All of the class changes and abilities we know about in WoW Shadowlands (so far)
Shadowlands is bringing back the class fantasy feeling of Legion, so much that they cheekily called it “The Unpruning” — undoing the “surgical pruning” that had been happening since Warlords of Draenor. Their goal for class design is that is that our classes will feel “fuller” and more rounded, with emphasis on the class as whole instead of on the spec itself.
All of Legion’s rich class toolkits, through Artifact Weapons and legendaries, were pruned in Battle for Azeroth. Once-baseline spells were locked behind talents, making players feel like their classes were gutted, especially when Azerite Traits utterly failed to fill that gap. In Shadowlands, we’re getting class-wide access to abilities that had been locked to certain specs as well as old fan-favorites back to make classes feel more interesting. In addition to bringing back old abilities, we’ll get new ones via Covenants, as well as Anima Powers that upgrade our spells to aid our progress in Torghast.
Read on for all the major changes and new abilities we know about for each class.
Death Knight
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Anti-Magic Zone, Chains of Ice, Death and Decay, Death Pact, Dome of Ancient Shadow, Lichborne, Raise Dead, and Rune Strike are available to all specs.
- Anti-Magic Zone is baseline instead of a PVP talent.
- Rune Strike is baseline instead of a talent.
- Blood
- Frost
- Frostwyrm’s Fury is baseline instead of a talent.
- You can choose between two One-Handed Weapons or one Two-Handed Weapon again.
- Unholy
- Summon Gargoyle is baseline instead of a talent.
- Army of the Damned talent has incorporated the Azerite trait Magus of the Dead as a baseline effect.
- Mastery: Dreadblade also increases damage of minions.
New abilities
- New spell: Sacrificial Pact
- New Runeforging — Rune of the Apocalypse, Rune of Hysteria, Rune of Sanguination, Rune of Spellwarding, Rune of Unending Thirst
- Blood
- New talent: Relish in Blood
- Frost
- New talent: Hypothermic Presence
- Unholy
- New talent: Unholy Pact
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Shackle the Unworthy
- Venthyr Ability: Swarming Mist
- Necrolord Ability: Abomination Limb
- Night Fae Ability: Death’s Due (Replaces Death and Decay)
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- Ancient Drake Breath, Animate Armaments, Blood-tinged Poker, Bone Growing Juice, Bone Harvest, Boundless Fortitude, Call Horsemen, Chains of Anguish, Creeping Decay, Darkreaver’s Lens, Darkreaver’s Ward, Death Turf, Entropic Pool, Exterminator, Force Pull, Lich Robes, Monstrous Concoction, Necromantic Bile, Phearomones, Plaguebringer, Rune of Razorice, Skull Bloomer, Superstrain, Tome of Swordplay, Slick Ice, Unbreakable Cuffs, Unquenchable Blade
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
Demon Hunter
Returning and changed abilities
- Both specs
- Fury is the secondary resource for both Havoc and Vengeance.
- Demon’s Bite, Immolation Aura, and Torment are available to both specs.
- Immolation Aura is baseline instead of a talent.
- Vengeance
- Fel Devastation is baseline instead of a talent.
- Demonic has been added as a Vengeance talent.
- Blade Dance, Blur, Eye Beam, and the movement speed reduction on Vengeful Retreat are removed from Vengeance and are Havoc only.
New abilities
- Havoc
- New talents: Burning Hatred and Essence Break
- Vengeance
- New spell: Thick Skin
- New talents: Bulk Extraction and Ruinous Bulwark
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Elysian Decree
- Venthyr Ability: Sinful Brand
- Necrolord Ability: Fodder to the Flame
- Night Fae Ability: The Hunt
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- Blindfold of Focus, Bountiful Souls, Cadaverous Eye, Dark Stalker’s Draught, Darkest Hour, Darkglare Medallion, Deadly Toll, Demonglass Curio, Demonic Bias, Demonic Resolve, Fallen Comrade’s Blindfold, Felborn Pendant, Felborn Shield, Felborn Torch, Finely-Honed Bone Blades, Fleetwing, Forcewing, Frenzywing, Fury Wrappings, Furywing, Ghastly Chains, Grim Tinder, Heart-Piercing Spine, Immolation Flux, Manafeeder’s Bib, Mark of the Ogre, Phantasmal Iris, Ragehoof, Resonant Mawfang, Seeker’s Rage, Shield of Unending Fury, Shifting Signet, Soarstone, Soulrender of Zovaal, Stalker Sling, Tormentor’s Spiked Noose, Warden Shackles, Willbreaker
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
Druid
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Barkskin, Cyclone, Ferocious Bite, Heart of the Wild, Ironfur, and Stampeding Roar are available to all specs.
