WoW SoD Phase 2 Possible Runes - About to Change the Current Classes’ Structure
Phase 2 of the SoD is approaching. Based on the runes of WoW SoD Phase 1 and the skills of the current version of WoW, there are predictions for the runes that may launch in Phase 2.
Druid
Eclipse
Introduced with Wrath of the Lich King, this ability singlehandedly turned Balance into a viable DPS specialization. In Phase 2, the interaction with the newly introduced Starsurge rune would certainly cause a ton of new exciting rotational opportunities in the realm of Moonkins.
Berserk
This Feral Druid cooldown also made its first appearance during Wrath and has been redesigned numerous times over the last 15 years. From reducing energy costs to restoring combo points - no matter what iteration of Berserk is introduced, it would certainly enhance the current gameplay loop for Ferals.
Tree of Life
The answer to the question "What is the single-most iconic Restoration Druid spell in World of Warcraft?" should sooner or later find its way into Season of Discovery. The current Dragonflight design as a major healing cooldown alone would make a massive difference for Druid healers in Classic content.
Hunter
Coordinated Assault
Melee Hunters in Season of Discovery lack both damage and rotational tools. With an interactive cooldown like Coordinated Assault, the Survival fantasy might finally come to life! The development team would need to change the spells that benefit from Coordinated Assault - however, they have already showcased their ability to do exactly that by introducing their version of Flanking Strike.
Lock and Load
With both Explosive Shot and Chimera Shot, Marksman Hunters are already well-equipped for Phase 2. A passive talent like Lock and Load would encourage an active playstyle combined with effective resource management. Hunters do not have Focus but Mana in Classic WoW, so the proc rewarding a flat or over-time Mana regen would make a lot of sense - not least because Mana costs will become a Marksman Hunter issue, especially in longer fights.
Aspect of the Beast
Aspects are one of the cores of the Hunter class fantasy in Classic - so why not add another one to the list? Not that Beastmaster Hunters would need any additional damage utilities right now - a permanent buff like Aspect of the Beast would increase the overall damage potential of Hunter pets and their tankiness due to the increased effects from pet passives. Maybe we will not only get blasted by Wind Serpents in PvP but also see them become raid tanks shortly. Who knows!
Mage
Arcane Barrage
It's safe to say that the introduction of Heal Mages has been a successful one overall. As one of the staple spells in future Arcane Mage toolkits, Arcane Barrage could fill the spot-healing hole for Mage healers while also providing a decent movement tool for Arcane Mages in general.
Summon Water Elemental
In June last year, Mages in Retail had to say goodbye to their Water Elementals - so why not bring them back in Season of Discovery? Introduced during Burning Crusade back in the day, even a temporary version of Water Elemental would bring more versatility to the Frost Mage toolkit, which has already gotten a few rune upgrades in Phase 1.
Dragon's Breath
Fire Mages are the reigning champions of all DPS Mage specs right now, and they surely will remain strong across all content. Introducing a situational yet incredibly useful spell like Dragon's Breath would enhance Fire gameplay as a whole and offer a healthy alternative to the ever-beloved Cone of Cold.
Paladin
Aura Mastery
Similar to Hunter Aspects, Paladins are famous for the Auras in Classic. A ton of design space has been filled out with Aura-enhancing talents across all three Paladin trees - so why not introduce a way to enhance further or even completely change an aura of your choice?
Avenging Wrath
Not a lot of classes have such an iconic spell like Avenging Wrath in their toolkit. At this point in history, these "wings" showcase one of the most essential cooldowns across all three Paladin archetypes, which would make it an excellent addition as a rune in Phase 2.
Divine Steed
As the last of three wishlist entries which would benefit all three Paladin archetypes, Divine Steed would at least partially fill the gaping movement hole in their toolkits - and look Paladin as hell in a Classic setting. And who wants Paladins to become Death Knights in Season of Discovery by treading the Path of Arthas, anyway?
Priest
Mind Spike
Just like Balance Druids, Shadow Priests have a lot of the usual "hybrid DPS" issues in Classic, so introducing a straightforward way to deal decent direct damage would at least solve one of many Shadow issues. Another central Shadow issue is Mana, so baking some Mana regen into Mind Spike would kill two shadowy birds with one stone!
