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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsCataclysm Beta: New 31-point talent trees, spec bonuses and more
by Michael Sacco 
Jul 14th 2010 at 3:50AM
We've got talent calculators, spec bonuses, and more after the break, courtesy of MMO-Champion. Bear in mind while reading that this is only the first pass of this talent overhaul and several trees/classes, including death knight, druid, paladin, warlock, arcane mage, and assassination rogue, are nowhere near done.
Blood
A dark guardian who manipulates and corrupts life energy to sustain himself/herself in the face of an enemy onslaught.
Frost
An icy harbinger of doom, channeling runic power and delivering rapid weapon strikes.
Unholy
A master of death and decay, spreading infection and controlling undead minions to do his/her bidding. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for death knights, check out our analysis.
Restoration
Uses heal-over-time Nature spells to keep allies alive, taking on the form of a tree when the need is most urgent. Feral
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. Balance
Can take on the form of a powerful Moonkin, balancing the power of Arcane and Nature magic to destroy enemies at a distance. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for druids, check out our analysis for restoration, feral and balance.
Marksmanship
A master archer or sharpshooter who excels in bringing down enemies from afar. Survival
A rugged tracker who favors using animal venom, explosives and traps as deadly weapons. Beast Mastery
A master of the wild who can tame a wide variety of beasts to assist him/her in combat. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for hunters, check out our analysis.
Arcane
Manipulates arcane energies, playing with the very fabric of time and space. Frost
Freezes enemies in their tracks and shatters them with Frost magic. Fire
Ignites enemies with balls of fire and the breath of dragons. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for mages, check out our analysis.
Holy
Invokes the power of the Light to protect and to heal. Protection
Uses Holy magic to shield himself / herself and defend allies from attackers. Retribution
A righteous crusader who judges and punishes opponents with weapons and Holy magic. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for death knights, check out our analysis for holy, protection and retribution.
Discipline
Uses magic to shield allies from taking damage as well as heal their wounds. Shadow
Uses sinister Shadow magic, especially damage-over-time spells, to eradicate enemies. Holy
A versatile healer who can reverse damage on individuals or groups and even heal from beyond the grave. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for priests, check out our analysis for discipline, shadow and holy.
Combat
A swashbuckler who uses agility and guile to stand toe-to-toe with enemies. Assassination
A deadly master of poisons who dispatches victims with vicious dagger strikes. Subtlety
A dark stalker who leaps from the shadows to ambush his/her unsuspecting prey. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for rogues, check out our analysis.
Elemental
A spellcaster who harnesses the destructive forces of nature and the elements. Restoration
A healer who calls upon ancestral spirits and the cleansing power of water to mend allies? wounds. Enhancement
A totemic warrior who strikes foes with weapons imbued with elemental power. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for shamans, check out our analysis of elemental, restoration and enhancement.
Destruction
Calls down demonic fire to burn and demolish enemies. Demonology
A warlock who uses both Fire and Shadow magic along with powerful demons. Affliction
A master of Shadow magic who specializes in fear, drains and damage-over-time spells. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for warlocks, check out our analysis.
Arms
Highly trained for battle with two-handed weapons, uses mobility and overpowering attacks to strike his/her opponents down. Fury
A furious berserker wielding a weapon in each hand, uses a flurry of attacks to carve his / her opponents to pieces. Protection
A stalwart protector that uses a shield to protect himself/herself and his/her allies. For more on Cataclysm's latest changes for warriors, check out our analysis.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it. Nothing will be the same. In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion. From goblins and worgens to mastery and guild changes, it's all there for your cataclysmic enjoyment.Filed under: Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 12)
Alanid Jul 14th 2010 1:05PM
Combat
A swashbuckler
brb making rogue
Xaklo Jul 20th 2010 3:39AM
Err.. but swashbucklers use bucklers..... Rogues get shields in cata????
Johnny Jul 14th 2010 4:10AM
Fantastic! Finally death knights have bonafide tanking and dps specs. What a worthy improvement for blood spec tanks.
