Choosing World of Warcraft: Forever talents for leveling is mostly a Classic habit. Every class still has three trees and 51 points, but WoW Forever adds a 16-point milestone, moves several leveling staples to different rows, and the October beta builds rebuilt Fury and parts of Feral. Below is our best leveling spec and a point-by-point talent order from level 10 to 60 for all nine classes.
The game launches on November 4, and the beta stays capped at level 30 until it closes on October 21. So every build has two halves: levels 10 to 30 (the first 21 points) use talents you can play in the beta, while levels 31 to 60 are planned from the beta client’s talent data, and nobody has tested them yet. For the biggest change per class, see our WoW Forever class changes guide; this one covers what to click while leveling.
Data note: talent names, ranks, rows and tooltip values come from the beta client’s game data (build 1.60.1.70374, October 13), which already contains the talent changes from the October 1 and October 8 beta builds. All nine trees match SeeMeta’s talent calculator (updated October 14) row by row. Blizzard can still change any of it before launch.
Best Leveling Spec for Every Class in WoW Forever
The best WoW Forever leveling specs are the same trees that led in Classic, but several key talents now arrive earlier: Stormstrike 15 levels sooner, Leader of the Pack 10 levels sooner. Here is our pick and what you have at the beta cap (level 30) and at level 40.
| Class | Leveling spec | Level 30 (21 points) | Level 40 (31 points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Arms (two-hander) | Sweeping Strikes | Mortal Strike |
| Paladin | Retribution | Vengeance | Twist of Light |
| Hunter | Beast Mastery | Summon Hawk, Ferocity 5/5 | Bestial Wrath |
| Rogue | Combat | Blade Flurry | Adrenaline Rush |
| Priest | Shadow | Vampiric Embrace | Shadowform |
| Shaman | Enhancement | Stormstrike, Flurry 5/5 | Rage of the Farseer |
| Mage | Frost | Ice Lance, Shatter, Fingers of Frost | Ice Barrier |
| Warlock | Affliction | Siphon Life | Wrack |
| Druid | Feral | Leader of the Pack | Berserk |
How to Read the Talent Builds
- Points: Blizzard’s class spotlights confirm talents start at level 10, one point per level, so you have 21 points at 30 and 51 at 60. Each row needs five more points in that tree, and the one-point milestone talents sit at 11, 16 (new in Forever), 21 and 31 points.
- Status: “In beta” rows (levels 10 to 30) can be played in the beta since the October 1 build raised the cap to 30. “Untested” rows (31 to 60) are our plan from the client’s talent data. The order is our recommendation, not a measured best.
- Talented: each rank of this Legacy System perk starts your talent points one level earlier. With all five ranks, read every row five levels earlier (51 points at level 55).
- Respec: per Blizzard, you change talents at a class trainer in a major city, and Dual Specialization unlocks at level 40. Live respec prices aren’t announced.
Warrior Leveling Talents: Arms
| Levels | Talents (ranks) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10-19 | Improved Rend 3, Improved Heroic Strike 2, Improved Tactical Mastery 5 | In beta |
| 20-24 | Anger Management (20), Deep Wounds 3, Improved Heroic Strike 3/3 | In beta |
| 25-30 | Impale 2, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization 3, Sweeping Strikes (30) | In beta |
| 31-40 | Bloodthrill 5, Weaponmaster 4, Mortal Strike (40) | Untested |
| 41-60 | Weaponmaster 5/5, Improved Overpower 2, then Fury: Cruelty 5, Unbridled Wrath 5, Blood Craze 3, Piercing Howl, Lingering Rage 3 | Untested |
Arms with a two-hander is our pick because its first 21 points attack the warrior’s leveling problem, rage. Anger Management gives 1 rage every 3 seconds whatever you hit (Improved Tactical Mastery is mostly the toll to reach it), Rend now scales with attack power, and Bloodthrill later turns Rend into free Overpowers. We skip Spearing Strike, the new 16-point talent, because it costs 15 rage for a 40% weapon damage hit that only gets strong against Giants, Dragonkin and mounted targets. If you dual-wield, a 0/21/0 Fury build to Death Wish at 30 is the alternative. Weaponmaster replaces Classic’s four weapon specializations, so any two-hander that drops is fine.
