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PTR
11.0.7
PTR
11.0.5
Class Changes
Cataclysm Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Pre-Launch Events
A Brave New World
Goblins & Worgen
Dungeons & Raids
Tier 11 Armor Sets
Player vs. Player
Class Changes
Professions
Spells, Talents, & Mastery
Guild Advancement
Stat Changes
UI Changes
Helpful Links
The Cataclysm expansion is Blizzard's chance to give all of the character
classes
a good overhaul, and they've delivered! Every one of the classes have had some major changes made to their abilities, roles, and core mechanics.
We've broken up all the changes for you by class, for easy reference, so check them out in the tabs below!
You May Also Be Interested In...
Cataclysm
Talent Calculator
A full explanation of the new
Mastery
system
Changes to
item statistics
New Spells
Outbreak
(81)
Necrotic Strike
(83)
Dark Simulacrum
(85)
Mechanic Changes
Death Knights no longer have multiple trees for tanking, Blood is now the defacto tanking tree.
Specialization
Blood
A dark guardian who manipulates and corrupts life energy to sustain himself/herself in the face of an enemy onslaught.
Active Ability:
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Blood Shield
Frost
An icy harbinger of doom, channeling runic power and delivering rapid weapon strikes.
Active Ability:
Frost Strike
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Frozen Heart
Unholy
A master of death and decay, spreading infection and controlling undead minions to do his/her bidding
Active Ability:
Scourge Strike
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Unholy Might
Mastery:
Mastery: Dreadblade
New Spells
Thrash
(81)
Stampeding Roar
/
Stampeding Roar
(83)
Wild Mushroom
&
Wild Mushroom
(85)
Mechanic Changes
Druids will now be able to dispel defensive magic, curses and poisons with talented
Remove Corruption
.
Savage Roar
will be usable without a target.
Cat Form
at level 8 and
Bear Form
at level 15.
Incarnation: Tree of Life
is now a cooldown ability much like
.
Specialization
Balance
Can take on the form of a powerful Moonkin, balancing the power of Arcane and Nature magic to destroy enemies at a distance.
Active Ability:
Starsurge
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Feral Combat
Takes on the form of a great cat to deal damage with bleeds and bites or a mighty bear to absorb damage and protect allies.
Active Ability:
Mangle
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
/
Mastery: Razor Claws
Restoration
Uses heal-over-time Nature spells to keep allies alive, taking on the form of a tree when the need is most urgent.
Active Ability:
Swiftmend
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Harmony
New Spells
(81)
Call Pet 5
(82)
(83)
(85)
Mechanic Changes
Hunters now have a new resource mechanic, Mana has been replaced by Focus. Focus works like Energy, but regenerates slower.
and
Steady Shot
regenerate Focus while
is active.
Ammunition has gone away completely!
Hunters are able to store 5 pets that they can switch out at anytime (not in combat) and can keep up to 20 pets in the stables.
New characters will start with a pet determined by their race at level 1! The pet will act as a guardian - it will follow the player around and attack his or her target until level 10, when Hunter will learn
Control Pet
and
Tame Beast
. Refer to the
class page
for full list of starting pets.
Specialization
Beast Mastery
A master of the wild who can tame a wide variety of beasts to assist him/her in combat.
Active Ability:
Intimidation
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Master of Beasts
Marksmanship
A master archer or sharpshooter who excels in bringing down enemies from afar.
Active Ability:
Aimed Shot
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Survival
A rugged tracker who favors using animal venom, explosives and traps as deadly weapons.
Active Ability:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
New Spells
(81)
(83)
Portal: Tol Barad
/
Portal: Tol Barad
(85)
Teleport: Tol Barad
/
Teleport: Tol Barad
(85)
Time Warp
(85)
Mechanic Changes
Arcane Missiles
is being redesigned to become a proc-based spell. Whenever the Mage does damage with any spell, there is a chance for Arcane Missiles to become available, similar to how the Warrior’s
Overpower
works. The damage and Mana cost of this spell will be reworked to make it very desirable to use when available. This change should make gameplay more dynamic for the Mage, particularly at low levels.
Mages will be unable to conjure food and water until level 38, with
Conjure Refreshment
you will be able to summon food that restores both health and mana.
Specialization
Arcane
Manipulates arcane energies, playing with the very fabric of time and space.
Active Ability:
Arcane Barrage
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Fire
Ignites enemies with balls of fire and the breath of dragons.
Active Ability:
Pyroblast
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Frost
Freezes enemies in their tracks and shatters them with Frost magic.
Active Ability:
Summon Water Elemental
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Icicles
New Spells
Inquisition
(81)
(83)
(85)
Holy
: Heals nearby wounded targets, preferring the ones with lowest health.
Protection
: Reduces damage taken.
Retribution
: Attacks nearby enemies (like
Summon Gargoyle
).
Mechanic Changes
A pseudo-resource mechanic is being added -
Holy Power
. Certain spells (Crusader Strike, Hammer of the Righteous, and Holy Shock) build a charge of Holy Power with each application, stacking up to 3 times. This Holy Power can then be used for a number of spells, like
Word of Glory
or
Inquisition
.
Holy paladins are getting much bigger arsenal of spells to work with. Other than the standard for every healer quick-but-expensive, normal, and slow-but-powerful heals, paladins will have an instant heal, a cone heal, and an AoE heal.
Protection paladins are having their rotation tweaked, so it is more fun and doesn't look like it can be macro'd.
