World of Warcraft Season of Discovery (SoD) Phase 2 brings exciting gameplay changes, including new features, PvP and Profession updates. The addition of brand new runes in this phase adds a dynamic element to explore different class roles and combinations. Let's get into these updates in detail:
Rune Ability Updates:
Blizzard Entertainment offers a sneak peek into the upcoming SoD Phase 2, showcasing upcoming rune updates for WoW players. Check out the list of all of currently available runes here.
- Paladin Runes
- Druid Runes
- Priest Runes
- Hunter Runes
- Warrior Runes
- Rogue Runes
- Warlock Runes
- Mage Runes
- Shaman Runes
New Paladin Runes:
WoW SoD players are currently getting a sneak peek at two Paladin runes with focus on melee combat. WoW players have datamined more runes such as Infusion of Light, Guarded by the Light, Sacred Shield, The Art of War, Improved Hammer of Wrath, Shield Mastery, Purifying Power, Enraged Regeneration and many more.
Sheath of Light Rune
Engraving this rune onto a belt enhances melee weapon damage, increasing spell power. Critical heals also apply an additional heal over time, making it a valuable asset in WoW battles.
Dealing damage with your melee weapon increases your spell power by an amount equal to 30% of your attack power for 1 min. In addition, your critical healing spells heal the target for 60% of the healed amount over 12 sec.
Guarded by the Light Rune
Guarded by the Light rune causes melee weapon hits to restore mana over time, with a trade-off—Flash of Light, Holy Light, and Holy Shock healing amounts are halved. Time will reveal if this trade is worth it in WoW Season of Discovery.
Each time you hit a target with your melee weapon, you gain 5% of your maximum mana per 3 sec for 15 sec, but the amount healed by your Flash of Light, Holy Light, and Holy Shock spells is reduced by 50% during this mana regeneration.
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New Druid Runes:
Eclipse, a fan-favorite ability, is making returning to SoD, and its comeback sounds promising. Both Druid runes bring great boosts for Season of Discovery players to enjoy.
Eclipse Rune
Eclipse is Making a comeback. This rune boosts Starfire, increasing the critical strike of the player's next two Wraths by 30%, creating a powerful synergy between Starfire and Wrath.
Starfire increases the critical strike chance of your next two Wraths by 30%, and Wrath increases the critical strike chance of your next Starfire by 30%, both effects stacking up to 4 charges. Both spells also gain 70% chance at all times to not lose casting time when you take damage.
King of the Jungle Rune
This SoD rune alters Tiger's Fury, boosting physical damage dealt by 15% and instantly granting 60 energy, but introduces a 30-second cooldown for Tiger's Fury.
Tiger’s Fury now increases all physical damage you deal by 15% instead of by a flat value, and instantly grants you 60 Energy. It is no longer on the global cooldown, but it now has its own 30 sec cooldown.
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New Priest Runes:
Fan-favorite abilities are making a return to Season of Discovery for Priests as well, targeted at sustainability and damage.
Pain Supression Rune
A returning favorite from past expansions, this Priest Rune significantly reduces damage taken and enhances resistance to Dispel mechanics for a short time when cast on a friendly target.
Blasts the target for 108 to 126 Shadowfrost damage, and increases the critical strike chance of your next Mind Blast on the target by 30%, stacking up to 3 times.
Mind Spike Rune
Mind Spike deals Shadowfrost damage and applies a debuff increasing the critical strike chance of the next Mind Blast on the target, stackable up to 3 times.
Instantly reduces all damage taken by a friendly target by 40% and increases resistance to Dispel mechanics by 65% for 8 sec.
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New Hunter Runes:
There's a noticeable focus on melee combat in these new WoW SoD runes. It wouldn't be surprising to see players exploring effective full melee hunter builds in Phase 2.
Melee Specialist Rune
The Melee Specialist Rune introduces interesting changes, encouraging full melee builds by reducing Raptor Strike cooldown and allowing it to trigger instantly. Additionally, it removes the cooldown of Mongoose Bite.
Raptor Strike cooldown reduced to 3 sec and is now instant, Mongoose Bite cooldown removed, and Raptor Strike has a 30% chance on each attack not to trigger its cooldown.
Trap Launcher Rune
This SoD rune enables players to place traps within 40 yards, even during combat, with separate shared cooldowns for fire-based and frost-based traps.
Your Traps can now be placed at any location within 40 yards, and can be placed while you are in combat. Additionally, your Fire-based and Frost-based traps now have separate shared cooldowns.