Paladin Leveling Talents: Retribution
| Levels | Talents (ranks) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10-19 | Benediction 5, Conviction 5 | In beta |
| 20-25 | Seal of Command (20), Pursuit of Justice 2, Sanctified Judgement 3 | In beta |
| 26-30 | Sacred Arbiter (26), Vindication 3, Vengeance 1 (30) | In beta |
| 31-40 | Vengeance 3/3, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization 3, Champion of the Light 3, Improved Judgement 1, Twist of Light (40) | Untested |
| 41-60 | Improved Judgement 2/2, then Holy: Divine Strength 5, Improved Seals 3, Divine Intellect 5, Reverence 3, Purifying Power 2, Unyielding Faith 1 | Untested |
Retribution’s early points buy crit, mana and speed. Benediction makes instant spells and abilities 10% cheaper, which covers seals and judgements, and Sanctified Judgement refunds up to 60% of a judged seal’s mana. Pursuit of Justice adds 15% run speed at level 22, and Sacred Arbiter, the 16-point talent, makes Holy Strike hit 20% harder and refresh your judgements. Versus Classic you save points: Consecration is baseline at 20, and Blessing of Kings is baseline too.
Hunter Leveling Talents: Beast Mastery
| Levels | Talents (ranks) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10-19 | Deadly Aspects 5, Focused Fire 2, Endurance Training 3 | In beta |
| 20-24 | Unleashed Fury 5 | In beta |
| 25-30 | Summon Hawk (25), Ferocity 5 | In beta |
| 31-40 | Bestial Swiftness, Intimidation, Spirit Bond 2, Frenzy 5, Bestial Wrath (40) | Untested |
| 41-60 | Endurance Training 5/5, Bestial Discipline 2, then Marksmanship: Lethal Attacks 5, Careful Aim 5, Rapid Killing 2, Efficiency 4 | Untested |
Beast Mastery keeps the pet tanking and hitting harder. Deadly Aspects replaces Classic’s Improved Aspect of the Hawk (10% chance per Auto Shot for 30% ranged attack speed), Focused Fire adds 2% damage for you and the pet, and Summon Hawk, the new 16-point talent, sends a hawk at your target for 18 seconds (up to two at once), sharing Arcane Shot’s cooldown. Unleashed Fury and Ferocity buff the hawks too. One caution for beta impressions: until the October 8 build, Unleashed Fury did not correctly increase pet damage.
Rogue Leveling Talents: Combat
| Levels | Talents (ranks) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10-19 | Improved Sinister Strike 2, Improved Eviscerate 3, Precision 3, Deflection 2 | In beta |
| 20-24 | Endurance 2, Deflection 3/3, Riposte, Lightning Reflexes 1 | In beta |
| 25-30 | Dual Wield Specialization 5, Blade Flurry (30) | In beta |
| 31-40 | Hack and Slash 5, Weapon Expertise 2, Flawless Execution, Aggression 1, Adrenaline Rush (40) | Untested |
| 41-60 | Aggression 3/3, then Assassination: Malice 5, Ruthlessness 3, Murder 2, Relentless Strikes, Lethality 5, Improved Slice and Dice 2 | Untested |
Combat saves energy early and adds cleave and burst cooldowns. Endurance cuts Sprint and Evasion cooldowns by 60% with two points. Hack and Slash (31-35) replaces Classic’s separate sword, mace, fist and dagger specializations: swords and axes get extra attacks, daggers and fist weapons get crit, maces get armor penetration, so you can use whatever drops. Note that Precision now has three ranks for 3% hit instead of Classic’s five ranks for 5%.
