Season of Discovery - Talents and Runes Quick Reference Guide for All Classes

By Serenal Updated: 2026/06/16

Please note:DPS Specializations Best Runes & BuildsBalance DruidWonderstoicWild GrowthSunfireFury of Stormrage RuneFury of StormrageHealing TouchSunfire RuneSunfireStarsurge RuneStarsurgeEclipse RuneEclipseWrathStarfireStarsurgeDreamstate RuneDreamstateElune's Fires RuneElune's FiresMoonfireSunfireGale Winds RuneGale WindsHurricaneandStarfall RuneStarfallArcane Specialization RuneArcane SpecializationNature Specialization RuneNature SpecializationFeral Druid DPSFeral AggressionFerocious BiteFeral AggressionFeral InstinctImproved WrathNature's Grasp

5/5 Furor. This talent enables Powershifting, which enables the entire spec. Players can utilize the macro /use !Cat Form to press one button and instantly shift in and out of form to gain 40 Energy from the Furor talent and another 20 from Wolfshead Trophy. See the Feral Druid Rotation Guide for more information on Powershifting.

2/2 Improved Shred. Reducing the cost of Shred from 60 to 48 enables the basic rotation of Powershift, Shred, Shred, repeat every 4 seconds, a cycle that would otherwise take 6 seconds without this talent.

Faerie Fire (Feral). This spell gives access to a highly impactful raid debuff, and Feral is the class that can provide it at the least opportunity cost. This ability should be used on all mobs you attack, and its uptime should be prioritized.

2/2 Feline Swiftness. Since this talent now works indoors in SoD, Feral Druid DPS has unparalleled mobility in raid to execute boss mechanics while keeping good uptime on the target.

Leader of the Pack provides a relevant party buff.

Omen of Clarity provides additional free casts of Shred.

5/5 Natural Weapons gives a flat +10% damage increase to all damage you deal. This is one of the most efficient raw damage talents available.

3/3 Natural Shapeshifter ensures that you maintain enough mana to continue powershifting throughout the fight.

Wild Strikes RuneWild StrikesWindfury TotemSavage Roar RuneSavage RoarandCat FormMangle RuneMangleShredShredRakeRipShredShredImproved SwipeImproved SwipeSwipeCat FormSwipeSavage RoarSwipeBerserkBerserkCat FormKing of the JungleKing of the JungleTiger's FuryTiger's FuryGore RuneGoreTiger's FuryTiger's FuryMangleShredTiger's FurytooFeral Druid Rotation GuideElune's FiresRipRipRipImproved Frenzied RegenerationImproved Frenzied RegenerationFeral Combat SpecializationFeral Combat Specialization Feral Combat SkillNature SpecializationNature SpecializationFaerie Fire (Feral)Defense SpecializationFaerie Fire (Feral)Shoulder Enchants2 piece Tier 3Soul of Predatory InstinctsSoul of the ExsanguinatorSoul of the BarbaricRanged HunterMarksmanship Build

Poleaxe of the BeastMulti-ShotTrueshot AuraLock and LoadAimed ShotImproved Hunter's MarkAimed ShotImproved Hunter's MarkMortal ShotsHawk EyeImproved Serpent StingHumanoid SlayingImproved Aspect of the HawkUnleashed FuryKill ShotFerocitySurvival Build

Poleaxe of the BeastTrueshot AuraKill ShotLightning ReflexesHumanoid SlayingMonster SlayingClever TrapsTrap MasterySurefootedKiller InstinctEntrapmentRagnarosSurvivalistImproved Feign DeathFeign DeathMortal ShotsBarrageMortal ShotsLethal ShotsHawk EyeImproved Hunter's MarkImproved Hunter's MarkMortal ShotsBeast Mastery BuildSoul of the Trick ShooterIt performs significantly worse than the other talent buildsUnleashed FuryFerocityBestial DisciplineFrenzyBestial WrathImproved Aspect of the HawkEndurance TrainingImproved Revive PetIntimidationBestial SwiftnessMortal ShotsLethal ShotsImproved Hunter's MarkHawk EyeHawk EyeImproved Hunter's MarkMortal ShotsBest Runes for Hunter DPS - Phase 8 Chest - Lone Wolf or Beast Mastery RuneLone WolfPoleaxe of the BeastBeast MasteryBeast MasteryPoleaxe of the BeastHands - Chimera Shot RuneChimera ShotExplosive ShotLegs - Kill Shot or Sniper Training RuneKill ShotT2.5 Ahn'Qiraj setSoul of the Trick ShooterSniper TrainingT2.5 Ahn'Qiraj setAimed ShotFlanking StrikeFlanking StrikeSniper TrainingAimed ShotSerpent SpreadWaist - Expose Weakness RuneExpose WeaknessSteady ShotBoots - Trap Launcher RuneTrap LauncherHelm - Rapid Fire or Lock and Load RuneRapid KillingT2.5 Ahn'Qiraj setSoul of the Trick ShooterRapid FireKill ShotLock and LoadnotT2.5 Ahn'Qiraj setChimera ShotAimed ShotExplosive ShotKill ShotFreezing Trap Wrist - T.N.T or Focus Fire RuneFocus FirePoleaxe of the BeastT.N.T.don't havePoleaxe of the Beast Back - Resourcefulness or Hit and Run RuneHit and RunCurse of RecklessnessPoleaxe of the BeastResourcefulnessnotPoleaxe of the BeastLock and LoadT.N.T. Rings - SpecializationsFire SpecializationRanged Weapon SpecializationPole Weapon SpecializationFire SpecializationPoleaxe of the BeastMelee HunterLethal ShotsMortal ShotsLightning ReflexesSurvival Two-handedWyvern StingWyvern StrikeEngrave Boots - Wyvern StrikeBeast Masterydual wield onlyThe Beast Mastery talent build is great for shorter fights (less than 60 seconds) or fights where you personally won't have 100% uptime on the boss.Chest - Lone Wolf RuneBeast MasteryGrowlLone WolfHands - Cobra Mastery RuneCobra SlayerMongoose BiteMongoose BiteCarveCobra SlayerLegs - Flanking Strike RuneFlanking StrikeKill ShotWaist - Melee Specialist or Expose Weakness RuneMelee SpecialistRaptor StrikeExpose WeaknessMelee SpecialistBoots - Dual Wield Specialization or Wyvern Strike RuneDual Wield SpecializationWyvern StrikeHelm - Rapid Killing RuneCatlike ReflexesIt is, however, the choice for PvP!Lock and LoadRapid KillingKill ShotRapid KillingRapid Fire Wrist - Raptor Fury RuneT.N.T.Raptor FuryFlanking StrikeMongoose BiteRaptor Strike Back - Resourcefulness or Hit and Run RuneHit and RunCurse of RecklessnessResourcefulnessImmolation TrapT2 6-piece bonus Rings - SpecializationsSword SpecializationPole Weapon SpecializationFist Weapon SpecializationAxe SpecializationFire SpecializationRanged Weapon SpecializationMage DPSImproved ScorchWinter's Chill Chest Rune

Enlightenment is the go-to option for Fire mages.

Vampiric Touch and either Shamanistic Rage or Seal of Martyrdom combined with our own Mana Ruby and Evocation is a huge amount of mana sustain, which allows us to use mana cooldowns to stay above the 70% threshold for Enlightenment instead of saving them to avoid running out of mana completely.

is a viable alternative to Enlightenment for Fire mages at low gear levels.

Fingers of Frost is always the choice for Frost mages, letting our spells benefit from Shatter increasing critical strike chance by 50%. The majority of our Fingers of Frost procs will be spent boosting Spellfrost Bolt's with Shatter, but two of our spells have a further interaction. Ice Lance does 400% more damage against frozen targets, and Deep Freeze is only usable on frozen targets.

Gloves Rune

Fire mages will always use Living Bomb.

This is a DoT that explodes when it expires, dealing very high AoE damage. Living Bomb will now apply Improved Scorch in P6, which helps us keep up the debuff once we replace Staff of Inferno.

Frost mages will always use Ice Lance.

Ice Lance received a large buff with the addition of Glaciate, and is now a strong spell. Spend Fingers of Frost procs on Ice Lance when the target has high stacks of Glaciate. Importantly, queuing an Ice Lance while finishing a Spellfrost Bolt cast with one stack of Fingers of Frost will double dip, with Fingers of Frost affecting both the Spellfrost Bolt and the Ice Lance.

Legs Rune

Icy Veins is the only option, as it's a very powerful cooldown increasing your spell casting speed. You can reset the cooldown of this with Cold Snap for an extra use. Combine Icy Veins with on-use trinkets whenever possible, but be careful to not stack haste cooldowns to the point where your Spellfrost Bolt is under the minimum GCD length of 1.5 seconds.

Belt Rune

will be Fire's main damage ability, making this a mandatory rune to take.

Spellfrost Bolt will be Frost's main damage ability, making this a mandatory rune to take.

Boots Rune

Both Frost and Fire will want to use Spell Power. This is a great rune that increases the critical strike damage bonus of all your spells by 50%, making your crits do more damage.

Helm Rune

Fire mages will always use Hot Streak.

This rune makes it so every time you crit using Frostfire Bolt, Balefire Bolt, Fireball, Fire Blast, Scorch, or when your Living Bomb explodes, your next Pyroblast within the next 10 seconds is an instant cast. Make sure to use an add-on or WeakAura to keep track of your procs.

Frost mages will always use Deep Freeze.

Deep Freeze is an instant-cast damaging ability only usable on frozen targets, usually enabled by Fingers of Frost. We want to use Deep Freeze and Ice Lance at very similar times, as both rely on Fingers of Frost and both can double-dip. Generally, use Deep Freeze at low stacks of Glaciate and Ice Lance at higher stacks.

Most of the time this rune is just a little extra damage, but the stun component can be very useful for Battleguard Sartura.

Bracers Rune

Fire mages will always use Balefire Bolt.

Balefire Bolt is a unique spell that does more damage each time you cast it, but also reduces your Spirit by 20% each time you cast it, and once you hit 0% Spirit, you will instantly die. Only cast this 4 times and let the stacks fall all the way off before casting it again. Using a WeakAura to alert you when you've begun casting too early or to help you cast at the earliest possible moment after your previous stacks fall off can be very helpful.

Frost mages will always use Molten Armor.

Molten Armor provides a small damage increase at all times, and should be the default choice for Frost mages.

Cloak Rune

Fire mages will always use Overheat.

This makes it so your Fire Blast will always deal a critical strike, can be cast while casting another spell, and is not affected by the global cooldown, but its cooldown is increased to 15 sec. This will give you a significantly higher chance of Hot Streak procs.

Frost mages will always use Frozen Orb.

Frozen Orb provides us with significant damage and a free Fingers of Frost proc. In multitarget situations, it is a major DPS cooldown and should be combined with Hazza'rah's Charm of Chilled Magic.

Ring Rune

Free 6% hit for Fire spells. Fire mages will use this as their primary ring rune, and Frost mages can use it as their second ring rune for the rare Fire spell casts.

Free 6% hit for Frost spells. Frost mages will use this as their primary ring rune. Fire mages can use it as their second ring rune for the rare Frost spell casts, like Frozen Orb in AoE.

