Beta update of 16 October: racials, raid-wide buffs and new talents
Blizzard's beta build of 15 October (its notes were posted on 16 October) reworks every race's combat racial, makes the class auras, shouts and totems raid-wide, reshapes the Mage, Priest, Shaman and Warlock talent trees and cuts the paladins' spell power coefficients. The simulator follows it (client 1.60.1.70425). Every build was re-optimised on it, with new rotations and options in the search, so a move here is the update and the new search together; every row is marked.
Game data and sim 16 Oct 2026 · 1 boss · 1 min
The game data and our simulator both changed: a move can come from either, so it is not on its own a Blizzard buff or nerf. The notes say what each side changed.
What changed
Simulator 19dd85d → 4126d1c
- GameRacials: Human Ruthless gives 2% crit (Sword Specialization is gone), Orc Savage 1% crit (no Axe Specialization) and Blood Fury a 3-minute cooldown, Dwarf Earth Fury and Tauren Endurance 2% crit damage and healing (Mace Specialization and the Tauren's 1% hit are gone), Skyborne Wind Blessed 3% haste (was 1%), Gnome Eureka! an 8-second buff, Undead Touch of the Dead 30% for casters and 20% for others with a 25-second cooldown. Human is now the best race for most specs on two- and three-minute fights, Orc on one-minute fights.Blizzard: WoW Forever beta development notes (15 October)Wowhead: Massive Racial Updates - WoW: Forever Beta Development Notes
- GameRaid-wide buffs: Battle Shout, Trueshot Aura, Leader of the Pack (now melee and ranged crit only), Moonkin Aura (spell crit only) and the Strength of Earth, Grace of Air, Windfury and Flametongue Totems reach the whole raid, and Grace of Air now stacks with Windfury. The benchmark gives them to every build: melee and threat tanks gain about 4 to 6% at the same setups.Blizzard: WoW Forever beta development notes (15 October)
- GamePaladin: Seal of Righteousness's spell power fix (0.12 a hit with a two-hander, 0.0765 with a one-hander, from the client), Judgements at instant-cast coefficients, Consecration at 0.042 a tick, Champion of the Light halved, Righteous Fury's Holy threat 90%, Reckoning banking up to 4 charges, Shield Specialization 4%. At the same setups Retribution and Shockadin fell 17 to 19% on one boss for three minutes; re-optimised, Retribution twists Seal of Righteousness with Seal of Fury and Protection keeps Seal of Fury up.Blizzard: WoW Forever beta development notes (15 October)Client build 1.60.1.70425: what changed in the tables
- GameMage: Arcane Blast redesigned (1.5 s, 15% of Intellect as spell damage a stack for 15 s), Arcane Wrath new, Missile Barrage two points in the first row; Fire Power redesigned and Critical Mass five points; Winter's Chill now empowers Cone of Cold, Ice Lance +200% on frozen targets and Frost Blast new; Clearcasting rolls once a cast.Blizzard: WoW Forever beta development notes (15 October)
- GameShaman: the Elemental tree is reflowed (Elemental Mastery the new 31-point talent, Lava Burst the 21-point one with a fourth rank), Chain Lightning costs 35% less, Fire Nova is retuned and Stormstrike costs 8% of base mana. Priest: Shadow Word: Death 18 s, Devouring Plague 24 s, Vampiric Embrace 30 s, Improved Mind Flay grows each tick, Dark Inspiration and Mental Strength moved and reworked, Power in Light and Twin Disciplines widened. Warlock: Malediction becomes Grim Reach and Shadow Mastery is 10%.Blizzard: WoW Forever beta development notes (15 October)
- GameHunter, druid and warrior: Auto Shot needs half a second of standing still, Sniper Shot now benefits from Efficiency and Mortal Shots, and pets take the higher of the hunter's melee and ranged crit; Furor keeps Energy across forms and Insect Swarms no longer stack their hit penalty; Slam is no longer pushed back.Blizzard: WoW Forever beta development notes (15 October)Client build 1.60.1.70425: what changed in the tables
- GameItems (client 1.60.1.70425): many Zul'Gurub-era vendor and PvP items drop from item level 65 to 60 with lower stats (Don Julio's Band, Ironbark Staff, The Unstoppable Force and others), and Blade of Hanna trades its stats for a proc. Scrolls now cost a global cooldown, and Mystic Mushroom and the Insight enchant now give their Spirit.Client build 1.60.1.70425: what changed in the tablesBlizzard: WoW Forever beta development notes (15 October)
- SimHow it was measured: unlike the last two updates, every build was re-optimised on the new build, and the search also tried new options: the hunters' melee weave, Fury's Rend with a pre-pull Bloodrage, the Gnomish Battle Chicken worn as a trinket, the Merchant's Favor enchants and Forever's level-45 food. So a move here is the update and the new search together.
