James Ratcliff joined The Best War Games in 2022 as a Gaming News Writer. In 2023, James was offered a chance to become an occasional feature writer for different games and then a Senior Author in 2025. He is a third-generation Texan who has written professionally for over a decade at local newspapers, addressing various topics for his readers. Since 2024, James has shifted his complete focus to covering gaming news.
World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion, The War Within, will introduce the Hero Talent system, which allows players to add utility and power to their chosen class and specialization.
Each class will have the same number of Hero Talent trees as they do specializations, with each specialization having access to two of the three Hero Talents.
Blizzard provided early previews of four Hero Talent trees for Paladin, Evoker, Death Knight, and Warrior players, showcasing the talents that will enhance offensive or defensive abilities.
To wrap up the year, Blizzard gave World of Warcraft players a taste of what to expect from the upcoming Hero Talent system that will be released with The War Within expansion. Though the tenth expansion for World of Warcraft is not due to release until Fall 2024, Blizzard gave a glimpse at four Hero Talent trees that Paladin, Evoker, Death Knight, and Warrior players may consider.
The Hero Talent trees are one of the major features coming in World of Warcraft: The War Within. With an increased level cap of 80, and a slew of potential balance changes and updates to WoW' s 13 classes, the Hero Talents are considered a way for players to add some additional utility and power to their chosen class and specialization. Each class will have the same number of Hero Talent trees as they do specializations, with each specialization having access to two of the three Hero Talents that their class will have, with some overlap. For example, Holy and Protection Paladins can select the Lightsmith Hero Talent tree.
However, the Lightsmith is just one of the four examples Blizzard provided an early preview of. In a World of Warcraft website post, Blizzard showed some mockups of the Lightsmith Paladin, Mountain Thane Warrior, San'layn Death Knight, and Chronowarden Evoker Hero Talent trees. Though each Hero Talent tree is subject to change before the launch of The War Within, some of the listed talents will look to bolster either the offensive or defensive kit of each specialization that can choose these Hero Talents. Each Hero Talent tree will have a keystone talent that is granted upon selection at level 71.
As World of Warcraft players level their class from 71 to 80, each level will grant an additional Hero Talent point. By the time the level cap is reached, the tree will be filled, and the capstone talent can be selected. Some Hero Talent trees will also have three or four choice nodes littered throughout, which will give World of Warcraft players more choices to make for their class and specialization. For example, the San'layn Death Knight will have a choice within the first tier of talents that will allow them to pick either faster movement speed for themselves, or help a teammate get back on their feet quicker after falling in battle. Blizzard stated it would take player feedback from both the closed beta and early access periods of The War Within into consideration when making changes to each tree.
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Vampiric Strike (Keystone Talent): Your Death Coil and Death Strike have a 10% chance to make your next Heart Strike or Scourge Strike become Vampiric Strike. Vampiric Strike heals you for 3% of your maximum health and grants you Essence of the Blood Queen, increasing your Haste by 1.5%, up to 7.5% for 20 seconds.
Newly Turned: Raise Ally revives players at full health and grants you an absorption shield equal to 20% of your maximum health.
Vampiric Speed: Death’s Advance and Wraith Walk movement speed bonuses are increased by 10%. Activating Death’s Advance or Wraith Walk increases 4 nearby allies' movement speed by 20% for 5 sec.
Blood-Soaked Ground (Tier 1): While you are within your Death and Decay, your physical damage taken is reduced by 5% and your chance to gain Vampiric Strike is increased by 5%.
Vampiric Aura: Your Leech is increased by 3%. While Lichborne is active, the Leech amount is increased by 100% and affects 4 nearby allies.
Bloody Fortitude (Tier 2): Icebound Fortitude reduces all damage you take by up to an additional 30% based on your missing health. Killing enemies that grant honor or experience reduces the cooldown of Icebound Fortitude by 3 sec.
Infliction of Sorrow (Tier 2): When Vampiric Strike damages an enemy affected by Blood Plague or Virulent Plague, it consumes the disease, dealing 200% of the remaining damage. While Gift of the San’layn is active, Vampiric Strike no longer consumes your disease and instead extends the duration of your disease by 3 sec and deals 20% of the remaining damage to the enemy.
Frenzied Bloodthirst (Tier 2): Essence of the Blood Queen stacks 2 additional times and increases the damage of your Death Coil and Death Strike by 5% per stack.
The Blood is Life (Tier 2): Vampiric Strike has a chance to summon a Blood Beast to attack your enemy for 10 sec. Each time the Blood Beast attacks, it stores a portion of the damage dealt and when the Blood Beast dies it explodes, dealing 50% of the damage accumulated to nearby enemies and healing the death knight for the same amount.
