Dragonflight has introduced one of the most significant changes in the game’s system that will affect how people can empower their characters. The expansion has completely revamped the whole talent system by introducing the talent trees once more. The change in this paradigm makes ability allocation much more unique and personal without sacrificing the effectiveness of the classes in battle. Learning about the updates made to this system will help gamers transition smoothly into the next expansion.
How Did the Talent System Change in Dragonflight?
The talent system has changed its form several times since its inception during the end of Cataclysm in 2012. In the original version, your specialization is determined by your chosen attributes. By Mist of Pandaria, this changed by players being limited to a set of talents depending on the spec that they decided, reducing the number of passives you can invest in.
For Dragonflight, it has made the talent system much more efficient by re-introducing the pre-Pandaria version but with several changes. This time, the talent tree will feature two branches: your base class and your specialization. Players must invest their points in both categories to progress further down the line. Players should also notice that talents are no longer connected to just a single column or path. Different nodes can be connected to various abilities, giving heroes more flexibility.
How Does the Talent Tree Work in Dragonflight?
The current Dragonflight Talent Tree works quite differently from previous versions. The most important thing that players should remember is that they need to allocate points to both trees in the interface. Each row from the base and specialization branches is aligned because of a new mechanic.
Each line requires gamers to invest a specific number of points before they can go further down. Heroes cannot invest in the following rows if they don’t satisfy the conditions. For every level, players will be given points to allocate for both the base and the specialization tree, so gamers don’t need to ignore one or the other.
Another feature that players will notice immediately is how each node is no longer connected to one path. Previously, abilities followed one column, so gamers must force themselves to a specific way to reach their desired node. In Dragonflight, players can take different routes to get to particular talent without touching the one directly above it.
Talent Change
Another critical feature that players will appreciate is their ability to freely change their talents in most cases. Previously, characters needed to be in rested areas or have tomes to swap out their allocations. In Dragonflight, adventurers can swap their talent settings if they are not in active combat, Mythic+ runs, or ongoing PvP situations.
Unlearning Talents is also much more fluid and more accessible this time around. In previous versions, removing a node will automatically unlearn every skill below it. For the Dragonflight Tree, unintentionally removed talents will be marked so that players can see which ones they should follow again. In addition, they can also use the mass relearn feature by using shift + LMB.
Talent Presents and Loadouts
Perhaps one of the best things about the recent Talent system is the ability of players to make Loadouts. Each character now has the option to create multiple presets, which players can swap to and from. This saves gamers the hassle of manually reconfiguring their Talent Trees. In addition, players can also import and export Loadouts, which means people can share their configurations with others.
Another neat option is to use a Starter Build preset. This Loadout features Talent Tree default settings that use a decent configuration. This setting is available for everyone, especially for players who do not want to make their own presets.
Talent Tree Search Bar
Another quality-of-life improvement related to the Talent Tree is integrating a Search Bar. Players can now look up specific skills, showing any related talent using the new feature. The search results will include abilities that synergize well or are suggested to be paired with the original one being looked for.
Note:
- Players still cannot unlock every talent available in the tree. Characters are only provided specific points, which would not suffice for the number of functional skills.
- You still cannot invest points in specialization trees outside your chosen one.
- New talents will be added to the game as several previous ones have been removed.
- The Base Class Talent Tree will not be affected when you change your current specialization.
- Some talents will still appear in the Multiple Specializations since many of them are shared.
Take Time to Explore the New System
The best way to get a first-hand experience of the system. Once Dragonflight comes out, make sure to explore the available features. Learning how each work can help players optimize the Talent Trees of their characters.
