Home > updates > WoW 5.0: Class Design & Balance Recap

WoW 5.0: Class Design & Balance Recap

Classes: General

• Prime glyphs may be removed.
• In 5.0 dispels will have a cooldown and duration more like Counterspell but get all buffs or debuffs at once to make them more tactical.
• Melee spell effects may get improvements in 5.0 since their attacks just aren't as flashy as the casters' attacks.
• Wands will become a type of main hand weapon.

Dungeons & Raids

• New raiding model that gives 8 buffs; Health, Attack Power, Spell Power, Melee Haste, Spell Haste, Crit, Mastery and Primary Stats.

PvP

• You shouldn't be killing healers just because you burst them down and keep them interrupted, but because you cause them to have to use mana inefficiently
• Resilience as a base stat is to make players who primarily do PvE content able to enter the PvP space with their PvE gear and remain competitive.

User Interface

• The option of increasing the number of character slots players have is being explored.
• Changing Talents and Glyphs will have a consumable cost similar to Dust of Disappearance. There will still be trainers that you can talk to in order to change talents as well.

Death Knight

• Runeforging will get some changes to make it less boring.
• Frost Presence isn't ideal right now, in 5.0 both DPS Presences will have more clearly defined purposes.

Druid

• The new Druid talent trees are trying to bring back the hybrid part of the druid class.
• In 5.0 Mangle will no longer cause a bleed damage debuff, and will be usable from any facing.
• A possible level 87 ability for all Druids called Symbiosis that will add flexibility, utility, and survivability for the Druid.

Hunter

• With Aspect of the Cheetah on you won't get dazed when attacked, but the speed bonus will be turned off when you get hit.
• Hunters will lose parry as part of the trade-off for losing minimum range.

Monk

• As a Monk you can heal competitively without ever having to target a friendly player.
• Monks will be similar to how a Discipline Priest can heal or cast Smite.
• Roll may cost mana and have a cooldown once you're in healer stance.
• There's a talent that changes roll into a different ability that heals and does damage to targets you "roll" through, which makes it interesting for the healer Monk.
• Balancing a non mana using healer would be too hard, so Monks are going to use mana to heal.
• All Monks (DPS, Tank and Healer) will use the "dual combo point" resource (Force).

• Monk tanks will choose between using two different types of mechanics through Dark and Light. For example, Dark may be an absorption shield which is larger depending on how many Force you consume. And Light may be increased avoidance. You can build up and store Dark for a big shield when you need it, or if you don't really need much self-survivability you then you can just spend your Dark Force on DPS instead.

• The Brewmaster also has drinks as short-term buffs, which restore Light or Dark Force, Chi etc.
• All Monks will use similar stances and styles, but there will be slight variation across the races.

Mage

• Frost will no longer trade survivability for DPS in 5.0.
• Arcane Barrage will be added to the Arcane rotation to make it more mobile and less boring.

Paladin

• In 5.0 Judgment will have a 6 sec cooldown, 30yd range, and generate one Holy Power. In 4.3, the set bonus should be fairly accessible, to get the Holy Power generation.
• Word of Glory does not need a cooldown in 5.0. Prot can choose whether to use it for healing, Holy Shield for absorption, or Shield of the Righteous for block.
• In 5.0 Divine Purpose was moved to a talent to reduce RNG, so if you skip that one then the main source of RNG will just be Art of War procs.

Priest

• In 5.0, you will never "cap" on Shadow Orbs. Mind Blast will cost 1 Orb, and have no cooldown.
• Spirit Shell is a new cast-time shield spell for Discipline priests coming in 5.0 that does not cause Weakened Soul.

Rogue

• Rogues will be able to use one damage poison and one utility poison without losing the damage benefits of multiple damage poisons.
• Killing Spree will allow you to control how often and how many times you teleport.

Shaman

• 2pc T12 bonus was overpowered, so it got nerfed and they slightly buffed the damage of the Fire Elemental.

Warlock

• Pets will be untied from the spec and become a utility choice.
• Malefic Grasp replaces Shadow Bolt for Affliction. It is a channeled nuke which increases the damage of your DoTs on the target by increasing their tick rate by 100%.
• Soulburn has a 15 second cooldown, but each ability can only be soulburned once a minute. New Soulburn abilities such as Soulburn: Curse - your Curses apply to all targets within Y yards of the target, will be added.

Warrior

• Arms and Protection will both get Blood and Thunder.
• Intercept will be removed, Charge cooldown duration will be reduced by talents to even it out.
• Some core rotational abilities will be changed to actually generate Rage instead of consuming it in 5.0.

 

Earlier Related Articles:

* WoW 5.0: On Monk''s Class Color
* WoW PTR Patch 4.3 Notes: Updated On Nov. 9
* WoW PTR Patch 4.3: Notes and Spell Updated On Oct. 28
* WoW PTR Patch 4.3 Notes: Updated On Oct. 18
* WoW PTR Patch 4.3 Notes: Renewed On Oct. 13
* WoW PTR 4.3 Notes: Classes Changes

WoW 5.0: Class Design & Balance Recap

Related Articles

• WoW 5.0: On Monk's Class Color(11-09)
• WoW: Blizzard Fan Art(11-09)
• WoW PvP: Season 10 to End(11-09)
• WoW PTR Patch 4.3 Notes: Updated On Nov. 9(11-08)
• WoW 4.3 Darkmoon Faire: New Easter Eggs(11-08)
• WoW: Gold selling and the Guardian Cub(11-07)
• WoW 4.3: Fangs of the Father Questline(11-07)
• WoW: Artworks Renewal(11-07)
• WoW 4.3 Adorable Companion Pet: Sea Pony(11-06)
• WoW 4.3: Darkmoon Faire Rewards(11-06)