- Cyclone is baseline instead of a PVP talent.
- Wrath is coming back, and available to all specs.
- Heart of the Wild is a regular talent instead of a PVP talent.
- Affinity talents have more utility:
- Balance Affinity gets Typhoon.
- Feral Affinity gets Maim.
- Guardian Affinity gets Incapacitating Roar.
- Restoration Affinity gets Ursol’s Vortex.
- Balance
- Wrath and Starfire are coming back in place of Solar Wrath and Lunar Strike, with longer Lunar and Solar Eclipses.
- Starfall is returning to its “hit everything everywhere” Warlords of Draenor version. It will be cast around the Druid and will also extend the duration of Moonfire and Sunfire.
- Guardian
- Renewal has been added as a talent.
- Restoration
- Swiftmend is reverting back to its original effect of consuming the Regrowth, Wild Growth, or Rejuvenation HOT in order to heal the target.
- Nature’s Swiftness is coming back.
- Nourish is regular talent instead of a PVP talent.
New abilities
- Balance
- New effect: Mastery: Total Eclipse
- Feral
- New talent: Bloodtalons
- Guardian
- New spell: Berserk
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Kindred Spirits
- Venthyr Ability: Ravenous Frenzy
- Necrolord Ability: Adaptive Swarm
- Night Fae Ability: Convoke the Spirits
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- Affinity Stones, Blood-Tinged Teeth, Bottle of Moonshine, Circlet of Weeds, Cloak of Thorns, Curious Bramblepatch, Draught of Midnight Blazes, Grasping Tendrils, Lycara’s Bargain, Lycara’s Sash, Lycara’s Twig, Moon-Spirit Essence, Oath of Druids, Orbit Breaker, Petrus Ring, Plague-Hardened Hide, Revitalizing Spirit, Rootwood Scarab, Steelwood Slab, String of Fangs and Talons, Sylvatican Charm, Writings of Lycara
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
- Kyrian: Bounty of the Grove, Command the Grove, Darkening Canopy, Giving Tree, Overgrown Garden, Sun-Drenched Grove, Winds of Bastion, Wisdom and Fury, Wisdom’s Embrace
- Note: The Kyrian Anima Powers reference the previous Druid Kyrian Ability (Purity’s Vale) and have not been updated or may be intended to be a version for solo players.
- Kyrian: Bounty of the Grove, Command the Grove, Darkening Canopy, Giving Tree, Overgrown Garden, Sun-Drenched Grove, Winds of Bastion, Wisdom and Fury, Wisdom’s Embrace
Hunter
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Kill Shot, Eyes of the Beast, Scare Beast, and Tranquilizing Shot are coming back.
- Arcane Shot, Hunter’s Mark, Steady Shot, and Wing Clip are available to all specs.
- Hunter’s Mark is baseline instead of a Markmanship talent.
- Marksmanship
- Volley is returning as a talent.
- Chimaera Shot has been added as a talent.
New abilities
- Beast Mastery
- New effect: Pack Tactics
- New talent: Bloodshed
- Markmanship
- New talents: Dead Eye and Binding Shackles
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Resonating Arrow
- Venthyr Ability: Flayed Shot
- Necrolord Ability: Death Chakram
- Night Fae Ability: Wild Spirits
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- Assassinate, Bursting Tar, Constricted Movement, Critical Focus, Death Deceiver, Deflected Gaze, Focus Fire, Hardened Turtle Shell, Heightened Senses, Hunter’s Spoils, Ignition, Inner Beast, Killer Instinct, Natural Protection, Natural Resources, Nimble Defender, Petrified Pet Food, Predator, Safe Withdrawal, Scaredy Rat, Speedy Retreat, Sticky Tar, Strategic Trapping, Tactical Combat, Tactical Retreat, Trap Mastery
- Talent Anima Powers
Mage
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Arcane Explosion, Fire Blast, and Frostbolt are available to all specs.
- Mirror Image is baseline instead of a talent.
- Fire Ward and Frost Ward are returning.
- Alter Time is returning as a cooldown.
