Client 1.60.1.70532, spell queueing and wowsims/forever's changes to 25 October
The simulator's game data moves to the beta's client 1.60.1.70532 with Blizzard's hotfixes to 23 October, the mage talent hotfix and a stronger Hunter's Mark among them. The engine takes wowsims/forever's changes to 25 October where the evidence holds, and picks the next spell while the current cast is still casting, as players queue it. The benchmark boss swings like wowsims's default raid target. Every build was re-optimised on it, so a move here is the update, the simulator and the new search together; every row is marked.
Game data and sim 26 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 e0085e8 → 71d2427
- GameMage: the hotfix of 20 October removes Piercing Ice, makes Elemental Precision 3 ranks of 2 %, gives Ice Barrier +3 % Frost damage while the shield holds and Frigid Power +3 % for a minute, and lets Frost Warding raise Ice Barrier's and Frost Ward's absorbs. At the same setups Frost lost about 3 % and Fire gained about 1 %; with the talents spent again and Ice Barrier cast, Frost is about level on one boss.wago.tools: 70450 to 70532wowsims/forever #594: mage hotfix and talent shift
- GameHunter's Mark rank 4 now gives 143 ranged attack power (it gave 71, less than rank 3's 98), so hunters cast rank 4: +0.7 to +1.4 % at the same setups. Spellstone adds Shadow damage only (warlocks −0.2 to −0.4 %), Revelation's mage charge covers Arcane Wrath, and Earth Fury's mace requirement is gone (the simulator already allowed any weapon).wago.tools: 70450 to 70532
- GameClient 1.60.1.70532 and its hotfixes to 23 October also change Elemental Focus's row (still 10 %), Lava Burst rank 3's Flame Shock bonus (the simulator casts rank 4), Flamestrike's ticks and Righteous Fury's level, and add Forever's Tier 1 sets and Molten Core's loot, raid gear outside the pool. Wowhead's Forever planner of 25 October lists 38 new items: 16 join the pool, all item level 51 or lower, and none beats a saved item.wago.tools: 70450 to 70532
- SimSpell queueing: in every version of WoW the next spell can be queued while the current one casts, and it starts the moment that cast ends. The simulator now picks the next spell at a cast's end, before the cast lands, so it can't react to that cast's own crit or proc. At the same setups Arcane loses about 4 % (a Missile Barrage from the landing Arcane Blast comes one cast late), Fire 0.8 % and most other builds 0.3 % or less. Rotations check Spell Is Casting where the running cast changes what comes next.wowsims/forever #640: pick the next cast at the cast end
- SimMages: Arcane Missiles no longer procs Missile Barrage. Since the 16 to 18 October hotfixes its client tooltip names only Arcane Blast, Arcane Wrath, Fireball, Frostbolt, Frost Blast and Frostfire Bolt, and the community tracker closed the report as removed for being too strong. Arcane loses 11 % at the same setups. Missile Barrage rolls as a cast ends, hit or miss. Revelation, now in every caster's main-hand enchant search, is worth 4 to 8.6 % to Arcane and Frost on three bosses.forever-bugs #405: Arcane Missiles does not proc Missile Barrage
- SimHunters: Auto Shot can't fire within 11.67 yards of the boss (the client's 8-yard minimum counted from combat reach), so the Survival weave steps out to 12 yards: −4.6 to −6.9 % on one boss after the search, still the top DPS build. Multi-Shot has a 0.5 s cast that ranged haste shortens (three logs; Beast Mastery −0.9 %). Explosive Trap's burn scales with 13.2 % of attack power, as Immolation Trap's does (melee Survival +6.8 % on three bosses). Strider Kick gives +30 % run speed, traps arm 0.5 s after they land, and the pet pools Focus for Bite.wowsims/forever #575: hunter weave flowwowsims/forever #661: Multi-Shot has a 0.5 s cast