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New Warrior Runes:
Warrior runes are bringing in even more sustainability and they sound quite powerful, especially Rallying Cry.
Rallying Cry Rune
A powerful defensive ability activating within 40 yards, increasing the health of all party and raid members. Its effectiveness in SoD awaits exploration but it sounds very promising and OP.
Let loose a rallying cry, granting all party and raid members within 40 yards 15% increased maximum health for 10 sec.
Blood Surge Rune
The Blood Surge Rune adds a chance for certain abilities to make the next Slam instant and cost no Rage.
Heroic Strike, Bloodthirst, and Whirlwind have a 30% chance to make your next Slam within 15 sec instant and cost no Rage.
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New Rogue Runes:
Rogue SoD runes are adding extra damage, and Master of Subtlety seems especially strong.
Shuriken Toss Rune
The Shuriken Toss allows players to throw a shuriken at an enemy, dealing damage to the target and 4 nearby foes.
Throw a shuriken at your enemy dealing damage equal to 25% of your Attack Power, and also strike up to 4 additional nearby targets. Awards 1 combo point.
Master of Subtlety Rune
This rune boosts damage for attacks made while stealthed and shortly after exiting stealth, promising heightened damage during stealthy play.
Attacks made while stealthed and for 6 seconds after breaking stealth cause an additional 10% damage.
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New Warlock Runes:
The new Warlock runes are related both to damage over time (DoT) and pets.
Invocation Rune
This SoD rune deals instant damage when refreshing damage over time effects with less than 6 seconds remaining on the Season of Discovery target.
Refreshing Corruption, Immolate, Curse of Agony, or Siphon Life when it has less than 6 seconds duration remaining will cause you to deal instant damage to the target equal to one period of that spell’s periodic damage.
Dance of the Wicked Rune
The Dance of the Wicked rune Triggers a buff increasing dodge chance for the player and their pets on critical strikes, accompanied by a mana gain.
You and your demon pet gain dodge chance equal to your spell critical strike chance each time you deal a critical strike to an enemy, and also both regain 2% of maximum mana.
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New Mage Runes:
Mage runes, similar to those we've already discussed, raise the question of whether a proc-based system will be introduced in World of Warcraft Season of Discovery.
Missile Barrage Rune
Missile Barrage rovides a chance for Arcane Blast, Fireball, and Frostbolt spells to reduce the channeled duration of the next Arcane Missiles spell by half, with reduced mana cost and increased firing speed.
Gives your Arcane Blast a 40% chance, and your Fireball and Frostbolt spells a 20% chance to reduce the channeled duration of your next Arcane Missiles spell by 50%, reduce the mana cost by 100%, and misiles will fire every 0.5 secs.
Chronostatic Preservation Rune
This rune enables players to store arcane, fire, and frost energy briefly, using it to heal a friendly target before it combusts.
Fuses Arcane, Fire, and Frost magic to freeze chronomantic energy into a stored state for later use. You can hold this energy for up to 15 sec before it combusts and expires. When unleashed, heals a friendly target for 665 to 998.<br><br>This spell is considered Arcane, Fire, and Frost for interactions with other spells, talents, and effects.
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New Shaman Runes:
WoW players are getting an early look at three Shaman Runes! These runes focus on spell haste, buffs, and attack speed. Two-Handed Mastery seems particularly exciting for Shamans who favor dealing damage with a two-handed weapon.
Maelstrom Weapon Rune
The Maelstrom Weapon rune adds a chance for melee attacks to reduce the cast time of certain spells, with the reduction stacking up to five times.
Infuses the target with the spirit of an alpha wolf, increasing all threat generated by the target by 45% for 30 min. Limit 1 target.
Spirit of the Alpha
Rune
This new SoD rune casts a 30-minute buff on a friendly target, increasing threat generation.
When you deal damage with a melee attack, you have a chance to reduce the cast time of your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Lesser Healing Wave, Healing Wave, Chain Heal, or Lava Burst spell by 20%. Stacks up to 5 times. Lasts 30 sec.
Two-Handed Mastery
Rune
Thanks to the Two-Handed Mastery Rune, WoW players will be granted a 30% attack speed bonus with a two-handed weapon for 10 seconds upon striking an enemy.
Each time you strike an enemy with a two-handed weapon, you gain 30% attack speed with two-handed weapons for 10 sec.
WoW Season of Discovery Phase 2 sure sounds promising! Stay tuned, as we'll update you on everything upcoming in SoD.
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