In the alpha release of The War Within, players have witnessed significant updates and changes to hero talents, sparking both excitement and controversy. In this guide, based on already known info and tested in previous alpha, we'll rank all WoW War Within hero talents for Beta, explore the high and low points across DPS, Healer, and Tank roles, and identify the standout talents that are reshaping gameplay.
WoW War Within Hero Talent Tier List - Best DPS, Healer, Tank Talents Rankings in TWW Beta
The War Within's new Hero Talent system has introduced exciting new abilities and playstyles for many classes. But not all Hero Talents are created equal. In this article, we rank the best and worst of the Hero Talent options for DPS, healers, and tanks currently available in the Alpha. From the Death Knight's epic mounted combat to the Hunter's underwhelming Pack Leader, we break down which classes came out ahead with impactful new abilities and fantasy-fulfilling gameplay, and which ones seem to have gotten the short end of the stick. With rankings and commentary on standouts like the Priest's Voidweaver, the Monk's disappointing Shadowpan, and more, this overview provides an early look at the winners and losers of the Hero Talent lottery. Read on to see where your favorite spec landed on our authoritative Hero Talent tier list.
The War Within DPS Hero Talent Ranking
S Tier
Voidweaver (Shadow Priest): Expands class fantasy with cosmic void effects and new abilities, enhancing both visuals and gameplay depth.
Sunfury (Arcane & Fire Mage): Perfectly captures the essence of a powerful mage with abilities that feel impactful and visually stunning, promoting a dynamic playstyle.
Frostfire (Fire & Frost Mage): Integrates fire and frost spells to create a versatile and visually appealing toolkit that enhances the mage's adaptability and damage potential.
Elune's Chosen (Balance Druid): Enhances the mystical and celestial aspects of the Balance Druid, integrating well with the class's theme of lunar and solar powers, providing significant boosts in effectiveness and utility.
A Tier
Hellcaller (Affliction & Destruction Warlock): Offers a robust combination of dark arts and destructive spells, aligning well with the warlock's thematic core.
Diabolist (Demonology & Destruction Warlock): Enhances the summoning capabilities and overall power feel of the warlock with more demons and explosive spells.
Rider of the Apocalypse (Frost & Unholy Death Knight): Provides a unique mounted combat experience that deeply ties into the Death Knight's apocalyptic lore.
Spellslinger (Arcane & Frost Mage): Brings an exciting dynamic to the mage's toolkit by emphasizing quick, powerful spellcasting, enhancing both Arcane and Frost gameplay with faster and more impactful magic.
B Tier
Chronowarden (Augmentation Evoker): Adds interesting time manipulation mechanics that can alter the flow of battle, although it may be niche in its appeal.
Flameshaper (Devastation Evoker): Focuses on enhancing fire-based spells which can be visually impressive but might not significantly alter gameplay.
Scalecommander (Augmentation & Devastation Evoker): Provides enhancements to both damage and healing, though it may lack a distinctive identity compared to other talents.
Colossus (Arms Warrior): Offers powerful, heavy-hitting abilities that reinforce the Arms Warrior's role as a master of melee combat, though it might not dramatically change the playstyle.
Mountain Thane (Fury Warrior): Enhances the Fury Warrior's relentless attack style with additional durability and damage, reinforcing their battlefield presence without transforming their core mechanics significantly.
C Tier
Trickster (Outlaw & Subtlety Rogue): Offers modest improvements to rogue mechanics but doesn't significantly enhance the rogue's playstyle or fantasy.
Fatebound (Assassination & Outlaw Rogue): Provides some synergy between assassination and outlaw styles but may not feel impactful enough.
Soul Harvester (Affliction & Demonology Warlock): While it solidifies the warlock's role as a soul manipulator, it might not offer enough to be a game-changer.
Slayer (Arms & Fury Warrior): Provides incremental improvements to damage output, which while useful, may not feel as transformative or engaging as other talents.
Shado-Pan (Windwalker Monk): Introduces thematic abilities connected to the Shado-Pan lore, but might feel underwhelming in terms of gameplay impact compared to other Monk abilities.
