WoW Midnight: Talebound, a new action RPG mode with 3 classes

Blizzard announced Talebound, a new game mode for Midnight, at BlizzCon on 12 September. Blizzard calls it a PvE action RPG, meaning players fight enemies controlled by the game, not each other. Players are pulled into the tales of a mysterious Storyteller whose favourite stories lean towards the macabre, and explore themed levels full of enemies, bosses, puzzles, treasure and relics. The mode can be played alone or with friends, and it arrives with a content update called Echoes of the Worldcore.

At launch there will be 4 stories, each with its own settings, enemies and bosses: Darkhaven, Greenthistle Wood, Greywake's Expedition and Grove of the Night Court. Blizzard names witches, giants, marshals, bishops, deep-sea horrors and nightmare royalty among the bosses. Between runs, players return to Quillgrave, a cosy lantern-lit village, and work with 4 helpers to improve their odds on the next attempt. The Arcanist provides potions, draughts and flasks to be found in the tale, the Scribe provides talents that change abilities, the Outfitter raises starting health, damage, energy and focus, and the Antiquarian provides passive effects that change how a tale can be approached.

Talebound has 3 classes of its own: Slayer, Inquisitor and Witch. Blizzard says movement and defence are central for all of them: every class can double jump, dodge and guard, so positioning matters in combat. The Slayer fights with a sword and a gun, with abilities such as Explosive Shot, Minefield and Silver Bolt. The Inquisitor uses holy damage and fire, with abilities such as Condemn and Light's Wrath; Condemn and Radiant Burst can be cast while moving. The Witch fights with lightning, poison, spiders, moonlight, thorns and ravens, and can briefly turn into a cat with Feline Communion.

The rewards Blizzard names are the Witch Hunter's Shadow Attire transmog set, housing decor such as the Quillgrave Storyteller's Lectern and the Quillgrave Talebound Shadowtome, and the Shadowbound Storybook mount. Blizzard describes its rewards as cosmetic and says there is much more to earn, for use in Midnight and beyond. An early preview of Talebound is due on the PTR, Blizzard's public test server, sometime in October. Reports from BlizzCon say Echoes of the Worldcore will be patch 12.1.7; Blizzard's own posts give neither a patch number nor a release date.