Free 6% hit for Arcane spells. Frost mages might use this when initially gearing to help hitcap Spellfrost Bolt with Arcane Focus. If that is not needed, it can still be a viable secondary ring rune for the rare Arcane casts, like Arcane Explosion.

Paladin DPSExodinfast weaponsSeal of MartyrdomExorcismThe Art of WarSeal Twistingslow 2-handed weaponsSeal of CommandSeal of MartyrdomCrusader StrikeDivine StormExorcismJudgementSeal Stackingslow 2-handed weaponsSoul of the SealbearerJudgementWrath-likeslow 2-handed weaponsDivine StormCrusader StrikeExorcismJudgementWrath of the Lich KingBackup Kings is a talent spec that should be used for buffing Blessing of Kings anytime you do not have the Hunter buff Heart of the Lion in raid.Chest - Divine StormSeal of Martyrdom is now provided by the skillbook Testament of Martyrdom. Divine StormGloves - Crusader StrikeLegs - Aura Mastery, Rebuke or Inspiration ExemplarThis is a flexible slot based on what your raid or party needs. Exorcism is now provided by the skillbook Testament of the Exorcist. Aura MasteryConcentration AuraSanctity AuraAura MasteryAvenging WrathSanctity AuraInspiration ExemplarRebukeWaist - Sheath of LightSeal of CommandJudgement of CommandSeal of RighteousnessJudgement of RighteousnessExorcismHoly WrathConsecrationFeet - The Art of WarExorcismHelm - Wrath or FanaticismConsecrationExorcismHoly WrathConsecrationCorrupted AshbringerFanaticismWrathWrath of the AshbringerWrists - Purifying PowerImproved Hammer of WrathHammer of WrathHammer of WrathPurifying PowerCrusader StrikeDivine StormExorcismHoly WrathPurifying PowerExodinSeal StackingExorcismHoly WrathBack - Righteous VengeanceJudgementDivine StormCrusader StrikeSeal of CommandRighteous VengeanceRing 1 - Holy Specialization(3% from gear, 3% from weapon skill, and 3% from Precision)(with 1% spell miss chance that cannot be removed with spell hit)Priest DPSBack RunesVampiric EmbraceVampiric EmbraceRing RunesHoly SpecializationHelm RunesShadowfiendShadow BoltCurse of ShadowCurse of the ElementsCurse of Tongues

Priest

Warlock

Curse of Shadow

Curse of the Elements

Curse of Tongues

Shadow Word: PainVampiric TouchShadow Word: PainVoid PlagueMind BlastMind FlayMind SpikeWrist RunesMind SearBelt RunesMind FlayMind BlastMind SpikeMind BlastShadow Word: DeathShadow Word: PainVoid PlagueMind BlastMind SpikeBoot RunesDispersionDispersionVoid PlagueVampiric TouchDispersionDispersionVoid PlagueDispersionChest RunesTwisted FaithShadow Word: PainShadow Word: PainMind FlayGlove RunesShadow Word: DeathVampiric EmbraceMind SearMind FlayLeg RunesSunder Armor

Armor Reduction

Level 60

Melee Attack Power Reduction

Level 60

Attack Speed Slow

Level 60

Improved Expose Armor

2550

146 to 204

10%

2250

138 to 193

16%

2250

190

10%

Shared PainShadow Word: PainHomunculiRogue DPSMutilateMutilateDream EaterDagger of Veiled ShadowsScarlet EnclaveDuskwraith ArmorSaber SlashSaber SlashDeadly BrewEnvenomSaber SlashSlice and DiceBackstabMutilateSaber SlashAmbushSebacious PoisonBackstabMutilateSaber SlashMolten CoreHead RuneHonor Among ThievesFocused AttacksFan of KnivesCombat PotencyBack RuneFan of KnivesFocused AttacksBlunderbussCrimson TempestChest RuneDeadly BrewOccult Poison IIInstant PoisonWild StrikesElemental Sharpening StoneSlaughter from the ShadowsBackstabDeadly BrewLeg RuneEnvenomEviscerateWrist RuneCarnageSaber SlashRuptureCut to the ChaseCarnageSlice and DiceEnvenomRuptureGlove RuneMutilateSaber SlashHonor Among ThievesCutthroatSlaughter from the ShadowsBackstabAmbushWaist RunePoisoned KnifeImproved Sinister StrikeDeadly PoisonOccult Poison IIShadowstepShuriken TossFeet RuneMaster of SubtletyRing RuneDagger SpecializationNature SpecializationSword SpecializationMace SpecializationFist Weapon SpecializationElemental Shaman

Helm Rune

Burn is our default Helm rune due to it being the only option specifically intended for Elemental. It provides a massive boost to our Flame Shock and turns it into our go-to AoE damaging spell. In addition, when using Flametongue Weapon we gain Spell Damage equivalent to 150% of our Intellect, providing a major source of desperately-needed stat scaling.

Cloak Rune

Storm, Earth, and Fire is our default Back rune due to it being the only option specifically intended for Elemental. It provides a significant boost to our AoE damage along with welcome utility for our Earthbind Totem.

Feral Spirit is generally considered an Enhancement rune. It could be situationally useful in PvP for self-healing or for a quick getaway using the Spirit Wolves' ability Spirit Walk.

Chest Rune

Overload is our default Chest rune due to it being the only option specifically intended for Elemental. It provides a significant increase to our Single Target and AoE damage and is a core part of the Elemental Shaman spec fantasy.

Bracers Rune

Rolling Thunder is our default Wrist rune due to it being the only option specifically intended for Elemental. It causes Earth Shock to become an important part of our rotation in order to spend the accumulated Lightning Shield charges. It also doubles as a source of Mana restoration.

Riptide is a great option for better sustaining yourself in the open-world, while dungeon farming, and in PvP. While its effectiveness has been reduced over time, it still remains a great option when you can't get as much use out of Rolling Thunder.

Overcharged has niche usefulness in heavy AoE or as a dungeon farming rune in a hybrid build that combines the power of Elemental damage with the tankiness of Warden. It provides unmatched AoE damage that will tear through enemies, so long as you're being hit in order to trigger it.

Gloves Rune

Lava Burst is our default Glove rune due to it being the only option specifically intended for Elemental. It's one of our most iconic and hardest hitting spells that always deals a Critical Strike when the target has Flame Shock active.

Belt Rune

Power Surge is our default Belt rune. It provides an exciting and engaging new reset mechanic that boosts our damage in both Single Target and AoE, and our survivability and utility if using Riptide. It also increases our passive Mana regeneration based on our Intellect.

Fire Nova can be situationally useful for AoE dungeon farming but generally isn't worth using in dungeons or raids. The nova emanates from your Fire Totem, so using it properly often requires multiple GCDs of setup that isn't worth the hassle over Power Surge.

Pants Rune

Earth Shield is our default Leg rune, though its tooltip is a bit misleading. It gives us a 30% chance to completely avoid spell pushback when damaged that also stacks with our Tier 2.5 2-piece Set Bonus, making it essential to keep applied to yourself in all situations. Spell pushback is both a frustrating mechanic for players and a major source of lost damage, so being able to avoid it is invaluable.

Ancestral Guidance is a great healing utility spell that's sadly outclassed by how mandatory Earth Shield is. That said, it can be situationally useful in an encounter where you know that you won't be receiving passive radiating damage or other mechanics that cause spell pushback.

Boots Rune

Spirit of the Alpha is another mandatory PvE rune that boosts the threat of the target it's applied to and gives you the Loyal Beta buff that reduces your threat by 30%. When using the Tier 2 Draconic 4-piece Set Bonus, this buff also increases your Fire, Frost, and Nature damage by 5%.

Decoy Totem is a situationally-useful utility rune that's essentially the Horde equivalent of Blessing of Freedom. Because we'll almost always use Spirit of the Alpha in PvE it's only really useful in PvP, open world content, or for AoE dungeon farming.

Ring Runes

Elemental's damage profile is composed of Fire and Nature damage so you'll want to use the Fire Specialization rune to increase your chance to hit with Fire spells by 6%. This reduces the required Spell Hit of your Fire spells against +3-level enemies from 16% to 10%, giving you significantly more flexibility with your gearing.

Elemental's damage profile is composed of Fire and Nature damage so you'll want to use the Nature Specialization rune to increase your chance to hit with Nature spells by 6%. This reduces the required Spell Hit of your Nature spells against +3-level enemies from 16% to 10%, giving you significantly more flexibility with your gearing.

Enhancement ShamanAncestral Guidance runeTwo-Handed Mastery RuneMental Dexterity RuneMaelstrom Weapon RuneLightning BoltChain LightningLesser Healing WaveStatic Shock RuneOvercharged RuneLightning ShieldLightning ShieldLava Lash RuneFlametongue WeaponSpirit of the Alpha RuneFeral Spirit RuneSpirit WalkSpirit LeapTwin HowlBashRing RunesWarlock DPSClick on each tab for more information on each respective specialization and its variations

Demonic PactMark of ChaosImproved Shadow BoltImpUnstable AfflictionShadowflameCorruptionHauntShadow Bolt

Demonic PactMark of ChaosImproved Shadow BoltSuccubusUnstable AfflictionShadowflameCorruptionHauntShadow Bolt

Demonic PactMark of ChaosImproved Shadow BoltImpImmolateChaos BoltConflagrateIncinerateConflagrateBackdraftBackdraftIncinerateDecimationFirebolt

Your Imp must still initially be told to attack manually.

Legs Rune Ability is just an example spell, macro Firebolt with everything.

You need to spam this macro at a high rate to see the benefit.

This macro only helps to reduce the gaps introduced by auto-casting.

Shadow Mastery Ruin

Master Demonologist Ruin

Firelock

Head Rune

Backdraft causes Conflagrate when we use it to increase our casting speed by 30% for 10 seconds. This is especially impactful for the Firelock build which already goes deep into the destruction talent tree. Normally Conflagrate doesn’t result in a damage increase as it just consumes the Immolate and returns the remaining damage, having you basically just spend more time casting the spell. However now the cast speed increase from Backdraft offsets this scenario making it a net positive to use Conflagrate and recast Immolate.

Pandemic is a rune that makes it so that our periodic damage effects can land critical hits. The more damage over time abilities we use the better this rune becomes. As such it is no surprise this is the go to rune for any Affliction based specialization which makes use of Corruption, Haunt, Drain Life and potentially Curse of Agony depending on the raid composition.

Back Rune

Mark of Chaos reduces the magical resistance of all schools (including nature and holy resistance!) by 75 whenever we use Curse of Agony or Curse of Doom. Additionally, it also increases all spell damage done by 11%. This frees us up to use Curse of Agony or Curse of Doom, whilst providing a stronger version of Curse of the Elements.

Soul Siphon increases the damage our Drain Life and Drain Soul does by an additional 6% for every shadow effect on the target, up to a maximum of 18%. When the target reaches 20% health it instead changes to 50% with a cap of 150% for Drain Soul. Notably is that Soul Siphon also causes Drain Soul to tick 3 times faster and allows it to trigger Nightfall.

Shoulder Rune

Soul of the Malevolent is a straightforward rune that makes it so that periodic damage from Shadowflame, Unstable Affliction, Curse of Agony and the damage from your Felguard can proc Shadow Trance.

Soul of the Demonlord is an Master Demonologist-related rune that increases its effect by 50% for the player.

