WoW Forever Talents Guide: Gold Talents, Respec & Dual Spec
How the reworked WoW Forever talent trees work: the new 16-point gold talents for every class, talents that became baseline, respec costs and dual spec at 40.
WoW Forever talents keep the Classic shape, with the same number of rows and points from level 10, but every class has reworked trees. The key change is a set of one-point gold talents at 11, 16, 21 and 31 points, where the 16-point slot is brand new. Several old must-have talents are now baseline, dual spec opens at level 40, and you change talents at a class trainer in a major city.
How WoW Forever talent trees work
Each class still has three trees, and the first point arrives at level 10. Blizzard kept the same number of rows as Classic and left some talents as they were in patch 1.12, so the trees feel familiar. What changed is the content: many talents moved rows, merged, got new effects or were replaced outright.
The headline change is the set of gold milestone talents. As before, a one-point talent sits at 11, 21 and 31 points, and Forever adds a new one at 16 points. If you earn one point per level as in Classic, that puts the milestones at about levels 20, 25, 30 and 40. Blizzard has not said the point rate changed.
On later characters, the Legacy perk Talented in the Adventure tree lets you unlock talent points up to 5 levels earlier than normal. Our Legacy challenges guide explains how to earn the points for it.
Talents that are now baseline
Blizzard moved several key buffs and quality-of-life talents into the base kit, so the points you used to spend on them go elsewhere. These are the ones the class deep dives confirm:
Former talents and abilities now baseline
| Class | Now baseline |
|---|---|
| Druid | Improved Mark of the Wild; Omen of Clarity at level 20 |
| Hunter | Aimed Shot at level 20; Improved Hunter's Mark; Improved Eyes of the Beast |
| Paladin | Blessing of Kings; Improved Blessing of Wisdom; Lasting Judgement; Consecration at level 20 |
| Priest | Divine Spirit at level 30; Fear Ward and Devouring Plague at 20 for every race; Shadow Word: Death at 32 |
| Shaman | Enhancing Totems; Weapon Mastery; Improved Weapon Totems |
| Warrior | Improved Battle Shout |
This matters most for hybrids. A Paladin or Druid who leveled as a damage dealer no longer needs to spend into another tree to bring the group buff, which makes dual spec and group play much easier.
The new 16-point talents for every class
The 16-point gold talent is the biggest power jump of the early game, because it arrives around level 25 while you are still leveling. Here is every one Blizzard has described so far.
Confirmed 16-point gold talents
| Class | Tree | 16-point talent | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Druid | Feral | Shifting Power (Cat) / Primal Bite (Bear) | Shifting Power replaces Tiger's Fury and converts mana into Energy. Primal Bite is the renamed Mangle, a high-threat Bear attack |
| Hunter | Beast Mastery | Summon Hawk | Instant damage plus a Hawk that attacks for 18 seconds, up to two at once |
| Hunter | Survival | Counterattack | Moved up to row 4 |
| Mage | Frost | Ice Block | Moved up from row 5 to the 16-point slot |
| Paladin | Retribution | Sacred Arbiter | Holy Strike deals 20% more and refreshes your Judgement effects |
| Paladin | Protection | Swift Judgement | Resets Judgement once per minute and makes the next one free |
| Paladin | Holy | Divine Favor | Moved down from the 21-point slot |
| Priest | Shadow | Vampiric Embrace | 30 second duration on a 1 minute cooldown; your damage heals you |
| Rogue | Combat | Flawless Execution | Eviscerate costs 10 less Energy |
| Shaman | Enhancement | Stormstrike | 8 second cooldown (was 20) and buffs your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning or Earth Shock by 20% |
| Shaman | Restoration | Mana Tide Totem | Moved to the 16-point slot |
| Warlock | Affliction | Curse of Exhaustion | Moved up as the 16-point talent, a 30% slow |
| Warrior | Arms | Spearing Strike | Dismounts the target and deals double damage to mounted targets, Dragons and Giants |
| Warrior | Fury | Raging Blows | Whirlwind hits with both weapons and Cleave costs less Rage |
| Warrior | Protection | Vanguard | Charge can be used in Defensive Stance |
Trees not listed here have not had their 16-point talent described by Blizzard yet. Values come from the deep dives and beta notes and can still be tuned.
Gold talents in the main leveling specs
For leveling you care about one tree per class. This table shows the milestones Blizzard has confirmed for the leveling specs in our best class to level tier list. Each class guide covers the full path.
