The D&D World of Warcraft book is a momentous crossover. It’s D&D’s first Universes Beyond product, the first of many supplements that explores pop culture’s most beloved IPs. Whether you love or loathe the concept, one thing can’t be denied – our DnD classes are getting a heap of new rules to play with.
We’re not just talking about subclasses here, either. Some core classes have been completely reflavored, with new replacement abilities as well as a host of new subclasses. At the same time, many of fifth edition’s favorite subclasses appear here as reprints. It’s a mish-mash of content, some old and some new.
I’ve been through the new book with a fine-toothed comb, prepping theory builds and pondering rules interactions. Based on this read-through review, here are the classes I think fared best and worst:
Winner: Barbarian
Barbarians have been re-tooled to represent World of Warcraft Shamans. I have very limited WoW experience, but many MMO veterans have (rather loudly) pointed out how poorly this shoe fits. Barbarians aren’t equipped to represent the magical capabilities of Shamans, so this feels like a thematic mismatch.
Mechanically, though, there’s far more good than bad. The base Barbarian’s Primal Knowledge is replaced by Totems, which you can plant in the ground as a bonus action to create a 30-foot emanation. Your totem might decrease enemy speed, increase ally speed, give immunity to charmed and frightened, or simply give all your pals access to Primal Knowledge.
It’s a nice perk if you’re expecting to defend a specific patch of ground, but generally, it’s a tactically terrible idea for characters to cluster together and not move. Overall, Totems are so-so.
Onto subclasses. The Barbarian gets two in this book, the reprinted Path of the Spiritual Guardian and the all-new Path of the Elements.
You might remember the first under its former name, Path of the Ancestral Guardian. This was a defense-focused Barbarian that, while it didn’t quite match most players’ one-man-killing-machine fantasy, was incredibly strong regardless.
It’s still both of those things, as very little has changed for this reprint. Spiritual Protectors now lets you choose to deal extra damage or use the Slow weapon mastery alongside another option – though you can still give foes disadvantage when attacking everyone except you. Spirit Shield now scales with your Rage damage bonus, which makes minimal difference to the damage it reduces. Consult the Spirits is identical, though your capstone is completely different (and, in my opinion, too situational to get really excited about). Now, you get to perform an extra attack if you roll 18 to 20 on your D20.
I don’t expect Path of the Elements to run away with the Barbarian build meta, but it’s pretty damn effective. At level three, Raging Elements allows you to make an elemental attack as part of your Rage action, or as a bonus action on future turns while raging. Its three options deal a few dice of elemental damage on a hit, and they set up the next attack of a different damage type to roll additional dice. There’s some neat strategizing to be done here, even though it’s tempting to spam Icefury, the option that deals the most damage.
Level six lets you cast Elementalism, Daylight, Water Walk, or Wind Wall as Wisdom spells – and that’s fine, just fine. Level 10’s resistance to cold, fire, and lightning damage also feels a little ‘meh’ for its level tier, but the capstone ups the excitement again. Elemental Overload modifies your Raging Elements features so that, whether they hit or miss, they debuff or damage your foe in some way. That’s a pretty tantalizing freebie, and you’ve still got your main action for axe-swinging.
Loser: Bard
There is no Bard in World of Warcraft. Sorry, songstrels!
Winner: Cleric
Clerics stand in for World of Warcraft’s Priests, with two new subclasses to represent the latter’s love of Light or Void. Both the Discipline Cleric and the Shadow Cleric have their clunky moments, but at least one of them is well worth playing. Plus, as our guide to WoW’s best spells show, the Cleric spell list gets some very exciting new toys.
Discipline Clerics balance offense and defense with a strong spell list and the Holy Bolt feature, a bonus action attack that deals radiant damage while simultaneously healing a creature within 60 feet. It costs a use of your Channel Divinity, but otherwise it’s more cost-effective than spamming Healing Word.
Also at level three come Atonement, Discipline’s signature ability. When you heal someone with a leveled spell, you bless them until the end of your next turn. If you deal damage with a leveled spell in that time, your blessed buds gain extra HP. Fiddly to set up consistently, but pretty neat!
Atonement is more worth the hassle after level six. From here on, you can use a bonus action and Channel Divinity to give blessed allies Temporary HP. As long as they have temporary HP, your friends are resistant to all damage.
Then, you get nothing until level 17, when your Holy Bolt gives you the power to teleport 30 feet before an attack, or spend a spell slot to fire off additional bolts. This Cleric’s tactics take a lot of planning, but it seems like a solid all-rounder subclass.
