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Blizzard has revealed new Runes coming with WoW Classic SoD Phase 3, in a recent video on their YouTube channel. In this video, a pair of Runes were revealed for each of the Classic game mode’s classes - except Warriors, who received 3.
This is not the complete list of new powers each class will receive because that has been confirmed to be six. We will update this as new abilities are revealed over the next week or two until the update drops.
Each update to the Classic game mode has received new runes, and WoW Classic SoD Phase 3 will be no exception. The level cap is still increasing, but a smaller amount - 40 to 50 - means there are fewer runes to unlock as a whole, as to not make the system feel cluttered.
Here’s what we know so far.
All new runes revealed for WoW Classic SoD Phase 3 so far
1) Druid
- Gore (Helmet): Striking at the target with Lacerate, Swipe, or Maul has a 15% chance to reset the cooldown on Mangle (Bear) and grant 10 Rage. Striking a target with Mangle (Cat) or Shred has a 5% chance to reset the cooldown on Tiger’s Fury.
- Improved Barkskin (Helm): Your Barkskin can now be cast on allies, no longer penalizes melee combat speed or spellcasting time, and can be cast while shapeshifted.
Anything that benefits Tiger’s Fury - a Rune from Phase 2 - is okay with us. Among the new Runes coming with WoW Classic SoD Phase 3 are Gore and Improved Barkskin. While both are great, being able to cast Barkskin on others - especially non-Druid tanks, is very interesting.
2) Hunter
- Lock and Load (Helm): Each time one of your traps is triggered, your next Shot ability within 20s costs no mana and does not incur a cooldown.
- Focus Fire (Bracers): Consumes all applications of Frenzy from your pet, increasing your ranged attack speed by 3% and granting four Focus to your pet for each application of Frenzy consumed. Lasts 20s. Your pet gains Frenzy each time it uses a Basic Attack, increasing its melee attack speed by 6% for 10s, stacking up to five times.
Hunters are getting some seriously powerful new Runes in the WoW Classic SoD Phase 3 update. Depending on how many traps you’re setting, Lock and Load could provide amazing damage, while Focus Fire provides more power for your pet and the player.
In particular, Focus Fire seems to be far more powerful, especially if you have a pet that strikes frequently in melee. I’m a huge fan of that as a potential Hunter player in the Phase 3 update.
3) Mage
- Deep Freeze (Helm): Stuns the target for 5s. It is only usable on Frozen targets. Deals 578 to 673 damage to targets permanently immune to Stun.
- Balefire Bolt (Bracers): Unleash a reality-distorting burst of raw magic at your enemy, dealing 350 to 525 Spellfire damage. Each time you cast Balefire Bolt, the damage of your next Balefire Bolt within 30s will be increased by 10%, and your Spirit will be decreased by 10% for 30s, both stacking up to 10 times. If your Spirit reaches 0 as a consequence, you will immediately die. This spell will be checked against the lower of the target’s Arcane and Fire resists.
Deep Freeze more or less speaks for itself as a simple, familiar ability. However, when it comes to new Runes in WoW Classic SoD Phase 3, Balefire Bolt is a fascinating option. Each time you cast it, you lose more and more temporary Spirit, but it deals more and more damage.
However, if you run out of Spirit, you instantly die. That’s an amazing way to gamble on damage. As long as you keep an eye on your stats and keep some temporary Spirit buffs on hand, it could be incredibly powerful.
4) Paladin
- Improved Sanctuary (Helm): Increases the damage prevented by your Blessing of Sanctuary by 100%, and increases damage done by your Blessing of Sanctuary by 30% of your Shield Block Value.
- Wrath (Helm): Your Consecration damage can now be critical strikes, and damage from your Exorcism, Holy Shock, Holy Wrath, and Consecration spells gains an additional critical strike chance equal to your melee critical strike chance.
Paladins continue to thrive in the WoW Classic SoD Phase 3 new rune collection. These are all about increasing damage prevented, and damage dealt, including giving greater critical strike chances for various Holy-based abilities. In particular, Wrath could help Paladins maintain a solid threat. I’m also a big fan of Improved Sanctuary’s buffs to Blessing of Sanctuary.
