WoW Forever Patch Buffs Rogues and Shamans Before Launch

Blizzard Entertainment released final patch notes for World of Warcraft: Forever on Nov. 3, covering changes made since the last beta update on Oct. 15. The update includes class damage increases, new Rogue and Shaman abilities, adjusted respawn rates and full gamepad support ahead of the game’s Nov. 4 launch.

Damage has increased across the classes. Blizzard’s developer notes explain that efforts to stay close to Classic-era power limits made some abilities weaker than intended. Higher-level creatures will receive more health to offset the higher player damage.

The developer wrote that class design is not intended to produce “perfect numerical equality.” Instead, Blizzard wants each class to bring a distinct role to groups and create “powerful, unforgettable moments” when players master their abilities.

Rogues gain Shank at level 24. The low-cost off-hand attack cannot miss, deals damage and generates Energy. The Boot Knife talent can make Shank add two combo points, while Flash of Steel reduces its cooldown and increases its Energy generation. Rogues also gain Poised, which reduces the cost of their first Energy ability after they leave combat at full Energy.

Subtlety’s capstone talent has been replaced with Death Mark, a finisher that stores part of its damage and releases it six seconds later. Deadly Poison and Instant Poison now have about twice their previous Attack Power scaling.

Elemental Shamans receive several changes. The highest rank of Lightning Bolt deals 80% more damage. Chain Lightning has a longer cast time and deals more damage, while Shocks return to their Classic-era values. Lava Burst has been removed and replaced with Call of Thunder, which increases the critical-hit chance of Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning. Lightning Overload will activate more often.

Enhancement Shamans gain Stormstrike, which deals 150% weapon damage and has a six-second cooldown. Maelstrom Weapon will trigger twice as often. Restoration Shamans receive a cheaper Riptide that provides healing over time and has a longer cooldown.

Feral Druids receive higher damage, with Shred rising to 200% weapon damage. Rip, Rake, Ferocious Bite and Pounce each increase by about 25%. Bear Form generates more threat after the removal of Blessing of Salvation.

Paladins lose Blessing of Salvation and Blessing of Light. Their three talent trees have been rearranged, with new talents including Oath of Light and Shieldsworn. Hunters receive more than twice the bonus damage on Aimed Shot, and all traps now share one cooldown. Defensive Stance generates more threat for Warriors, while Warlock’s Wrack receives twice its previous spell-damage scaling.

Training costs from levels 1 through 60 have been brought to about 206 to 207 gold for every class. New spells will no longer be added to action bars automatically.

Blizzard does not plan major balance changes before raids open in December, apart from bug fixes and abilities that perform far outside their intended range. After enough players reach level 30, the studio plans to conduct a larger balance review using player data.

Respawn rates have increased, especially in starting areas, to manage launch populations. Blizzard plans to restore normal rates after the initial crowds decline. The update also fixes the Orgrimmar quest “Hidden Enemies,” preventing the Lieutenant’s Insignia from remaining in players’ inventories after completion.

Full gamepad support will be available at launch for movement, combat, targeting and the main interface. Controller settings can be changed through Edit Mode and the Options menu.

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