Visceral Regeneration (Tier 3): Your Heart Strike and Scourge Strike have a 3% per stack of Essence of the Blood Queen to refund a Rune. Vampiric Strike doubles the chance to refund a Rune.
Incite Terror (Tier 3): Heart Strike and Scourge Strike extend the duration of Essence of the Blood Queen by 0.5 seconds. Vampiric Strike increases the extension by 100%.
Choice Node (Tier 3): Sanguine Scent & Pact of the San’layn
Sanguine Scent: Your Death Coil and Death Strike have a 15% chance to trigger Vampiric Strike when damaging enemies below 35% health and it is guaranteed to critically strike.
Pact of the San’layn: You store 50% of all Shadow damage dealt into your Blood Beast to explode for additional damage when it expires.
Gift of the San’layn (Capstone Talent): While Vampiric Blood or Dark Transformation is active, you gain Gift of the San’layn. Gift of the San’layn increases the effectiveness of your Essence of the Blood Queen by 100% and replaces your Heart Strike and Scourge Strike with Vampiric Strike for the duration.
Chronowarden (Augmentation/Preservation) Evoker
Chrono Flame (Keystone Talent): Living Flame is enhanced with Bronze magic, repeating 15% of the damage or healing you dealt to the target in the last 5 seconds as Arcane, up to a fixed amount.
Warp (Tier 1): Hover now warps you through time and space and its cooldown is reduced by 5 seconds. Hover continues to allow Evoker spells to be cast while moving.
Temporal Burst (Tier 1): Tip the Scales overloads you with temporal energy, increasing your Haste, movement speed and cooldown recovery rate by 2%, ramping up to 40% over 20 seconds.
Reverberations (Tier 1): Spiritbloom heals for an additional 30% over 8 seconds. Upheaval deals 30% additional damage over 8 seconds.
Choice Node (Tier 2): Interdimensional Phase & Motes of Acceleration
Interdimensional Phase: Warp reduces damage taken by 30%, starting high and reducing over 2 seconds.
Motes of Acceleration: Warp leaves a trail of Motes of Acceleration. Allies who come in contact with a mote gain 20% increased movement speed for 30 seconds.
Threads of Fate (Tier 2): Casting an Essence ability during Temporal Burst causes a nearby ally to gain a Thread of Fate for 15 seconds, granting them a chance to echo their damage or healing spells, dealing 15% of the amount again.
Primacy (Tier 2): For each damage over time effect from Upheaveal or Spiritbloom, gain 3% Haste, up to 9%.
Choice Node (Tier 3): Careful Contemplation & Time Convergence
Careful Contemplation: Your Intellect and Stamina are increased by 10%, but your cooldowns are increased by 10%.
Time Convergence: Abilities with a 45 second or longer cooldown grant 10% Intellect for 15 seconds. Defensive abilities grant 10% Stamina for 15 seconds. Essence spells extend the duration by 1 second.
Choice Node (Tier 3): Master of Destiny & Golden Opportunity
Mastery of Destiny: Empower spells amplify all your active Threads of Fate, increasing their power by 100% for 8 seconds, stacking up to 2 times.
Golden Opportunity: Echo & Prescience have a 25% chance to not incur a cooldown. Echo has a 25% chance to not cost Essence.
Instability Matrix (Tier 3): Each time you cast an empower spell, unstable time magic reduces its cooldown by up to 15 seconds. Echo has a 25% chance to not cost Essence.
Afterimage (Capstone Talent): Empower spells send up to 3 Chrono Flames to your targets. Chrono Flames have a small chance to grant you Essence Burst.
Lightsmith (Holy/Protection) Paladin
Holy Armaments (Keystone Talent): Will the Light to coalesce and become manifest at a target location as a Holy Armament, which may be wielded by you or your allies. Alternates between Holy Bulwark and Sacred Weapon. Lats 20 sc after being cast. Max 2 charges.
Holy Bulwark: While wielding a Holy Bulwark, gain an absorption shield for 15% of your maximum health and an additional 5% every 2 seconds, stacking up to 30%.
Sacred Weapon: While wielding a Sacred Weapon, your spells and abilities have a chance to deal additional Holy damage or healing.
Choice Node (Tier 1): Rite of Sanctification & Rite of Adjuration
Rite of Sanctification: Imbue your weapon with the power of the Light, increasing your armor by 5% and your primary stat by 1%. Lasts 1 hour. Weapon imbue.
