The rumors about the new addon for World of Warcraft have been intensively brewing for some time. Ever since Blizzard’s announcement to reveal it at Blizzcon, theories have piled up. Now a new and detailed “leak” has appeared.

At all times, there are theories and wishes about how World of Warcraft should evolve. Especially during Blizzcon or announcements of new features, the wildest speculations about the future of Azeroth arise. This is also true for the now announced reveal of the upcoming WoW addon.

A post has now appeared in the forum on the site MMO-Champion that describes the next addon for the MMORPG classic in great detail. The user who created the post has already been banned. This was already the second time he has published the “leak”, with the first time being deleted extremely quickly. The content could be translated into German roughly as follows.

World of Warcraft: Tides of War

New zones:

• The sunken city of Zuldazar, The Kul’Tiras archipelago, The Isle of the Eternal Dragonflight, The Arathi Warzone (formerly Arathi Highlands and Hinterlands), The Desolace Depths, The Infested Wound (formerly Silithus), The Red Sea, Shadowland Desolation

Titanforged:

• There is no longer a “warforged” status, only “titanforged”. With the “blood of Azeroth” items can be titanforged, similar functionality to Obliterum.

Path of the Titans:

• replaces artifact weapons
• Up to 2 Titans selectable

New races:

• None. However, some races will get new customization options.

New classes:

• None, but new specializations:
  • Mage: Spellbreaker – Tank – Lor’themar will be retroactively made one.
  • Priest: Purification – Melee DPS – Anduin will be one, he will not become a Paladin.
  • Warlock: Necromancy – Ranged DPS – A mix of longer-lasting summons and longer-lasting damage-over-time spells.
  • Rogue: Trickster – Ranged DPS – Focus on gadgets, traps, and turrets.
  • Druid: nothing new, as 4 specializations already exist.
  • Monk: Blade Master – Melee DPS – very fast two-handed weapon style.
  • Demon Hunter: Chaos – Ranged DPS – polearms/scythes for ranged chaos attacks.
  • Hunter: Shadow Hunter – DPS/Healing hybrid – healing comparable to shadow/discipline priests but more mobile and without shields.
  • Shaman: Spirit Walker – Healing – totem-based healing.
  • Warrior: Phalanx – Melee DPS – pole weapon and shield.
  • Paladin: Devotion – Ranged DPS – Night Elf Paladins are primarily intended for this specialization.
  • Death Knight: Fire – Melee DPS – Bolvar will become active, but will not be the center of the expansion. He will maintain the pact with the Death Knight and will pave a new way for them.

Race/class combinations

• Night elves: Paladin
• Worgen: Shaman
• Pandaren: Death Knight
• Goblin: Monk
• Troll: Paladin

Overhaul of professions:

• The skill level will be removed. Recipes now have multiple tiers. Ranks 1, 3, and 5 reduce the required materials. Ranks 2, 4, and 6 increase the item level of equipment and the effectiveness of consumables.
• Gems increase secondary stats.
• Enchantments increase tertiary stats.

Protagonists:

• Jaina Proudmoore, Anduin Wrynn, Daelin Proudmoore, Genn Greymane, Sylvanas Windrunner, Baine Bloodhoof, Vol’jin, Rastakhan, Wrathion, Nozdormu, Aegwynn, Medivh

Plot:

• Pre-event: The cultists of the Old Gods and Silithids gather in the Infested Wound. Horde, Alliance, and Bronze Dragons fight them. Nozdormu becomes infected. A time rift opens, infected bronze dragons and eternal dragons flood into the Infested Wound. Horde and Alliance retreat.
• Expansion: Rastakhan/Jaina come into contact with Horde/Alliance. Both have been attacked by the Eternal and Bronze Dragons. Further threats from Naga. A battle on the Red Sea erupts, and a war between Horde and Alliance breaks out. Attack on the Isle of the Eternal Dragonflight, fight with Nozdormu, who eventually becomes Murozond and escapes through a time rift. The war expands into Arathi Highlands and Hinterlands, making them a warzone. Forsaken, Trolls, and Blood Elves against Dwarves, Worgen, and Humans. Wrathion appears, leading us to Desolace.

  

• The Eternal Dragons alter the zone and open a path beneath Desolace: a vast cave system, the Desolace Depths, leading south. Dragons and Silithids fight in the caves. The path leads to the corpse of an Old God. The player dies, entering the Shadowland Desolation zone. The Old God corrupts enemies, many old characters. The Horde finds Vol’jin, the Alliance finds Daelin Proudmoore. A quest leads to Medivh. Vol’jin, Daelin Proudmoore, Medivh, and the player return to life in Azeroth. Return to the Red Sea. The endgame is based on the faction war between Horde and Alliance. Return to the Infested Wound in the first patch. The next patch focuses on Naga.