Shadow Clerics seem less explosive. The domain spells are B-grade, with a few choice cuts like Evard’s Black Tentacles. Level three gives you a bonus action Shadow Form that lets you hide in dim light or darkness, or deal extra damage after a spell doles out psychic or necrotic damage. Both situational, and both profoundly ‘alright’. The same goes for Devouring Plague, a level-three ability that deals extra necrotic damage to a target you see fail a saving throw.
Things get better with level six, where you can spend a reaction to become shadowy energy after taking a hit. You have 40 feet of fly speed and resistance to all damage in this form, and you can’t take any kind of action until the end of your next turn. During that time, you can spend Hit Point Dice to recover health.
Lastly, there’s level 17’s Vampiric Embrace. While your Shadow Form is active, you heal a target whenever you roll extra damage. It’s a situational capstone for a subclass that, apart from its level-six failsafe, doesn’t have much unique to offer.
Loser: Druid
D&D’s most neglected subclass goes another book without any new subclasses. Wizards makes up for it by giving us some fantastic new spells – Wrath, Moonfire, Starfall, and Innervate, among others. But, if you’re a diehard Druid player, that’s not nearly enough value to justify buying a whole book.
Loser: Fighter
Fighters have been reskinned as Warriors for World of Warcraft. That brings no new subclasses, but it does offer a few additional maneuvers to Battle Masters. They’re all decent, but I don’t expect many to oust the current optimal options.
Battle Shout gives allies within 30 feet who hear your cry the power to add your Superiority Die to a damage roll the next time it attacks. Meanwhile, Demoralizing Shout subtracts your Superiority Die from the next damage roll made by enemies within 30 feet.
Heroic Leap lets you jump feet equal to your Strength score, forcing a Strength save and potential bludgeoning damage on creatures within five feet of where you land. It’s a nice bit of movement and extra damage, even offering half damage on a successful save.
Next, Mortal Strike prevents a creature you just hit with an attack roll from healing. Your Superiority Die is added to the damage roll, and the target can’t heal until the end of your next turn.
Last comes Warding Maneuver, a reaction that triggers when you or an adjacent ally is hit by an attack roll – but only if you’re wielding a melee weapon or shield. Meet those conditions, and you add your Superiority Die’s result to the target’s AC. Plus, if the attack still hits, the target is resistant to its damage.
Some of these are pretty neat! But it’s very little added value when compared with other classes.
Winner: Monk
Monks keep their name and disciplines, with the only new content being a single subclass and a handful of feats. That subclass is Warrior of Mystic Brews, formerly known as the Way of the Drunken Warrior. This tipsy Monk looks basically identical to its old form in the early levels, but it’s unrecognizable by tier two.
The biggest change comes with level six’s Mystic Brew, which uses Brewer’s Supplies to craft magical beverages. Cinnamon Dragon lets you exhale a 30-foot cone of flame that also poisons the unlucky target. Heavenly Spirit offers two damage resistances, while Refreshing Dip makes healing yourself more effective. These benefits last an hour, but spending a Focus Point extends the effects to eight hours.
You learn more brews at level 11, unlocking the power to add Unarmed Strikes to reactions, gain Heroic Inspiration, or double up on Patient Defense. Then, your capstone allows one brew to offer two effects. Level 17 also gets a second bonus capstone that lets you spam unarmed strikes while moving with Patient Defense.
It’s a significant upgrade to a subclass that was fun but not overly impressive. The new feats, designed for but not exclusive to Monks, aren’t too shabby either. One lets you Dodge as a reaction after taking damage, while another reaction wraps an ally in a cocoon that absorbs incoming damage.
The third treats any 1 on an unarmed strike or Light weapon attack’s damage die as a two, and adds a +1 bonus to unarmed strike attacks for every time you’ve hit previously on the same turn. Lastly, we have a feat that reduces delays by creating a Delayed Reaction pool, which is rolled at the end of your turn to determine the damage you actually take. All of these can be taken from level four, and they offer some really interesting Monk synergies.
Winner: Paladin
The Paladin gets two separate sections in the classes chapter. First comes the Death Knight, a distinct ‘Hero Class’ that starts life at level three. Basically, this is a special subclass – known as the Oath of the Ebon Blade – that replaces some of a regular Paladin’s features. And, honestly, it looks sick as all hell.
Death Knight
Lay on Hands is usurped by Death Coil, which gives you a pool of D8s and a new bonus action that forces a creature within 60 feet to make a Con save. If it fails, it takes necrotic damage equal to a roll of your D8s. Alternatively, if the target is Undead, it regains that many HP.