Priest Leveling Talents: Shadow
| Levels | Talents (ranks) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10-19 | Spirit Tap 5, Improved Shadow Word: Pain 2, Shadow Focus 3 | In beta |
| 20-25 | Mind Flay (20), Improved Mind Flay 2, Improved Mind Blast 3 | In beta |
| 26-30 | Shadow Weaving 3, Improved Mind Blast 4, Vampiric Embrace (30) | In beta |
| 31-40 | Improved Mind Blast 5/5, Shadow Focus 4, Devouring Contagion 2, Darkness 5, Shadowform (40) | Untested |
| 41-60 | Shadow Focus 5/5, Discipline: Twin Disciplines 5, Improved Power Word: Shield 3, Silent Resolve 2, Meditation 3, Mental Agility 1, Inner Focus, Soul Warding, then Early Demise 2, Silence | Untested |
Forever moves Shadow’s best leveling tools earlier. Vampiric Embrace is now the 16-point talent (30-second duration, 1-minute cooldown), so you have it at 30 in this order, and Shadow Weaving stacks up to 10% Shadow damage on you instead of on the target. Improved Mind Flay is a trade: 20% more damage and 10 yards more range, but the slow drops from 50% to 20%. Blizzard’s Priest spotlight also makes Devouring Plague baseline for every priest at 20, which is why Devouring Contagion is worth two points.
Shaman Leveling Talents: Enhancement
| Levels | Talents (ranks) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10-19 | Thundering Strikes 5, Mental Dexterity 3, Ancestral Knowledge 2 | In beta |
| 20-24 | Improved Ghost Wolf 2, Elemental Weapons 3 | In beta |
| 25-30 | Stormstrike (25), Flurry 5 | In beta |
| 31-40 | Improved Stormstrike 2, Mental Quickness 2, Maelstrom Weapon 5, Rage of the Farseer (40) | Untested |
| 41-60 | Shamanistic Focus, Ancestral Knowledge 5/5, Anticipation 3, Spirit Weapons, then Elemental: Concussion 5, Elemental Devastation 3, Convection 4 | Untested |
Enhancement’s leveling changes the most, because Stormstrike moved from the 31-point slot to the 16-point slot: you get it at 25 instead of 40. Thundering Strikes now adds crit to spells and attacks, Mental Dexterity turns up to 100% of your Intellect into attack power, and Improved Ghost Wolf makes Ghost Wolf instant and usable indoors from level 20. Maelstrom Weapon (35-39) stacks 20% off the cast time and cost of your next Lightning Bolt per stack, up to five, so a full stack means a free, instant Lightning Bolt between swings.
Mage Leveling Talents: Frost
| Levels | Talents (ranks) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10-19 | Improved Frostbolt 5, Ice Shards 5 | In beta |
| 20-24 | Ice Lance (20), Piercing Ice 3, Improved Frost Nova 1 | In beta |
| 25-30 | Shatter 3, Ice Block (28), Improved Frost Nova 2/2, Fingers of Frost 1 | In beta |
| 31-40 | Fingers of Frost 2/2, Cold Snap, Arctic Reach 2, Frost Channeling 3, Elemental Precision 2, Ice Barrier (40) | Untested |
| 41-60 | Elemental Precision 5/5, Frostbite 3, Improved Blizzard 3, Improved Cone of Cold 3, Winter’s Chill 5, then Fire: Incineration 3 | Untested |
Frost is the safest mage leveling tree, and Forever gives it a burst combo by level 30. Ice Lance, new as the 11-point talent, deals 300% more damage to frozen targets, Shatter adds 50% crit chance against them, and Fingers of Frost gives your chill effects a 15% chance to treat your next one or two spells as if the target were frozen. Frost Nova into Ice Lance becomes your main burst, and Ice Block moved up to the 16-point slot. Frostfire Bolt is a baseline spell from level 40, not a talent.
Warlock Leveling Talents: Affliction
| Levels | Talents (ranks) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10-19 | Improved Corruption 5, Improved Drains 3, Malediction 2 | In beta |
| 20-24 | Fel Concentration 3, Malediction 4 | In beta |
| 25-30 | Nightfall 2, Malediction 5/5, Improved Bane of Agony 2, Siphon Life (30) | In beta |
| 31-40 | Soul Siphon 3, Pandemic 1, Shadow Mastery 5, Wrack (40) | Untested |
| 41-60 | Pandemic 3/3, Malevolence 5, Soul Harvest 2, Suppression 3, then Demonology: Demonic Embrace 5, Fel Vitality 3 | Untested |
Affliction keeps the Classic drain-tank style and makes it stronger. Corruption is instant at 14, Improved Drains (Classic’s two drain talents in one) adds 20% to Drain Life, and Fel Concentration gives a 70% chance to ignore pushback while you drain behind your Voidwalker. After the beta cap, Soul Siphon adds 12% Drain Life damage per Affliction effect on the target, up to 36%, and Wrack, the new 31-point talent, is a DoT that also raises your other Shadow DoT damage by 10%.
