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Build 1.60.1.70425 landed on October 15 with the biggest racial pass of the beta and a rule change every raid group will feel: several party buffs now cover the whole raid. Weapon specializations are gone for Humans, Dwarves and Orcs; Eureka! is a short buff instead of charges; wands and Auto Shot ask you to stand still for half a second. Talents, racials and spellbooks on WoW Handbook now read from this client.
Blizzard published the full list in the October 15 development notes. Below: the racial swaps that change who you roll, the raid-wide buffs, the class beats worth a talent reset, and the Dalaran rule for Horde.
Racials: Weapon Specs Out, Flat Crit In
Three Classic-style weapon passives are gone. The replacements work with any weapon:
| Race | Was | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Sword Specialization | Ruthless — 2% critical strike chance |
| Dwarf | Mace Specialization | Earth Fury — 2% critical damage and healing |
| Orc | Axe Specialization | Savage — 1% critical strike chance |
Other races move with them. Eureka! is an 8-second buff with no charges (same cost and damage effect, and it now helps Power Word: Shield). Endurance trades the hit chance for 2% critical damage and healing. Regeneration doubles to 20% health regen. Wind Blessed rises to 3% Haste. Read Ley Line is renamed Read Leyline and can be cast while moving, with a longer minimum duration. Shatter Curse dispels Curses and Banes instead of granting immunity, and its magic damage reduction is 5% (was 15%). Blood Fury cooldown is 3 minutes. Plainsrunning needs real movement, not stutter-steps, and also grants 3% mounted speed. Cultivation and War Stomp cool down faster.
Your move: open the races page before you roll for the Stress Test or name reservation. Humans no longer need a sword to keep their crit racial.
Raid-Wide Buffs: One Shaman, One Warrior, Whole Raid
These effects now apply to the raid, not only your party:
- Battle Shout
- Trueshot Aura
- Moonkin Aura (spell crit only)
- Leader of the Pack (melee and ranged crit only)
- Grace of Air, Strength of Earth, Windfury and Flametongue Totems
Grace of Air is no longer exclusive with Windfury or Flametongue; Windfury and Flametongue still exclude each other. For 40-player content and large outdoor groups, one correct buff covers everyone in range.
Your move: drop the habit of splitting Battle Shout and Trueshot across every party. One well-placed aura or totem is enough for the raid.
Class Beats: Mage, Shaman, Priest, Hunter
The talent trees move in several places. Highlights from the notes and the 70425 client:
- Mage: Arcane Blast is a 1.5-second cast that stacks spell damage from Intellect for 15 seconds; new gold talent Arcane Wrath; Frost Blast at level 24 as a down-rank Frostbolt replacement; Fire Power and Critical Mass retuned; Wake of Fire reverts toward Improved Fire Blast.
- Shaman Elemental: Elemental Mastery returns as the 31-point talent; Lava Burst moves earlier; Call of Thunder is gone; Improved Fire Nova is Trial by Fire.
- Priest Shadow: Dark Inspiration is new; Improved Fade and Shadow Infinity are gone; Devouring Plague and Vampiric Embrace cool down faster.
- Hunter: Auto Shot needs 0.5 seconds standing still (wands match); several pet abilities are weaker; Trueshot Aura is raid-wide.
- Paladin: Blessing of Salvation becomes Salvation / Mass Salvation (not exclusive with other blessings), with Revoke to clear it; Righteous Fury threat and Reckoning charges adjust.
- Warlock: Malediction becomes Grim Reach; Shadow Mastery and Destructive Reach numbers climb.
- Warrior: Battle Shout is raid-wide; Arms Bloodthrill and Slam numbers shift.
Every class page and the talent calculator already use 70425. If a saved build pointed at a talent that moved or left, reclaim those points in-game—the client returns them with a note.
Dalaran and Auto Attack: Small Rules, Big Feels
Horde players are attacked on sight in the city of Dalaran and can no longer farm Kirin Tor reputation there. The City of Dalaran dungeon stays open to both factions. Hunters and wand users must stand still for 0.5 seconds before Auto Shot or wand shooting, matching early WoW.
Your move: Alliance can still use Dalaran as a hub; Horde should plan bank and auction trips elsewhere. Hunters: stop weaving Auto Shot while strafing the way Retail taught you.
What To Do Next
- Re-check your race. Ruthless, Earth Fury and Savage change the Human / Dwarf / Orc math—see races.
- Reset talents once. Beta respec is cheap for the first reset; then open the talent calculator against 70425.
- Show up October 21. The Stress Test is open to every WoW account and wipes afterward.
- Keep the calendar. Beta through October 21, name reservation October 27, launch November 4—on the release date page.
Read the full announcement on Blizzard News