Blizzard just raised damage for every class in WoW Forever, right before launch! Welcome to Azeroth After Dark, I'm Elena Marsh, and next to me is Dorra Stonehymn, our Earthen dwarf co-anchor, who's never once skimmed a patch note. Skimming's for people who can outrun a glacier. Good to be here, and yes, I read all of it. Classic and Forever are my beat, so I'll be checking her exclamation marks. Stick with us, because you're getting Hunter buffs, a brand new Energy passive, the launch maintenance, the best races, the Legacy System, and more.

But first, that class tuning. Icy Veins calls it a massive list of changes from Blizzard's development notes, and the headline's simple. Damage is up for all classes, and higher level creatures got more health to match. Dorra, weren't they keeping Forever at Classic levels? They were. Then they changed their minds. Blizzard says holding to Classic budgets meant every new thing came at the expense of something else, and some iconic abilities felt lackluster, so now there's headroom.

Here's how Blizzard put it, look at that! So wait, are we in for big swings right after launch? Not soon. Apart from bugs and serious outliers, Blizzard plans no big tuning changes before raids open next month. The full post's got loads more, like Shred going to 200 percent weapon damage from 155. And Hunters got a surprise of their own. Speaking of surprises, Wowhead says Hunters just got buffed in WoW Forever, and Sniper Shot's top rank now adds 590 damage, up from 295!

Dorra, tell me that's locked in. It isn't. Wowhead says these are hotfixes on live Forever servers, not confirmed in any development notes, and they can change before the official launch. Some of it also partly reverts Hunter nerfs from last week. Okay, but look at this chart. That's Aimed Shot, every rank, and the top one's at 350 now! What else moved? Arcane Shot's top rank went from 217 to 280, and the top rank of Trueshot Aura, for the whole party or raid, went from 50 to 100 Ranged Attack Power.

After that much math, I could use a nature documentary. Well, your wish is granted, because Planet Azeroth with Bill Bailey is back! Wowhead says episode three just dropped, and it covers the extremes of Azeroth: the highs, the lows, the heat, the cold, and the murlocs. Murlocs count as an extreme. Seems fair. It covers critters in the Plaguelands, Winterspring, and more, and Wowhead calls Bailey's narration iconic.

Let's put it up on the big screen! He even asks, what are you waiting for? So, Dorra, what are you waiting for? Only the launch, which Wowhead put at about 48 hours away when it posted. I can wait, I'm mostly stone. Now, Druids and Rogues, stay put, this next one's yours. Here it is! Wowhead spotted a new passive called Poised that cuts Energy costs on a first strike, at level 18 for Rogues and level 32 for Druids.

Now, Wowhead labeled it datamined and unconfirmed. But the development notes Icy Veins posted later list it for Druids at level 32, 10 Energy off your next Energy ability when you're out of combat at maximum Energy. The Rogue version I've only got from the datamine. Okay, I love that! Wowhead says it's nice for leveling, for dungeons, and for openers in World PvP and duels. Stick around, because Hunters are back, and this time the question's which spec to play.

Back to Hunters, Elena. Icy Veins' countdown series reached the class, and here's the shift from Classic: Marksmanship used to be the only real Hunter spec, and now they say all three options are viable. All three? So what's each one actually do? Beast Mastery leans on its pet, and Marksmanship gets Lone Wolf for a petless playstyle. Survival's the melee spec. Icy Veins says its endgame role's still unclear.

And we find out soon, because Icy Veins has raids opening December 9th! The Warcraft Wiki lists Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit, and Onyxia's Lair. Now, if you're still picking a race, this next one's for you. Right on cue, Icy Veins has a racial tier list, and only two races hit S tier in both PvE and PvP. Gnome and Human. Gnomes! I love it! Wait, Dorra, why Gnomes? Their reworked racials. Eureka's strong for classes that don't rely on periodic effects, and Expansive Mind now adds 10 percent max Mana, Rage, or Energy.

Night Elf also makes PvE S tier, and Orc, the sole Horde race up there, makes PvP. But whichever race you pick, you'll be waiting out one thing first. Wowhead says Blizzard announced a long maintenance before the WoW Forever launch on November 4th, estimated at about five hours! Estimated is the key word. Wowhead says it's very possible the maintenance gets extended, or comes up early if we're lucky, and it'll update its post with any extensions.

So put this number on your calendar: that's the official launch time, 3 PM Pacific! And can everyone get in? Everyone can pre-download now, Skyborne pack or not. Those are the global launch times up there. And stay with us, Elena, because the last story lasts long after launch week. Last one, and Icy Veins says it might have the biggest impact on your long-time journey. It's the brand new Legacy System!

You complete Legacy Challenges, you earn Legacy Points, and those points go into three trees. Professions, Adventure, and Resourcefulness. You can spend a maximum of 16 points at launch, and points are account-wide, so your next character gets a head start. Each challenge only counts once, though, so two Druids to level 25 earns one point. So what's the point of earning past 16, Dorra? Oh, here's the reward list, and there's a Spectral Bear mount on it!

At 55 points, yes. Small wrinkle: Icy Veins says the bar goes to 60, while the Warcraft Wiki says 65 points are available, though that page is flagged as possibly out of date. Hardcore points, due early 2027, carry over to other rulesets, not the reverse. What a lineup! More damage, tougher creatures at the high levels, Hunter hotfixes, Poised, and a bear to chase, all before WoW Forever launches November 4th at 3 PM Pacific.

It all came from Icy Veins, Wowhead, Blizzard's development notes, and the Warcraft Wiki, and the full posts are linked with the episode. And remember, those Hunter hotfixes can still change before launch, so check before you commit. Subscribe for more WoW Forever news, and see you next time!