Recently introduced in The War Within expansion are the new Hero Talents that every player has access to after reaching level 71. Each class has access to 2 or 3 skill trees that enhance the primary class fantasy, with some bonuses given to certain class specializations. We’ll discuss more on the mechanics behind the Hero Talents and all the new bonuses that each class gains.
How do they work?
Since the level cap for The War Within has been pushed to level 80, players fresh from Dragonflight can immediately start getting Hero Talent points starting from level 71, for up to a total of 10 points. Each skill tree starts with a keystone passive that makes up the bulk of that tree. At the end of the skill tree is the capstone passive, which further boosts your current class.
These trees can either add new features to a class or empower its already existing synergies. Finding the right Hero talents for your build is integral for doing Mythic+ content.
Warrior
Warriors have access to the following Hero talents: Colossus, Mountain Thane and Slayer.
Colossus
This talent tree provides an extra damage skill with Demolish, which can enhance the DPS of Arms and Protection Warriors. This skill also grants some extra damage resistances and CC immunity for these specs while channeling.
Mountain Thane
Mountain Thane enhances the abilities of Thunder Clap, Raging Blow, and Execute with the chance to hit with a lightning bolt that deals Nature damage.
Slayer
This tree plays around the usage of the Execute skill. While attacking targets, they’ll be Marked for Execution, which causes them to be struck by your next Execute attack.
Warlock
Warlocks have access to the Diabolist, Hellcaller, and Soul Harvest trees.
Diabolist
This tree enhances the Chaos Bolt, Rain of Fire and Shadowburn skills for Destruction Warlocks, while Demonology Warlocks get enhancements for Hand of Gul’dan with more summons.
Hellcaller
This tree grants a new skill called WIther, which deals Shadowflame and Spell damage over time. Casting this skill grants your Warlock bonus stats while heavily debuffing enemies inflicted with Wither.
Soul Harvester
Soul Harvester enhances the Warlock’s primary Soul Shard mechanic, granting you bonus damage and empowering other spells in your kit.
Shaman
Shamans currently have the Farseer, Stormbringer and Totemic trees available.
Farseer
This tree augments the Undulation and Primordial Wave spells by making it summon an Ancestor, which buffs up your healing and damage output significantly.
Stormbringer
The Stormbringer plays around the Maelstorm resource inherent in Shamans, requiring a certain amount to be spent to replace certain spells with the Tempest ability.
Totemic
Totemic creates a new type of Totem called the Surging Totem, which deals damage in a certain radius. This can be buffed with new utilities from the other skill passives in this tree,
Rogue
Rogues have access to the Deathstalker, Fatebound and Trickster trees.
Deathstalker
This tree enhances your Stealth abilities by applying a unique debuff called Deathstalker’s Mark, further boosting your damage on Marked targets.
Fatebound
The Fatebound spec has an element of RNG in it, with its coin flip mechanic. If the coin lands on heads, your damage is boosted all across the board, while Tails deals a burst of Cosmic damage.
Trickster
The Trickster spec provides your Ambush, Backstab, Sinister Strike and Shadowstrike an extra burst of damage with the unique Unseen Blade passive.
Priest
Priests can use either the Archon, Oracle or Voidweaver Hero talents.
Archon
Archon passives play around the use of the Halo spell, allowing Priests to also apply one to themselves. Many of the passives add new utilities for this spell.
Oracle
The Oracle tree grants a few new spells, namely Premonition of Insight, Premonition of Piety and Premonition of Solace, each granting some utility to a Priest’s kit.
Voidweaver
This talent tree enhances the Mindblast and Void Torrent spells by creating an Entropic Rift upon casting, which follows a target enemy and dealing damage on contact.
Paladin
Paladin players can spec into the Herald of the Sun, Lightsmith and Templar trees.
Herald of the Sun
This tree enhances Holy Power consuming skills with tripled damage or healing output with the Dawnlight buff. The Dawnlight effect can be linked to the Paladin for even more utility.
Lightsmith
The spec provides a new skill with Holy Armaments, gaining defensive stats or bonus damage, depending on if you use a Holy Bulwark or Sacred Weapon.
Templar
Templars can enhance their Wake of Ashes or Eye of Tyr into Hammer of Light which deals massive damage. When Hammer of Light is cast, this can provide new buffs.
Monk
Monks have access to the Conduit of the Celestials, Master of Harmony and Shado-Pan trees.
Conduit of the Celestials
This tree grants Monks two new spells with Celestial Conduit, which both grant a big burst of healing and damage.
Master of Harmony
This spec stores a resource called Vitality every time you deal damage or heal allies. This resource can then be spent on further boosting your damage or healing, depending on your current equipped spec.