Soul of the Arsonist is a rune that changes Conflagrate, causing it to have a stacking effect which increases fire damage.

Chest Rune

Demonic Tactics is a straightforward rune that provides a flat 10% increase in crit chance for both the Warlock and their demon. This rune can lead to a significant boost in damage for direct damage spells. It not only enhances the damage output of spells but also contributes to the increased uptime of talents like Improved Shadow Bolt, if included in the build. For Warlocks utilizing the Demonic Pact rune, Demonic Tactics might also help in maintaining a higher uptime on the spell, although the rune's 45-second duration and the limited availability of spell power cooldowns or procs make refreshing it less urgent than the duration of the buff might suggest.

Master Channeler is an Drain Life-related rune that transforms the spell from a channeled ability into a 3 times as long damage-over-time effect, accompanied by additional healing. With an extended duration of 15 seconds, Master Channeler also comes with a cooldown of 15 seconds, making misses extra punishing. As such the Suppression talent becomes particularly appealing with this rune, ensuring the successful application of Drain Life. Consider pairing it with Improved Drain Life for the additional damage, and remember that you can swap runes between encounters based on your needs.

Lake of Fire is a rune that changes Rain of Fire, causing it to be no longer channeled. Leaving one free to also cast other spells. This mainly makes it useful for AoE situations.

Gloves Rune

Chaos Bolt serves as a more powerful version of Incinerate, lacking the buff component but compensating with other benefits. Notably, Chaos Bolt cannot miss its target, which is particularly advantageous in seeing as the amount of hit chance on gear will be limited at this level bracket. Additionally, Chaos Bolt ignores any absorb effects and Fire Resistance, making it especially effective against targets with such mitigation's. Its spell school is also Fire, meaning it benefits from the damage buff from Incinerate and other similar effects and talents.

Haunt not only deals damage on its own but also enhances the damage of the Warlock's damage-over-time abilities by an additional 20%. On top of that when the debuff ends it returns health to the player in an equal amount of the damage dealt,making it particularly advantageous for leveling or PvP scenarios. This is a must have rune for the Affliction Warlock which can use up to four damage-over-time abilities this phase.

Shadow Bolt Volley is a rune that enables Warlocks to cast a version of Shadow Bolt with the added capability of hitting up to five targets at once within a 10-yard radius. The benefits of regular Shadow Bolt casts also extend to those cast by Shadow Bolt Volley. For instance, it can trigger the Improved Shadow Bolt debuff, which increases shadow damage by 20%. This can be particularly good on AOE fights.

Wrist Rune

Unstable Affliction is an essential rune for the Affliction Warlock, augmenting their arsenal with an additional damage-over-time ability. Such spells are renowned for their capacity to inflict substantial damage relative to their casting time. When synergized with Haunt and Pandemic, it forms a formidable combination, amplifying the Warlock's efficacy.

Incinerate introduces a new spell to the Warlock's arsenal, serving as a filler spell that deals fire damage and imparts a significant buff to fire damage. No longer do we have to deal with the increased threat generation of Searing Pain when opting to play a Firelock. The buff enhances the damage of Fire spells by an extra 25% for the next 15 seconds. The multiplicative nature of this boost, when combined with other damage-increasing runes or talents like Emberstorm, makes Incinerate a crucial component for Fire Warlocks.

Pants Rune

Demonic Pact stands out as the best leg rune. It increases our fire and shadow damage by 10% which is massive. On top of that, it provides spell power for the entire raid based on your total spell power whenever your pet lands a critical hit.

Demonic Grace, as a rune, grants both the Warlock and their pet an additional 20% crit chance along with dodge chance for a duration of 6 seconds, with a cooldown of 20 seconds. It no longer is on the global cooldown, making it free crit chance. Ideally this would get macrod in hard hitting spells such as Chaos Bolt or Soul Fire.

Everlasting Affliction has limited utility, as it primarily allows for the refreshing of Corruption with other spells, saving a relatively small amount of casting time. In the context of Classic, where there are fewer damage modifiers and crit chance doesn't affect Damage over Time (DoT) spells, its impact is overall modest. That being said if you have gotten Zila Gular then it can be a great option seeing as how you can keep your buffed Corruption rolling indefinitely.

Belt Rune

Shadow and Flame enhances our damage by 10% for 10 seconds every time we score a critical hit with one of our spells. Despite having access to Devastation (and potentially Demonic Tactics) to boost our critical hit rate, the expected uptime falls within the range of approximately 40 to 60%. In practical terms, this translates to a throughput increase of around ~4 - 6%, still making it a substantial boost in throughput.

Grimoire of Synergy can boost our and our pets damage by 10% for 15 seconds whenever the other deals damage. This overtakes Shadow and Flame when our primary source of damage is our pet, such as MD Ruin with pet specific gear.

Boots Rune

Demonic Knowledge has the potential to notably enhance our spell damage, a key factor influencing how hard our spells hit. This unequivocally positions it as the top rune for DPS in the boots category. To maximize the benefits of this rune, it is advisable to ensure that our demons are buffed by spells like Arcane Intellect, Power Word: Fortitude, and Blessing of Kings which further increases Intellect and Stamina. However with the recent nerf to 3% makes this overall not that interesting of a rune.

Shadowflame introduces another spell into our arsenal, offering the advantage of being instant-cast. It can not be used in conjunction with Immolate. A bonus is that it can apply Improved Shadow Bolt and increase its stack size from 4 to 30.

With Decimation whenever we hit a target with a filler spell against a target with 35% health or less we gain Decimation which reduces the cast time of our Soul Fire by 40% and returns us with a Soul Shard. It is our strongest filler spell during execution, even overtaking Chaos Bolt.

Dance of the Wicked doesn't offer significant mana generation, and, ideally for DPS, the extra dodge chance is not a priority. However, in scenarios where Shadow Bolt Volley (capable of critical hits) is employed for extended, sustained battles where mana conservation becomes crucial, Dance of the Wicked could be a worthwhile consideration.

Ring Rune

Fire Specialization increases our hit chance with Fire spells by 6%.

Shadow Specialization increases our hit chance with Shadow spells by 6%.

Meditation Specialization increases our mana per five seconds by 5.

Warrior DPS

Helm Rune

Endless Rage is a simple rune, simply increasing the amount of Rage that we generate by dealing damage. This can prove essential when tackling high heat levels in MC, as the extra resistance required means that you can often forgo wearing more potent damage gear, reducing our rage output.

Taste for Blood is mostly used with builds that also take Blood Frenzy, giving us additional reasons to use Rend in PvE Content.

Bracer Rune

Wrecking Crew might have more viability if it affected more abilities rather than just Bloodthirst. However, as we already have a strong method of getting enraged in Consumed by Rage, another is unnecessary, and conflicts with a strong cooldown rune also on the bracer slot

Rampage has been changed to provide a more burst favored alternative to Wrecking Crew. However, the fact that it requires a global can make it feel clunky, as lining it up with our numerous other cooldowns can be frustrating at best.

Chest Rune

Blood Frenzy has undergone a massive rework, and is now a surprisingly good option, being close in damage to Raging Blow. It can, however, be a little more complex to play with, and is often slightly behind its alternative.

With the changes to both Enrage uptime and Raging Blow itself in Phase 4, this is now one of our best options. It occupies a low priority in our rotation, but serves as both a more damage-effective hamstring when our other major abilities are on cooldown, and a rage free option when we are low on rage.

Glove Rune

Single Minded Fury has seen some quite significant nerfs and changes in Phase 4, the biggest of which requires us to continually attack a target to reach the rune's maximum capability. However, it remains a strong rune - attack speed and movement speed are both valuable tools for DPS warriors.

Quick Strike is the preferable rune for most 2H focused builds, adding an extra ability that significantly outdamages Hamstring as a filler global.

Legs Rune

Consumed by Rage has received many changes over the course of its existence in SoD, finally settling in the form it appears in today. Both parts of the rune are of importance to us - The whirlwind change gives our offhand a more important role in terms of damage dealt, and improves our AoE quite a bit, while the enrage activating at 60 instead of 80 rage allows us more chances to become enraged naturally.

Frenzied Assault is the preferable rune for most 2H focused builds, adding some much needed extra rage generation as well as additional attack speed to spend it with..

Belt Rune

Precise Timing changes Slam from a castable ability into a slightly weaker Mortal Strike. While this may not sound good at first, part of the value of Slam is in its insane efficiency; It deals almost the same damage as MS, while costing half the rage! This makes the rune a very strong option for any Arms Spec using a slow, powerful weapon, and gives us extra buttons to press outside of MS and Whirlwind.

Blood Surge was first introduced in WotLK, and returns in SoD to grant you a chance at an instant cast Slam every time you hit with Whirlwind, Bloodthirst, or Heroic Strike. While this may seem weaker than Precise Timing for 2H Fury focused builds, the amount of Heroic Strike casts you will do using Frenzied Assault as well as the free rage cost makes it very strong.

Boots Rune

Gladiator Stance is a fan favourite rune based on the Warlords of Draenor talent, allowing you to be a competitive DPS while wielding a shield. Despite the survivability downsides, this rune will see play in both DPS and Tank scenarios - in the DPS side of things, the additional % damage modifiers obtained from this rune, along with the strength of Deep Wounds, enable a simplistic build focused on stacking high Deep Wounds. While this is the only DPS option on the boot slot, it is only taken by people playing the Gladiator Stance build.

Cloak Rune

Sudden Death is another talent repurposed as a rune. Due to Executes lack of scaling in SoD compared to most other abilities, this rune is currently unused in all forms of content.

Fresh Meat is an alternative to the powerful Sudden Death rune, and is currently significantly ahead of it. It is notably simpler and less clunky than Sudden Death, and is far easier to play with, as Sudden Death can have a nasty habit of rage-starving the user.

Healer Specializations Best Runes & BuildsDruid HealerDeep RestoNG/RG RestoVanguard's Seal of the DawnWhere's the Moonglow spec?MoonglowHealing TouchMoonglowImproved RegrowthNourishSwiftmendEfflorescenceEfflorescenceNourishRegrowthOmen of ClarityWild GrowthImproved RejuvenationSwiftmendRejuvenationEfflorescenceRegrowthIdol of the GroveEfflorescenceEfflorescenceNature's FocusNatural ShapeshifterTree of LifeNature's ReachFury of StormrageFaerie FireNourishImproved RegrowthLiving SeedFury of StormrageSurvival InstinctsDreamstateSurvival InstinctsFury of StormrageWrathHealing TouchFury of StormrageOmen of ClarityOmen of ClarityFury of StormrageHealing TouchNature's GraceImproved RegrowthRegrowthRegrowthNourishNourishNature's GraceIdol of the GroveIdol of the GroveRegrowthRegrowthIdol of the GroveRegrowthRegrowthRegrowthClearcastingWild GrowthSunfireStarsurgeStarfireStarsurgeWild GrowthFury of StormrageFury of StormrageOmen of ClarityWild GrowthStarfire Head Rune

Druid Healer finally has an external tank cooldown. Use it when the tank gets low, when a big expectable damage event is about to happen, and honestly whenever you feel worried about someone dieing. The one minute cooldown is quick, and it is better to use liberally than not at all.