- Focus Magic is returning as a talent.
- Arcane
- Touch of the Magi is baseline instead of a talent.
New abilities
- New Polymorph: Mawrat
- Arcane
- New spell: Conjure Mana Gem
- New talent: Enlightened
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Radiant Spark
- Venthyr Ability: Mirrors of Torment
- Necrolord Ability: Deathborne
- Night Fae Ability: Shifting Power
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- Arcanic Pulse Detector, Art of the Blinkmage, Bottled Tesseract, Bombardier’s Etching, Chaos Invitation, Clouded Diamond, Constellation Shield, Creeping Freeze, Dimensional Blade, Echoes of Elisande, Everwarm Socks, Fire Juggler, Grisly Icicle, Highly-Polished Handmirror, Mad Wizard’s Intellect, Manascale, Pandemonium Lens, Polymorbid Rat Liver, Resolute Medallion, Rotten Grains, Runecloth Wrappings, Sapphire Prism, Scroll of Explosure, Seeker’s Scroll, Spaceweaver’s Thread, Timebreaker’s Paradox, Timeweaver’s Needle, Tome of Zoomancy, Touch of the Unseen, Triune Ward, Tundrid Phial, Wand Grease, Whizzard Hat
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
Monk
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Expel Harm, Fortifying Brew, Spinning Crane Kick, and Touch of Death are available to all specs.
- Brewmaster
- Invoke Niuzao, the Black Ox is baseline instead of a talent.
- Shuffle is coming back.
- Killing a target with Touch of Death will also clear Stagger damage.
- The Legion Artifact ability Exploding Keg is coming back as a talent.
- You can choose between two One-Handed Weapons or one Two-Handed Weapon again.
- Mistweaver
- Killing a target with Touch of Death will also spawn healing spheres.
- Windwalker
- Invoke Xuen, the White Tiger is baseline instead of a talent.
- Fortifying Brew is baseline instead of a PVP talent.
- Killing a target with Touch of Death will also spawn chi spheres.
- You can choose between two One-Handed Weapons or one Two-Handed Weapon again.
New abilities
- Brewmaster
- New spells: Celestial Brew and Clash
- New talents: Celestial Flames, Exploding Keg, and Light Brewing
- Mistweaver
- New spell: Invoke Yul’on, the Jade Serpent
- Windwalker
- New talent: Dance of Chi-Ji
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Weapons of Order
- Venthyr Ability: Fallen Order
- Necrolord Ability: Bonedust Brew
- Night Fae Ability: Faeline Stomp
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- 36 Pressure Points, Amplified Samples, Bad Karma, Balance of the Ox, Caught by the Dropkicks, Celestial Dynasty, Constellations, Corrosive Dosage, Crane Style, Fatal Flying Guillotine, Feathers of a Hundred Flocks, Flowing like the Chi, Hit Scheme, Katamawri, Monk Power, Roll Out, Rolling Tigers, Rushing Tiger Strikes, Shadowboxing, Storm with No Warning, Stroke of Elegance, Sweep the Leg, The Tiger vs The Crane, Tiger Style, Triumph
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
Paladin
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Auras are returning — Devotion Aura, Retribution Aura, Crusader Aura, and Concentration Aura.
- Sense Undead and Turn Evil are returning.
- Blessing of Sacrifice, Consecration, and Shield of the Righteous are available to all specs.
- Hammer of Wrath and Word of Glory are baseline instead of talents.
- Divine Purpose, Holy Avenger, and Seraphim are available as talents for all specs.
- Holy Power is returning as a resource for all specs.
- Crusader Strike and Hammer of Wrath generate Holy Power.
- Word of Glory and Shield of the Righteous spend Holy Power.
- Holy
- The Azerite Trait Glimmer of Light will be added as a talent.
- Saved by the Light is coming back as a talent.
- Retribution
- Wake of Ashes is baseline instead of a talent.
- The Azerite Trait Empyrean Power will be added as a talent.