Biggest winners
Every list, each spec by the change of its own number (DPS, threat or healing)
Arcane Mage re-optimised: new Mage talents (Missile Barrage, Arcane Wrath, Fire Power, Critical Mass, Winter's Chill): talents, rotations and gear searched again+14.5 %768.4 → 880.2 · #18 → #9
Fire Mage re-optimised: new Mage talents (Missile Barrage, Arcane Wrath, Fire Power, Critical Mass, Winter's Chill): talents, rotations and gear searched again+12.4 %777.7 → 874.0 · #16 → #10
Stormcaller Shaman re-optimised: the Elemental tree reflowed (Elemental Mastery, Lava Burst) and the totems raid-wide: talents, rotations and gear searched again+11.6 %561.4 → 626.7 · #25
Fury Warrior re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again+10.4 %1,002.3 → 1,107.0 · #2 → #1
Elemental Shaman re-optimised: the Elemental tree reflowed (Elemental Mastery, Lava Burst) and the totems raid-wide: talents, rotations and gear searched again+9.6 %571.7 → 626.8 · #24
Biggest losers
Every list, each spec by the change of its own number (DPS, threat or healing)
Shockadin re-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again−15.6 %1,107.4 → 935.2 · #1 → #5
Retribution Paladin re-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again−12.7 %994.9 → 869.0 · #3 → #12
Protection Paladin Tanks · Mitigation · re-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again−2.6 %9.40 → 9.16 · #3
Holy Priest Healers · Party · re-optimised: Priest talents moved and new (Mental Strength, Dark Inspiration) and shorter Shadow cooldowns: talents, rotations and gear searched again−2.1 %1,681.4 → 1,646.0 · #2
Frost Mage re-optimised: new Mage talents (Missile Barrage, Arcane Wrath, Fire Power, Critical Mass, Winter's Chill): talents, rotations and gear searched again−1.3 %701.3 → 692.1 · #20 → #22
Damage
In DPS.
| Fury Warrior re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,002.3 | 1,107.0 | +10.4 % | #2 | #1 | ▲1 |
 Marksmanship Hunter re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 901.9 | 946.4 | +4.9 % | #6 | #2 | ▲4 |
 Arms Warrior re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 921.3 | 940.6 | +2.1 % | #4 | #3 | ▲1 |
 Survival Hunter re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 868.8 | 939.1 | +8.1 % | #7 | #4 | ▲3 |
| Shockadin re-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,107.4 | 935.2 | −15.6 % | #1 | #5 | ▼4 |
 Demonology Warlock re-optimised: Malediction replaced and Shadow Mastery doubled: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 904.8 | 925.5 | +2.3 % | #5 | #6 | ▼1 |
 Beast Mastery Hunter re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 833.2 | 904.2 | +8.5 % | #8 | #7 | ▲1 |
 Frostfire Mage re-optimised: new Mage talents (Missile Barrage, Arcane Wrath, Fire Power, Critical Mass, Winter's Chill): talents, rotations and gear searched again | 821.0 | 896.5 | +9.2 % | #10 | #8 | ▲2 |
| Arcane Mage re-optimised: new Mage talents (Missile Barrage, Arcane Wrath, Fire Power, Critical Mass, Winter's Chill): talents, rotations and gear searched again | 768.4 | 880.2 | +14.5 % | #18 | #9 | ▲9 |
| Fire Mage re-optimised: new Mage talents (Missile Barrage, Arcane Wrath, Fire Power, Critical Mass, Winter's Chill): talents, rotations and gear searched again | 777.7 | 874.0 | +12.4 % | #16 | #10 | ▲6 |
 Affliction Warlock re-optimised: Malediction replaced and Shadow Mastery doubled: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 829.0 | 870.1 | +5.0 % | #9 | #11 | ▼2 |
| Retribution Paladin re-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again | 994.9 | 869.0 | −12.7 % | #3 | #12 | ▼9 |
 Feral Druid re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 798.0 | 860.6 | +7.9 % | #12 | #13 | ▼1 |
 Enhancement Shaman re-optimised: the Elemental tree reflowed (Elemental Mastery, Lava Burst) and the totems raid-wide: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 804.5 | 855.9 | +6.4 % | #11 | #14 | ▼3 |
| Combat Rogue re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 780.2 | 846.0 | +8.4 % | #15 | #15 | = |
 DS/Ruin Warlock re-optimised: Malediction replaced and Shadow Mastery doubled: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 797.8 | 818.5 | +2.6 % | #13 | #16 | ▼3 |
 Destruction Warlock re-optimised: Malediction replaced and Shadow Mastery doubled: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 794.3 | 811.2 | +2.1 % | #14 | #17 | ▼3 |
 Shadow Priest re-optimised: Priest talents moved and new (Mental Strength, Dark Inspiration) and shorter Shadow cooldowns: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 772.7 | 802.8 | +3.9 % | #17 | #18 | ▼1 |
 Assassination Rogue re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 693.6 | 752.9 | +8.6 % | #21 | #19 | ▲2 |
 Subtlety Rogue re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 685.5 | 741.4 | +8.1 % | #22 | #20 | ▲2 |
 Balance Druid re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 701.3 | 718.6 | +2.5 % | #19 | #21 | ▼2 |
| Frost Mage re-optimised: new Mage talents (Missile Barrage, Arcane Wrath, Fire Power, Critical Mass, Winter's Chill): talents, rotations and gear searched again | 701.3 | 692.1 | −1.3 % | #20 | #22 | ▼2 |
 Smite Priest re-optimised: Priest talents moved and new (Mental Strength, Dark Inspiration) and shorter Shadow cooldowns: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 634.2 | 661.6 | +4.3 % | #23 | #23 | = |
| Elemental Shaman re-optimised: the Elemental tree reflowed (Elemental Mastery, Lava Burst) and the totems raid-wide: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 571.7 | 626.8 | +9.6 % | #24 | #24 | = |
| Stormcaller Shaman re-optimised: the Elemental tree reflowed (Elemental Mastery, Lava Burst) and the totems raid-wide: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 561.4 | 626.7 | +11.6 % | #25 | #25 | = |
Tanks · Threat
In TPS.