Taking Gale Winds over Improved Barkskin is not recommended as the external DR cooldown is more important to our goals than helping with AoE damage. Hurricane is also not great at AoE situations either. In ideal conditions for Hurricane, multi-dotting will provide more DPS instead.

Shoulder Rune

Great bonus for achieving the goal of saving lives. While the GCD of Nourish will not go below 1.5 seconds, the 0.5 seconds off the cast time can still save someone who would have taken lethal damage in that last 0.5 seconds of your cast. With World Buffs, BiS gear, and Improved Regrowth, we can expect to approach 100% Crit Chance with Nourish, and trigger this effect consistently.

The boost this bonus provides to Nourish on crits is quite large. However, we need to consider whether this healing will have an impact during encounters. In Phase 6, the bonus healing was primarily overheal, with the base heal of Nourish full healing damaged raid members most of the time. In Naxxramas, due to the seal mechanic scaling HP faster than healing, this bonus found a lot of value in converting our Nourish back into full heals.

Amazing utility choice if just for reducing the cooldown of Rebirth to ten minutes. Bringing the Innervate cooldown down to two minutes is also great for any mana issues that may occur. It becomes near impossible to run out of mana when you can cast Innervate as frequently as you can use a Major Mana Potion.

If playing Restokin, this is the only option for shoulder rune. For regular Druid Healers, this rune is a very nice bonus that equates to a very large amount of +Healing. Our other options are recommended as their impact to the goal of saving lives and rescuing attempts is typically greater.

Back Rune

The iconic Tree of Life is back with Phase 4 of Season of Discovery. Reduces the cost of HoTs by 20% and improving the healing of Wild Growth by 50%. This includes any spell that has a HoT component, so Regrowth has its cost reduced as well. The 25% bonus spirit stacks multiplicatively with Greater Blessing of Kings / Heart of the Lion to make each point of spirit actually worth 1.375 points. Tree of Life is our only viable Back Rune option as a Druid Healer. Starfall may be considered for the same reasons Gale Winds may be considered, but the changes to Wild Growth nerfing its healing significantly outside of Tree of Life means we need to be in Tree of Life to raid heal effectively.

Restokins will be using this in place of Tree of Life, since with Soul of the Feathered Sage, we will be spending our raids in Moonkin Form. Be careful when using Starfall in raids, as it tends to pull additional mobs when used near them. Great for large AoE moments and as a cooldown during bosses outside of that.

Chest Rune

With the updates to Nourish to benefit from effects associated with Regrowth, we can now take Improved Regrowth for an incredible 75%+ chance to crit with full world buffs. Since Nourish is already one of our most effective and efficient single-target heals, Living Seed now has high value by increasing the impact of our frequent Nourish crits. When taking Living Seed, make sure to swap your feet rune to Survival Instincts since we will no longer have a way to activate Dreamstate when in Tree of Life.

The only real chest rune choice for Restokins since we will not be critting with heals enough to consider Living Seed. This rune allows the casting of Wrath inside Tree of Life, so this rune is now viable for Pure Healers as well. When equipping this rune, find spare moments to spam Wrath to generate instant Healing Touch procs. The most important aspect of this rune is that when you have Omen of Clarity active, the instant Healing Touch resulting from a Fury of Stormrage proc will trigger Clearcasting with a 100% proc chance (respecting the 6s internal cooldown). If the instant Healing Touch healing is not needed, you can instead spend the Fury of Stormrage proc on a rank 1 Healing Touch and get a guaranteed Clearcasting proc to spend on whatever high mana cast you desire, primarily Wild Growth, for incredible mana efficiency.

Wrist Rune

This will be the most optimal Wrist Rune for the Deep Resto spec. Efflorescence is our most mana efficient heal by an order of magnitude, and is still considered an efficient heal when we only consider the single-target HoT for the tank. Keep Efflorescence down on the tank whenever they are standing still and don't have to move significantly for a raid mechanic. The healing from Swiftmend can be ignored to get higher uptime on Efflorescence. Other groups are viable targets for Efflorescence if they will be planting their feet and need the group-wide HoT.

This will be the only option for NG/RG Resto and Restokin specs since we do not have the talent points to gain Swiftmend and utilize Efflorescence. The recent buffs for Phase 4 mean that each effected spell can be extended indefinitely, giving us very large efficiency to Rejuvenation we place on targets taking frequent damage, and our snapshotted Moonfire casts as Restokin.

Gloves Rune

Our best AoE heal for reacting to large chunks of raid damage. This is the only viable Glove Rune for all Druid Healer specs. We will not be shifting into cat or bear to benefit from Mangle and using Sunfire instead defeats the purpose of playing as a Restokin. Use Wild Growth whenever you see a group take a large chunk of damage. Around 50% HP is a good rule of thumb to know when Wild Growth will be an efficient heal.

Belt Rune

Our strongest single-target heal, surpassing Healing Touch with its quick cast time, big impact, and low mana cost. Phase 4 changes make Nourish benefit from effects associated with Regrowth, so it gains a massive 50% crit chance when taking Improved Regrowth. This enables Living Seed as an impactful Chest Rune and makes Fury of Stormrage no longer the defacto Chest Rune.

This is our only viable Belt Rune for Restokins. The Balance DPS rotation gains a very large portion of its DPS with the Eclipse effects buffing our Starfire and Wrath casts. Using the Nourish rune instead reduces our DPS potential dramatically, and knocks us out of Moonkin Form on use, making the Restokin spec provide less healing and DPS overall.

Pants Rune

This will be the optimal rune recommended for both Pure Healing specs. The most efficient way to use Lifebloom on the tank is to "Staircase" the stacks. Staircasing is when you let each stack run to near full duration, and refresh right before it ends. When at three stacks look for windows to let the final bloom do effective healing. Letting three stacks roll constantly on the tank is also a valid option, but will be a large mana commitment without getting the mana refund of the final bloom. One stack of Lifebloom is also a great tool for healing chip damage, and provides a nice HoT to cast Nourish on if the chip damage becomes more lethal.

This will be the optimal rune recommended for Restokins. The DPS impact of this spell along with buffing our Starfire casts makes the choice obvious. With Phase 5, Starsurge also triggers Dreamstate, providing a large amount of mana regeneration to a spec that will be concerned about mana when healing needs become high.

Boots Rune

Updated in Phase 4 to provide a +20% healing boost for the duration. This becomes a powerful multi-faceted ability to slot into our Boots Rune. This is a very strong cooldown that is viable even if you are slotting Fury of Stormrage into the Chest Rune. Either trigger it to save yourself with the +30% HP, use it to save others with +20% healing boost, or do both at the same time. The +20% boost to heals is an overall modifier, meaning that Spell Healing, crit value, and any modifier to our heal strength gets the +20% increase.

This rune is an option when taken in tandem with Fury of Stormrage. World buffs in Phase 4 will give plenty of crit chance to Wrath and allow the regen from Dreamstate to trigger with reasonable efficacy. Starsurge also now triggers Dreamstate every time, so Restokins can expect the regen to remain constant, and the debuff to stay active on targets.

Ring Rune

The best Ring Rune available for Pure Healer specs. Not much to explain since it's a healing boost and the other Ring Runes are not.

The second best Ring Rune for Pure Healer specs. This one can optionally be swapped with Nature Specialization if you find yourself casting Wrath in Tree of Life frequently.

One of two BiS Ring Runes for Restokins. This reduces our Hit Cap dramatically and allows us to reach it while having to slot six pieces of Resto T2 for S03 - Item - T2- Druid - Restoration 6P Bonus. This rune is also an option for Pure Healers over Meditation Specialization if they find themselves casting Wrath in Tree of Life frequently

One of two BiS Ring Runes for Restokins. This reduces our Hit Cap dramatically and allows us to reach it while having to slot six pieces of Resto T2 for S03 - Item - T2- Druid - Restoration 6P Bonus

Mage HealerWinter's ChillIce BlockIce BarrierIllusionist's AttireTemporal BeaconNetherwind MomentRewind TimeChronostatic PreservationMass RegenerationArcane Healing

Arcane Subtlety - Arcane healers can have threat issues on bosses with threat resets and heavy raid damage, like Viscidus

Arcane Focus - Combined with Arcane Specialization, Arcane mages cap hit without gear

Improved Arcane Missiles - Despite the name, this provides pushback protection for Arcane Blast as well

Arcane Concentration,Arcane Meditation, and Arcane Mind - Provide a significant amount of mana sustain

Presence of Mind - Making your next Arcane Blast instant cast is a great way to respond to spiky raid damage

Arcane Power - Combine with on-use trinkets for a burst of damage

Enlightenment - Chest RuneEnlightenmentBurnoutEnlightenmentBurnoutVampiric TouchShamanistic RageSeal of MartyrdomMana RubyEvocationEnlightenmentRegenerationArcane Blast - Glove RuneArcane BlastMass Regeneration - Leg RuneMass RegenerationTemporal BeaconChronostatic Preservation or Spell Power - Feet RuneChronostatic PreservationSpell PowerChronostatic PreservationTemporal BeaconArcane BlastChronostatic PreservationMissile Barrage - Belt RuneAdvanced Warding - Head RuneTemporal AnomalyAdvanced WardingAdvanced WardingMana ShieldFrost WardFire WardMana ShieldFrost WardFire WardRewind Time - Wrist RuneRewind TimeBalefire BoltRewind TimeBalefire BoltArcane Barrage - Back RuneArcane BarrageArcane BarrageMass RegenerationArcane Blast Spell Hit - Ring Runes Arcane SpecializationArcane FocusFire SpecializationFrost SpecializationMeditation SpecializationFrost HealingRemember that this build is not viable without Illusionist's Attire.

Arcane Subtlety - Frost healers can have threat issues on bosses with threat resets and heavy raid damage, like Viscidus

Improved Arcane Missiles - Despite the name, this provides pushback protection for Spellfrost Bolt as well

Arcane Concentration,Arcane Meditation, and Arcane Mind - Provide a significant amount of mana sustain

Ice Shards,Piercing Ice, and Shatter - Powerful talents that contribute to Frost's high personal damage

Cold Snap - Primarily used to reset Frozen Orb, this can also be used to reset Deep Freeze, Ice Barrier, and Ice Block

Ice Block - Extremely useful immunity given how squishy we are

Winter's Chill - Provides a raid DPS benefit primarily to Fire mages and Shadow priests. Also required for Glaciate which boosts Ice Lance damage

Arcane FocusElemental PrecisionSpellfrost BoltSpellfrost Bolt

Arcane Specialization and Arcane Focus

Elemental Precision, Frost Specialization, and +Hit from gear

AlwaysSpellfrost BoltSpellfrost BoltPresence of MindIce BarrierGuarded by IceStaff of RimeIce BarrierIce BarrierGuarded by IcePresence of MindIce BarrierFingers of Frost - Chest RuneFingers of FrostShatterFingers of FrostSpellfrost BoltShatterIce LanceDeep FreezeIce Lance - Glove RuneIce LanceFingers of FrostIce LanceGlaciateSpellfrost BoltIce LanceMass Regeneration - Leg RuneMass RegenerationTemporal BeaconBrain Freeze - Feet RuneBrain FreezeSpellfrost BoltFrozen OrbBrain FreezeBrain FreezeChronostatic PreservationChronostatic PreservationTemporal BeaconSpellfrost BoltChronostatic PreservationSpell PowerBrain FreezeSpellfrost Bolt - Belt RuneSpellfrost BoltDeep Freeze or Advanced Warding - Head RuneDeep FreezeBattleguard SarturaAdvanced WardingAdvanced WardingMana ShieldFrost WardFire WardMana ShieldFrost WardFire WardAdvanced WardingDeep FreezeIce LanceMolten Armor or Rewind Time - Wrist RuneMolten ArmorRewind TimeMolten ArmorRewind TimeFrozen Orb - Back RuneFrozen OrbFingers of FrostBrain Freeze Spell Hit - Ring Runes Frost SpecializationArcane SpecializationArcane SpecializationArcane FocusSpellfrost BoltArcane SpecializationSpellfrost BoltFrost SpecializationArcane SpecializationArcane SpecializationFire SpecializationFrost SpecializationPaladin Healersimply an exampleIlluminationImproved Blessing of MightPursuit of JusticeImproved Devotion AuraGuardian's FavorSacred ShieldBeacon of LightGuarded by the LightCrusader StrikeGuarded by the LightRebukeAura MasteryInspiration ExemplarAura MasteryRebukeInspiration ExemplarLight's GraceHallowed GroundDivine LightFanaticism Chest Rune

One of the few healing options available to Paladins on the Chest slot, and is overall the better option to choose. This Rune allows your Consecration to heal members of your Party based on the damage it does. Whilst the healing is minimal, it can certainly add up during encounters which feature raid wide damage, and will see the most benefit being placed in the melee stack. This Rune only scales with Spell Damage, not Healing.

