With the second phase of WoW Classic's Season of Discovery underway, every class is experiencing some big changes that are shaking up the game altogether. This guide will help you through the changes by giving you an overview of each class, their roles, strengths and weaknesses to enable you adapt your playstyle.

 

• Main Class Changes In Phase 2
• Warrior: The Kings of Classic
• Paladin: The Rising Phoenix
• Shamans: The Elemental Force
• Druid: The Versatile Protectors
• Hunter: The Lone Rangers
• Rogues: The Subtle Bloodletters
• Warlocks: The Malevolent Conjurers
• Priests: The Divine Healers
• Mages: The Elemental Masters

 

↖ Main Class Changes In Phase 2

Whether you are a Hunter experiencing both nerfs and buffs or a healing Priest adjusting to decreased healing capacities, awareness and adaptability is the key. Take this up as a challenge to see how these changes will spice things up in the world of Azeroth!

 

Hunter: Nerfs and Buffs Mixture

It will be a roller coaster ride for hunters as they will experience a combination of nerfs and buffs. First, there is good news – Ciro Sh's weapon damage has gone up from 85% to 100%, while the base damage of Explosive Shot has risen by a quarter (25%). Besides, mana cost of some abilities such as CHA Shot and Flanking Strike have been reduced by half.

 

However, it is not all roses. The benefits of Beast Mastery Rune have been decreased in particular, cutting down bonus health and damage to pets by 10% and Focus regeneration by 30%. These modifications may have major consequences for strategies used especially by those who depend heavily on pet abilities.

 

Priest Healers: Facing the Nerf Hammer

Healing Priests be ready! The basic healing done by Rune abilities has been reduced by an alarming 20%. It affects such skills as Prayer of Mending, Penance, Circle of Healing. This might lead to healers having to change their approaches quite significantly, notably when raiding in dungeons.

 

How to Adapt to Change?

• Hunter: Focus on maximizing output from your primary spells that would help you adjust with the nerfs. Since your pets are less powerful now than ever, you have no choice but become more efficient in terms of personal damage dealing and strategy.
• Priest Healers: Efficiency matters even more due to lower healing capabilities. Use your Rune abilities strategically and discover what policies can be implemented together with other classes in order for continuous effective healing.

 

↖ Warrior: The Kings of Classic

Scaling has always been what makes warriors the backbone of Classic WoW – and it just gets better from here.

 

Pros:

• Great scaling with advanced gear
• High damage output increases rage generation leading to a strong combat loop
• Both dual-wielding and two-handed specs can be improved with runes
• New gladiator stance allows for possible tanking role.

 

Cons:

• At level 25, there are no important abilities making performances weaker
• Low levels feel underpowered especially for DPS roles.

 

↖ Paladin: The Rising Phoenix

Paladins are one of the most flexible classes in this Season of Discovery who stand out in tanking, DPS and healing.

 

Pros:

• Tank paladins now have taunt ability added to their skillset.
• DPS specs become much more powerful than before.
• They have versatile healing abilities making them crucial in raids.
• They have strong AoE skills such as Divine Shield and other survivability tools.

 

Cons:

• Lately, Retribution Paladins had been nerfed—though not greatly on a general note about their overall strength.
• Specific abilities and runes needed to achieve optimal performance

 

↖ Shamans: The Elemental Force

Shamans got many buffs which made them very good at healing, increased DPS as well as even tanking if you can believe it!

 

Pros:

• Enhanced AoE and single-target healing abilities.
• Also this spec is viable in enhanced DPS spec without being excluded from raids
• New tanking role with strong AoE abilities and mana regeneration on blocks
• Nuker ranged caster with Lava Burst, Overload, etc.

 

Cons:

• Phase 1, no Chain Lightning at level 25
• Some specs may require more strategic playstyle because of mana management

 

↖ Druid: The Versatile Protectors

Druids now have viable specs in all roles with differentiated tanking and Feral DPS.

 

Pros:

• Group DPS enhanced by a new and improved Wind Fury-like ability.
• Feral DPS gets a significant boost with abilities like Savage Roar.
• Increased survivability and threat generation for tanking.
• Healers and boomkins get powerful new spells that enhance their utility.

 

Cons:

• Managing different forms and roles can be highly complex.
• Buff cap management and spell choices pose some difficulties for healers.

 

↖ Hunter: The Lone Rangers

Hunters still remain the pure DPS class with diverse playstyles including pet builds, ranged snipers, and even melee combat.

 

Pros:

• New abilities like Flanking Strike that enhances both melee and ranged builds.
• Aspect of the Lion among unique buffs is beneficial in group settings.
• It is an efficient leveling class with considerable open-world PvP capabilities
• Choose between pet-focused or Lone Wolf builds as per your preference

 

Cons:

• Melee build barely developed during early phases but still viable
• Pet positioning and management are needed to make it good enough

 

↖ Rogues: The Subtle Bloodletters

Rogues keep being the top performers in PvP and PvE, accompanied by significant improvements to their arsenal.

 

Pros:

• It will be much easier to engage in PvP because of new ranged skills.
• Through improvement of backstab and ambush, they are able to deal with strong single-target DPS.
• It is noteworthy that this class has an exceptional ability to tank.
• They have a choice between sword and dagger builds in order to be versatile.

 

Cons:

• There is no AoE abilities for this class especially at level 25.
• Different roles require high skill cap for them to play optimally.

 

↖ Warlocks: The Malevolent Conjurers

Warlocks have been remodeled from scratch with numerous builds such as demon tanks, and powerful DPS specs.

 

Pros:

• In Metamorphosis Rune warlocks may assume the role of tough tanks.
• Fire, Affliction and Demonology as different types of DPS build options
• Shadow Bolt Volley and other spells make it possible for these characters to do massive AoEs 
• They are nearly unsinkable when they use certain runes combined with specific builds during PvP

 

Cons:

• This makes it difficult for players to manage different forms of demons plus their related abilities. 
• Some builds tend to be gear dependent and/or rune dependent before they can shine.

 

↖ Priests: The Divine Healers

Priests' healing spec gets a good buff while their Shadow spec becomes more viable and powerful.

 

Pros:

• More AoE power for Shadow Priests.
• New powerful debuffs and utility spells.
• Powerful healing abilities through iconic spells such as Penance
• Can be used in raids and other PvP settings more often than not.

 

Cons:

• It's difficult to manage mana during the early stages of playing as a Priest.
• the balance between healing role and DPS role requires expertise.

 

↖ Mages: The Elemental Masters

Mages can still melt faces off, but they have a new ability to heal, thus more versatile. They have a fireball that is very strong and will either wipe out everything or get you killed by your own friends, so be careful!

 

Pros:

• New healing abilities for an added role in groups.
• Powerful DPS with elemental spells of fire, frost and arcane.
• Strong PvP capabilities with spells like Ice Lance and Fingers of Frost.
• Versatility to cater for different situations at the expense of being benched after each wipe (RIP Mages).

 

Cons:

• People who are used to high DPS output may not be ready for the healing position.
• You should have good mana planning as well as cooldowns to play optimally.

 

Conclusion

Each class in Season of Discovery has its own unique advantages that suit different game styles. We've got something for raiders, PvPers and those who just want to play alone. Embrace the changes and discover your ideal role in WoW Classic's exciting new phase.