- SimThreat: Maul makes threat equal to its damage (the 1.75 was Classic's, and Forever's rows give none), so bears lose 26 % of their threat and the Protection warrior is the top threat tank on one boss. Primal Bite keeps double threat (Blizzard's 70170 note). Execute, Overpower and Whirlwind make plain damage threat, Slam 1 a spell level, Taunt, Challenging Shout and Intimidating Shout roll spell hit, and Flurry's charges follow the logs (Fury −0.4 %, Fury/Prot +1.3 %). Healing makes 0.5 threat a point restored, none for overhealing; Holy Light, Flash of Light and Holy Shock half that.wowsims/forever #598: threat from heals, split between enemiesmagey/forever-warrior #12: Flurry
- SimTanks: the benchmark boss now swings like wowsims/forever's default raid target, 2,601 base damage (up to 50 % more) with 320 attack power: Chromaggus, from Classic Era kills. The 3,000 to 4,000 before had no documented source. The Mitigation tanks and the Balanced warrior and paladin score about 30 % higher, and the threat tanks get a little less rage. A block by the boss takes nothing off, and Iron Creed procs from any Holy Strike.wowsims/forever #636: Holy Light and Flash of Light heal threat, Iron Creed
- SimWarlocks: Amplify Curse raises Agony's whole tick (Affliction and Destruction +2 % on one minute at the same setups), Agony keeps its first tick's spell power, demons walk in from beside the warlock and take 8/17 of its spell hit as melee hit, channels aren't hasted and Incinerate's 25 % raises the whole hit. MythicSim's rotations, with a Shadow Bolt before the pull and no DoT refresh near the end, won on every warlock build: Demonology +9 % and Destruction +7.5 % on one minute after the search.wowsims/forever #574: Amplify Curse consumed on Agony castwowsims/forever #635: pets take hit at the 17:8 ratio
- SimPaladins, priests, druids and shamans: Twist of Light keeps one Echo; Improved Mind Flay compounds (Shadow +0.4 %), Silent Resolve covers Holy and Shadow spells and Dark Inspiration needs a Mind Blast that lands; Eclipse charges only from a Wrath that lands, and Nature's Grace comes a spell batch after the crit (Balance −1 %). Enhancement's Dense stone now stays on through its weapon swap (+0.8 %), and Magma Totem replaces Searing Totem (+3.7 to +4.5 % after the search). Elemental and Stormcaller don't get it: they stand 20 yards away.forever-bugs #350: Nature's Grace and an already queued spell
- SimEveryone: spells have no 1 % miss floor (Smite +0.8 %), damage-over-time ticks give rage, an on-use area effect reaches only its radius (Thunderbrew's Boot Flask and the Goblin Sapper Charge do nothing from range), and an extra attack out of melee range is lost. 36 weapons whose proc rate nobody has measured in Forever proc at Classic's rates: Arms now wields Arcanite Champion (+5 to +7 % after the search), on a rate that is unverified.wowsims/forever #577: areas around the caster reach only their radius
- SimHow it was measured: every wowsims/forever pull request from 18 to 25 October was judged on its evidence. It was taken where the client, Blizzard or a measurement backs it, or where wowsims gives a reason and ours had none. Ours was kept where its evidence is better: Ice Lance, Holy Strike's 0.429, Serpent Sting, Talisman of Ascendance, Shield Slam. The simulator models what Blizzard intends, not live bugs, so Earth Fury's and Tauren Endurance's +2 % critical damage counts although the developers say it doesn't work in game yet. Every build was re-optimised on the result, with MythicSim's and wowsims's new rotations and talents in the search.wowsims/foreverforever-bugs #392: Earth Fury
Biggest winners
