Updates ·
Four specs to level 60
A mage who tanks with ice, a paladin who drops swords from the sky, a druid who calls the storm and a warlock who heals with stolen life. The four specs in the alpha.
Two weeks ago the client had two classes up to level 10. The alpha has five, and four of them have a spec built to level 60. Each is planned with three specs; for now each has one.
The Frostguard mage, a tank
A mage who holds the line with ice. Your spells put Frost Stacks on enemies; Icebreak and Glacial Rupture shatter them into Frost Shell, an absorb on yourself that stacks to ten, and refund your mana. Hoarstorm, the big cooldown, wraps you in a blizzard. It was the first spec finished, and the Barrows of Cairnmoor were tuned against it.
The Wrathbringer paladin
Swords from the sky. Edict of Solenne condemns an enemy; Oathblade drops a sword on it, Heavenfall a huge one that shakes the ground, and Crown of Blades raises three behind you to launch with your strikes. Solenne's Wrath fills you with her for ten seconds: wings of sunlight, sunfire around you. No builder, no spender, just cooldowns, and it hits hardest against the undead.
The Stormbringer druid
Sparks and gusts build Static, which replaces mana when you take the spec, and lightning spends it. Skyrend is a heavy bolt from your hands, Breaking Sky a chain between enemies, Glassroot roots a pack in fused glass. You can hear and see the storm build.
The Harvester warlock, a healer
The game's first healer. Your damage builds Harvest, Harvest pays for the heals, and when it runs short you pay with your own blood. Every drain and heal draws a line of life between the bodies, so the group sees where it comes from. Warlocks keep hidden in the Accord, and the people who give their class quests have cover stories.
And the rest
The Warrior is in with its first spells and no redesign yet; the Hunter is not playable. Class trainers are gone: every ability comes from the start, the spec choice and the talent trees. Every class has an interrupt off the global cooldown. Each spec has a level-60 set, handed out free by a quartermaster behind Millbrook's inn so testers can try the top end without the climb.
Whether a healer that pays with its own health is still fun past level 20, or only interesting, the alpha will tell me.