The subclass’ spell list doesn’t excite much, but Runeforging does. This level-three feature lets you inscribe a rune on your weapon during a long rest. The Blood rune gives you temporary HP equal to your Charisma modifier and Paladin level, both when you inscribe the rune or kill an enemy with your weapon. The Frost rune means your weapon ignores cold damage resistance, and you deal 1d4 extra cold damage when you make a Light weapon’s extra attack. Lastly, the Unholy rune ignores necrotic damage resistance, and it deals extra necrotic damage (equal to your Charisma modifier) if you’re attacking with a Heavy weapon.
Paladin’s Smite is replaced by Runic Smite, a new smiting spell that deals necrotic damage. From level three, you can also spend a use of Channel Divinity after you cast the smite. Depending on your chosen Rune, you can regain HP, deal extra cold damage, or subtract 1D6 from the target’s next saving throw.
At higher tiers, Paladin’s get a modified Faithful Steed with a new bonus action that lets the steed and its rider move through solid objects. Their Aura of Protection grants resistance to cold, necrotic, and psychic damage, and at level 11, Radiant Strikes becomes Runic Strikes – a feature that adds 1d8 necrotic damage to melee attack rolls.
But wait, there’s more! Instead of Restoring Touch, you get Improved Death Coil, which adds extra necrotic damage or healing to Death Coil, regardless of whether your target failed its saving throw.
Level 15 upgrades your runes with a new once-per-long-rest ability, offering damage-reducing reactions, a 30-foot cone AoE attack, or the power to cast a version of Summon Undead that lasts one minute without concentration.
Finally, we have a capstone bonus action. For 10 minutes, you can spend a level-four spell slot to recover a Runic Mastery use, and you can choose any effect from Runic Power or Runic Mastery, not just the one specific to your currently carved rune.
The Death Knight feels as fun as it does flavorful. But that’s not the only new Paladin on the block…
Oath of the Holy
This new subclass is available to all kinds of Paladin players, and it’s a pretty fantastic healer. Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Lesser Restoration, Death Ward, and more all feature on the spell list. You can spend Channel Divinity to wrap an ally in holy light for a minute, so when you heal any other target, that creature regains half as many HP.
From level seven, Lightbringer’s Aura adds 1D6 to your Lay on Hands if you target a Bloodied creature in your Aura of Protection. Then, from level 15, you refresh your Lay on Hands pool any time you cast a spell that deals radiant damage, with the points regained equal to the radiant damage rolled.
Finally, our level-20 capstone is a bonus action that gives your Aura of Protection additional benefits for 10 minutes. When a Bloodied ally starts its turn within the aura, it automatically regains HP equal to your Charisma modifier and proficiency bonus. Plus, the aura is filled with bright sunlight.
Is it a better healer than a Life Cleric? Maybe not, but it allows the Paladin to juggle the Healer role alongside its other responsibilities effortlessly.
Winner: Ranger
Like the Paladin, the Ranger gets a regular class update and a ‘heroic class’ with its own distinct identity. There’s also an optional new Pet Specialization rule for the Beast Master subclass (which makes you and your Primal Companion much stronger), but the main dish here is the new Demon Hunter.
Demon Hunters are just like regular Rangers at first, only they get a Fighting Style at level two. You can choose any you like, the Druidic Warrior option from the Player’s Handbook, or an all-new Void Warrior option that teaches you two Warlock cantrips.
Demon Hunters have a dedicated spell list from level three, and there are some explosive options here. You’ll be familiar with Misty Step, Banishment, and Steel Wind Strike already. Less familiar are the new spells in this book – and many of the best picks are exclusive to the Demon Hunter. Seriously, Throw Glaive, Chaos Nova, Fel Rush, Eye Beam, and Demon Spikes are all worth your attention.
Demon Hunters have 10 feet of blindsight at level three, as well as the Soul Fragments feature. This is a pool of tiny objects equal to your Wisdom modifier that appears at the start of each day, and you can spend them on various effects.
At first, you’ve only got Double Jump – a free cast of Feather Fall or Jump – and Soul Cleave. That second one lets you replace one of your attacks with a 10-foot AoE attack that deals 1D12 + your Wisdom modifier in psychic damage on a failed Dex save. You also regain HP equal to your Wisdom modifier as an added bonus.
Level seven gives creatures affected by Hunter’s Mark disadvantage on attacks against everyone except you. Plus, once per turn when you hit that creature, you can subtract 1D4 from its next saving throw or deal an extra 1D8 Fire damage. Hunter’s Mark is still a divisive part of the 5.5e Ranger’s design, but it’s not going anywhere, so these buffs are very welcome.
