Everything old is new again, and that includes WoW Dragonflight talents. The talents system in Blizzard’s acclaimed MMORPG has received a welcome overhaul, though long-time veterans may notice it bears more than a passing resemblance to the talent trees prior to Mists of Pandaria, before the system received its simplified (and somewhat controversial) overhaul.
The biggest complaint concerning the WoW talents system in recent years is its distinct lack of choice while shaping your character’s abilities, which many felt counterproductive in an RPG game. Thankfully, the talent trees in WoW actively encourage class experimentation, with the freedom to switch up your build whenever you please. Here is everything you need to know about WoW Dragonflight talents.
How WoW Dragonflight talents work
The WoW Dragonflight talents system is split into two distinct trees: Class and Specialization. Class talents primarily consist of the core abilities and utility that serve as the broad foundation of your class, while specialization talents are specific to the role you’ve chosen. If you’re a bit unsure, take a look at our WoW Dragonflight tier list for the best class and spec combinations in the current meta.
As in WoW Classic, you gain access to WoW talents once you reach level 10. The talent points awarded alternate every level, so you can expect to receive a class talent point at level 10, a specialization talent point at level 11, and so on. Once you reach level 70, you’ll have accrued 31 class points and 30 specialization points to spend however you see fit.
It’s also worth mentioning that the shape of each talent’s icon is also significant. A square icon indicates an active ability, whereas a circular icon indicates a passive ability. What you particularly want to watch out for are octagonal icons, which allow you to choose between multiple talents in one.
WoW Dragonflight talent loadouts
The additional freedom provided by WoW Dragonflight talents does create a margin for error while shaping your build, and you may find that your character isn’t performing optimally as a result of the choices you make. Thankfully, this new talents system gives you the option to freely change talents at any time outside of combat, Mythic+ dungeons, and PvP, offering the chance for experimentation at no cost to you.
The WoW Dragonflight talents system even allows you to save, import, and export talent loadouts, allowing you to switch between different builds on the fly. You can access these loadout options from the drop-down menu in the bottom right of the ‘Talents’ window pane, which also includes a search bar in order to quickly and easily switch to your preferred talent loadout for a given situation.
If all of this seems a little daunting and you preferred the more straightforward talents system of recent expansions, don’t fret. The WoW Dragonflight talent trees are kitted out with preset ‘starter’ builds that are guaranteed to see you through all the content the MMORPG has to offer.
That’s everything we’ve got for the WoW Dragonflight talents system. If you prefer a smooth glide through the Dragon Isles, ensure you soup up WoW’s geriatric UI with the best WoW addons available; it’s also well worth brushing up on the more obscure WoW console commands while you’re at it. We’ve also got the lowdown on how to get Lizi, the Thunderspine Trampler mount, as well as a walkthrough on how to tame a Slyvern in WoW Dragonflight for the discerning Hunter.