 Feral Druid re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,783.5 | 1,880.5 | +5.4 % | #1 | #1 | = |
 Protection Warrior re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,321.7 | 1,360.6 | +2.9 % | #2 | #2 | = |
 Fury/Prot Warrior re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,159.7 | 1,240.4 | +7.0 % | #3 | #3 | = |
| Holy/Prot Paladin newre-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again | – | 1,133.2 | – | – | #4 | – |
| Ret/Prot Paladin leftre-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,085.2 | – | – | #4 | – | – |
Tanks · Mitigation
In hits survived.
| Feral Druid re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 10.09 | 10.13 | +0.3 % | #1 | #1 | = |
| Protection Warrior re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 9.85 | 9.75 | −1.0 % | #2 | #2 | = |
| Protection Paladin re-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again | 9.40 | 9.16 | −2.6 % | #3 | #3 | = |
Tanks · Balanced
In threat per health bar.
| Feral Druid re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 26,858.5 | 29,068.5 | +8.2 % | #1 | #1 | = |
| Protection Warrior re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 18,763.6 | 20,053.3 | +6.9 % | #2 | #2 | = |
| Protection Paladin newre-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again | – | 15,302.0 | – | – | #3 | – |
| Ret/Prot Paladin leftre-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again | 13,558.6 | – | – | #3 | – | – |
Healers · Single target
In HPS.
 Restoration Druid re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,519.0 | 1,517.7 | −0.1 % | #1 | #1 | = |
 Restoration Shaman re-optimised: the Elemental tree reflowed (Elemental Mastery, Lava Burst) and the totems raid-wide: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,435.5 | 1,446.1 | +0.7 % | #2 | #2 | = |
| Holy Priest re-optimised: Priest talents moved and new (Mental Strength, Dark Inspiration) and shorter Shadow cooldowns: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,327.4 | 1,323.5 | −0.3 % | #3 | #3 | = |
 Discipline Priest re-optimised: Priest talents moved and new (Mental Strength, Dark Inspiration) and shorter Shadow cooldowns: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,282.9 | 1,278.6 | −0.3 % | #4 | #4 | = |
 Holy Paladin re-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,264.2 | 1,265.6 | +0.1 % | #5 | #5 | = |
Healers · Party
In HPS.
| Restoration Druid re-optimised: the racials and raid-wide buffs changed: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,864.7 | 1,878.3 | +0.7 % | #1 | #1 | = |
| Holy Priest re-optimised: Priest talents moved and new (Mental Strength, Dark Inspiration) and shorter Shadow cooldowns: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,681.4 | 1,646.0 | −2.1 % | #2 | #2 | = |
| Restoration Shaman re-optimised: the Elemental tree reflowed (Elemental Mastery, Lava Burst) and the totems raid-wide: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,558.1 | 1,568.3 | +0.7 % | #3 | #3 | = |
| Discipline Priest re-optimised: Priest talents moved and new (Mental Strength, Dark Inspiration) and shorter Shadow cooldowns: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,548.0 | 1,542.0 | −0.4 % | #4 | #4 | = |
| Holy Paladin re-optimised: the seal, Judgement and Consecration coefficients cut: seals, talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,264.2 | 1,265.6 | +0.1 % | #5 | #5 | = |
Each list is the rankings’ of that day: one row per spec, the best of its builds, ranked by its role’s number. A spec whose best build is another build than before is marked, and its change is the spec’s. Both sides are the benchmark’s simulations of each build’s optimised setup on 1 boss · 1 min.