Gloves Rune

An easily recognisable and loved Paladin ability from other versions of World of Warcraft, this is a must have for Paladin Healers, granting us access to some much-needed multi-target healing. This ability in particular allows Paladins to excel in what they do best: Tank Healing, as the Paladin can now look after two Tanks at once.

Can be utilized for niche situations, where more Mana regeneration is required. This Rune can only realistically replace Beacon of Light if for some reason the encounter has zero damage on anyone but the Tank.

Legs Rune

Another recognisable ability for Paladins, Aura Mastery grants the Paladin access to a party-wide utility tool, providing damage reduction or silence immunity depending on which Aura you have active when this ability is used. There are not many encounters in Classic WoW that would traditionally need this spell, but with the changes introduced in Season of Discovery, there are a lot of potential use cases for this Rune, for example, you can use Aura Mastery alongside Fire Resistance Aura to help mitigate the damage from the Meteor ability, when engaged in the High Commander Beatrix encounter in Scarlet Enclave.

This Rune gives Alliance access to Tremor Totem, which is traditionally Horde exclusive in Classic. It does not remove Charm effects, unlike it's Horde counterpart, however, the utility it provides is definitely a welcomed change amongst the Alliance, especially since Paladin's don't gain access to Cleanse until level 42. Inspiration Exemplar has a lot of use cases throughout Season of Discovery in both Raiding and Dungeon encounters. It is worth considering swapping to this Rune where Sleeps or Fears are expecting during the encounter, such as the Gluth encounter in Naxxramas or the Balnazzar in Scarlet Enclave.

Finally, Paladins have an interrupt ability! If you do not need any other Rune options, taking this can help make sure important spells do not get cast by your enemies. This Rune is a lower priority in comparison to the others, as it relies on Hit Chance, which a Holy Paladin notably lacks.

This Rune is essentially a better Blessing of Sacrifice, which is a solid tank external and can be rotated in when heavy damage is expected on your Tank. You can avoid taking damage from this ability by using Divine Shield in parallel.

Belt Rune

Infusion of Light significantly buffs and reduces the cooldown of your Holy Shock ability, which is a Holy Paladin's only instant cast Heal. Holy Shock is a strong ability for a Paladin to use during high mobility encounters, and having it on such a short cooldown is a very welcomed change which improves our lack of mobile Healing.

Boots Rune

Another recognisable ability for Paladins, Sacred Shield is the best option in this slot for Healers. Despite Flash of Light not seeing much use in the latter Phases of Season of Discovery, the other options are tailored for DPS or Tanking, and the Shield aspect of the ability is still very strong.

Helm Rune

This is by far and away the best Head slot Rune for Paladin Healers, as the increased critical chance it grants synergizes well with Illumination. The proc shall also see a lot of use, as Holy Paladins spend a lot of time critting!

Bracers Rune

Light's Grace is currently our best option as Holy Light is a Holy Paladin's core Healing ability in Season of Discovery, and there are no other Healing Runes available from this slot. As this Rune influences your Cast Speed, it is worth bearing it in mind when equipping items which also grant Spell Haste.

Cloak Rune

Divine Light is an interesting spell that acts as an improved Holy Light, costing more Mana but granting excess healing as a shield. This is a very powerful spell that can be used to preemptively mitigate damage, something Paladin Healers have rarely ever had access to. Regardless, this ability should be used on cooldown throughout your rotation.

Ring Rune

Increased your Healing done by 26. A simple yet effective Rune for a Healer Paladin, providing them with a key stat and buffing their heals!

Grants you 5 Mana per 5 seconds (MP5). Whilst it is only a small amount of MP5, this Rune is most certainly welcomed by all Healers.

Grants you hit cap with Holy spells against level 62 mobs. A great choice for those weaving in DPS spells in between heals.

Shoulder Rune

Grants you the S03 - Item - TAQ - Paladin - Holy 2P Bonus set bonus, reducing the cooldown of your Divine Light by 25%, allowing you to cast this ability more frequently.

Grants you the S03 - Item - T1 - Paladin - Holy 6P Bonus set bonus, allowing your Flash of Light, Holy Light, Divine Light or Beacon of Light to generate small splash Heals if the healed target is at full Health, similar to Glyph of Holy Light from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

Priest Healersimply an examplePower InfusionWand SpecializationUnbreakable WillImproved Power Word: FortitudeImproved Power Word: ShieldMartyrdomInner FocusMeditationMental AgilityMental StrengthMeditationInner FocusGreater HealMental AgilityMental StrengthDivine SpiritForce of WillPenancePower InfusionDivine FuryHoly SpecializationSurge of LightInspirationImproved HealingHealing FocusHoly ReachImproved RenewEmpowered RenewSpell WardingBlessed RecoverySearing LightHoly Nova Chest Rune

This rune brings some welcomed QoL changes, allowing you to Power Word: Shield Warriors and Druids without impacting their Rage generation, and Paladins without impacting their threat generation, proving to be helpful when you're healing these Tanks in particular. The reduction on the duration of Weakened Soul is particularly desirable due to Power Word: Shield being a core part of your kit, making this rune a top priority.

This rune has some potential at level 60 with Priests having access to their core abilities, and the support of Surge of Light and Divine Fury. However, you are unlikely to cast Heal, Greater Heal, Binding Heal and Flash Heal very often, as your core abilities are generally Power Word: Shield, Circle of Healing and Prayer of Mending.

Gloves Rune

An easily recognisable and loved priest ability from other versions of World of Warcraft, Circle of Healing brings additional AoE healing to the Priest's tool kit. This is certainly a core rune which can be interchanged with Penance depending on the encounter. You will definitely want to use this rune on any boss encounters where AoE damage is expected.
It is important to consider that Circle of Healing only heals a single party within a raid. The party healed is based on your target when casting the spell, so if you want to heal a specific group, ensure a player of that group is targeted when using this ability.

Another recognisable ability for Priests, Penance provides Priests with some excellent single target healing. Alternatively, the ability can be used for DPS, if the encounter is not too healing intensive. Overall, this is the preferred rune to take for encounters where you will be primarily healing the Tank and the raid damage is minimal.

Legs Rune

Prayer of Mending is a great AoE healing ability which bounces between friendly targets whenever they take damage or whenever they receive healing. Each bounce heals the player it bounced from and it utilizes 'smart healing' to jump to a target with the lowest Health within the group. Downranking healing spells such as Renew or Lesser Heal provides you with more opportunities to get Prayer of Mending to bounce.
Being one of the most efficient healing spells available, you will find it difficult to swap this rune out for the alternates available within this slot as this ability can often be your only source of healing during specific encounters.

Summon three miniature versions of yourself which melee the target, each applying one of the following three debuffs: Cripple, Sunder Armor and Demoralize, on a 2 minute cooldown, for a duration of 2 minutes (or until they die). It is worth noting that all three Homunculi can be healed therefore it is recommended to keep them healthy to maintain all three debuffs. Additionally, they are considered Guardians which means they do not show as Pets on your raid or party frames and they lack a Pet bar resulting in no way to control them unlike traditional Pets.

Homunculi provides great utility, which is often sought after by other classes due to each debuff being comparable or outscaling their respective alternative at level 60, as shown in the below table. Additionally, Homunculi contribute towards maintaining stacks of Sunder Armor alongside your Warriors. Despite being such a powerful rune, Prayer of Mending is a difficult rune to replace and consequently, Homunculi becomes situational for the Leg rune slot and can only be utilized when the demand for healing output is minimal.

Armor Reduction

Level 60

Melee Attack Power Reduction

Level 60

Attack Speed Slow

Level 60

Improved Expose Armor

2550

146 to 204.4

10%

2250

138 to 193.2

16%

2250

190

10%

Belt Rune

As standard, Renew uses 100% of your total healing Power, split between each tick, for a total of 5 ticks. With this rune applied, your Renew uses 115% of your total healing Power split between 5 ticks, resulting in a 23% total healing Power bonus per tick. This rune adds a bonus sixth tick upfront which heals for the same amount as the following ticks (base + 23% healing Power).
For example, if you have +100 healing Power, your Renew will heal as shown below:

Rune

Total healing

healing Per Tick

Tick Count

With Empowered Renew

138

Without Empowered Renew

100

Prayer of MendingPrayer of MendingRenewRenew

Whilst a 20% bonus to the majority of your healing abilities sounds great, it's a shame that this is only applied by Flash Heal, Lesser Heal, Heal, Greater Heal and Penance as your core kit revolves around being able to spam Power Word: Shield. However, it is worth running this rune to allow you to buff your casted Healing abilities during encounters where it warrants their use.

A cheap DPS ability which applies a stacking debuff to the target, increasing your chance to crit with Mind Blast by 30%, stacking up to 3 times. This rune is popular amongst Healer Priests as the other runes within this slot are considered underwhelming. Depending on your playstyle and the demand for healing within your group, you may opt for this rune over the alternatives. This rune is also recommended to run on the Viscidus encounter, as Mind Spike deals Frost damage.

Boots Rune

A key Shadow ability from other versions of World of Warcraft, Dispersion is a very welcomed addition to a Healer Priest's kit. It is primarily used for the Mana regeneration however, it also has some niche use in both PvP and PvE for the damage reduction mechanic of this ability, reducing all incoming damage by 90% and clearing all movement impairing effects whilst granting you immunity to such effects during the ability's duration of 6 seconds.
This rune used in parallel with Shadowfiend abolishes any Mana concerns for Healer Priests, making it the preferred rune in this slot.

A powerful defensive tool which allows Priests to reduce all incoming damage to friendly targets by 40% and increases the target's resistances to dispel mechanics. There are currently no required uses for this rune outside of some very niche uses in PvP therefore, it remains in our back pockets for now, until later phases provide us with an opportunity to utilize this ability.

