WoW Forever Class Changes at Launch: All 9 Classes
What changed for every WoW Forever class right before launch: higher damage, tougher high-level mobs, new tank threat numbers and the talents that moved.
The WoW Forever class changes that went live with launch raise damage on classes across the game, and Blizzard gave higher-level creatures more health to match. Tanks got new threat numbers, Rogues and Druids picked up a new passive called Poised, Shamans lost Lava Burst, and class training from 1 to 60 now costs between 206 and 207 gold for everyone. Below is what changed for each class and what it means while you level.
What changed for every class at launch
During the beta, Blizzard tried to keep each class close to its Classic power budget. Its developers said that meant every new tool had to be paid for by cutting something else. In the last two weeks before launch they raised damage on classes across the game and gave higher-level creatures more health to compensate.
Blizzard did not publish one flat percentage for the damage increase. The buffs come ability by ability, so the class sections below list the real numbers. Because both sides went up, the net effect on kill speed depends on your class and level, and Blizzard did not publish a mob health percentage either.
A few changes hit everyone:
- Class training from 1 to 60 now costs between 206 and 207 gold for every class. Abilities learned at the same level cost the same, except Priest race-specific spells. Warlock costs are lower by the expected price of Grimoires.
- New spells are no longer added to your action bars automatically when you learn them, so check your spellbook after every trainer visit.
- Several talents lost their penalty for low-rank spells. Blizzard keeps the penalty only for Blizzard, which still has a lower chance to trigger Arcane Concentration, Frostbite and Fingers of Frost when the rank is more than 12 levels below you.
- Proc roots such as Frostbite, Entrapment, Improved Wing Clip, Counterattack and Improved Hamstring now have diminishing returns.
Blizzard also said that, apart from bugs and serious outliers, it does not plan big tuning changes before the raids open next month. Blizzard expects a larger pass once enough players are past level 30.
Tank changes: threat is up across the board
Blessing of Salvation is gone, and Paladins also lost Mass Salvation and Revoke. Tank threat also went up sharply, and Blizzard tied the Bear Form increase directly to losing Salvation.
WoW Forever tank threat at launch
| Class | Ability | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Defensive Stance threat bonus | 30% | 80% |
| Warrior | Defiance talent | 5/10/15% | 7/13/20% |
| Druid | Bear and Dire Bear Form threat | 50% | 115% |
| Paladin | Righteous Fury | Level 16 | Level 10, 33% all threat plus 90% from Holy damage |
Paladins can now train Righteous Fury at level 10, the same level other tanks get their tanking stance. Protection also gained Stoicism, which shortens stuns and charms by 10/20%, and Shieldsworn, which cuts 4 seconds off Holy Strike and makes it hit with your shield, triggering your block talents. Holy Shield moved up to row 5 from row 7.
Warriors got a shorter Slam cooldown (15 seconds, was 18) and Fury picked up Reckless Swings, a 1-point talent that costs 25% of base health and makes your next 4 melee attacks generate 5 extra Rage. If you plan to run WoW Forever dungeons as a tank, these numbers make holding threat on packs much easier than before these changes.
Melee changes: Rogue, Warrior, Feral Druid and Retribution
Rogues changed the most. They now learn Poised at level 18: when you are out of combat at full Energy, your next Energy ability costs 10 less. Shank arrives at level 24. It costs 5 Energy, has a 10 second cooldown, hits with your off-hand for 50% weapon damage, cannot miss and gives back 15 Energy. Rank 2 at level 44 returns 25 Energy.
- Deadly Poison and Instant Poison attack power coefficients doubled (0.0045 to 0.009 and 0.005 to 0.01).
- Relentless Strikes is now a 5-point talent with a 4/8/12/16/20% chance per Combo Point to restore 25 Energy.
- Dual Wield Specialization is now 2 points for 25/50% more off-hand damage.
- Mutilate now deals 90% weapon damage (was 75%) and moved to row 7.
- New talents include Blood Splatter, Composure, Flash of Steel, Quick Getaway, Boot Knife and Death Mark, a 1-point finishing move in row 7.
Druids learn Poised at level 32, and Feral cat abilities hit much harder: Shred 200% weapon damage (was 155%), Claw 140% (was 110%) and Ravage 435% (was 350%). Rip, Rake, Ferocious Bite and Pounce gained about 25% base damage and attack power scaling. Lacerate is now a Feral talent, and the tree has two 31-point talents, one for bears and one for cats.
Retribution Paladins get Unsealed Wrath as the new 31-point talent. Conviction now gives 2/4/6% critical strike chance to all spells and attacks, and Two-Handed Weapon Specialization boosts both Holy and Physical damage by 2/4/6% while lowering threat. Arms Warriors get 2/4/6% from their own Two-Handed Weapon Specialization (was 1/2/3%), and Fury's Flurry is now 3 points for 10/20/30% attack speed.
Ranged and caster changes: Hunter, Mage, Warlock, Shaman
For Hunters, Aimed Shot bonus damage is up about 110% on all ranks, Arcane Shot base damage is up about 30% with its attack power coefficient raised from 0.1 to 0.15, and Serpent Sting ticks now scale at 5% attack power (was 3%). Aspect of the Hawk now gives 20, 35, 50, 70, 90 and 110 ranged attack power at ranks 1 to 6. All traps share one 30 second cooldown now.
