The War Within expansion for World of Warcraft is bringing, among other things, the hero talents system, an “evergreen form of character progression for each class specialization that introduces new powers and class fantasies” according to Blizzard. With that in mind, and in the interest of gathering player feedback, the studio is granting an early look at some of these hero talents, specifically showcasing those for the Druid, Hunter, Mage, and Priest classes.
The preview opens up by explaining the hero talent system overall: It’s a self-contained 11-node talent tree that opens up at level 71 and builds on the trees of current class specs. There are three hero talents for each class (with the exception of the Druid and Demon Hunter), with two hero talent trees accessible by two different specs in a sort of pyramid-shaped access link according to a related diagram.
As far as what hero talents provide, they’re mostly focused on bringing some modified class utility and defensive bonuses, starting off with a “keystone” ability that defines a tree’s core concept. The ultimate goal, according to Blizzard, is to bring a “what you are, but more” layer of growth.
The preview finally closes with a look at the hero talents for balance and resto Druids, marksmanship and beast mastery Hunters, fire and ice Mages, and holy and discipline Priests. The look at the system is obviously pretty granular, so players will likely want to look at all of the specifics.
