Blizzard Entertainment Reveals Class Changes for Shadowlands Expansion
Last night, Blizzard Entertainment unveiled the preliminary class changes for the upcoming expansion of World of Warcraft’s Shadowlands. These changes are in preparation for the release of Mythic Castle Nathria on Tuesday, December 15.
Since the release of Castle Nathria Normal and Heroic on December 8, two classes have emerged as top performers: Unholy Death Knights and Resto Shamans. Unholy Death Knights have consistently dominated boss fights, as shown by their rankings on Warcraft Logs. Resto Shamans have also risen to the top.
To address the dominance of Unholy Death Knights, the developers are planning to decrease the effectiveness of Mastery: Dreadblade by 15 percent in an upcoming patch. This change will significantly reduce pet damage, making the specialization less powerful in raiding and mythic+ scenarios.
Additionally, Resto Shamans will experience a nerf by having all healing abilities reduced by 4 percent and Healing Rain nerfed by an additional 10 percent. These changes will bring the class more in line with Resto Druids and Mistweaver Monks.
On the other hand, Blizzard is planning to buff a few underperforming classes. Havoc Demon Hunters will receive a 5 percent increase in all damage abilities, while Arms Warriors will see Mortal Strike’s damage increase by 20 percent and the rank three damage of Slam increase by 50 percent.
It’s important to note that these class adjustments are currently in the testing phase and may change before their scheduled release on December 15.
Classes
Tank Specializations
- Threat generation for all Tanks increased by 10 percent
Death Knight
Unholy
- Mastery: Dreadblade effectiveness reduced by 15 percent
Blood
- Blood Boil damage increased by 10 percent
- Heart Strike damage increased by 15 percent
- Marrowrend damage increased by 10 percent
- Death Strike damage increased by 5 percent
Demon Hunter
Havoc
- All damage abilities increased by 5 percent
Rogue
Assassination
- All damage abilities increased by 5 percent
Shaman
Restoration
- All healing abilities reduced by 4 percent
- Healing Rain reduced by an additional 10 percent
Warlock
Destruction
- Chaos Bolt damage increased by 22 percent
Warrior
Arms
- Mortal Strike damage increased by 20 percent. Damage reduced by an equivalent amount in PvP
- Slam (rank three) now increases Slam’s damage by 50 percent (was 25 percent)
Fury
- All damage abilities increased by 5 percent