Class Changes in Shadowlands - Covenants, Soulbinds, Legendaries, AoE Target Caps, GCD Changes

By Paryah Updated: 2020/10/12

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Classes in ShadowlandsAll Class Guides Updated for Shadowlands

Blood DKFrost DKUnholy DK

Devourer DHHavoc DHVengeance DH

Balance DruidFeral DruidGuardian DruidRestoration Druid

Aug EvokerDevastation EvokerPreservation Evoker

BM HunterMM HunterSurvival Hunter

Arcane MageFire MageFrost Mage

Brewmaster MonkMistweaver MonkWindwalker Monk

Holy PaladinProtection PaladinRetribution Paladin

Discipline PriestHoly PriestShadow Priest
Assassination RogueOutlaw RogueSubtlety Rogue

Elemental ShamanEnhance ShamanRestoration Shaman

Affliction WarlockDemo WarlockDestro Warlock

Arms WarriorFury WarriorProtection Warrior

Class and Spec Changes for ShadowlandsThe Level SquishGlobal Class Changes

Most non-periodic damage and healing abilities will now have a 5% variance on each individual use.

Healing received debuffs have been doubled in PvE while they remain the same in PvP. Examples include Mortal Wounds for Warriors, Hunters and, Monks (50%/25%), Wound Poison for Rogues (8%/4% per stack), and Mortal Cleave and Legion Strike for Warlocks (20%/10%).

Group buffs, Power Word: Fortitude, Arcane Intellect, and Battle Shout, have been halved to now grant 5% of their respective stats to party members.

The Unpruning of Abilities in ShadowlandsGlobal Cooldown Changes for Abilities in ShadowlandsBlade FlurryAscendanceTalent Changes in ShadowlandsArea of Effect Damage Changes in ShadowlandsShadowlands Core SystemsShadowlands CovenantsCovenant Soulbinds in Shadowlands

Covenant Signature Ability Augment Trait: This is an inherent trait that you receive when you Soulbind with your selected NPC. It is designed to augment the Covenant Signature Ability.

Damage and Utility Traits: Active and passive abilities that provide damage and combat enhancements and added utility.

Conduits: A progression interface system where traits can be earned and selected, and various augments (throughput, survival, and utility) can be socketed. Conduits will be spec specific and can be changed for a nominal fee.

Torghast and Anima PowersLegendary Items in ShadowlandsShadowlands Class Changes by Build

Comments

Comment by isawakumo

I have one question regarding the level squish - How will it impact running old content? Right now my 120 can power through Legion Mythics solo, will my 50/60 (post squish) be able to do the same?

Comment by Sarthorius

Just a thing I noticed: Pretty much all Class pages have at least 1 alliance representing them, but some don't have ANY horde. I know you guys like Alliance so much but I think there should be a middle ground here, or, on some classes put the most iconic characters (like Horde shamans and Alliance Paladins, for example). But I'd prefer a middle ground, time to refresh the Class arts with one of each at the cover of the pages, why not attacking each other heh?

Like, for example in the Monk page you have that 'human' mainly for that class, only recently I began to see the pandaren one too. Warlock one has a Worgen + Gnome (2x Alliance).

Comment by Doomraven0

Hmmmm, maybe the combat in the game would be more strategic and people wouldn't pull so many mobs if Blizz didn't oversaturate every square meter of the game with enemies? You can't ever enjoy the game world if you can't walk two feet without a mob aggroing. There Blizz goes, "fixing" something that was their fault in the first place.

Comment by Castastrophe

Has playing multiple specs been addressed with covenants? For example, druids have 4 specs and a lot of players play multiple specs, the class abilities for one covenant may be suitable for one spec but not all. Do you change covenants when you change spec or will blizzard allow a covenant for each spec?

Comment by Headshawt

Created spreadsheet to show what choices the different races and classes have when you create a new character in Shadowlands, based on BETA v9.0.1

Tried exporting my Excel to Markdown.

First attempt with some cleanup:
https://github.com/headshawt73/WoWinfo/blob/master/Shadowlands_NewChars

TL;DR summary

Original races, most classes except DK, start at level 1 and have choice: old starting area or Exile's Reach
Pandaren, all classes except DK, start at level 1 and have choice: individual original starting area or Exile's Reach
Deathknights (100% any and all races) start at level 8 at Archerus: The Ebon Hold
Demon Hunters (still just NElf and BElf) start at level 8 at Mardum, the Shattered Abyss
New Allied races start at level 10 at their individual original starting area

Comment by Fooysari

they need to make unholy assault and epidemic baseline, the kit feels incomplete without them a especially after the changes to both abilites for shadowlands, put something else competitive in those rows that will bring flavor and let us pick something besides them, otherwise those rows are dead and those two talents will always be taken, much like they are right now in bfa.

Comment by Keatitan

Wouldn't it be sweet if they made it so Void elves and Nighborne could be demon hunters? O_O

Class Changes in Shadowlands - Covenants, Soulbinds, Legendaries, AoE Target Caps, GCD Changes

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