At level 11, you get two new ways to spend Soul Fragments. Two of them lets you cast Counterspell, or you can spend one to cast Throw Glaive (one of the best new spells in your arsenal) for free. Then, at level 15, Soul Cleave improves, offering 2D12 + Wisdom modifier damage. Oh, and you regain a soul fragment on rolling Initiative if you have none.
Lastly, at level 18, the Demon Hunter replaces the Ranger’s Feral Senses feature with 30 feet of blindsight. This is a Ranger that doesn’t have a flashy gimmick, but it’s an exceptionally good defender backed up by simple yet strong spellcasting options.
Winner: Rogue
WoW Rogues get just one subclass reprint, but what a reprint it is. The Swashbuckler returns for 5.5e, and it’s still a solid subclass option, safe yet satisfying to play. Your early features, Fancy Footwork and Rakish Audacity, are reprinted as-is, but Wizards has made more significant changes in later levels.
Case in point: Panache at level nine. This now gives you two new ways to use Cunning Strike. Spend 1D6 Sneak Attack dice, you force your target to make a Wisdom save or have disadvantage on attack rolls against anyone but you. You’re also the only one they can target with opportunity attacks. Alternatively, spend 3D6, and creatures within 30 feet are Charmed for a turn unless they pass a Wisdom save.
At level 13, Dashing Strikes adds two new Cunning Strike options. Spend 2D6, and you allow a creature to add 1D6 to attack rolls and saving throws until the end of their next turn. Alternatively, also for 2D6, you roll a D6 and add it to your AC until the start of your next turn.
Lastly, at level 17, you can make a second attack against a target after using your Sneak Attack, provided no other creatures are within five feet. None of the Swashbuckler’s new powers are potent to the point of broken, but they feel suitably snazzy for one of my favorite Rogue subclasses.
Loser: Sorcerer
The Sorcerer has been reflavored as a WoW Evoker, but no new subclasses aid this transition. We get several new Sorcerer spells, and some of them are pretty sweet, offering new ways to heal, deal damage, or debuff foes (usually by reducing their speed). The new spells help Sorcerers specialize in party roles they might not otherwise touch, but none of the book’s best spells appear in this list. That means Sorcerer players have even less to get excited about than Druid lovers.
Loser: Warlock
There’s no subclasses for the World of Warcraft Warlock, and they only get three new spells to play with. Admittedly, those spells look like fun. Curse of Agony forces a target to keep making Con saves until they fail – and every time they succeed, the damage die gets bigger and more painful. Hand of Gul’dan chucks a demonic meteor, dealing necrotic and fire damage in a 20-foot sphere. And Rain of Fire is a huge cylinder of fire you can move around to deal damage – and gain advantage on attacks against those inside.
Beyond this, all we get are new Eldritch Invocations. That sounds exciting at first, but then you realize Wizards has given us a slightly worse version of Pact of the Chain. Instead of an Imp, you can summon a Fel Imp, which does similar amounts of damage, but doesn’t have any of the same utility. You can summon alternate creatures (especially if you take Legion Summoning at level nine), but there’s not much here that feels new and shiny.
Plus, the non-Pact Invocations feel a little bland. Curse of Corruption deals a small dose of extra necrotic damage to cursed targets at the start of their turn. Expendable Minions heals you or a friend when a familiar you control dies, and Health Funnel lets you spend Hit Dice to keep a familiar alive. Last, we have Master Demonologist, that lets fiends under your command benefit from Hex’s extra damage. I can’t see many of these usurping the current Invocations of choice from the Player’s Handbook.
Loser: Wizard
Another class that’s been reduced to build suggestions and a handful of new spells is the Wizard, now referred to as the Mage. You get four spells to play with, and while the Wizard hardly needs more overpowered options, it’s still a bit of a lackluster list. Flurry, a single-target cold damage attack that restrains, is one of the better ones, as is Combustion, an ongoing AoE of fire damage that also gives you advantage on spell attack rolls.
Beyond this, we get three new feats intended for a Mage/Wizard, and only one is really worth talking about. Hot Streak lets you ignore resistance to fire damage, and when your spell deals fire damage to a creature, they start burning. If they’re already burning, the burning damage increases by 1d4. Basically, this gives your Fireballs more bang for their buck. Spicy!
That’s all on World of Warcraft for now, but our full review is on the way. If you want to check it out, join our Wargamer Discord to be the first to hear about all future D&D coverage.
Source: Wargamer