Rapture
As one of the most unique spells in the Discipline toolkit, Rapture would add great utility to the Priest and its allies in Season of Discovery. There are a metric ton of amazing cooldowns in Priest history, but a passive effect that promotes dynamic Power Word: Shield gameplay, which rewards both the player and their allies, sounds like something Priests in Classic would want.
Lightweaver
As one of the newer Priest abilities on our list, this Dragonflight Holy Priest talent reads incredibly straightforward but also very efficient, rewarding the use of two staple heal spells in the Holy Priest toolkit.
Rogue
Roll the Bones
This finisher, which has been added to the Rogue toolkit during Legion, embraces the Gambling Rogue fantasy. Some of the six buffs it provides may be too situational in a Classic setting - but what if the development team decided to introduce new, more generic buffs that all Rogue archetypes could profit from?
Fan of Knives
As one of many fantastically designed abilities introduced with Wrath of the Lich King, Fan of Knives showcased a brilliant solution to the issue of Rogues not being able to deal proper AoE damage before.
Make Combo Points shared across all enemies
We wanted to keep this wishlist free of completely new rune ideas - however, this groundbreaking change, which has been introduced with the Warlords of Draenor expansion as reported by Wowhead over seven freaking years ago, is a fan favorite! Being able to store Combo Points across all targets would be more than just a quality-of-life change for Classic Rogues of all archetypes, and the newly introduced Rogue Tanks in particular would squeal in excitement!
Shaman
Sundering (2-Handed Only)
The Two-Handed Enhancement Shaman fantasy is a community favorite - but it's in great peril. Adding exclusive spells only castable with two-handed weapons is very restrictive but also offers a solution. This version of Sundering, a talent introduced back during Legion, would be a flavorful and visceral spell that perfectly showcases the fantasy of a two-hand-wielding master of the elements!
Summon Earth Elemental
Shaman Tanking has been a successful experiment in Season of Discovery so far. A decent defensive cooldown that also comes with a beefy Earth Elemental would make for an excellent addition to the Classic Shaman toolkit.
Totemic Recall
Totem utility wasn't a part of the design space in Classic - that is why spells like Totemic Recall have been added and treated as "no-brainers" later on. As totems are a vital part of the Classic Shaman gameplay experience, adding this spell would just make an incredible amount of sense.
Warlock
Hand of Gul'dan
The Demonology fantasy has evolved quite a bit over the last few years in Retail, especially when it comes to temporary minions. A Hand of Gul'dan that would temporarily summon three regular Imps would certainly make a flavorful and engaging damage cooldown, which could also profit from Classic Warlock talents like Improved Firebolt.
Havoc
With Chaos Bolt being present in Season of Discovery, Havoc would certainly be a great situational pick in all sorts of content. Hard-casting non-periodic Warlock damage spells has always felt clunky and one-dimensional in Classic, so this ability, which was introduced with Cataclysm, would tackle that issue.
Burning Rush
Without a doubt, Warlocks in Classic lack proper movement options. We thought about adding Demonic Circle to our list, but Burning Rush as a soft movement option instead of a hard teleport seems more fitting, especially thinking about all the new Warlock tanks currently breaking their demonic ankles while running after mobs they're trying to aggro.
Warrior
Bladestorm
Hard crowd control in Classic is omnipresent, and Warriors are prime targets. Adding Warbringer certainly helped, and Bladestorm would be another step in the right direction - not to mention that it's one of the coolest Warrior spells in World of Warcraft.
Gladiator Stance
Back when Warlords of Draenor was released, Protection Warriors had a window of six weeks where they had a lot of fun in PvE and dominated in PvP - thanks to Gladiator Stance. Shortly after, the ability got nerfed into the ground and removed with the release of Legion. Just nine years later, Gladiator Stance appeared in the Season of Discovery game files - so there is hope that the stance which increased all physical damage and replaced Shield Block with Shield Charge might return.
Shockwave
Hard AoE crowd control is a hot flame to play with in the Classic ruleset - but Shockwave is just too great of an ability for all Warrior archetypes to not put on this list since it would be a great way to interrupt targets in addition to the super-conditional Pummel.
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