Retribution paladins, similarly to Protection, are having their rotation worked on. And are getting a reliable interrupt!
Specialization
Holy
Invokes the power of the Light to protect and to heal.
Active Ability:
Holy Shock
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Protection
Uses Holy magic to shield himself / herself and defend allies from attackers.
Active Ability:
Avenger's Shield
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Divine Bulwark
Retribution
A righteous crusader who judges and punishes opponents with weapons and Holy magic.
Active Ability:
Templar's Verdict
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
New Spells
Mind Spike
(81)
(83)
Leap of Faith
(85)
Mechanic Changes
Divine Spirit and Prayer of Spirit will be removed from the game. As Spirit will be the primary mana-regeneration stat, Blizzard doesn't want it to vary as much between solo, small group, and raid play.
Neither
Inner Fire
or Inner Will will have charges.
Specialization
Discipline
Uses magic to shield allies from taking damage as well as heal their wounds.
Active Ability:
Penance
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Holy
A versatile healer who can reverse damage on individuals or groups and even heal from beyond the grave.
Active Ability:
Holy Word: Chastise
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Echo of Light
Shadow
Uses sinister Shadow magic, especially damage-over-time spells, to eradicate enemies.
Active Ability:
Mind Flay
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Madness
New Spells
Combat Readiness
(81)
(83)
Smoke Bomb
(85)
Mechanic Changes
Poisons no longer have multiple ranks but instead scale based on level.
Abilities like
Slice and Dice
no longer have a target requirement.
Most abilities have had their weapon requirement removed.
Specialization
Assassination
A deadly master of poisons who dispatches victims with vicious dagger strikes.
Active Ability:
Mutilate
Passive Bonus:
Improved Poisons
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Potent Assassin
Combat
A swashbuckler who uses agility and guile to stand toe-to-toe with enemies.
Active Ability:
Blade Flurry
Passive Bonus:
Combat Potency
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Main Gauche
Subtlety
A dark stalker who leaps from the shadows to ambush his/her unsuspecting prey.
Active Ability:
Shadowstep
Passive Bonus:
Master of Subtlety
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Executioner
New Spells
(81)
Unleash Life
Healing Rain
(83)
Spiritwalker's Grace
(85)
Mechanic Changes
Cleanse Spirit
will only remove curses. To enhance this, there will be a talent called
Purify Spirit
in Restoration which will allow you to remove magic debuffs. Shamans will also no longer be able to remove poison.
Cleansing Totem will be removed.
Sentry Totem will meet its end and finally be removed.
Specialization
Elemental
A spellcaster who harnesses the destructive forces of nature and the elements.
Active Ability:
Thunderstorm
Passive Bonus:
Elemental Fury
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Enhancement
A totemic warrior who strikes foes with weapons imbued with elemental power.
Active Ability:
Lava Lash
Passive Bonus:
Dual Wield
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Enhanced Elements
Restoration
A healer who calls upon ancestral spirits and the cleansing power of water to mend allies wounds.
Active Ability:
Earth Shield
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Deep Healing
New Spells
(81)
(83)
(85)
Mechanic Changes
Soul Shard
s are no longer an inventory item and are now part of the User Interface. You will have 3 to spend during combat and they regenerate after combat ends.
Agony
and
Doom
will no longer be curses, but instead will become a Bane. Banes are considered magic instead of curses. This will allow both Bane of Agony or Bane of Doom and
Chaos Brand
to be up at the same time.
will no longer be affected by demonic crowd control, such as
Turn Evil
and
Banish
. Also, the demon abilities that are available in demon form will be altered to put more emphasis on the Warlock's own spells.
Specialization
Affliction
A master of Shadow magic who specializes in fear, drains and damage-over-time spells.
Active Ability:
Unstable Affliction
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Potent Afflictions
Demonology
A warlock who uses both Fire and Shadow magic along with powerful demons.
Active Ability:
Summon Felguard
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Master Demonologist
Destruction
Calls down demonic fire to burn and demolish enemies.
Active Ability:
Conflagrate
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Chaotic Energies
New Spells
(81)
(83)
Heroic Leap
(85)
Mechanic Changes
will no longer be an on-next-swing ability, since that particular mechanic is being removed completely. It will still be a rage dump, but work in a redesigned manner. Heroic Strike will be "grayed out" if the Warrior has less than 10 rage; once at 10, it will consume up to 30, converting it into damage. To make sure it never eats all of the rage, Heroic Strike will never leave the Warrior with less than 10 (so if you have 11 rage, it will consume only 1; if you have 40 or more, it will use the full 30).
Battle Shout
and
will work similarly to how
Horn of Winter
works now.
Warriors will not be competing with rogues and enhancement shamans for weapons. Rogues and shamans will be wanting agility on weapons while warriors will want strength.
Specialization
Arms
Highly trained for battle with two-handed weapons, uses mobility and overpowering attacks to strike his / her opponents down.
Active Ability:
Mortal Strike
Passive Bonus:
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Fury
A furious berserker wielding a weapon in each hand, uses a flurry of attacks to carve his / her opponents to pieces.
Active Ability:
Bloodthirst
Passive Bonus:
Dual Wield
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Unshackled Fury
Protection
A stalwart protector that uses a shield to protect himself/herself and his/her allies.
Active Ability:
Shield Slam
Passive Bonus:
Unwavering Sentinel
Passive Bonus:
Mastery:
Mastery: Critical Block