Every list, each spec by the change of its own number (DPS, threat or healing)
Protection Paladin Tanks · Mitigation · re-optimised: Iron Creed from any Holy Strike, the boss's softer swing, Dense Dynamite only at two targets: talents, rotations and gear searched again+34.4 %8.83 → 11.87 · #3- Protection Paladin Tanks · Balanced · re-optimised: Iron Creed from any Holy Strike, the boss's softer swing, Revelation: talents, rotations and gear searched again+34.3 %15,788.7 → 21,205.0 · #3
Feral Druid Tanks · Mitigation · re-optimised: the boss's softer swing, paws rolling ±20 %: talents, rotations and gear searched again+30.3 %9.73 → 12.68 · #1
Protection Warrior Tanks · Mitigation · re-optimised: the boss's softer swing (wowsims's default raid target), tick rage: talents, rotations and gear searched again+30.3 %9.66 → 12.58 · #2- Protection Warrior Tanks · Balanced · re-optimised: the boss's softer swing, plain threat for Execute, Overpower and Whirlwind: talents, rotations and gear searched again+30.0 %23,188.7 → 30,153.8 · #2 → #1
Biggest losers
Every list, each spec by the change of its own number (DPS, threat or healing)
- Feral Druid Tanks · Threat · re-optimised: Maul at plain damage threat, Demoralizing Roar's row threat, the boss's softer swing: talents, rotations and gear searched again−26.2 %1,838.4 → 1,357.6 · #1 → #3
Survival Hunter re-optimised: Auto Shot needs 11.67 yd, so the weave steps out to 12 yd with re-tuned gates; Hunter's Mark rank 4, Explosive Trap scales: talents, rotations and gear searched again−6.9 %1,280.5 → 1,192.5 · #1- Feral Druid Tanks · Balanced · re-optimised: Maul at plain damage threat, the boss's softer swing: talents, rotations and gear searched again−3.8 %28,641.3 → 27,548.8 · #1 → #2
Arcane Mage re-optimised: Arcane Missiles no longer procs Missile Barrage, the spell queue, the mage hotfix, Revelation: talents, rotations and gear searched again−3.7 %916.5 → 882.3 · #10 → #15
Fury/Prot Warrior Tanks · Threat · re-optimised: Flurry charges as logged, plain threat for Execute, Overpower and Whirlwind, the boss's softer swing: talents, rotations and gear searched again−1.9 %1,487.2 → 1,458.3 · #3 → #2
Damage
In DPS.
| Survival Hunter re-optimised: Auto Shot needs 11.67 yd, so the weave steps out to 12 yd with re-tuned gates; Hunter's Mark rank 4, Explosive Trap scales: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,280.5 | 1,192.5 | −6.9 % | #1 | #1 | = |
 Fury Warrior re-optimised: Flurry charges as logged, Heroic Strike during Slam, the queued-instant timing: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,073.7 | 1,069.5 | −0.4 % | #2 | #2 | = |
 Demonology Warlock re-optimised: MythicSim's Demonic Pact rotation and pre-pull Shadow Bolt, demons walking in, demon hit at 17:8, Spellstone Shadow only: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 951.7 | 1,037.4 | +9.0 % | #6 | #3 | ▲3 |
 Shockadin re-optimised: no 1 % spell-miss floor, Twist of Light keeps one Echo: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,006.8 | 1,007.7 | +0.1 % | #3 | #4 | ▼1 |
 Beast Mastery Hunter re-optimised: Multi-Shot's 0.5 s cast, the 11.67 yd dead zone, Hunter's Mark rank 4, the pet pooling Focus for Bite: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 991.4 | 984.3 | −0.7 % | #5 | #5 | = |
 Marksmanship Hunter re-optimised: Hunter's Mark rank 4, Multi-Shot's cast, the dead zone, the pet's hit at 17:8, no Boot Flask from range: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 995.8 | 979.3 | −1.7 % | #4 | #6 | ▼2 |
 Fire Mage re-optimised: the mage hotfix (Elemental Precision 3 ranks), the spell queue, wowsims's deepFire rotation, Revelation: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 941.8 | 963.4 | +2.3 % | #7 | #7 | = |