Conduit of the Celestials (Windwalker Monk): Enhances chi and energy manipulation, but the improvements might not be as visually impactful or as transformative to the gameplay experience.
D Tier
Keeper of the Grove (Balance Druid): Attempts to enhance the druid's connection to nature but lacks a strong impact on gameplay dynamics.
Wildstalker (Feral Druid): Provides some enhancements for a hybrid playstyle but may not be as compelling or essential.
Druid of the Claw (Feral Druid): Enhances versatility but might not offer enough to significantly alter the druid's combat effectiveness.
Herald of the Sun (Retribution Paladin): While thematically interesting, it may lack significant gameplay enhancements that align well with the existing Retribution Paladin abilities, feeling more like an aesthetic upgrade.
Templar (Retribution Paladin): Provides historical and thematic depth but might not offer enough gameplay impact or novelty to significantly alter the Paladin's combat style or effectiveness.
F Tier
Pack Leader (Beast Mastery & Survival Hunter): Falls short in significantly enhancing the hunter's gameplay, feeling more like an addition of passives than a transformative upgrade.
Dark Ranger (Beast Mastery & Marksmanship Hunter): Despite thematic potential, it doesn't offer meaningful gameplay enhancements or exciting new mechanics.
Sentinel (Marksmanship & Survival Hunter): Lacks a strong unifying theme and impactful gameplay changes, making it less desirable compared to other talents.
Deathstalker (Assassination & Subtlety Rogue): Despite potential for synergies between Assassination and Subtlety, it may not provide sufficient new mechanics or enhancements to truly elevate the rogue's gameplay.
San'layn (Unholy Death Knight): Focuses on vampiric and blood-themed abilities which, while thematically rich, might not provide enough utility or power to be competitive with other talents.
Stormbringer (Elemental & Enhancement Shaman): While aiming to unify Elemental and Enhancement themes, it may fall short in delivering a cohesive or impactful enhancement to either specialization.
Farseer (Elemental Shaman): Provides incremental improvements but lacks the transformative effect or the "wow" factor that might be expected from a higher-tier talent.
Totemic (Enhancement Shaman): Enhances totem utility but may not significantly change the core gameplay or effectiveness of the Enhancement Shaman in a substantial way.
Aldrachi Reaver (Havoc Demon Hunter): Offers enhancements to the Demon Hunter's already aggressive playstyle but might not provide enough uniqueness or utility to stand out.
Fel-Scarred (Havoc Demon Hunter): Focuses on damage resilience and recovery, which, while useful, does not significantly alter gameplay dynamics or provide a compelling new combat experience.
The War Within Healer Hero Talent Ranking
S Tier
Voidweaver (Discipline Priest): Voidweaver is exceptional for its synergistic approach to damage and healing. Mind Blast’s ability to open rifts and Penitent’s enhancement of these rifts creates a powerful AOE effect. The transformation of Smite into Void Blast, which integrates with Twilight Equilibrium, magnifies damage output while maintaining healing through Atonement. This synergy, coupled with increased effectiveness from Mind Bender, positions Voidweaver as a top-tier talent, especially for situations requiring a balance between high damage and healing efficacy.
Wildstalker (Restoration Druid): Wildstalker excels by enhancing both damage and healing aspects of the Druid. The interaction between damage abilities like Rip and Rake, along with healing spells like Wild Growth and Regrowth, creates powerful synergies. This talent not only boosts the Druid’s versatility but also enhances overall performance in both solo and group settings, making it a compelling choice for varied content, particularly Mythic dungeons where both damage output and healing are crucial.
A Tier
Herald of the Sun (Holy Paladin): Herald of the Sun offers a dynamic playstyle where Holy Power spenders trigger additional healing or damage, effectively extending the Paladin's impact on the battlefield. The integration of Eternal Flame and enhanced Holy Shock and Light of Dawn adds layers of healing over time, which are invaluable in raids. This talent promotes sustained healing, making it particularly effective in larger group environments.