Spirit of the Redeemer is similar to the Dispersion rune, where it provides you with a Mana Management tool whilst mitigating incoming damage. This rune's flaw is that it requires you to learn Spirit of Redemption via the Holy talent tree which is preferred by some, but certainly not the recommended talent build for Healer Priests in Season of Discovery.

Helm Rune

Critical heals provide a shield on your healed target of 30% of the healed amount. If multiple procs happen on the same target, they'll stack together for up to 7.5k absorption total.

Summons a pet which lasts for 30 seconds, on a 3-minute cooldown. The pet casts Shadow Bolt as standard and is unable to attack via Melee.

The pet can also apply one curse of your choice from the following options: Curse of Shadow, Curse of the Elements or Curse of Tongues. Each curse lasts up to 3 minutes and with the cooldown to resummon your pet also being 3 minutes, this means you can keep any one of these curses up at all times on bosses. Each curse is comparable to the Warlock curses at level 60, making this rune a decent choice if a specific curse needs to be covered.

Priest

Warlock

Curse of Shadow

Curse of the Elements

Curse of Tongues

Bracers Rune

Despite the tooltip stating this is limited to your party, you can infact use this within a raid group, providing a shield to friends outside of your party. This rune has various use cases within Naxxramas, where raid damage is expected.

Grants you the chance to proc an instant cast Flash Heal or Binding Heal, which provides you with an extra tool during a dangerous situation in both PvP and PvE encounters, making this rune a competitive option where Power Word: Barrier is not required. Additionally, being able to weave in Smites inbetween heals is always a bonus.

Despair can come in handy in some capacity for single target fights, buffing Shadow Word: Pain. However, as it is dependant on our crit, and most of our crit being Holy-based from our talents, it isn't particularly spectacular for Healer Priests.

Void Zone can be utilized for a little extra DPS on multi-target encounters that don't require alot of healing support.

Cloak Rune

Your Power Word: Shield now becomes a spammable cast, receives a 15% reduced Mana cost and gains a 10% base bonus plus an additional 10% bonus from your healing Power. This rune has more potential when partnered with Strength of Soul.

This Heal is essentially a slightly stronger Flash Heal, which can come in handy when both you and your target require a top up. Binding Heal also benefits from all modifiers that influence Flash Heal, such as Surge of Light, Serendipity and .

Ring Rune

Increased your Healing done by 26. A simple yet effective Rune for a Healer Priest, providing them with a key stat, buffing their heals!

Grants you 5 Mana per 5 seconds (MP5). Whilst it is only a small amount of MP5, this Rune is most certainly welcomed by a Healer Priest.

Grants you hit cap with Holy spells against level 62 mobs. A great choice for those weaving Smites inbetween heals.

Grants you hit cap with Shadow spells against level 62 mobs, which is a great option for those weaving in Shadow spells inbetween heals.

Shoulder Rune

Grants you the S03 - Item - T1 - Priest - Healer 6P Bonus set bonus, increasing your crit chance of your Prayer of Healing and Circle of Healing by 25%, an excellent bonus alongside Divine Aegis!

Grants you the S03 - Item - T2 - Priest - Healer 2P Bonus set bonus, allowing 15% of your Manage regeneration to continue whilst casting. A great option for those who need the extra Mana support!

Shaman HealerImproved Healing WaveAncestral HealingTotemic MasteryPurificationMana Tide TotemAncestral KnowledgeShamanistic RageOverload RuneOverloadchestHealing WaveChain HealChain HealPower SurgeCoherenceORHealing Rain RuneHealing Rainstacked area healingchestWater Shield RuneWater ShieldEarth Shield RuneEarth ShieldShamanistic RageEarth ShieldWarlockPower Surge RunePower SurgeRiptideFlame ShockSpirit of the Alpha RuneSpirit of the AlphaBlessing of SalvationORAncestral Awakening RuneAncestral AwakeningORDecoy Totem RuneDecoy TotemTidal Waves RuneTidal WavesRiptideChain HealRiptide RuneRiptideShamanTidal WavesChain HealCoherence RuneCoherenceChain HealChain LightningHealing Specialization Specialization RuneHealing SpecializationMeditation Specialization Specialization RuneMeditation SpecializationTank Specialization Best Runes & BuildsDruid Tank

A Mono-Bear spec which forgoes most Cat Form based talents and just focuses on Dire Bear Form, for players who will be tanking pretty much 100% of the time

A Hybrid Spec which focuses on both forms, fit for players who either Catweave, or just enjoy having a single spec that covers both DPS and Tank roles very decently.

skeletonCat FormThick HideImproved EnrageFurorMaulImproved ThornsBrutal ImpactFeral AggressionImproved Demoralizing ShoutHomunculiCat FormImproved ShredNatural ShapeshifterPowershiftingCat FormShared Talents:

In the Feral Tree, we start off with 5/5 in Ferocity, ensuring uptime for core abilities in both roles.
5/5 Feral Instinct is a must for any tanking spec due to it's 15% threat multiplier when fully ranked, with some bonus improvements to Prowl to top it off.
Feline Swiftness and Feral Charge both boost our mobility: the first is useful for repositioning mid-fight or staying ahead of the pack while on the go, given it now works indoors in SoD (also particularly useful when fighting Anub'Rekhan). The latter is a very solid gap-closer which is off the Global Cooldown, allowing us to reach a stray target and mob it back to the group, or to charge-back instantly after a Knock-back.
Sharpened Claws, Predatory Strikes, and Savage Fury all increase our overall damage and, therefore, our threat generation. Primal Fury should always be picked over Blood Frenzy, as it is a lot more impactful for Dire Bear Form than Blood Frenzy is for Cat Form. Keep in mind that the heals from Improved Frenzied Regeneration can crit, and will proc Primal Fury.
Faerie Fire (Feral) can be cast in both forms, enabling us to pull targets from a distance and easily refresh the armor debuff throughout the fight .
Heart of the Wild is a fantastic talent to round things out, which awards you with plentiful stat bonuses, and finally take Leader of the Pack for a raid-wide aura that raises Critical Strike chance.

In the Balance Tree, we start with 1 point in Nature's Grasp, a great outdoor-only Crowd Control, and follow up with 4/4 in Improved Nature's Grasp to further bolster it. Honestly, we just want to reach the 5 points required to reach Natural Weapons and also unlock Omen of Clarity at 5/5 for some extra Quality-of-life.

In the Restoration Tree, 5/5 in Furor is a must: First off, should you be catweaving as an Offtank, it vastly improves your Powershifts in Cat Form (a technique where we hop out of Cat Form and immediately hop back into it for Energy gains), and it prevents our resource bars from being fully depleted whenever we swap roles. As a Bear, it provides additional initial Rage on pulls where you can't pre-pool it (for example, if you had to be mounted or needed to pop a consumable just before engaging, such as a Greater Stoneshield Potion, which only lasts for two minutes). Also helps you keep some of your resources when you switch forms to break Roots.
Don't sleep on the usefulness of an emergency Dire Bear Form Powershit, the 10 Rage we get from it could prove useful in those nasty moments when you find yourself completely Rage-starved and just need to quickly get an ability off to establish some initial aggro.

Head Rune

This Rune makes Barkskin a much more reliable defensive cooldown by allowing us to cast it while in Cat Form or Dire Bear Form and removing it's offensive penalties. It's the generally recommended choice for most players while main tanking, especially in fights which feature heavy Physical damage (think of Broodlord Lashlayer, or Emperor Vek'nilash). The short cooldown and lack of downsides means you can pop it quite freely, but try to cast it preemptively when you anticipate an increase in damage taken, more so than as an emergency ability.

Gore is the Offensive/Catweave Rune choice. It's great while in Cat Form due to how powerful Tiger's Fury is when modified by our King of the Jungle feet Rune, discussed further ahead. Furthermore, you might not have access to Lacerate as a Catweaving Bear (due to picking Savage Roar instead), and as such the cooldown reset on Mangle helps prevent having to Swipe for single-target threat.
It also just generally increases your overall DPS while in Dire Bear Form because Mangle is your best damage GCD, so if you're confident that you will survive the encounter easily, you can decide to pick it even as a Main Tank for parsing and kill-time purposes.

Back Rune

Improved Swipe is the clear choice for our back Rune. First off, this vastly improves upon the original Swipe while in Dire Bear Form, allowing us to hit up to 10 targets and substantially improving our AoE threat output. In addition, it provides a multi-target option for our Cat Form form, which it previously lacked. This Rune synergizes with all the Fury of Stormrage set-bonuses particularly well.

Chest Rune

This is the recommended tanking choice. It's the most impactful factor when bolstering your overall tankiness, more so than most of your talent choices or gear. Your Healers will have a smoother time keeping you topped off and therefore you can likely wear fewer defensive item choices, and focus more on damage and threat. It also helps someone who is Catweaving with mostly DPS gear in reaching the survivability required for when they switch into Dire Bear Form to Offtank.

As powerful as Wild Strikes is for all melee DPSers (and yourself), it is a Raid-wide aura that a single player needs to be providing. It would be best if a Feral DPSer is the one running it in a Raid setting, since no other option improves their performance significantly. That way you don't have to miss out on the defensive capabilities that Survival of the Fittest provides. If your group lacks any other Feral Druids, then this will likely be the option that you will be expected to take (especially on Alliance where the lack of Shamans means no Windfury Totem). It's also generally your best bet for 5-man dungeons where you are the only Feral.

Wrist Rune

This is the recommended Wrist Rune for both Main tanking and Catweaving (the slight DPS increase from Elune's Fires is not considered impactful enough for you to run this over Improved Frenzied Regeneration, even if you are Offtanking).
In a similar vein to our Head rune, it turns the traditional Frenzied Regeneration into a much stronger defensive cooldown, and the difference in power that having the rune boost this ability makes is "night and day".
The significantly larger health pools in Season of Discovery lead to large amounts of healing each tick, and it synergizes with your Survival Instincts feet Rune discussed below, so you could opt to pop both as an emergency macro for sticky situations (it does so because the healing on it scales off of your Hitpoints, not because it benefits from the 20% increase to heals, as it is a physical one).
This ability got noticeably stronger and more impactful with the addition of your 6-Piece set-bonus, which essentially makes it infinite when fighting undead targets, a category which most enemies inside Naxxramas fit into.

Gloves Rune

Mangle is an amazing addition for both Feral forms that notably improves their core rotation.
It's an incredibly powerful ability regarding Threat and DPS in Dire Bear Form that you always want to hit whenever it's off cooldown, as well as during Berserk. Furthermore, it refreshes the ever-important Defender's Resolve buff, which grants you 4 Attack Power for each point of your Defense skill beyond 300, lasting for 15 seconds. This buff allows you to gear with Tank-centric items yet still boast remarkable damage output (and therefore threat).
During Cat Form, it turns into a nice combo point builder and rotation filler with no positional requirements that increases the damage done by your Bleeds and Shred (essentially your main DPS sources).