New abilities
- Protection
- New effect: Shining Light
- New talents: Hand of the Protector, Moment of Glory, and Sanctified Wrath
- Retribution
- New talents: Healing Hands and Sanctified Wrath
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Divine Toll
- Venthyr Ability: Ashen Hallow
- Necrolord Ability: Vanquisher’s Hammer
- Night Fae Ability: Blessing of the Seasons, cycles through four Blessings — Blessing of Spring, Blessing of Summer, Blessing of Autumn, and Blessing of Winter
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- Judged: Unworthy, Judged: Worthy, Paladin Common 1, Paladin Common 2, Paladin Common 2, Paladin Common 3, Paladin Common 4, Paladin Common 5, Paladin Common 7, Paladin Common 8, Paladin Common 9, Paladin Epic 2, Paladin Epic 3, Paladin Epic 5, Paladin Epic 6, Paladin Rare 1, Paladin Rare 3, Paladin Rare 5, Paladin Uncommon 4, Paladin Uncommon 5, Theory of Justice, True Judgment
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
Priest
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Desperate Prayer, Flash Heal, Mind Blast, Mind Sear, Power Word: Shield, Shadow Word: Death, and Shadow Word: Pain are available to all three specs.
- Mind Soothe and Power Infusion are coming back, and Power Infusion can be cast on allies again.
- Holy
- Circle of Healing is baseline instead of a talent.
New abilities
- Discipline
- New talent: Light’s Caress
- Holy
- New talent: Prayer Circle
- New PVP talent: Thoughtsteal
- Shadow
- New talent: Death and Madness
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Boon of the Ascended
- Venthyr Ability: Mindgames
- Necrolord Ability: Unholy Nova
- Night Fae Ability: Fae Blessings
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- Animagrips, Art of Phantasmal Healing, Catharstick, Consuming Refrain, Cruelty Censer, Dead Mawrat, Death Harvester, Diary of Necrotic Thoughts, Enchanted Shroud, Enduring Spirit, Flash-Echo Focus, Flashbox, Holy Hellstone, Holyfire Draught, Horrific Dictionary, Idea Eater, Impulsor, Light-Tinged Scraps, Mark of Righteous Protection, Mind Exploder, Modified Impulsor, Obscurity, Painbreaker Psalm, Painwheel, Pandemonium Loop, Piercing Wail, Power Word: Snuggle, Puppetmaster’s Strings, Psychic Wallet, Rapid Contagion, Red-Hot Mindpokers, Reflective Shield, Schauden Fluorite, Searing Lantern, Soul Sapper, Thick Burlap Sash, Trauma Transfer, Vandal’s Zeal
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
Rogue
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Poisons are returning and will be class-wide — Crippling Poison, Deadly Poison, Instant Poison, and Numbing Poison.
- Shiv is baseline instead of a PVP talent.
- Ambush, Evasion, Eviscerate, Kidney Shot, Shiv, Sinister Strike, and Wound Poison are available for all specs.
- Alacrity is available as a talent for all specs.
- Slice and Dice is baseline instead of talent.
- Outlaw
- Roll the Bones is a general cooldown, removing the combo points effect.
- Subtlety
- Find Weakness is baseline instead of a talent.
- Rupture is back.
New abilities
- Subtlety
- New spell: Shadow Vault
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Echoing Reprimand
- Venthyr Ability: Slaughter
- Necrolord Ability: Serrated Bone Spike
- Night Fae Ability: Sepsis
Anima Powers
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
Shaman
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Totems are returning as persistent totems — Healing Stream Totem, Searing Totem, Tremor Totem, and Capacitor Totem.
- Primal Strike is coming back.
- Chain Heal, Chain Lightning, Healing Surge, Flametongue Weapon, Lightning Shield, Flame Shock, and Frost Shock are available to all specs.
- Elemental
- Maelstrom is no longer a resource. Instead, Elemental will focus on managing Lava Surge and Fulmination.
- Enhancement
- Maelstrom is no longer a resource. Instead, Enhancement will focus on managing Stormstrike.
- Maelstrom Weapon and Windfury Weapon are coming back.
- Elemental Blast and Stormkeeper are added as Enhancement talents.
- Windfury Totem is coming back.
- Restoration
- Earth Shield is baseline instead of a talent.
- Mana Tide Totem and Water Shield are coming back.