Dungeons:

• Maraudon (new)
• Ruins of Ahn’Quiraj (new)
• Kul’Tiras Military Zone/Zandalari Prison – Faction-specific dungeons with the same layout
• Ruins of Strom
• Walk the Plank – Faction-specific. Hijacking an enemy ship to kill crew and captain.
• Endless Paths: Past – Distorted version of the original Caverns of Time, in which the Eternal Dragons were successful
• Endless Paths: Present – Alternative version of the Isle of the Eternal Dragons, where the player lost
• House of the Dead – Old, iconic bosses in an arena

Raids:

• Endless Paths: Future – A destroyed Azeroth. A massive void titan is visible in the background
• The God of Death – A raid based on Yogg-Saron in the Shadowlands. Arthas will appear

Patch Raid1

• Revolves around Ahn’Quiraj: underneath the temple of Ahn’Quiraj

Patch Raid2

• Revolves around Horde against Alliance and Naga

PvP:

• Arena skirmishes
• Ashran, Tol’Barad, and Thousand Needles as battlegrounds
• 1 vs. 1 arena battles in the style of the fight guild

Garrison/Order Halls:

• Warship – In the style of the Vindicator, instant movement between all new and some old areas
• Crew – each ship has a position for navigator, cook, bosun, gunner, and more. Can be filled with NPC followers. Some old garrison fighters/order hall champions can be used.
• War missions – Every mission completed by the crew does not yield rewards but gives access to a short scenario. After the scenario, you receive loot.

You can find the original post on MMO-Champion.

More wishful thinking than reality

Benedict says: In my opinion, this post is nonsense. The mere fact that it was able to be posted twice makes me suspicious. Additionally, the original text contains a lot of spelling mistakes (capitalized words, “Artefact” instead of “Artifact”). Someone who has access to this information would not write so carelessly.

Moreover, there are extremely many content contradictions. The feature “Path of the Titans” was already planned for Cataclysm but never made it into the game. It was replaced by glyphs. Many players were excited about the concept, but Blizzard probably had reasons not to implement it. It would be more than strange to ignore these reasons now.

Also, the new specializations don’t sound credible:

• The “Trickster” from the rogue is the concept of the tinker’s class, which has been floating around in the forums multiple times and for a long time. It’s not credible that Blizzard would implement it this way.
• Another totem-based healing specialization for the shaman is highly unlikely.
• The name “Phalanx” for the warrior is not accurate, as it should be called “Gladiator,” as forum user “Gib Lover” points out.

Moreover, there are historical inconsistencies. That there is a connection between the wound that Argus’s sword will tear and Nozdormu’s infection is not very plausible. Nozdormu knows his own end and his existence as Murozond already, but has never mentioned an infected titan or a contagious infection.

The appearance of Naga would fit a South Sea expansion, and also largely to one of the Old Gods, but not in this context with dragons and Silithids. That would be an absolute overkill of antagonists. They are also only embedded in the original text with “Also threats by Naga.” You would expect something more from significant opponents.

In general, the post seems more like an attempt by someone to write a self-fulfilling prophecy by making it go viral. The ideas are all collected wishes of the community, elements that have never made it into the game, and thoughts from fans.

Even the title corresponds to the eponymous book by Christie Golden. That the alleged troll chose it probably lies in the fact that the book was visible in the background during the last Q&A.

I would attribute absolutely no value to the “leak”.

If you would rather focus on the here and now until Blizzcon and the official reveal, you can find the current healer ranking in our article!

They are important, yet often neglected and forgotten: The healers of World of Warcraft: Legion. The survival of group members largely depends on them. We take a closer look at the strongest ones!

First of all, it must be said: It is very difficult to establish a “tier list” of healers. Each class has different advantages. They excel in specific areas, bring unique abilities, or synergize particularly well with other classes.

Creating a ranking is still possible, even if it should be taken with caution. The different healers require varying amounts of gear or “skill” to be comparably strong.

The HPS Rankings for the Tomb of Sargeras

For our list, we rely on the numbers from warcraftlogs, as well as personal experiences with healers or as a healer.

The present log values refer to the heroic version of the Tomb of Sargeras with a percentile value of 75% across all item levels. Different numbers apply for the Mythic raid!

Healers in WoW – The early bird gets the worm!

As with the damage classes, all healers are very close together. Unlike their colleagues with the white numbers, evaluating them is more difficult because: If one healer heals a lot, there is nothing left for the others. Characters with full health do not receive healing.

This may not necessarily be advantageous for the ego of the “slower” healer, but it is very good for the raid. This should always be kept in mind. The fewer healers needed, the easier the boss becomes. So, if your numbers are a bit lower, but your healing colleague’s are higher, it is no reason to despair as long as the boss goes down!

The present list is therefore more of a guideline. The individual player’s skill is clearly more decisive than the class!

Tomb of Sargeras – The Healers Comparison

With this thought in mind, the tier list of healers should be read now:

Rank 1: The Holy Priest

Holy Priests are not only the currently strongest healing class in the raid, but also the second most popular. Only Restoration Druids are played more frequently. They have a very balanced repertoire of healing spells that are above average in all situations.

Through their mechanics with Holy Words and their set bonuses, Holy Priests can relatively easily replenish the group’s health to full, as well as intensely heal a target and absorb strong damage spikes.

