 9 sec cooldown
  • Blasts the target’s mind for strong Shadow damage.
  • Generates 15 Insanity.
  • While in Voidform, transforms into Void Blast, which has a 4.5 sec cooldown, and also extends Vampiric Touch by 3 sec.
• Vampiric Touch
  • 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
  • A touch of darkness that causes huge Shadow damage over 24 sec, and heals the Priest for each point of damage dealt.
  • If Vampiric Touch is dispelled, the dispeller flees in Horror for 3 sec.
  • Each time Vampiric Touch deals damage, it generates 3 Insanity.
• Shadow Word: Pain
  • 40 yd range, Instant
  • A word of darkness that causes minor Shadow damage instantly, and an additional huge amount of damage over 18 sec.
  • Each time Shadow Word: Pain deals damage, it generates 3 Insanity, and has a 10% chance to reset the cooldown of Mind Blast.
• Mastery: Madness
  • Increases the damage and Insanity generation of your Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, Vampiric Touch, and Shadow Word: Death 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 Shadow-specific talents:

• Oblivion
  • Instant, 2 min cooldown
  • Let the power of the void flow through you, instantly generating 100 Insanity.

Discipline

Some priests pride themselves on pragmatism. They understand that light casts a shadow, that darkness is defined by light, and that true discipline stems from one’s ability to balance these opposing powers in services of a greater cause. While these priests possess many holy virtues to aid their allies, they also dabble in the dark arts to debilitate their enemies—always exercising immense discipline to keep themselves away from the brink of insanity. Many would say the ends justify the means; scriptures both virtuous and vile should be studied and understood to protect the congregation.

“True discipline stems from one’s ability to balance opposing powers in services of a greater cause”

Gameplay

The power of absorption mechanics has created a gameplay issue for healers that we’re looking to address in Legion. Discipline Priests have been so effective in their role of preventing damage that it has sometimes left other healers yearning for an opportune time to throw out a clutch heal. To alleviate that issue, we’re tempering Discipline’s emphasis on shields in lieu of a reimaged Atonement mechanic.

Discipline Priests are now more clearly defined by their use of both Holy and Shadow magic, and that extends to how they function in combat. Sacrificing a portion of healing ability and having a reduced focus on absorption spells, they gain a significant contribution in damage. Still filling a healer role in group content, they aim to strike a balance between healing allies and damaging enemies in a unique gameplay style. Discipline Priests have strong cooldowns with Power Word: Barrier and Pain Suppression, along with Rapture, a new cooldown that temporarily removes the cooldown of Power Word: Shield.

Here’s a basic look at the core defensive and offensive combat abilities for Discipline Priests:

• Atonement
  • Passive
  • Plea, Power Word: Shield, and Shadow Mend also apply Atonement to your target for 15 sec.
  • When you deal spell damage, you instantly heal all targets affected by Atonement for 50% of the damage done.
  • Developer comment: Healing is not split between Atonements—the more allies you have Atonement on, the more total healing that a damage spell will cause.
• Mastery: Absolution
  • Increases the healing transferred through Atonement by 28% (with Mastery from typical gear).
• Defensive
  • Plea
    • 1.2% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
    • A quick, efficient plea to heal an ally for a minor amount.
  • Shadow Mend
    • 3.0% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
    • Wrap an ally in shadows which heal them for a large amount, but at a price.
    • The ally will take minor damage every 1 sec, until they have taken half that amount of total damage from all sources, or leave combat.
  • Power Word: Shield
    • 3.5% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 6 sec cooldown
    • Shield an ally, absorbing a large amount of damage. Lasts 15 sec.
    • While the shield holds, spellcasting will not be delayed by damage.
  • Power Word: Radiance
    • 7.0% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.5 sec cast
    • A burst of light heals a friendly target and their 5 nearest allies for a moderate amount, and applies Atonement for 50% of its normal duration.
• Offensive
  • Smite
    • 0.75% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
    • Smite an enemy for moderate Holy damage.
  • Mind Blast
    • 3.0% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast
    • Blast the target’s mind for strong Shadow damage.
  • Penance
    • 2.5% Mana, 40 yd range, Channeled, 9 sec cooldown
    • Launches a volley of holy light at the target, causing huge Holy damage over 2 sec.
    • Channelable while moving.
  • Revelation
    • Passive
    • Your Smite and Mind Blast casts have a 30% chance to reset the cooldown on Penance.
  • Shadow Word: Pain
    • 2.0% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant
    • A word of darkness that causes minor Shadow damage instantly, and an additional huge amount of Shadow damage over 18 sec.

Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Discipline-specific talents:

• Grace
  • Passive
  • Increases your non-Atonement healing and absorption by 30% on targets with Atonement.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to Priest class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’ll continue our review later today with a look at Mages.

Welcome to our World of Warcraft: Legion class preview series. In this entry, we’re exploring the Mage—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 Mage. 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 Mage in World of Warcraft.

