February 29, 2024

TWW: Blizzard Will Adjust The Warrior Talent Tree

Blizzard has confirmed that they will adjust the Warrior Talent Tree so players can get Shockwave more easily.

Key Takeaways

Blizzard plans to adjust the Warrior Talent Tree in The War Within for easier Shockwave access.
Shockwave’s power lies in its frontal cone damage and two-second stun, but its placement near the Talent Tree’s bottom forces strategic sacrifices by players.
Warrior players advocate for substantial changes beyond Shockwave adjustments, urging a complete overhaul for greater viability in the next expansion, with a desire for Gladiator Stance’s return.

Shockwave is a powerful utility for Warriors in various PvP and PvE situations. Its frontal cone damage and two-second stun make Shockwave particularly effective against tightly packed groups of enemies. However, obtaining said talent requires sacrifices, as it sits near the bottom of the Talent Tree. This forces players to either choose Shockwave’s utility or enhance their damage output by sacrificing it. Given the Warriors’ inherent lack of utility options, more often than not, players have to forfeit other beneficial talents just to get Shockwave.

Warrior Talent Tree Will Be Updated in the War Within

Players have long expressed concerns about Shockwave. And finally, in a recent post revealing eight new Hero Talent Trees in The War Within, Blizzard announced their plans to update the Warrior Talent Tree:

“Developer’s Note: The Warrior tree will be updated in the War Within to make the Shockwave talent more easily accessible via class talents.

We wanted to call this out as the Colossus tree interacts with Shockwave in a few places.”
— Blizzard

However, Warrior players are asking for more substantial changes instead of yet another band-aid fix. They call for a complete overhaul of all three specs to make Warrior more viable in the next expansion. A prevailing sentiment among players is the desire for Gladiator Stance to return in The War Within.

During Warlords of Draenor, Gladiator Stance emerged as a popular talent for Warriors. It let Protection Warriors transition to a DPS role by selecting the level 100 talent known as Gladiator’s Resolve. This introduced a dynamic playstyle, allowing Warriors to wield a weapon and shield akin to gladiators, which was particularly favored in PvP for its versatility. Unfortunately, it was removed from the game in Patch 7.0.3 during the Legion expansion.

With the Warrior Talent Tree soon to be updated, do you think there’s any chance for the Gladiator Stance to return to WoW retail? Or perhaps you have another talent in mind that you’d prefer to see in The War Within? Share your thoughts in the comments below!