They also bring supportive abilities like Leap of Faith or Spirit of Redemption. With the talent “Symbol of Hope”, they can enable all other healers in the raid to cast spells free of cost for 12 seconds. The Holy Priest just needs to pay a bit more attention to their own mana.

Since the Holy Priest is also very beginner-friendly and a strong healer even at a “medium” level, they can comfortably rest on the first place.

Rank 2: The Mistweaver Monk

Monks are among the least popular classes in WoW. Only on certain bosses are tanks welcome, otherwise they are usually avoided. Also among healers, they rank second in the least played – only Discipline Priests are played less.

However, their healing is very strong. In raw numbers, they are quite a bit behind the first place, but still clearly in second place. Mistweavers can heal groups very effectively through Chi-Ji, even at distances that are difficult for other healers.

Another advantage is that they can heal more effectively even while dealing damage (“fistweaving”). However, this requires an extremely good class understanding and a special talent path – making the Mistweaver an interesting option between DPS and healer.

Their biggest problem is that they have to choose between group and single-target healing (for example, Chi-Ji for group healing vs. Jade Serpent Statue for single-target healing). If they try to do both at the same time, they quickly run out of mana. Even more so than their robed colleagues, they must adapt their talents to the situation.

However, with enough scrolls, this shouldn’t be a problem, which secures the monks a stable second place.

Rank 3: The Restoration Shaman

Shamans have been in the middle for some time, with some variations. Their unique playstyle distinguishes them sharply from other healers and gives them a special place in the raid.

First and foremost, chain healing must be mentioned for chain healers. Through their mastery, shamans heal targets with low health more strongly, making chain healing a powerful tool. It is the most important tool of the class.

However, what is more important for most raids are the totems. In particular, the Spirit Link Totem and the Cloudburst Totem play a significant role. The former is a raid cooldown that can absorb powerful hits for the whole group.

At the same time, it greatly facilitates healing for the raid, as the health points of all members are equalized. It is probably the reason why shamans are particularly favored as a complement to other healers.

Through their Reincarnation, shamans can also circumvent a mechanic or correct a mistake. Especially a good choice in raids to support the “main healer”.

Rank 4: The Holy Paladin

To complete the armor classes, we find the paladins in fourth place. Paladins have always been known as the healers for single targets and tanks. It is exactly this role that they continue to fulfill like no other class.

Through their incredibly strong single-target heals, they are often assigned to focus solely on supporting tanks whenever time and mana allow. They thereby make the work easier for other classes, as they no longer need to focus on the tanks.

Their supporting abilities also make the paladin a solid healer. Hand of Protection and Blessing of Sacrifice allow the paladin themselves and another target to absorb or ignore abilities. Hand of Freedom can remove effects that may become dangerous.

Through their flames, they also bring the ability to heal a second target very effectively. Their auras passively and actively (as a raid cooldown) boost healing or damage resistance. Due to their mastery, which grants stronger healing to nearby targets, they are also often close to the fight and deal damage. Their biggest weakness is that they are not very mobile.

Rank 5: Discipline Priest

From rank 4 to rank 5, there is a somewhat larger jump in healing performance. Discipline Priests are the least popular healing class in the raid, and with less than 50,000 runs, the numbers are not very conclusive.

However, they are largely accurate, as Discipline Priests are extremely difficult to play. On the other hand, they fill a niche that no other healer can fill to this extent.

The cloth wearers derive their healing primarily from the damage they deal. Through their ability “Atonement”, they heal any target affected by Atonement for 40% of the magical damage dealt by the priest. This makes them especially valuable as damage-healer hybrids.

Moreover, their main spells for “healing” are shields and damage reductions. Discipline Priests are not particularly strong at mitigating damage taken. They are, however, better at avoiding damage than other healers.

Nevertheless, their playstyle is very difficult and requires a high understanding of the class, as well as a deeper engagement with the mechanics. Not necessarily suitable for beginners, but in the right hands, they can be a good tool.

Rank 6: Restoration Druids

The somewhat sad, last place is occupied by the currently most popular healers: The Restoration Druids. The lovable “trees” are known for their ability to resurrect in battle as well as their healing spells over time (short: HoT for “healing over time”).

Druids can relatively easily heal large groups as well as single targets over time. They simply place spells on their group and wait for them to take effect. However, this is also their biggest disadvantage compared to other classes.

Since they are fairly strong but also very slow at healing, the damage is often negated by another healer before the HoT is effective. Another disadvantage is that they have an area healing spell – which is consistently ignored by many players.

Leather wearers are generally very good at what they do. They are relatively easy to learn and provide solid healing throughout battles. Their mana lasts, if played correctly, over a longer period and they are welcome supporters – but also main healers.

What should I play now?

Benedict says: As mentioned at the beginning, it mainly depends on how well healers are played. Their differences are not significant enough to objectively state: “This healer is always better than the other.”

Nevertheless, every healer has special areas in which they are particularly strong. Especially for raids, the composition of the group and the healers is important. Most areas can, however, be covered by Holy Priests and Restoration Druids. They are solid healers for every situation and are likely to find their place in every raid.

This demon hunter obviously doesn’t need any healers – he takes down Gul’dan solo!