Chronowarden (Preservation Evoker): Chronowarden blends damage and healing with a focus on cooldown reduction and mobility, making it versatile and powerful in dynamic combat situations. The ability to extend the duration of buffs through Essence spells further enhances group utility, making Chronowarden a strong choice for both raids and Mythic dungeons.
Archon (Holy Priest): Archon transforms Halo into a more potent tool by increasing its frequency and area of effect. This, combined with the integration of Search of Light and the cooldown reduction on Holy Word: Sanctify, significantly enhances the healing output in raid settings. The visual appeal and functional impact of multiple Halos make Archon a strong contender for large group healing.
B Tier
Keeper of the Grove (Restoration Druid): This talent leverages the Druid’s affinity for nature, enhancing the effectiveness of Grove Guardians and integrating Moonfire into the healing rotation. While it offers significant healing boosts and simplifies Moonkin-related damage outputs, its reliance on specific conditions and the passive nature of some benefits slightly limit its versatility compared to more active talents.
Flameshaper (Preservation Evoker): Flameshaper introduces Engulf, which significantly impacts both healing and damage situations. While it provides a robust emergency tool that can adapt to both roles, its overall impact and utility in group settings might not reach the high effectiveness seen in other top-tier talents, especially in environments where consistent output is more valued than peak performance.
Farseer (Restoration Shaman): Farseer enhances the Shaman’s ability to adapt to varying combat scenarios by augmenting both damage and healing capabilities. The spawning of ancestors adds a unique layer of support that can mimic the player's actions, providing additional outputs without extra inputs. This talent is versatile but may require specific conditions to truly shine, positioning it as a solid, if not exceptional, choice.
C Tier
Lightsmith (Holy Paladin): Despite its potential in enhancing group survivability through Holy Armaments, Lightsmith falls short in delivering the raw healing or damage output needed to compete with higher-tier talents. Its effects, while beneficial, often feel more supplementary rather than central to the Paladin’s role in high-intensity environments.
Totemic (Restoration Shaman): Totemic introduces interesting gameplay changes by transforming Healing Rain into a more autonomous totem-based mechanism. However, its impact is more nuanced and situational, often requiring specific group compositions and encounter types to fully leverage the automatic casting of Chain Heal, which limits its universal appeal.
D Tier
Oracle (Holy Priest): Oracle struggles primarily due to its passive nature and the underwhelming impact of its rotational healing cooldown, Premonition. While it does provide some buffs and utility, the lack of direct, impactful gameplay enhancements makes it less appealing compared to more dynamic and synergistic talents.
Master of Harmony (Mistweaver Monk): This talent faces challenges due to its passive nature and unpredictable vitality release, which can hinder its effectiveness in controlled healing or damage scenarios. The reliance on overhealing and the conditions for damage conversion do not consistently align well with the Monk’s active healing style, leading to a lower ranking.
Conduit of the Celestials (Mistweaver Monk): While conceptually interesting by incorporating Celestial aids in combat, the actual execution and impact on gameplay can be inconsistent. The dependency on specific procs and the cooldown management required may not provide the steady and reliable output needed in high-stakes environments like raids and high-level dungeons.
The War Within Tank Hero Talent Ranking
S Tier
Elune's Chosen (Guardian Druid): This talent significantly enhances the Druid's capacity to deal damage while maintaining strong survivability. The interaction with Lunar Beam and Moonfire, along with the increased damage and healing from Arcane abilities, brings a substantial and transformative impact on gameplay, aligning well with the Druid's class fantasy.
A Tier
B Tier
Lightsmith (Protection Paladin): Enhances the Paladin’s role in supporting the team with buffs and protective shields, although it requires active management of buffs and group dynamics to maximize effectiveness. This makes it strong but situational based on group composition and player skill.
Druid of the Claw (Guardian Druid): Provides an interesting dynamic to Druid gameplay with its ability to shift between forms while retaining defensive capabilities. However, it might feel risky and less intuitive for players not accustomed to frequent form switching.