Rite of Adjuration: Imbue your weapon with the power of the Light, increasing your Stamina by 3% and causing your Holy Power spenders to sometimes unleash a burst of healing around a target. Weapon imbue.
Solidarity (Tier 1): If an ally picks up an Armament, you also gain its benefits. If you pick up an Armament, a nearby ally also gains its benefits.
Divine Guidance: For each Holy Power ability cast, your next Consecration does additional Holy damage or healing split across all enemies, up to a fixed total.
Blessed Assurance: Casting a Holy Power spender increases the damage and healing of your next Crusader Strike by 100%.
Laying Down Arms (Tier 2): When an Armament fades from you, the cooldown of Lay on Hands is reduced by 15 seconds, and you gain Shining Light or Infusion of Light.
Divine Inspiration: Your spells and abilities have a chance to manifest a Holy Armament nearby.
Forewarning: The cooldown of Holy Armaments is reduced by 20%.
Choice Node (Tier 2): Fear No Evil & Excoriation
Fear No Evil: While wielding an Armament the duration of Fear effects is reduced by 50%.
Excoriation: Enemies within 5 yards of Hammer of Justice’s target are slowed by 15%.
Shared Resolve (Tier 3): The effect of your active Aura is increased by 33% on targets with your Armaments.
Valiance (Tier 3): Consuming Shining Light or Infusion of Light extends the duration of any active Armaments by 3.0 seconds, or reduces the cooldown by 3 seconds if none exist.
Hammer and Anvil (Tier 3): Judgment critical strikes cause a shockwave around the target, dealing additional Holy damage or healing at the target's location.
Blessing of the Forge (Capstone Talent): Avenging Wrath summons an additional Sacred Weapon, and during Avenging Wrath your Sacred Weapon casts spells on your target and echoes the effects of your Holy Power abilities.
Mountain Thane (Fury/Protection) Warrior
Lightning Strikes (Keystone Talent): Damaging enemies with Thunder Clap, Revenge, Raging Blow, or Execute has a 10% chance to also strike one with a lightning bolt, dealing moderate Nature damage. Lightning Strikes occur 50% more often during Avatar.
Call of Thunder (Tier 1): The Stormstrike damage or Nature damage your abilities deal is increased by 5%. Stormstrike damage ignores Armor. Thunder Clap damage increased by 50%. For Fury only, Thunder Clap generates 5 Rage and Improved Whirlwind and Meat Cleaver now improve Thunder Clap as well as Whirlwind.
Ground Current (Tier 1): Lightning Strikes also deal low amounts of Nature damage to enemies near their target. Damage reduced beyond 5 targets.
Strength of the Mountain (Tier 1): Shield Slam damage increased by 20%. Bloodthirst and Rampage damage increased by 10%.
Thunder Blast (Tier 2): Shield Slam and Bloodthirst have a 20% chance to grant you Thunder Blast, stacking up to 2 charges. Thunder Blast causes your next Thunder Clap to become a Thunder Blast that deals Stormstrike damage.
Choice Node (Tier 2): Storm Bolts & Storm Shield
Storm Bolts: Storm Bolt also hits 1 additional nearby target, stunning them for 2 seconds.
Storm Shield: Intervening a target grants them a shield for 5 seconds that absorbs magic damage equal to 3 times your Armor.
Choice Node (Tier 2): Flashing Skies & Valarjar Training
Flashing Skies: Chance for Lightning Strikes to critically strike is increased by 5% and their critical strike damage is increased by 10%.
Valarjar Training: Lightning Strikes reduce the cooldown of Ravager by 0.5 second.
Choice Node (Tier 3): Steadfast as the Peaks & Keep Your Feet on the Ground
Steadfast as the Peaks: Victory Rush increases your maximum health by 10% for 5 seconds.
Keep Your Feet on the Ground: Thunder Blast reduces damage you take by 4% for 5 seconds.
Gathering Clouds: Your attacks trigger Lightning Strikes 15% more often.
Thorim’s Might: Lightning Strikes generate 3 Rage. Revenge, Raging Blow, and Execute damage increased by 15%.
Burst of Power (Tier 3): Lightning Strikes have a 20% chance to make your next 2 Shield Slams or Bloodthirsts have no cooldown.
Avatar of the Storm (Capstone Talent): Casting Avatar grants you 2 charges of Thunder Blast and resets the cooldown of Thunder Clap. While Avatar is not active, Lightning Strikes have a 10% chance to grant you Avatar for 4 seconds.
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World of Warcraft is an incredibly successful MMORPG that has been going strong for almost two decades. It's one of the highest-grossing franchises in history and is widely considered the most popular MMORPG ever made.