Shado-Pan
The Shado-Pan spec lets you passively gain a stack called Flurry Charge every time you deal damage. This resource is then expended to deal even more damage for each stack gained. Using these stacks often eventually grants more buffs to the player.
Mage
Mages can spec into Frostfire, Spellslinger, or Sunfury.
Frostfire
The Frostfire spec grants more bonus effects to your Frost and Fire spells with either more Haste, Mastery and all types of buffs.
Spellslinger
This spec creates magic Splinters from either your Nether Precision or Winter’s Chill spells, which embed on the targets and deals DoTs.
Sunfury
The Sunfury tree empowers your Arcane Blast and Hot Streak spells by granting you a stack of Spellfire Sphere that increases your overall spell damage, up to three maximum stacks. This also lets you summon an Arcane Phoenix that also synergizes with Spellfire Sphere.
Hunter
Hunters are able to choose between the Dark Ranger, Pack Leader or Sentinel talent trees.
Dark Ranger
Dark Rangers receive a new skill called Black Arrow that deals Shadow damage as a DoT effect. The Black Arrow gains new synergies as more points are specced into this tree.
Pack Leader
This spec plays around the Pets that Hunters have by default. This tree provides bonuses to the Kill Command skill, providing more buffs and utilities to both you and your Pets.
Sentinel
The Sentinel Tree provides your attacks with a chance to apply the Sentinel stack on targets. If this stack gets higher, attacks have the chance to detonate those stacks, dealing Arcane damage.
Evoker
The Evoker class can unlock the Chronowarden, Flameshaper, and Scalecommander trees.
Chronowarden
The spec enhances your Living Flame spell with Bronze Magic, which copies a percentage of the damage or healing you dealt to your target. This tree also grants ways to empower your spells with the ability to echo your spell casts.
Flameshaper
The Flameshaper tree grants a new spell called Engulf, which can ignite both friendly and enemy targets with dragonfire that can either heal or damage the target. Much of the talent tree enhances Engulf with damage multipliers.
Scalecommander
This tree is all about granting QoL utilities to the Evoker class, like granting Bombardment more duration and less cooldown and giving the Breath of Eons skill the ability to be steered in any direction.
Druid
Druids can spec into either Druid of the Claw, Elune’s Chosen, or Keeper of the Grove.
Druid of the Claw
This spec converts your Ferocious Bite or Maul into Ravage, which is a cleaving attack that can build up combo points for more damage. Druids of the Claw primarily use their Shapeshifting skills for more damage.
Elune’s Chosen
The Elune’s Chosen tree buffs Balance Druid’s Fury of Elune and Full Moon spells with more Astral damage while generating Astral Power for you. It also affects the Guardian spec’s Lunar Beam with a life-leeching effect.
Keeper of the Grove
Keeper of Grove grants bonuses to your Force of Nature cast with a stack of Dream Burst, which empowers your Wrath or Starfire casts with an AoE effect and more damage. The same buff applies for Grove Guardians, but boosts your healing output instead.
Wildstalker
Wildstalker enhances your Rip and Rake skills with the chance to proc Bloodseeker's Vines, dealing additional Bleed DoTs. This talent tree can also buff the healing output of your Wild Growth and Regrowth spells with the new Symbiotic Blooms effect.
Demon Hunters
Demon Hunters only have two trees with Aldrachi Reaver and Fel-Scarred.
Aldrachi Reaver
This tree revolves around the usage of your default resource Soul Fragments. Using said Soul Fragments empowers your Throw Glaive into Reaver’s Glaive, which deals more damage and ricochets to nearby targets.
Fel-Scarred
The Fel-Scarred tree boosts your Metamorphosis by enhancing this form’s skills with Demon’s Bite, Soul Cleave and Spirit Bomb dealing more damage. If completed, this can also extend to the Eye Beam, Immolation Aura and Sigil of Flame.
Death Knight
Death Knights can choose between Deathbringer, Rider of the Apocalypse and San’layn
Deathbringer
Deathbringer’s keystone passive gives you a new skill with Reaper’s Mark. After hitting a target with this skill, they’ll receive the Reaper’s Mark, which is a brand that explodes after a duration. Detonating the Reaper’s Mark will grant even more damage bonuses.
Rider of the Apocalypse
This spec can randomly summon one of four horsemen after spending enough Runes. Each Horseman has their own abilities and utilities. Passives in this tree enhance each Horseman’s ability.
San’layn
San’layn provides the Death Coil and Death Strike skills a chance to convert your Heart or Scourge Strike into Vampiric Strike, which heals a small percentage of your maximum health.
