WoW Forever: weapon specialisations are gone from racials

The latest beta notes rewrite a good part of the racial abilities, and the first thing to go is the weapon specialisation. Human Sword Specialisation becomes Ruthless, worth 2% critical strike chance with anything; Orc Axe Specialisation becomes Savage at 1%; Dwarf Mace Specialisation becomes Earth Fury, 2% more critical damage and healing. Nobody is tied to a weapon type any more, which is what the team said it was looking at.

Tauren get the same treatment from the other side: Endurance now gives 2% more critical damage and healing instead of 1% hit chance. Plainsrunning adds 3% mounted speed and needs you to keep moving to hold it, Cultivation drops to a 15 minute cooldown from 60, and War Stomp comes down to 90 seconds.

The new race is quietly buffed. Wind Blessed gives the Skyborne 3% haste instead of 1%, Skysight and Read Leyline can be cast while moving, Read Leyline lasts at least 30 seconds instead of 20, and Walk on Air drops to 90 seconds. There are also more places in the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor where their Elemental Convergences and Leylines appear.

Two races get traded power rather than extra. Blood Fury goes to a 3 minute cooldown from 2, and Shatter Curse stops granting immunity: it now dispels Curses and Banes and cuts magic damage taken by 5% instead of 15%. For the Forsaken, Touch of the Dead fires on 30% of hits for casters and 20% for paladins, rogues and warriors, with a 25 second internal cooldown, and it no longer scales with shadow damage bonuses.

Gnomes come out of it well: Eureka is now an 8 second buff with no charges to count, it works on Power Word: Shield as well, and it cannot be started while stealthed. All of this is beta notes, so the numbers are what the team is trying this week rather than what ships on 4 November.