C Tier
Colossus (Protection Warrior): While it adds useful passives and an interesting active ability with Demolish, it feels more like an extension of existing abilities rather than a transformative change, making it less impactful overall.
Mountain Thane (Protection Warrior): Similar to Colossus, it provides enhancements to existing abilities but lacks the transformative or highly impactful gameplay change that higher-tier talents offer.
Templar (Protection Paladin): Provides additional damage options and some passive bonuses but doesn't fundamentally change the Paladin's playstyle or significantly enhance their role in a raid or group.
D Tier
Master of Harmony (Brewmaster Monk): Lacks implementation in some areas and feels underwhelming with its passive nature. The talents don’t significantly enhance the Monk's gameplay or bring exciting new mechanics to the forefront.
Shado-Pan (Brewmaster Monk): Similar to Master of Harmony, it suffers from being overly passive and does not adequately enhance the Monk's combat effectiveness or utility in a noticeable way.
San'layn (Blood Death Knight): Focuses too much on maintaining buffs which can lead to gameplay that feels more hectic and less enjoyable. The reliance on specific conditions to maximize effectiveness makes it less desirable.
Aldrachi Reaver (Vengeance Demon Hunter): The description suggests that it could potentially disrupt the fluidity of Demon Hunter gameplay, requiring rigid ability sequencing that can punish players for minor mistakes.
Fel-Scarred (Vengeance Demon Hunter): Although not detailed in the description, if similar to Aldrachi Reaver, it likely suffers from the same issues of adding complexity without sufficient payoff in terms of gameplay enjoyment or effectiveness.
WoW The War Within Class Talent Tier List
We have gone over all individual hero talents and ranked them above. Now we will analyze the talents of each class comprehensively and rank each class as a whole:
S Tier
Demon Hunter: Highly praised for the engaging gameplay and fast-paced action. The ability to manage fury efficiently and the enhancements in both abilities and animations provide a visceral and enjoyable experience.
Druid: Celebrated for versatility and the dynamic nature of form-switching which enriches gameplay. Druids offer robust gameplay mechanics and a satisfying blend of offensive and defensive capabilities, enhancing both fantasy and utility.
Hunter: The integration of new abilities and the expansion of existing ones create a highly engaging playstyle. Despite some criticisms about complexity, the overall enhancements lead to a rewarding experience.
A Tier
Death Knight: Strong across the board with fantastic thematic elements. Abilities like "Apocalypse" are visually and mechanically satisfying, although some gameplay aspects are slightly less interactive.
Paladin: Offers solid gameplay with significant improvements in ability dynamics and visual effects. The talents enhance both the utility and damage aspects, providing a balanced and fulfilling experience.
Evoker: Praised for innovative mechanics and the introduction of new, exciting interactions. The class feels fresh and engaging, with a strong emphasis on thematic abilities that align well with the class fantasy.
Warlock: The addition of greater demons and enhanced spell effects significantly boosts the class fantasy. The new mechanics feel impactful and rewarding, making the gameplay experience richer and more diverse.
B Tier
Warrior: Receives a moderate rating due to improvements in thematic elements and some gameplay mechanics. However, it lacks the depth and excitement found in higher-tier classes, leading to a good but not exceptional rating.
Priest: While some new abilities and enhancements are well-received, the overall impact on gameplay is not as profound as top-tier classes. The balance between new and existing mechanics needs refinement.
Mage: The new talents provide interesting gameplay changes but do not significantly alter the core experience. Mage talents are fun and thematic but require further adjustments to reach the highest tiers.
Monk: Offers a decent mix of new abilities and enhancements. The changes are appreciated but do not drastically alter the gameplay, leading to a solid but not standout performance.
D Tier
Shaman: Criticized for the lack of impactful changes and underwhelming new abilities. The class struggles with identity and effectiveness, leading to a less satisfying gameplay experience compared to other classes.
Rogue: The new talents are seen as lackluster and do not integrate well with the existing class mechanics. The gameplay feels disjointed and the enhancements fail to excite or significantly improve the class performance.
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