In terms of spec definition and overall design changes, Mages lay in contrast to the classes we’ve talked about so far in this series. Mages are in a very strong place compared to most classes, both thematically and mechanically. There’s a lot of distinction among Arcane, Fire, and Frost Mages, with each type of caster specializing heavily in a single school of magic, and each of the three schools having strong themes and consistent properties. Arcane magic warps time and space, and controls the flow of mana; Fire magic unleashes destructive force that spreads chaotically; and Frost slows and controls, setting foes up for devastating strikes.

The changes we’re making are more to prop up existing gameplay for all skill levels and provide some quality-of-life improvements. As a simple example, Summon Refreshment now automatically provides you with a stack of food if you’re adventuring out on your own, or a table of refreshments when in a party or raid.

Arcane

Mages of the arcane are diviners of secrets, balancing the ebb and flow of incredible mystic energies. Unparalleled skill is required to manipulate the volatile forces of the universe. These practitioners push their magical knowledge to its very limits—often to the brink of their own exhaustion, and at great risk to the world around them. Those who master this craft are capable of releasing a barrage of unrelenting power upon their enemies, drawing upon replenishing energies to maintain their assault for as long as the battle demands.

“Mages of the arcane are diviners of secrets, balancing the ebb and flow of incredible mystic energies”

Gameplay

Arcane Mage abilities and gameplay already deliver on the spec’s fantasy quite well, so most changes are in the vein of polishing what’s already there. First, for added mechanical clarity, Arcane Charges are now an actual resource located underneath your Mana bar instead of a stacking debuff. The functionality is still very much the same, but this change should make their accumulation and use more distinct. The one significant gameplay change is that Arcane has a new Mastery, which increases your maximum Mana by a percentage, and increases the damage bonus from Arcane Charges. This should make the Mastery feel a bit more interesting by allowing more aggressive Mana usage as your Mastery improves, and feel more empowering, ultimately giving you much more control over your rotation.

Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Arcane Mages:

• Arcane Blast
  • 5% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.25 sec cast
  • Blasts the target with energy, dealing moderate Arcane damage and generating an Arcane Charge.
  • Arcane Blast’s damage is increased by 50% per Arcane Charge, and its Mana cost is increased by 100% per Arcane Charge.
• Arcane Missiles
  • 40 yd range, Channeled
  • Launches five waves of Arcane Missiles at the enemy over 2 sec, causing minor Arcane damage per wave. Generates an Arcane Charge.
  • Arcane Missiles’ damage is increased by 50% per Arcane Charge.
  • Arcane Missiles has a chance to be activated after each of your damaging spell casts. Limit 3 charges.
• Arcane Barrage
  • 0.5% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 3 sec cooldown
  • Launches bolts of arcane energy at the enemy target, causing strong Arcane damage. Consumes all Arcane Charges.
  • Arcane Barrage’s damage is increased by 50% per Arcane Charge, and it hits 1 additional nearby target per Arcane Charge for 50% damage.
• Evocation
  • Channeled, 1.5 min cooldown
  • Gain 25% of your total Mana instantly, and another 75% of your total mana over 6 sec.
• Mastery: Savant
  • Increases your Mana regeneration rate and maximum Mana by 20% (with Mastery from typical gear).
  • Arcane Charges increase the damage of affected spells by an additional 10% (with Mastery from typical gear).
• Displacement
  • Instant, 1.5 min cooldown
  • For the next 4 sec, casting Blink will not trigger its cooldown

Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Arcane-specific talents:

• Quickening
  • Passive
  • Arcane Blast and Arcane Missiles also grant 2% Haste for 6 sec, stacking.
  • This effect is cleared when you cast Arcane Barrage.

Fire

While any worthy mage is an unparalleled expert in the use of magic and heavily dedicated to their craft, those who master the forces of fire tend to be a little more audacious than their peers. If a threat stands before them, the answer is always to neutralize it in a glorious blaze. A lifetime dedicated to the study of fiery forces only fuels their pyromania, and these mages take pride—even pleasure—in igniting their enemies in wild bursts of flame. Mistake their affinity for watching things burn as a lack of self-control at your own peril.

“These mages take pride—even pleasure—in igniting their enemies in wild bursts of flame”

Gameplay

Similar to Arcane, Fire already exudes its core identity, so our changes are focused on gameplay adjustments. Ultimately, you will have more freedom in what buttons you press and more control over the Heating Up mechanic, which is core to Fire Mages. In particular, the Inferno Blast ability was trying to fill two roles: spreading Ignite, and forcing a Hot Streak from a Heating Up. We’ve opted to move the spreading to an innate property of Ignite and have taken Inferno Blast off the global cooldown so that you can more freely and intuitively use it to trigger a Hot Streak.

Another major change is the redesign of Combustion. It’s an incredibly complex skill, hard to understand for most people, and has the potential for either ridiculous success or critical failure, with the odds being extremely random and very hard to gauge much of the time. We’re redesigning it into something that fits into the Fire rotation in a clear and consistent way.

Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Fire Mages:

• Fireball
  • 4% Mana, 40 yd range, 2.25 sec cast
  • Throw a fiery ball that causes moderate Fire damage.
• Hot Streak
  • Passive
  • Getting 2 direct-damage critical strikes in a row will make your next Pyroblast or Flamestrike spell instant cast, and cause double the normal Ignite damage.
  • Developer Comment:
    • You may not start a new streak (aka, gain Heating Up), while a Hot Streak is already active
    • It was never our intention for players to sit with a Hot Streak active, then keep fishing for another Heating Up before throwing instant Pyro out—in general, we don’t like the game telling you to press a button when you shouldn’t
• Inferno Blast
  • 2% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 12 sec recharge, 2 charges
  • Blasts the enemy for moderate Fire damage. This damage is always a critical strike.
  • Inferno Blast is not on the global cooldown, and can be cast while casting other spells.
• Pyroblast
  • 5% Mana, 40 yd range, 4.5 sec cast
  • Hurl an immense fiery boulder that causes massive Fire damage.
• Combustion
  • 10% Mana, Instant, 2 min
  • Engulf yourself in flames, increasing your critical strike chance by 100% for 10 sec.
  • Also grants you Mastery equal to your Critical Strike stat.
• Mastery: Ignite
  • Your target burns for an additional 30% (with Mastery from typical gear) over 9 sec of the total direct damage caused by your Fireball, Inferno Blast, Scorch, Pyroblast, and Flamestrike. If this effect is reapplied, any remaining damage will be added to the new Ignite.
  • Every 2 sec, your Ignites may spread to another nearby enemy.

Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Fire-specific talents:

• Cinderstorm
  • 1% Mana, 40 yd range, 1.5 sec cast, 8 sec cooldown
  • Throw a spread of 6 cinders that travel in an arc, and each deal minor Fire damage to enemies they hit.

Frost

Frost mages stand apart from their colleagues, in that their chosen school of magic focuses on maintaining supreme control over the capabilities of their enemies. Mages who command frost perform chilling displays on the battlefield, rendering foes immobile as they bombard them with ice. Often, the blade never reaches the caster before the bitter cold takes hold. The frost mage exudes frigid power as icicles form around them, foreshadowing the wintry demise of those who stand opposed on the field of battle.

“Mages who command frost perform chilling displays on the battlefield, rendering foes immobile”

Gameplay

Frost Mages are very effective casters, and there’s already a lot to like about this spec. Frost’s defining traits and abilities are cohesive, the mechanics are understandable, and there are plenty of opportunities for players to explore unique gameplay at a variety of skill levels. Rather than making any dramatic changes to how a Frost Mage plays, we’ve focused more on fixing one particular outlier in their Spellbook: Frostfire Bolt. After removing the fire portion of the spell, it began to feel like just another Frostbolt, and we started to wonder how a spell supposedly combining frost and fire wasn’t just producing a puddle of water at the feet of the enemy. We’ve removed Frostfire Bolt and made Frozen Orb part of the core spell kit in its place, which better lends itself to the identity of the Frost Mage.

Here’s a basic look at the core combat abilities for Frost Mages:

• Frost Bolt
  • 4% Mana, 40 yd range, 2 sec cast
  • Launches a bolt of frost at the enemy, causing moderate Frost damage and slowing movement speed by 30% for 15 sec.
• Frozen Orb
  • 10% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant, 1 min cooldown
  • Launches an orb of swirling ice forward, dealing minor Frost damage every 1 sec to all nearby enemy targets for 10 sec. Grants the Mage 1 charge of Fingers of Frost when it first reaches a target.
  • Targets damaged by the Frost Orb are slowed by 30% for 2 sec.
• Ice Lance
  • 1% Mana, 40 yd range, Instant.
  • Quickly fling a shard of ice at the target, dealing minor Frost damage.
  • Ice Lance damage is doubled against frozen targets.
• Brain Freeze
  • Passive
  • Your Frostbolts have a 10% chance to reset the cooldown of Frozen Orb.
• Fingers of Frost
  • Passive
  • Your successful Frostbolt hits have a 15% chance, and your Blizzard and Frozen Orb ticks have a 5% chance to grant you the Fingers of Frost effect.
  • The Fingers of Frost effect causes your next Ice Lance to act as if your target were frozen, and deal 140% increased damage.
• Shatter
  • Passive
  • Multiplies the critical strike chance of your spells against Frozen targets by 1.5, and adds an additional 50% chance.
• Mastery: Icicles
  • When you damage enemies with Frostbolt, 45% (with Mastery from typical gear) of the damage done is stored as an Icicle with you, for 30 sec. Also increases the damage that your Water Elemental deals by 45% (with Mastery from typical gear).
  • Up to 5 Icicles can be stored at once. Excess Icicles that are generated will be automatically launched. Casting Ice Lance causes any Icicles to begin launching at the target.

Additionally, to give you an idea of how some talents may build upon this, here’s an example of one of their Frost-specific talents:

• Glacial Spike
  • 1% Mana, 40 yd range, 3 sec cast
  • Conjure a massive spike of ice, and merge your current Icicles into it. It impales your target, dealing massive damage, plus the damage stored in your Icicles.
  • Requires 5 Icicles to cast.
  • Also freezes the target in place for up to 4 sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect.
  • Passive: Ice Lance no longer launches Icicles.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this early preview of our approach to Mage class and specialization design in World of Warcraft: Legion. We’ll continue our series next with a look at Paladins.