Milestone talents in the leveling specs
| Class and spec | 11 points | 16 points | 21 points | 31 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feral Druid | Feral Charge (now with a Cat version) | Shifting Power | Leader of the Pack | Berserk |
| Frost Mage | Ice Lance | Ice Block | Cold Snap | Not named yet |
| Retribution Paladin | Not described yet | Sacred Arbiter | Repentance | Twist of Light |
| Enhancement Shaman | Shamanistic Focus | Stormstrike | Spirit Weapons | Rage of the Farseer |
| Affliction Warlock | Not named yet | Curse of Exhaustion | Not named yet | Wrack |
| Marksmanship Hunter | Lone Wolf | Not named yet | Trueshot Aura | Sniper Shot |
| Beast Mastery Hunter | Not named yet | Summon Hawk | Not named yet | Not named yet |
| Shadow Priest, Combat Rogue, Fury Warrior | Not named yet | Vampiric Embrace / Flawless Execution / Raging Blows | Not named yet | Not named yet |
Our class guides go point by point: Hunter, Warrior, Mage and Paladin are good starting points.
Removed, merged and moved talents
If you plan to copy a Classic build, stop. Enough talents changed that an old export will not line up. A few examples from the deep dives and beta notes:
- Druid: Tiger's Fury is gone, replaced by Shifting Power. Furor's Cat Form part moved to Restoration in a new form, and Sharpened Claws costs 2 points instead of 3.
- Rogue: Hack and Slash replaces the separate Dagger, Mace, Sword and Fist Weapon Specialization talents, and Improved Eviscerate moved to Combat.
- Warlock: Dark Pact, Improved Drain Life, Improved Drain Mana and Improved Curse of Weakness were removed, and Curse of Agony and Curse of Doom became Banes.
- Warrior: the Fury and Protection trees were reorganized on October 1, Toughness was removed and new talents such as Lingering Rage and Furious Precision arrived.
- Shaman: Elemental Mastery returned as the Elemental 31-point talent and Call of Thunder was removed on October 8.
- Priest: Shadow lost Improved Fade and gained Dark Inspiration on October 8. Discipline gained Penance at 21 points.
- Mage: Arcane gained Arcane Wrath and Fire Power was redesigned on October 8.
Hit talents also read differently. Because spell, melee and ranged hit are now one stat, talents such as Precision, Suppression, Elemental Precision and Shadow Focus raise your hit chance instead of lowering resistances, which makes them more valuable for leveling.
Respec costs and dual spec
You change talents, including Legacy perks, at a class trainer in one of the major cities. There is no respec from the talent window in the field, so plan a city trip.
Respec cost: the September 24 beta notes set a respec to 1 silver if you had not changed talents recently, with a much higher price after that, falling back to 1 silver after an hour. Blizzard said this was temporary for the beta only. Legacy perk respecs worked the same way in the beta. The launch price has not been announced; in Classic the cost climbed with each reset up to 50 gold, so do not count on cheap swaps.
Dual spec: Blizzard confirms Dual Specialization becomes available at level 40. It has not published the price or how you switch, so we will add that once the servers are live.
- Pick one solo-friendly spec and keep it from 10 to 40. Every respec before dual spec costs gold you need for riding at 40.
- At 40, set your second spec for the job you will do in groups: a tank or healer spec for dungeons, or a raid spec for December 9.
- Do not respec to try a new talent. Read the tooltip at the trainer and plan on paper or in a talent calculator first.
Riding at 40 and dual spec at 40 land at the same time, so set gold aside for both. Our riding and mounts guide lists what training costs.
WoW Forever services
WoW Forever Powerleveling
- Any Range 1-60
- Launch-Day Start
- Riding & Gear Add-ons
WoW Forever Leveling Bundles
- 4 Bundle Tiers
- Cheaper Than Separate
- Endgame Ready
WoW Forever Hourly Driving
- Pay Per Hour
- You Pick the Focus
- Solo or Group
WoW Forever Dungeon Bundle
- 36 Dungeons
- Self-play or Piloted
- Loot Is Yours
WoW Forever talents FAQ
At what level do talents start in WoW Forever?
Level 10, as in Classic. The Legacy perk Talented lets later characters unlock talent points up to 5 levels earlier.
What are gold talents in WoW Forever?
They are one-point milestone talents at 11, 16, 21 and 31 points in each tree. The 16-point slot is new in Forever and adds talents such as Stormstrike, Vampiric Embrace and Summon Hawk around level 25.
Does WoW Forever have dual spec?
Yes. Blizzard confirms Dual Specialization unlocks at level 40. The cost has not been announced.
How much does a respec cost in WoW Forever?
Blizzard has not announced the launch price. In the beta a respec cost 1 silver if you had not changed talents recently, but Blizzard said that pricing was for the beta only.
Can I use my old Classic talent builds?
No. Many talents moved, merged or were removed, and some old talents are now baseline. Use the trainer tooltips and our class guides instead.
Related guides
See which spec each class levels with in our best class to level tier list, then follow the full talent path in the class guides, such as the Shaman or Druid leveling guide. The WoW Forever leveling guide covers the zones, and the Phase 1 raids guide explains what your second spec should be ready for. Short on time? See WoW Forever powerleveling.