5) Priest
- Pain and Suffering (Helm): Mind Flay refreshes the duration of your Shadow Word: Pain on the target back to its maximum duration.
- Surge of Light (Bracers): Critical spellcasts cause your next Smite or Flash Heal cast within 15s to be instant cast.
Mind Flay is easily one of Priests' best abilities and used in its best damage build. The cloth-wearing class has some truly interesting new Runes in WoW Classic SoD Phase 3. Pain and Suffering make Mind Flay refresh your Shadow Word: Pain, so proper timing could keep that DOT going forever. Instant cast heals/damage abilities are also great fun, and Surge of Light helps with that.
6) Rogue
- Honor Among Thieves (Helm): When any player in your party critically hits with a spell or ability, you gain a combo point on your current target. This effect cannot occur more than once every second.
- Cut to the Chase (Bracers): Your Eviscerate and Envenom abilities refresh your Slice and Dice or your Blade Dance duration to its 5 combo point maximum. If both are active, only the one with the shortest remaining duration will be refreshed.
Depending on how often your party crits, Honor Among Thieves has the potential to be a devastating ability. Constantly refilling your combo points on targets means you have to spend less time building points and more time burning them.
Cut to the Chase also lets you refresh a few of the classes' more devastating abilities, making it a valuable new Rune for WoW Classic SoD Phase 3.
7) Shaman
- Mental Dexterity (Helm): Dealing damage with your melee weapons increases your Attack Power by 100% of your Intellect and your spell damage and healing by 30% of your total Attack Power for 1m.
- Riptide (Bracers): Heals a friendly target for 458 to 498 and another 486 over 15s. Your next Chain Heal cast on that primary target within 15s will consume the healing over time effect and increase the amount of the Chain Heal by 25%. This spell also triggers Ancestral Awakening.
All Shamans win with Mental Dexterity, provided they’re willing to get into melee range and deal damage that way. I’m a big fan of both of the revealed new Runes coming in WoW Classic SoD Phase 3. Riptide combos nicely to give a huge healing boost to your tank - or whomever else is hurt badly in a raid fight/dungeon. It’s also going to be viable for PVP as well.
8) Warlock
- Pandemic (Helm): Periodic damage from your Corruption, Unstable Affliction, Curse of Agony, Immolate, Curse of Doom, and Siphon Life abilities can now be critical strikes.
- Summon Felguard (Bracers): Summons a Felguard under the command of the Warlock. The Felguard benefits from all talents and effects that trigger from or benefit any of your other Demon minions.
The new Warlock Runes in WoW Classic SoD Phase 3 are simple but powerful. Pandemic makes it so your DOT damage can be critical - which seems to be a theme in Phase 3. On top of that, you also have arguably the most popular Demon summon in the game - Felguard. Summon Felguard could be a must-use in any build.
9) Warrior
- Taste for Blood (Helm): Whenever your Rend ability causes damage, your Overpower ability will activate for 9s or 1 attack. This effect will not occur more than once every 6s.
- Sword and Board (Bracers): When your Devastate and Revenge abilities deal damage, they have a 30% chance of refreshing the cooldown of your Shield Slam ability and reducing its Rage cost by 100% for 5s.
- Gladiator Stance (Boots): An aggressive stance that increases damage while wearing a shield by 10% and increases block chance by 10% but reduces armor by 30% and threat generated by 10%. While wearing a shield in Gladiator Stance, you may use all abilities restricted to other stances.
The final abilities revealed for the rune preview of WoW Classic SoD Phase 3 went to Warriors. I’m a big fan of Taste for Blood and anything that enhances the Rend ability on Warriors. The other two abilities are for Shield bearers - Sword and Board lets you Shield Slam for free, far more often.
You also have Gladiator Stance, a more aggressive, tanky stance. While you lose armor, you gain more threat and greater block chance. It will also, if that wasn’t enough, let that Warrior use any ability restricted to other stances while wearing a Shield in this stance. Warriors received three new WoW Classic SoD Phase 3 rune previews, but they’re all well worth it.
Check out our WoW Rune guides for specific classes (updated for Season of Discovery Phase 2)
Druid Runes in WoW Classic Season of Discovery || Mage || Priest || Paladin || Rogue || Warlock || Warrior || Shaman || Hunter
