News · Confirmed ·

Class tuning on 10 November: sturdier pets, Wrack worth less alone, Strength for Enhancement

Two days after launch Blizzard announced its first round of class changes for the live game, as hotfixes on Tuesday, 10 November. Hunter pets and Voidwalkers are to tank as well as in Classic Era, Affliction warlocks should cast their damage over time again, and Enhancement shamans should want Strength, not spell power.

All of this is confirmed: Kaivax posted it in the forum on 6 November. It is an announcement of intent - the post names goals, not numbers, and the numbers will only be known once the hotfixes are live.

Pets that hold aggro

"Hunter pets and Warlock Voidwalkers are not as durable as tanks as we would like," the post says. The goal is for them to be "relatively the same as in Classic Era", and Blizzard will adjust their stats as needed. This follows two earlier changes in the opposite direction: the notes of 2 November cut warlock pets from 7.5 to 2 health per point of Stamina, and in an interview on 6 November Kris Zierhut said Blizzard had "actually lowered the health on hunter pets and warlock pets". The first hotfix list already gave Voidwalkers around 40 more base health.

Affliction and Wrack

At the moment, "always channeling Wrack is superior to also casting damage-over-time abilities like Siphon Life, Corruption, and Bane of Agony." Blizzard wants the DoTs to be worth casting alongside Wrack, "without affecting Affliction Warlocks' total damage output". Zierhut had sketched the likely route in the same interview: lower Wrack's own damage and raise the bonus it gives to the other effects.

Enhancement and Strength

For Enhancement shamans, Intellect and spell power currently beat Strength and attack power. That is to change: "Strength is always their strongest stat." Ideally their best items carry Strength or attack power plus some Intellect or spell power. Blizzard's advice to anyone levelling one: collect Strength and attack power gear "from now on".

Tuesdays

"Our plan is to make class balance changes on Tuesday, and then on future Tuesdays if necessary." Talent rows are not mentioned. Larger changes to shaman and druid talents are, by Zierhut's account, a matter for a patch early next year - see the interview.

What this changes here

The talent calculator shows trees and our own short descriptions, without numbers, so nothing in it needs to change before 10 November. We will check the hotfixes once they are live.

Last checked November 8, 2026.