WoW The War Within early patch notes: All big takeaways

Get ready for the next World of Warcraft expansion, The War Within, featuring new system mechanics like Warbands, balance changes, and how to play the Visions of Azeroth questline.

The Worldsoul Saga in WoW begins with the launch of The War Within (TWW). Expanding upon learned lessons from Dragonflight, the new expansion contains major changes, from the Warband system to Skyriding. Leading up to the official release of the new expansion, Blizzard dropped The War Within early patch notes, showcasing balance changes to classes, characters, items, and professions.

Here are all the main takeaways from the TWW early patch notes, per Blizzard.

WoW system changes in The War Within

Skyriding, formerly known as Dragonriding, has a new name and look. The TWW changes allow players to access the skill much earlier while now having the ability to switch flight styles. Warbands, on the other hand, is a new system that allows you to share items, collections, and even achievements account-wide between all your characters. Of all the system changes, players like myself are looking forward to taking advantage of Warbands.

Here are the other WoW system changes dropping through The War Within.

Character system changes

• Guilds can now invite characters from different realms, and a cross-realm bank will launch through Patch 11.0.02.
• The Hearthstone cooldown was reduced by five minutes, and it gains an additional charge
• Diplomacy was removed.
• A level-60 character boost item level gear was increased from 180 to 327
• The home screen displays up to four characters from your Warband at one time.
• A search feature was added to the character list panel.

Profession system changes

• Concentration (NEW): “Concentration is a resource that you have a separate pool of per crafting profession. It represents your ability to heavily focus on your recipes and exceed your normal capabilities. You choose when you want to Concentrate using a button within the crafting window, empowering your next craft(s). Doing so will cause the craft to automatically reach the next level of quality.”
• Ingenuity: A new stat refunds a percentage of Concentration spent when you have an ingenious breakthrough during crafting.

Quest and map changes

• Left-click on world map icons to “supertrack” events, bonus objectives, Flightmasters, raid/dungeon entrances, and more.
• Zoom in on Hub icons to see available quests in the area.
• Right-click and select “Remove Focus” to remove “supertracking” behavior.

New WoW options

• Anything shared across accounts is now labeled Warband instead of “Account.”
• The Professions button is now located in the micro menu where Spellbook previously was located.
• The Spellbook button has been added to the Talent’s pop-up frame.
• A Switch Flight Style button was added to the Mount Journal.
• The Skyriding talent tree button is the Mount Journal.
• Character macro slots were increased from 18 to 30.

WoW Class Leech and Avoidance changes for The War Within

Big changes within TWW you need to know about include an improvement to saved load-outs and a reduction from Leech and Avoidance effects.

• Saved Talent load-outs were decreased from 10 to 40
• Death Knight: Lichborne Leech decreased from 10 to six percent
• Death Knight: Blood Scent Leech decreased from five to three percent
• Demon Hunter: Sour Rendering Leech decreased from 10 to six percent
• Evoker: Regenerative Lech was decreased from three to two percent
• Hunter: Sentinel’s Protection Leech decreased from five to three percent
• Hunter: Predator’s Thirst Leech was decreased from ten to four percent
• Hunter: Hunter’s Avoidance decreased from six to five percent
• Paladin: Sanctified plates Avoidance was decreased from five to three percent
• Priest: Sanguine Teachings Leech was decreased from three to two percent
• Rogue: Leeching Poison Leech decreased from five to three percent
• Rogue: Shadowheart Leech decreased from three to two percent
• Warlock: Lifeblood Leech was decreased from seven to four percent
• Warrior: Leeching Strikes Leech decreased from five to three percent
• Warrior: Seasoned Soldier Avoidance was decreased from 10 to five percent

WoW Death Knight Class buffs and nerfs in The War Within

No new talents were added to our early notes, but you can find them in the official notes. Major balance changes are divided into Blood, Frost, and Unholy adjustments. All other Class balance changes can be found in the official WoW patch notes.

• Learn Chains of Ice at level 13, as it is no longer a talent.
• Rune of the Apocalypse updates include an increase in damage through the War Effect, a 500 percent damage increase through the Pestilence effect, a healing reduction increase through the Death effect, and a reduction in caster damage through the Famine effect.
• Learn Anti-Magic Shell at level 14 since it is no longer a talent.
• The Icebound Fortitude cooldown was reduced by one minute.
• Icy Talons was turned into a one-point talent, with its attack speed increased from three to six percent.
• Unholy Bond was turned into a one-point talent, with an increase in Runeforge effects from 10 to 20 percent.

Big Death Knight Blood Class changes

• Learn Crimson Scourge at level 21, as it is no longer a talent.
• Learn Death’s Caress at level 23 since it is no longer a talent.
• Perseverance of the Ebonblade’s Versatility changed to one-point talent, with bonus increased from four to six percent.
• Heartbreaker’s Runic Power changed to a one-point talent.
• Red Thirst changed to a one-point talent, with Vampiric Blood cooldown increased to two seconds.
• Shattering Bone changed to a one-point talent.

Big Death Knight Frost Class changes

• Icecap rework: Reduces Pillar of Frost cooldown by 15 seconds.
• Learn Rime at level 21 since it is no longer a talent.
• Enduring Strength’s Strength changed to a one-point talent, with strength increased from 10 to 20 percent.
• Frostwhlp’s Aid changed to a one-point talent, granting an increase in Mastery per target from four to eight percent.

Big Death Knight Unholy changes

• Learn Epidemic at level 18 since it is no longer a talent.
• Learn Outbreak at level 13 since it is no longer a talent.
• Sudden Doom Rework: Auto attacks increased the chance to have the next Death Coil or Epidemic cost 10 less Runic Power and critically strike by 25 percent.
• Unholy Blight update: “Passive ability. Dark Transformation surrounds your ghoul with a vile swarm of insects for six seconds, stinging all nearby enemies and infecting them with Virulent Plague and an unholy disease that deals damage over 14 seconds, stacking up to four times.”

All other Class balance changes can be found in the official WoW: The War Within patch notes.