Druid Leveling Talents: Feral
| Levels | Talents (ranks) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 10-19 | Ferocity 5, Thick Hide 3, Heart of the Wild 2 | In beta |
| 20-25 | Feral Swiftness 2, Sharpened Claws 2, Savage Fury 2 | In beta |
| 26-30 | Predatory Strikes 3, Blood Frenzy 1, Leader of the Pack (30) | In beta |
| 31-40 | Blood Frenzy 2/2, Natural Instinct 2, Heart of the Wild 3, Rend and Tear 5, Berserk (40) | Untested |
| 41-60 | Heart of the Wild 5/5, Shredding Attacks 3, Shifting Power, Improved Shifting Power 2, Feral Charge, Natural Reaction 5, Primal Bite, then Restoration: Furor 5 | Untested |
Feral covers both halves of druid leveling: Bear Form from 10, Cat Form from 20. Ferocity makes Maul and Claw 5 rage or energy cheaper, Feral Swiftness adds 30% Cat Form run speed, and Leader of the Pack moved from the 31-point slot to 21 points, so you have it at 30 instead of 40. Berserk at 40 gives your combo point builders 100% more crit chance for 15 seconds. Method’s beta guide also names Feral the fastest druid leveling spec.
What the October Beta Builds Changed
Blizzard’s beta development notes for October 1 and October 8 touched several talents in these builds; the data above includes all of them.
| Build | Change | Effect on these builds |
|---|---|---|
| October 1 | Fury rebuilt: Lingering Rage, Furious Precision and Gore Drinker added, Death Wish now required for Flurry; basic attack crits give 100% more rage | Fury becomes a real dual-wield option; crit means more rage |
| October 1 | Tiger’s Fury and King of the Jungle removed, Shifting Power and Improved Shifting Power added | Optional for Feral; we take them after 40 |
| October 1 | Champion of the Light cut to 20/40/60% of Intellect (was 33/66/100%) | Weaker, still the best Retribution row 6 pick |
| October 1 | Soul Harvest renamed and now actually grants its mana regeneration | Worth its two points late |
| October 8 | Rage from taking damage rebalanced for 20 to 40% armor instead of 50% | Questing warriors get more rage |
| October 8 | Unleashed Fury now increases pet damage | Beast Mastery’s 20-24 points finally work |
| October 8 | Natural Instinct (was Predatory Instincts) adds spell healing equal to up to 25% of Intellect | Stronger Feral self-heals |
| October 8 | Retribution Aura back to its Vanilla damage, about a third less | A small loss for Retribution |
| October 8 | Deep Wounds required for Impale again | Matches the Arms order |
FAQ
How many talent points do you get in WoW Forever?
WoW Forever gives 51 talent points, one per level from level 10 to 60, the same as Classic. The Talented Legacy perk starts the points up to five levels earlier, but the cap stays at 51.
Is there a WoW Forever talent calculator?
Yes. Fan-made WoW Forever talent calculators built from the beta client exist, for example SeeMeta’s and Icy Veins’. SeeMeta’s matched the October 13 client data in our check.
How do WoW Forever talents differ from Classic?
WoW Forever keeps the three-tree layout but adds a 16-point milestone, makes buff talents such as Blessing of Kings and Divine Spirit baseline, and merges weapon specializations into single talents. For class rankings, see our WoW Forever tier list; for the route, follow our WoW Forever leveling guide, and the WoW Forever hub lists every launch guide.
Sources: Blizzard’s class spotlights for Priest and Warrior, Mage and Shaman and Rogue and Warlock, and Blizzard’s beta development notes (October 1 and 8). Talent data from the beta client (build 1.60.1.70374), cross-checked with SeeMeta’s talent calculator; Method’s druid guide. Image: Blizzard Entertainment.