New abilities
- Improved Reincarnation
- Elemental
- New talent: Echoing Shock
- Restoration
- New talent: Surge of Earth
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Vesper Totem
- Venthyr Ability: Chain Harvest
- Necrolord Ability: Primordial Wave
- Night Fae Ability: Fae Transfusion
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- All-Consuming Blaze, Astral Bulwark, Blackened Boulder, Blessing of Ahune, Blood of Heroes, By Fire Be Purged, Call of Earth, Call of Fire, Call of Lightning, Chains of Devastation, Cracking Fissure, Deadened Earth, Deathseer Choker, Deathseer’s Reins, Deathseer’s Satchel, Deathseer’s Whip, Deeptremor Stone, Earthen Resonance, Elemental Core, Essence of the Ancestors, Flames of the Cauldron, Flaming Lance, Flowing Streams, Furious Spirits, Galvanizing Nimbus, Ghost Bone, Guardian’s Cudgel, Heart of the Deathseer, Ignan Oblation, Improved Healing Surge, Leeching Lilypad, Lingering Reverberations, Magma Fist, Mawrats on Ice, Might of the Worldsplitter, Molten Shock, Mountains Will Fall, Rimeblood, Secret of Living Flame, Shake the Foundations, Shield of Spirits, Spike of the Ice Guardian, Storm Conduit, Tectonic Storm, Thermal Harmony, Totemic Slam, Tsunami Relic, Unquenchable Flame, Unstable Terrain, Untaintable Waters, Vial of Soothing Waters, Violent Tremors, Wailing Winds
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
Warlock
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Curses are returning — Curse of Doom, Curse of Recklessness, Curse of Tongues, and Curse of Weakness.
- Demonic Circle is baseline instead of a talent.
- Corruption is available to all specs.
New abilities
- New talent: Tongue Tied
- Affliction
- New spell: Malefic Rapture
- New effect: Improved Corruption
- Demonology
- New talent: Improved Curse of Doom
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Scouring Tithe
- Venthyr Ability: Impending Catastrophe
- Necrolord Ability: Decimating Bolt
- Night Fae Ability: Soul Rot
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- Accursed Ashes, Art of the Blood Passage, Blood-Stained Dagger, Bottled Shadow, Chaotic Effigy, Choking Chains, Claw of Endereth, Crystal of Perpetual Displacement, Darkwhisper Signet, Detonation Torch, Disembodied Tongue, Dissolving Vial, Doomstone, Eye of Endereth, Glutton’s Guise, Heart of Endereth, Hellfire Pact, Inferno Skewers, Kiss of Recklessness, Mark of Borrowed Power, Pact of Infernal Intimacy, Pact of Thickness, Realmlord’s Insignia, Sacrificial Vermin, Shadowed Shortblade, Smoking Shard of Teleportation, Soul Platter, Soulvoid Bag, Spattershield, Tainted Blood Vial, Thirsting Chain, Visage of Lethality, Void Etched Talisman, Warlock’s Bargain, Whispers of the Jailer, Zovaal’s Resolution
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
Warrior
Returning and changed abilities
- All specs
- Shield Block is available to all three specs (if you have a shield).
- Intervene, Shattering Throw and Challenging Shout are coming back.
- Execute, Hamstring, Ignore Pain, Shield Block, Shield Slam, Slam, Spell Reflection, and Whirlwind are available to all specs.
- Double Time and War Machine are available as talents for all specs.
- Arms
- Piercing Howl is coming back.
- The Azerite Power Seismic Wave is added to Overpower, proccing when Overpower hits two targets affected by Sweeping Strikes.
- Fury
- Wrecking Ball is coming back as a talent.
New abilities
- Fury
- New talents: Fervor of Battle and Onslaught
- Protection
- New talent: War Machine
Covenant abilities
- Kyrian Ability: Spear of Bastion
- Venthyr Ability: Condemn (Replaces Execute)
- Necrolord Ability: Conqueror’s Banner
- Night Fae Ability: Ancient Aftershock
Anima Powers
- General Anima Powers
- Bladed Bulwark, Bloodstained Whetstone, Brawler’s Brass Knuckles, Champion’s Decree, Edge of Hatred, Fan of Longswords, Gibbering Skull, Hurricane Heart, Misshapen Mirror, Ogundimu’s Fist, Periapt of Furor, Pleonexian Command, Ragemote, Resonant Throatbands, Scratched Knife, Shadehound Tooth, Shrieking Flagon, Signet of Tormented Kings, Smoldering Inertia, Soulwrought Studs, Spattered Soles, Succulent Carpaccio, Thundering Roar, Umbral Ear Trumpet, Unbound Fortitude, Voracious Culling Blade, Warlord’s Resolve, Zovaal’s Warbanner
- Singing Stones
- Talent Anima Powers
- Covenant Anima Powers
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