 Affliction Warlock re-optimised: Amplify Curse on Agony's whole tick, Agony's first-tick spell power, MythicSim's rotation and pre-pull Shadow Bolt: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 893.7 | 952.7 | +6.6 % | #11 | #8 | ▲3 |
 Retribution Paladin re-optimised: Twist of Light keeps one Echo, no 1 % spell-miss floor, the carry-over weapon procs: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 941.4 | 942.0 | +0.1 % | #8 | #9 | ▼1 |
 Frostfire Mage re-optimised: the mage hotfix, the spell queue, Pyroblast before the pull, Revelation: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 930.0 | 933.4 | +0.4 % | #9 | #10 | ▼1 |
 Arms Warrior re-optimised: Arcanite Champion's proc at Classic's rate, cleave rotations without the trailing Berserker Stance, Flurry charges: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 884.5 | 930.4 | +5.2 % | #12 | #11 | ▲1 |
 Destruction Warlock re-optimised: a Shadow Bolt before the pull, the Succubus's hit at 17:8 and its walk in, Spellstone Shadow only: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 879.8 | 916.7 | +4.2 % | #13 | #12 | ▲1 |
 DS/Ruin Warlock re-optimised: a Shadow Bolt before the pull and no DoT refresh near the end, Amplify Curse, Spellstone Shadow only: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 855.9 | 909.5 | +6.3 % | #15 | #13 | ▲2 |
 Enhancement Shaman re-optimised: Magma Totem for Searing Totem, the Dense stone staying on through the swap, MythicSim's rotation on three bosses: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 866.3 | 904.4 | +4.4 % | #14 | #14 | = |
| Arcane Mage re-optimised: Arcane Missiles no longer procs Missile Barrage, the spell queue, the mage hotfix, Revelation: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 916.5 | 882.3 | −3.7 % | #10 | #15 | ▼5 |
 Feral Druid re-optimised: wowsims's adaptive Monocat rotation, paws rolling ±20 %: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 851.0 | 870.2 | +2.3 % | #16 | #16 | = |
 Shadow Priest re-optimised: Improved Mind Flay compounds, the spell queue, Inner Focus on Mind Flay, Revelation: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 837.7 | 841.3 | +0.4 % | #17 | #17 | = |
| Combat Rogue re-optimised: the queued-instant timing, the carry-over weapon procs: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 835.8 | 836.4 | +0.1 % | #18 | #18 | = |
 Balance Druid re-optimised: Eclipse only from a Wrath that lands, Nature's Grace a spell batch after the crit, the spell queue: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 757.6 | 749.9 | −1.0 % | #19 | #19 | = |
 Assassination Rogue re-optimised: MythicSim's Mutilate rotation, the queued-instant timing: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 733.2 | 742.7 | +1.3 % | #20 | #20 | = |
 Subtlety Rogue re-optimised: Slice and Dice breaks Stealth, Vanish only with Hemorrhage known: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 730.1 | 728.7 | −0.2 % | #21 | #21 | = |
 Smite Priest re-optimised: no 1 % spell-miss floor (hit cap 17 %), the spell queue: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 697.5 | 703.0 | +0.8 % | #22 | #22 | = |
 Frost Mage re-optimised: the 20 October mage hotfix (Piercing Ice gone, Ice Barrier), the spell queue, Revelation in the search: talents re-spent, rotations and gear searched again | 697.3 | 695.6 | −0.2 % | #23 | #23 | = |
 Elemental Shaman re-optimised: Elemental Focus at its stated chance, the spell queue, MythicSim's Elemental talents: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 688.1 | 688.3 | ±0.0 % | #24 | #24 | = |
 Stormcaller Shaman re-optimised: MythicSim's (Bae's) Elemental talents, the spell queue: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 686.3 | 687.5 | +0.2 % | #25 | #25 | = |
Tanks · Threat
In TPS.