Belt Rune

Berserk acts as our offensive cooldown, something we previously lacked. We just mentioned above just how strong of an ability Mangle is while tanking, so the ability to spam it freely with a 3-target Cleave-like effect on top is huge. You usually want to cast this on pull, right after your first Mangle connects (it will immediately refresh the cooldown on it and you can spam it after that). Often best paired with any poppable offensive trinkets you have and Catnip. It becomes noticeably stronger when modified by your 4-Piece Tier 3 set-bonus, often allowing for two casts in the same encounter. Do not forget that it provides a Fear immunity similar to a Warrior's Berserker Rage for its entire duration, and can also break you out of them when required.

Pants Rune

Lacerate is our recommended choice when single-target tanking for a large majority of the encounter's duration. It acts as your filler ability to cast alongside Maul whenever Mangle is unavailable, and progressively ramps up in power as you build stacks of it, up to 5. While it pales comparably in raw damage, it makes up for it with a heftier threat modifier. Keep in mind it is a Bleed, as such it will not affect units and Bosses which are immune to those (while this characteristic is absent from most Bosses in Season of Discovery, there are still some exceptions, such as Moam).

This is the choice for catweaving Offtanks who will take on the role of a damage dealer for a significant portion of the fight.
Given just how impactful Savage Roar is when you are DPSing, you don't want to skip it if you can avoid doing so. It will vastly improve your performance while in Cat Form, but it does mean that you will have to rely on Swipe for single target aggro and damage in Dire Bear Form whenever you can't cast Mangle.

Boots Rune

Survival Instincts is the recommended choice for Main Tanks, and also Offtanks whenever their duties require high survivability. It acts as a Feral Druid's version of the Warrior's Last Stand. Best used as a panic button for emergencies, or as a means to beef yourself up in anticipation of a particularly dangerous mechanic (such as just before Maexxna's Web Spray or Loatheb's Necrotic Aura). As stated before, the increased Healthpool will boost the healing ticks from Improved Frenzied Regeneration and add value to the sturdiness provided by Barkskin, or Pain Suppression, for example. This rune also features a nice passive effect that awards you with Rage every time you dodge, essentially tackling the main downside that comes from bolstering our avoidance.

King of the Jungle is the Catweave choice for Offtanks that will mainly stay in Cat Form for most of the encounter with minor safe tanking assignments. It transforms your Tiger's Fury into an instant, non-GCD Energy refill, improving your rotation and translating into approximately 16% of an increase to your overall DPS.

Ring Rune

The Feral Combat Skill is treated as a Druid's weapon skill, and the Feral Combat Ring Rune effectively increases it's value.
There main "threshold" that you want to reach is a +5 increase to this skill, bringing it from 300 to 305. This boost impacts your Glancing Blows and your Hit rating as well, effectively reducing the bonus hit chance from gear that is required to reach Hit Cap on Bosses from 9 to 6%. Going past 305 is less valuable as it only further decreases the damage reduction on your Glacing Blows, not your Hit rating or the chance for them to occur.
Since these first 5 points are the most important and are easy to achieve with the ring rune alone, this is your obvious first choice

Defense Specialization is the second best Ring Rune for Tanks specs. Defense is a very valuable offensive stat due to Defender's Resolve mentioned above, and no other options are as strong.

Paladin TankMalleable ProtectionSheath of LightMalleable ProtectionSeal of MartyrdomDivine ProtectionConsecrationVindicationConvictionsometimesConsecrationHoly ShieldHammer of the RighteousAvenger's ShieldToughnessDeflectionBenedictionImproved Seal of the CrusaderImproved Blessing of MightHorn of LordaeronBlessing of MightBenedictionToughnessAnticipationHead runesBlessing of SanctuaryExorcismNaxxramasExorcismConsecrationBack runesChest runesRedoubtReckoningRedoubtHoly ShieldConsecrationWrist runesCrusader StrikeSheath of LightHands runesWaist runesDivine ProtectionLeg runesLibram of AvengingSanctity AuraFear WardFeet runesExorcismRing runesHoly ShieldMalleable ProtectionHand of ReckoningHoly SpecializationHoly SpecializationRogue TankMain GaucheRiposteUnfair AdvantageHonor Among ThievesBlade DancePoisoned KnifeOccult Poison IIShadowstepHead RuneHonor Among ThievesFocused AttacksCombat PotencyFan of KnivesBack RuneFan of KnivesFocused AttacksBlunderbussCrimson TempestChest RuneJust a Flesh WoundFeintTeaseLeg RuneBlade DanceJust a Flesh WoundWrist RuneUnfair AdvantageGlove RuneMain GaucheSinister StrikeEviscerateDeathdealer's BattlearmorTemple of Ahn'QirajWaist RunePoisoned KnifeImproved Sinister StrikeDeadly PoisonOccult Poison IIShadowstepShuriken TossFeet RuneRolling with the PunchesRing RuneDagger SpecializationDefense SpecializationSword SpecializationMace SpecializationFist Weapon SpecializationShaman TankElemental FuryBurnStorm, Earth, and FireFlame ShockShield MasteryOverchargedMaelstrom WeaponChain LightningLesser Healing WaveStormstrikeElemental DevastationMolten BlastEarth ShockLava BurstShield SpecializationImproved Lightning ShieldAnticipationStormstrike Chest Rune

This remains your only option as a Tank.

With the advent of Phase 8 the scaling of Shield Mastery has been adjusted; where previously we gained 2 Spell Power per point of Defense, you now gain 4 Spell Power per point of Defense. This enables your natural desire of well itemized defensive items to further contribute to your TPS and DPS.

In Phases past, we would consider things like Dual Wield or even Overload, but this small adjustment has cemented us in doing no such shenanigans, strap on your shield, call it a day.

Gloves Rune

Molten Blast is reset by your Flame Shock ticks, giving it some increase value in all AOE circumstances; unfortunately, in single target, this ability is pretty stinky. I generally recommend this as a Rune Swap for Enhance players, as otherwise you have very little in the ways of cleave.

This is my top pick for every single spec of Tank Shaman. With the release of the AQ 20 3-Set, Gift of the Gathering Storm we have new ways to scale beyond just Elemental Fury, and with Flame Shock it is a guaranteed Crit every time.

Using your Maelstrom Weapon and proper timing allows you to weave spells between boss attacks, or simply wait for them to stack up for large bursts of single target damage and threat.

Legs Rune

The second in the Mandatory section of runes, as long as Rockbiter Weapon is running and we have a Shield equipped, we are effectively in our very own tank stance. We gain a 65% increased threat modifier, crit immunity, 30% more health, 10% flat damage reduction, and Earth Shock becomes a full blown taunt.

Unfortunately, as of Phase 4, this also reduces the range of your offensive spells to only 10 yards in the case of Chain Lightning and 20y for Flame Shock, so be mindful of any spacing you have.

Belt Rune

Totem of Relentless Thunder makes this a one-size-fits-all category. This will allow you to passively cast your Lava Burst freely during bosses, Chain Lightning on trash, and even a few spot heals as needed.

Don't let the nature of this slot confuse you, while this does appear to be an Enhance rune it actually functions more efficiently than Power Surge in many circumstances.

Boots Rune

While Blessing of Salvation rewards a strong DPS, Alpha rewards a strong Tank. Instead of reducing everyone elses threat, increase your own. Very simple rune, and with the new 4-Piece set from AQ, Stormcaller's Resolve and/or the new rune Soul of the True Alpha you are further incentivized to self-buff with this, freeing your raid from having to buff you and rewarding you for doing so.

Helm Rune

Short, Sweet, and to the point. Should you be playing Enhance, you are able to utilize Mental Dexterity (especially in combination with World Buffs, where this gets cranked to 11) to compensate for your lack of direct Spell Power. This results in the strongest possible single target results, and your offensive stats hitting new heights.

Burn is my personal favorite, giving you a cleave option off of your primary damaging ability and further synergizing with Storm, Earth, and Fire to allow you to put some very respectable damage and threat across many targets. As a bit of tech, if pulling more than 5 targets make sure to select ones without the Flame Shock debuff on them before recasting, as you can sustain this on 15 targets simultaneously.

Bracers Rune

Lightning Shield being permanent is now a staple of the Shaman Tanking experience. Nothing comes close to the performance of becoming a bomb, so don't even think about taking this one off.

Cloak Rune

The most important part of this Rune is the large increase to Flame Shocks periodic damage. This should be combined with Burn to turn your Flame Shock into an absolutely huge DPS increase. As a bit of an extra bonus, this also allows Earthbind Totem to root enemies, which can be incredibly powerful in PvP, AOE farming, and dungeons. Finally, reducing the cooldown of Chain Lightning is very useful for AOE situations.

Ring Rune

If you are Spell Hit capped, using a Weapon Skill rune is a level of improvement to your toolkit, especially as Enhance. With 300 Weapon Skill your hit cap is 9%, with 305 Skill this is reduced to 6%, which does contribute to your overall TPS and DPS. It's worth noting Orc's specifically have access to Axe Specialization and do not need their Weapon Skill improved, but it does technically add DPS.

These are useful in reaching Spell Hit cap. Your Spell Hit cap is 16%, with a permanent 1% miss/resist ratio. Generally, I value our hit cap very highly, especially in a world where there are Taunt Swaps or important pickups of mobs.

Due to Shield Mastery this is your most important Ring Rune and you will never not have it on.

Warlock Tank

When considering talent builds for Warlock Tanking, there are various options with the primary decision revolving around whether to prioritize mitigation, threat generation, or strike a balance between the two. The optimal choice depends on factors such as raid familiarity, gear level, and the specific encounter. Striking a balance involves careful consideration of gear, talents, and runes that can be adjusted based on the encounter requirements. The two dominant talent specializations are Demonology for a bigger mitigation focus and Destruction with a bigger focus on threat generation, each build can be modified to behave more like the other with the use of runes.
Click on the tabs to learn more about each build.

Once we get a solid understanding of the mechanics at play and the better gear we get, the less we must rely on defensive cooldowns and talents. This makes it so that we can shift a big part of our talents and runes to focus on increasing our throughput and threat generation. Since most of our threat generation comes from Searing Pain, that means increasing Fire damage as much as possible. In other words, we need to swap over to the Destruction talent tree. It's worth noting that picking up Conflagrate for Backdraft isn't worth it as we are already at the Global Cooldown for Searing Pain. One could argue for taking it along with Decimation, but overall this most likely is not worth the hassle, you should have a significant enough threat by the time you reach execution. One can swap runes between the defensive and offensive build provided here based on the encounter and comfort.

This build fully embraces offensive capabilities, forgoing survivability bonuses beyond Metamorphosis and those provided by gear. The primary focus is dealing fire damage with Searing Pain. Moreover, synergies between Devastation, Ruin, and Emberstorm amplify overall spell damage.

Additionally, this build makes use of Improved Imp to further increase throughput. Allocating points in the Demonology tree grants access to Demonic Embrace and Improved Imp, significantly boosting the Effective Health Pool through additional stamina. Combining Improved Imp and Improved Firebolt transforms the Warlock's companion into a potent machine gun, consistently casting impactful Firebolt every second. It's worth noting that to ensure the Imp casts Firebolt on cooldown with the talent, it's necessary to manually include the spell cast command in macros for other spells, as the auto-cast feature of pets may introduce significant gaps between casts.

Firebolt Macro:
#showtooltip
/cast Legs Rune Ability
/cast !Firebolt
Notes:

Your Imp must still initially be told to attack manually.
Legs Rune Ability is just an example spell, macro Firebolt with everything.
You need to spam this macro at a high rate to see the benefit.
This macro only helps to reduce the gaps introduced by autocasting.

