WoW Wrath of the Lich King Classic dual spec guide

Your class in World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King Classic isn’t simply defined by its role—its unique spells, group, raid utility, and specializations also play a big part. Specializations in Classic WoW are not clear-cut either. You can combine talents from different trees and design a fully unique spec. In WoTLK Classic, you can have two specs at the same time, and that’s called a dual spec.

Blizzard designed the dual spec system to lower the rising costs of respecing. As the name suggests, dual spec, once activated, allows you to switch between two specializations without any cost. It would be an understatement to say that dual spec plays a big role in WoTLK Classic since it saves you a lot of money and allows you to switch between specializations easily.

Here are the ins and outs of dual spec in WoTLK Classic, including how exactly it works, why it’s important, and how you can unlock it.

What is dual spec in WoW WoTLK Classic?

Dual specialization, or dual spec for short, is a system that, once activated, allows your character to have two simultaneous specializations.

Although you can freely choose between two ready-made specializations, you can have only one active specialization. Changing your specialization takes five seconds and it resets all your resources, including mana, Holy Power, Rune Power, and Rage, to zero. On top of that, it changes your cast bar and glyphs.

I recommend you swap specializations before you make your way to a raid, dungeon, or the wide world. 

Why is dual spec important in WoW WoTLK Classic?

Dual specialization simply gives you a quality-of-life feature to switch between specializations cost-free. Still, the value it provides can’t be underestimated easily.

Not only can hybrid classes like Shamans and Warriors switch between DPS spec and healing tanking spec but they can also switch between open-world and dungeon/raid builds. On top of that, PvPers, especially those who dabble in both battlegrounds and arenas, can opt for PvP-oriented talents that are otherwise useless in PvE content. 

How to unlock dual spec in WoW WoTLK Classic

To unlock dual spec, you need to be at least level 40. Since WoTLK Classic players can easily meet this criterion, there’s still the fee of 1,000 gold you need to pay to unlock dual spec.

Once you’ve reached level 40 and have 1,000 gold to spare, visit any class trainer and purchase the dual spec. You’ll then have to set up both your primary and secondary specialization, and, once happy with the result, lock them in. Once you lock your specializations, you can still respec but it will cost you the usual price of one gold (at a minimum).