Gizen Jul 14th 2010 4:49AM
QQ
I LIKED it when DKs could tank or dps in any spec. It made them unique special snowflakes. Feral Druids can do it afterall. >_>
Hih Jul 14th 2010 6:16AM
Girzen, Feral Druids aren't tanking "in any spec" like DKs have been doing. Feral Druids are limited to one spec. Feral. There are no raiding bear tanks that are speced resto.
Gizen Jul 14th 2010 6:59AM
What I meant was, Feral Druids have a talent tree that is viable as both a tank and a dps, proving that it was possible, albeit difficult to design. I liked the idea of of every Death Knight tree being that way, as it meant they basically had more options in terms of how you wanted to play one than any other class, which ultimately was the most interesting thing about them. The level of variety and options they offered was unparalleled.
Kylenne Jul 14th 2010 8:22AM
@Gizen:
Except that "uniqueness" led to the nightmare of a rollercoaster that was balancing DKs that last for the entire expansion, those "choices" was really an illusion because there was always one tank spec that was better (how many DKs are tanking as Unholy these days, hmm?), and created a completely unintuitive mess for new DK tanks trying to figure out how the hell to spec, even with the aid of FAQs.
Good fucking riddance, as far as I'm concerned, if it leads to less terrible DK tanks with jinky specs. It was a grand experiment on Blizzard's part, but it was ultimately fail in the long run.
Snuzzle Jul 14th 2010 3:23PM
@Gizen
I hate to break it to you, but ferals have not been able to effectively DPS and tank in a single spec since TBC. Go ahead and try to get every necessary bear and cat talent in a single spec. And remember, you need to save 16 points for getting Omen of Clarity and 2/2 Master Shapeshifter.
Can't do it. Oh sure as a bear I can dps better than a prot warrior if I go into kitty form.... and as a cat I can tank better than a fury warrior if I go into bear form (that SotF crit-immunity is the biggest part of it really) I sure as hell won't be pulling near the DPS of a pure cat spec and I will be a hell of a lot squishier than a pure bear. And yeah, I can get a hybrid catbear spec, but it omits some of the important talents for each spec.
If they leave the 31-point tree as it currently is in Cataclysm, it looks catbear spec will be making a comeback, but also remember druids are one of the "least finished" trees. I think they're looking at how to add back some optional talents now that all the fat has been cut away.
Falcon6 Jul 14th 2010 4:13AM
I dunno why, but adding the description of the talent trees on the "Choose your Spec" window is an oddly huge plus for me. I like it the most
Sciarc Jul 14th 2010 12:11PM
Same here, I love it!
RetPallyJil Jul 14th 2010 4:21AM
*A righteous crusader who judges and punishes opponents with weapons and Holy magic. *
It took nearly six years, but they finally figured out what we poor rets imagined ourselves to be all along lol
Artificial Jul 14th 2010 6:35AM
Oh yeah... EAT MY JUSTICE!
striegs Jul 14th 2010 4:24AM
"Rogue > Combat: A swashbuckler who uses agility and guile to stand toe-to-toe with enemies."
Cue 400,000 new combat-specced rogues rolled by 10-year-olds who just wanted to play pirates.
:P
Jez Jul 14th 2010 4:32AM
Hahahahahaa.....
YARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRlól
JBcani Jul 14th 2010 8:32AM
I doubt ten year olds would understand the words "swashbuckling" and "guile".
curulan Jul 14th 2010 9:53AM
And what's wrong with that? I'm a 30-year old who would love to roll a pirate! >:D
Asaoirc Jul 15th 2010 9:30AM
Guile? in the same sentence? As Hollow Leviathan said somewhere else, One cannot swashbuckle stealthily.
thegatherer Jul 14th 2010 10:00AM
Heer me harrrrties, not no one on God's green eaaarrrrth not know the meaning of Swarshbucklin'.
Yarrrrr.
Ruta Jul 14th 2010 11:34AM
@JBCani: You mean "guile" doesn't mean the Street Fighter 2 character? ;)
RetPallyJil Jul 14th 2010 3:12PM
Pirates rule - ninjas drool!
Yarr!