| Protection Warrior re-optimised: Execute, Overpower and Whirlwind at plain threat, Slam by spell level, the boss's softer swing: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,605.7 | 1,581.6 | −1.5 % | #2 | #1 | ▲1 |
| Fury/Prot Warrior re-optimised: Flurry charges as logged, plain threat for Execute, Overpower and Whirlwind, the boss's softer swing: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,487.2 | 1,458.3 | −1.9 % | #3 | #2 | ▲1 |
| Feral Druid re-optimised: Maul at plain damage threat, Demoralizing Roar's row threat, the boss's softer swing: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,838.4 | 1,357.6 | −26.2 % | #1 | #3 | ▼2 |
| Holy/Ret Paladin newre-optimised: half heal threat for Holy Light, Flash of Light and Holy Shock, Dense Dynamite only at two targets, Revelation: talents, rotations and gear searched again | – | 1,318.9 | – | – | #4 | – |
| Holy/Prot Paladin leftre-optimised: half heal threat for Holy Light, Flash of Light and Holy Shock, Dense Dynamite only at two targets, Revelation: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,196.9 | – | – | #4 | – | – |
Tanks · Mitigation
In hits survived.
| Feral Druid re-optimised: the boss's softer swing, paws rolling ±20 %: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 9.73 | 12.68 | +30.3 % | #1 | #1 | = |
| Protection Warrior re-optimised: the boss's softer swing (wowsims's default raid target), tick rage: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 9.66 | 12.58 | +30.3 % | #2 | #2 | = |
| Protection Paladin re-optimised: Iron Creed from any Holy Strike, the boss's softer swing, Dense Dynamite only at two targets: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 8.83 | 11.87 | +34.4 % | #3 | #3 | = |
Tanks · Balanced
In threat per health bar.
| Protection Warrior re-optimised: the boss's softer swing, plain threat for Execute, Overpower and Whirlwind: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 23,188.7 | 30,153.8 | +30.0 % | #2 | #1 | ▲1 |
| Feral Druid re-optimised: Maul at plain damage threat, the boss's softer swing: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 28,641.3 | 27,548.8 | −3.8 % | #1 | #2 | ▼1 |
| Protection Paladin re-optimised: Iron Creed from any Holy Strike, the boss's softer swing, Revelation: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 15,788.7 | 21,205.0 | +34.3 % | #3 | #3 | = |
Healers · Single target
In HPS.
 Restoration Shaman re-optimised: the spell queue: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,409.6 | 1,431.9 | +1.6 % | #1 | #1 | = |
 Restoration Druid re-optimised: Nature's Grace from a heal crit a spell batch later, the spell queue: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,393.0 | 1,399.7 | +0.5 % | #2 | #2 | = |
 Holy Priest re-optimised: percent healing bonuses multiply, Litany of Light, the spell queue, Greater Heal 3 tried: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,309.9 | 1,313.2 | +0.3 % | #3 | #3 | = |
 Discipline Priest re-optimised: percent healing bonuses multiply, Litany of Light, the spell queue, Greater Heal 3 tried: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,255.7 | 1,263.8 | +0.6 % | #4 | #4 | = |
 Holy Paladin re-optimised: Revelation on the main hand, the spell queue: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,116.6 | 1,142.9 | +2.4 % | #5 | #5 | = |
Healers · Party
In HPS.
| Restoration Druid re-optimised: Nature's Grace from a heal crit a spell batch later, the spell queue: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,890.8 | 1,921.4 | +1.6 % | #1 | #1 | = |
| Restoration Shaman re-optimised: the spell queue: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,547.0 | 1,565.2 | +1.2 % | #2 | #2 | = |
| Discipline Priest re-optimised: percent healing bonuses multiply, Litany of Light, the spell queue, Greater Heal 3 tried: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,427.0 | 1,532.3 | +7.4 % | #4 | #3 | ▲1 |
| Holy Priest re-optimised: percent healing bonuses multiply, Litany of Light, the spell queue, Greater Heal 3 tried: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,462.9 | 1,477.2 | +1.0 % | #3 | #4 | ▼1 |
| Holy Paladin re-optimised: Revelation on the main hand, the spell queue: talents, rotations and gear searched again | 1,124.7 | 1,184.6 | +5.3 % | #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.