The most defensively-oriented talent build is a deep Demonology variation that emphasizes reducing incoming damage and having strong cooldowns to further mitigate incoming damage (such as Vengeance). Typically, this build employs would employ Summon Felguard as the primary pet for additional mitigation with Master Demonologist,.

Soul Link no longer works in combination with Metamorphosis. With this being the case going down the entire Demonology tree is no longer advised. However, our new demon, the Felguard, still makes it worthwhile to pick up Unholy Power and Master Demonologist, for a more defensive build. Note that our Felguard gains every effect from Master Demonologist meaning we get a of damage reduction. This also includes the reduction in threat generation, alternatively it also has the same effect for Demonic Sacrifice which is another option that doesn’t reduce our threat generation.

Threat Generation

Mitigation

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Head Rune

Pandemic is a rune that makes it so that our periodic damage effects can land critical hits. This is a minor damage and in return threat increase for us. The only real damage over time abilities we use are Corruption, Immolate, and highly depending on your raid setup potentially Curse of Agony. Even then we only use these once a threat lead is established. However, there are not a lot of other viable head runes that increase our overall threat generation.

Vengeance increases our health by 30% for 20 seconds. Making it ideal as a defensive cooldown to pop whenever you know there will be an increase in incoming damage. Note that when the buff fades that you will lose the additional health, something to be mindful of. Additionally, in our Metamorphosis form it also gives us slow fall, which can help us prevent from pulling a Guzu.

Backdraft causes Conflagrate when we use it to increase our casting speed by 30% for 10 seconds. Whilst this sounds great and like it would be a bigger threat increase in comparison to Pandemic, there are a couple of caveats that need to be made. The biggest one being that Searing Pain our main threat generator is already an instant cast spell thanks too Metamorphosis, so Backdraft doesn’t provide any bonus here. The second biggest negative of this rune from a tanking perspective is the fact that it requires us to cast Immolate twice as often as Conflagrate consumes the debuff. Casting Conflagrate leaves us prone to pushback or spell school lockout.

Back Rune

Infernal Armor gives us a bunch of magic mitigation equal to the percentage of physical damage reduction from armor.

Shoulder Rune

Soul of the Rotbringer is a straightforward rune that makes it so that periodic damage and the damage from your Felguard is increased.

Soul of the Refined increases our crit chance by 2%, whichin turn increases threat generation and mitigation.

Soul of the Voidborne is a rune that causes our self-healing that overheals (at full health) to convert to an absorb shield.

Chest Rune

Master Channeler is an Drain Life-related rune that transforms the spell from a channelled ability into a 3 times as long damage-over-time effect, accompanied by additional healing. This alteration turns Drain Life into a versatile self-healing single-target damage spell, allowing Warlocks to incorporate other filler spells like Shadow Bolt into their rotation. With an extended duration of 15 seconds, Master Channeler also comes with a cooldown of 15 seconds, making misses extra punishing.

Demonic Tactics is a straightforward rune that provides a flat 10% increase in crit chance for both the Warlock and their demon. In a phase where critical strike chance may be scarce, this rune can lead to a significant boost in damage for direct damage spells. It not only enhances the damage output of spells but also contributes to the increased uptime of talents like Improved Shadow Bolt, if included in the talent build. For Warlocks utilizing the Demonic Pact or Dance of the Wicked rune, Demonic Tactics might also help in maintaining a higher uptime on the spells.

Lake of Fire is a rune that changes Rain of Fire, causing it to be no longer channeled. Leaving one free to also cast other spells. This mainly makes it useful for AoE situations.

Gloves Rune

This rune is the backbone that enables Warlocks to tank effectively, making it an essential choice for the Hands rune slot. While threat generation hasn't been a significant concern in previous iterations of Classic, on the contrary, you might have found yourself at times worried if the next Shadow Bolt would crit and, as such, cause you to grab the target's attention; this rune provides a reliable solution. It not only ensures that we grab a mob's full attention by increasing our base threat generation but also substantially enhances our survivability.

The rune increases all the threat we generate by 50% and transforms Searing Pain into an instant-cast spell, eliminating concerns about pushback, potential spell school lockout, and the loss of avoidance during our primary threat generation. A distinctive feature of Warlock Tanks, Searing Pain can generate threat from 30 yards away. When facing a threat loss, we gain access to taunts: Menace a 3-second taunt with a 10-second cooldown, limited to melee range. Demonic Howl acts as the counterpart to Howl of Terror, redirecting the focus of all nearby mobs to us for the next 6 seconds, albeit with a cooldown of 10 minutes. To aid in cleave threat, Shadow Bolt transforms into Shadow Cleave, hitting up to three targets in melee range.

In terms of survivability, our armor increases sixfold, turning our cloth into a great defense against incoming physical damage. Additionally, we enjoy a 6% reduced chance of being critically hit. Moreover, the need for Life Tap is halved, reducing the amount of self-inflicted damage we endure. Metamorphosis is a must-have and there isn't an alternative rune that comes close for tanking.

Wrist Rune

Immolation Aura causes targets that are in melee range to take additional damage. This is great seeing as how we as tanks tend to always be in melee range, aside from a couple niche situations. This is essentially free threat generation. On top of that it also reduces all the magical damage we take by a further 10%.

Summon Felguard allows us to summon all familiar Felguard. In terms of damage performance, the Felguard can’t quite compete with the Machine Gun Imp. However, when it comes to survivability, it does come in handy. Most notable because all the effects of each demon for Master Demonologist and Demonic Sacrifice apply to the Felguard. That means that you can either use it as a source to increase your overall survivability with Master Demonologist (at the cost of threat generation) or increase your overall threat generation using Demonic Sacrifice and getting some health and mana generation along with it.

Pants Rune

At the very least, it provides a base amount of spell power, which can prove more valuable than saving 1.5 seconds on Corruption in the few single-target fights that last longer than 18 seconds. The additional spell power impacts all spells on all targets and benefits the entire party. While Demonic Pact may not match the power seen in its Wrath of the Lich King iteration, it remains a solid option for Warlocks whose builds don't rely on Incinerate.

Demonic Grace, as a rune, grants both the Warlock and their pet an additional 30% crit chance along with dodge chance for a duration of 6 seconds, with a cooldown of 20 seconds. The Warlock can typically execute a couple Searing Pain casts in this time. As such, in general, it is great for mitigation and threat generation.

Belt Rune

Grimoire of Synergy exhibits a significantly lower proc chance compared to Shadow and Flame (depending on the amount of crit chance one has), but slightly longer duration. Even so the average uptime is lower, making Shadow and Flame the preferable rune.

Boots Rune

Dance of the Wicked doesn't offer significant mana generation, and, however the extra dodge chance is quite big for Demonology Tanks.

Ring Rune

Fire Specialization increases our hit chance with Fire spells by 6%.

Shadow Specialization increases our hit chance with Shadow spells by 6%.

Defense Specialization increases our defense rating by 25.

Warrior TankThunder ClapDefensive StanceDefianceFurious ThunderRemember that regular mobs also have their own armor values that reduce the damage, and as a result, the total threat it would generate.ShockwaveShockwaveShockwave

AoE Threat

Head Rune

Shield Mastery increases your physical damage output by 10% while wearing a shield.

Vigilance transfers 10% of the threat generated by a raid member of your choice to you, which reduces their threat while buffing yours at the same time, and reduces their damage taken by 3%. Although Vigilance is a powerful spell, it simply can't compete with Shield Mastery, providing an almost similar bonus to threat on top of more personal damage.

Chest Rune

Warbringer allows a Warrior tank to use Charge, Intercept and Intervene in combat but more importantly without leaving Defensive Stance. This actually means a Warrior tank doesn't need to stance dance to Charge or Intercept into battle and can retain pooled rage between fights in Defensive Stance for more frontloaded threat. Being able to Charge in combat also gives a Warrior tank a strong gap-closing ability after knockback mechanics such as Wrath of Ragnaros.

Wrist Rune

Wrecking Crew buffs you with yet another Enrage effect whenever you crit, stacking with your Enrage talent, which increases the damage of your Shield Slam by an additional 10% for 12 seconds.

Rampage is a buff that can be activated while enraged, granting an additional dynamically changing 10% Attack Power buff

When the Sword and Board rune is equipped, you have a 30% chance to reset the cooldown of Shield Slam whenever your Devastate or Revenge deals damage, and use it free of rage within the next 5 seconds. While Sword and Board is a cornerstone of the Protection Warrior gameplay in Wrath of the Lich King, adding unpredictable resets to spice up the rotation, it sadly performs worse than Wrecking Crew in the current phase, both for threat generation and damage output.

Gloves Rune

Devastate replaces Sunder Armor as your spamable filler ability, applying both the debuff and threat, on top of dealing damage equal to 150% of your main-hand weapon's DPS + 10% for each stack of Sunder Armor, on the target. Other armor debuffs such as Degrade or Expose Armor count as 5x Sunder Armor for the damage calculation of Devastate.

Endless Rage increases the rage generated by your melee swings by 25%, which isn't much, but it's the best alternative rune for AoE threat generation when all your rage is dedicated to Thunder Clap and Cleave, and you wouldn't use Devastate.

Belt Rune

Blood Surge has a 30% chance to grant you a Slam usage, instant and free of rage, each time you use Heroic Strike, Bloodthirst or Whirlwind. It's especially good paired with a dual-wield Fury build that will use a lot of Heroic Strike and get a lot of procs, while other builds will prefer Precise Timing.

Focused Rage reduces the rage cost of all offensive spells by a flat 3 rage. This does not include any non-damaging abilities like Shield Block.

Pants Rune

Furious Thunder improves the attack speed slow effect of Thunder Clap by 6% for a total of 16% slow, but more importantly allows a Warrior tank to use Thunder Clap in Defensive Stance and increases the threat generated by 50% for AoE threat generation.

Boots Rune

The Gladiator Stance allows a Warrior to use abilities that are restricted to other stances as long as they are wearing a shield, and increases their damage done by 10%, but reduces threat generated by 30% and armor by 30%. On paper, it's a stance best used for DPS and not tanking since it increases damage taken by 27% compared to Defensive Stance. However, if you can survive with this reduced survivability, you will deal ~29% more DPS compared to traditional tanking in Defensive Stance, which is a worthy trade-off.

Rallying Cry is an excellent personal and raid-wide defensive cooldown, increasing the health of all allies by 15% for 10 seconds, with a 3-minute cooldown.

Intervene is an additional mobility skill that lets you charge toward a party or raid member to intercept the next physical attack against them, as well as reduce their current threat by 10%.

Enraged Regeneration is a situational defensive cooldown, consuming your current Enrage effects to heal you for 30% of your maximum health over 10 seconds. It is mostly useful in solo or PvP to improve your self-sustain, but not so much in group PvE content with dedicated healers.

Back Rune

The Fresh Meat grants us 10% increased damage after scoring a hit with Shield Slam. Very important to guarantee mobs stick to us as it also improves our AoE threat generation.

The is an AoE spell that stuns every enemy in front of us in a cone while dealing massive damage; use this in any scenario where you are not main tanking

Season of Discovery - Talents and Runes Quick Reference Guide for All Classes

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