Shamans lost Lava Burst, which is replaced by Call of Thunder (5% critical strike chance on Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning). Lightning Bolt base damage went up, with the top rank up 80%, and Lightning Overload is now 10/20/30% (was 3/7/10%). Shocks went back to Classic Era base damage. Enhancement gets Stormstrike at 150% normalized weapon damage on a 6 second cooldown.
Mages lost Frost Blast and the Piercing Ice talent. Ice Barrier now adds 15% Frost damage for 1 minute when you cast it, plus 5% while the barrier holds. Ice Lance has an 8 second cooldown shared with Fire Blast and deals 300% bonus damage to Frozen targets again. Arcane Blast costs less mana per stack (100%, was 175%) and Incineration now goes to 5 points for 10% crit.
Warlocks gain the most from Wrack: its spell damage coefficient doubled, and base damage per second at level 60 went from 36 to 86. Shadow and Flame now gives 4/8/12/16/20%. On the other side, pets now get 2 health per point of your Stamina (was 7.5), and Drain Soul gives a Soul Shard on damage far less often.
Healer changes: Priest, Holy Paladin, Restoration Druid and Shaman
Holy Paladins get Oath of Light, which lets you swear an oath to one ally for 5 minutes to raise the healing of your Holy Light, Flash of Light and Holy Shock on them. Boundless Light then raises Holy Shock crit chance by 15/30% on allies without your Oath. Holy Power now increases the critical healing bonus of Holy spells by 10/20/30/40/50%.
Restoration Druids lost Gift of the Earthmother and got Bloom: when Rejuvenation or Regrowth expires, the target is healed for 100% of your Spirit (50% if dispelled). Naturalist now adds 2/4/6/8/10% damage and cuts Wild Growth cast time by up to 0.5 seconds, and Wild Growth has a 3 second base cast. Swiftmend now needs your own Rejuvenation or Regrowth on the target.
Priests swap Binding Heal for Holy Binding, which heals you for 50% of your Flash Heal on others. Shadow Word: Death now hits you for 30% of your maximum health when it fails to kill (was 10%), but no longer when it misses. Restoration Shamans get a Riptide that costs about 40% less mana with a 12 second cooldown and no initial heal.
Racial changes that came with the patch
The same notes adjusted racials, and some of them matter more than the class buffs for a new character. Use our WoW Forever races guide for the full picture; the launch values are:
- Dwarf: Earth Fury removed, replaced by Artisan's Precision (+1% hit).
- Human: Ruthless now 1% crit (was 2%), Human Spirit now 10% Spirit (was 5%).
- Orc: Savage removed, Command back at 5% Warlock and Hunter pet damage, Blood Fury cooldown 2 minutes (was 3).
- Tauren: Plainsrunning 2% speed per stack up to 60%, no longer works while mounted. Endurance is now only 5% health.
- Troll: Berserking lasts 15 seconds (was 10). Undead: Touch of the Grave internal cooldown 15 seconds (was 25).
- Skyborne: Wind-Blessed haste 2% (was 3%). Read Leyline gives 50% regeneration for 15 seconds, or a 1 hour Attuned buff (100%) when used at a Ley Line. Skysight gives 15% speed for 15 seconds, or a 1 hour Charged buff (30%) at an elemental convergence.
Blizzard also fixed base stats for every race. Tauren Warriors, for example, now start with +5 Strength over Human Warriors, not +2.
What the changes mean for leveling right now
Our best class to level in WoW Forever picks still hold, but the gaps moved. Hunters and Warlocks got cleaner damage buffs, Feral cats and Rogues open fights cheaper with Poised and gain Energy back with Shank, and Enhancement Shamans hit harder with Stormstrike. Frost Mages lost Frost Blast and Piercing Ice but gained a stronger Ice Barrier.
- Visit your trainer and rebuild your bars by hand, since new spells no longer auto-place.
- Respec if your build used a removed talent such as Piercing Ice, Murder, Berserk or Gift of the Earthmother. Our WoW Forever talents guide explains the tree layout.
- Budget about 207 gold for class training to 60, on top of riding and professions.
- Test your kill speed on a few higher-level mobs before pulling big groups, because higher-level creatures got more health along with your damage.
Blizzard also sped up respawns for launch crowds, fastest in starting zones and slower as you level, and says it will lower the low-level rates once the launch rush settles. If you would rather skip the crowded early zones, our WoW Forever powerleveling service takes a character from any level you choose.
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WoW Forever class changes FAQ
Did WoW Forever buff all classes at launch?
Yes. Blizzard raised damage on classes across the game in the last two weeks before launch and increased the health of higher-level creatures to compensate. The buffs are applied ability by ability, not as one flat percentage.
How much does class training cost in WoW Forever?
Training all class abilities from 1 to 60 costs between 206 and 207 gold for every class. Warlocks pay less because the expected cost of pet Grimoires was taken off their training costs.
Was Lava Burst removed from WoW Forever?
Yes. Lava Burst was removed and replaced by Call of Thunder, which increases the critical strike chance of Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning by 5%.
Why does tanking feel easier in WoW Forever?
Blessing of Salvation was removed, so tank threat went up to compensate: Defensive Stance 80%, Bear Form 115% and Righteous Fury 33% plus 90% from Holy damage. Paladins can also train Righteous Fury at level 10.
Will Blizzard change classes again before the raids?
Blizzard says it does not plan big tuning changes before the raids open next month, except for bugs and serious outliers. It expects a larger tuning pass once enough players are past level 30.
Related guides
Planning your next character? Start with the WoW Forever leveling guide, compare picks in best class to level and plan your points with the talents guide. If you want help, see WoW Forever powerleveling or class quests.