A damage and duel simulator for World of Warcraft: Forever covering every class and every talent tree (28 builds), against cloth, leather, and plate players, a raid boss, or any one build in a 1v1 duel. Healer and tank trees show the damage they deal while doing their job. Every build also has a full character sheet (health, armor, avoidance, crit, hit, power, mana, resistances) built from real Forever gear. Talent, spell, and cooldown values come from the Forever beta (patch notes for build 1.60.1.70009, client data from build 1.60.1.70124); anything the client doesn't publish is a labeled assumption (listed under How the damage ranking works, and under How the duels work, Full details of the model), not measured Forever data.
Theorycraft estimates. These numbers come from a computer model of a game that's still being tuned: Forever's beta values change, and the model fills gaps with Classic's rules. Use them to compare builds and gear, not as promises. Item and stat data come from the Forever beta client as shown on Wowhead's Forever pages and ForeverChanges, with Classic values where Forever hasn't published its own (details in the notes further down). Everything runs in your browser: nothing you paste is sent anywhere.
Your characterNot imported: everyone uses preset gear
Settings
Fight
Duels
Classes
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Class options
Combat logs
How the duels work
Quick read (duels)
Each line is one matchup: your win rate on the left, theirs on the right, draws in the middle. The small ± is how far luck could move your number (95% range); when the range is uneven both sides are shown, and at the edges it's one-sided: "100% −6" means the true rate is somewhere from 94% to 100%, "97% −8/+2" means 89% to 99%, and "62% −13/+11" means 49% to 73%.
These are a computer model's guesses (Speculative), built from Forever beta values that may change. Use them to compare, not as promises.
Players here are scripted: they use cooldowns, crowd control, and interrupts sensibly, but don't out-think each other. A real player's choices can beat any number here.
The PvP trinket, potions, gear gap, and starting distance can swing results a lot. The stress test in each line shows by how much.
Pick your build under "Or pick your build for 1v1 duels" (or a whole class: each opponent is then met by whichever of your specs beats it most, with every spec's win rate listed; that best spec is then rerun on a fresh set of duels, because the best of three noisy results is flattered by luck) and it fights every build in the selected classes 1v1, many times; the class filter and the Opponents setting pick who you face. A summary at the top gives your average against each class (each class counted once; with a single build your mirror match is left out, while with a whole class your best spec against each of your own specs counts) and your hardest spec in it. Each line shows you on the left and the opponent on the right with each side's win rate; the bar runs from your win rate (your class color) through draws (grey) to theirs (their class color, hatched when it's your class too). Both players attack, defend, heal, interrupt, and crowd-control each other, reacting to what the other is doing. Your win rate carries its 95% range; draws are duels still going at the time limit. An exact mirror (your own build, same settings on both sides) shows 50/50, because by symmetry that is its true value; the simulated split, which wanders a few points either way at 60 to 400 duels, is shown under it. Other specs of your own class are not mirrors: Fury against Arms can be far from 50/50. Each matchup has its own run of random numbers, and who acts first is drawn again every tenth of a second, so neither side has a built-in edge (tested over 8 independent runs of all 28 mirrors at 100 duels each, about 19,000 decided duels: the two sides come out even within normal luck). Numbers come from the same gear, character sheets, and damage values as the rest of the page. Open a line for how its duels went (control dealt and taken, interrupts and fake casts, absorbs, how close the duels were, what hurt it most) and a typical duel, with buttons to switch to a typical win, loss, or draw: the matchup's most common result at about its usual length, with a chart of both players' health and the distance between them over time (hover or tap for values) and the full log with the distance at each moment.
Full details of the model (long)
Ranking every build: under the class summary, "Rank every build against each other" duels every selected build against every other (40 duels per pairing, about a minute on a laptop and several minutes on a phone with every build selected; it plays in rounds and a partial or stopped table shows the last finished round with a Games column, so everyone in it has played as often (within one game when an odd number of builds means one rests each round; a build that has only rested so far shows a dash); the button turns into Stop while it runs, and a setting that changes the league (one that changes which builds are in it, either side's character, or the duel rules), leaving duels, or a run that stops with an error stops it too (a settings change keeps the last finished round, shown again if you change the setting back); while the results rerun and the ranking is still going, its Stop button stays usable) with both sides using your settings (your skill, gear, consumables; Engineering for both if it's on for anyone), and lists each build's average win rate against the rest, more draws first on equal wins (with every build selected, each average is good to about ±3 points and two builds within about 4 to 5 points of each other aren't clearly different, since both averages share their games against each other; with fewer builds the table header gives the range). Settings that only touch the opponent side don't apply here. "Copy these results as text" gives a plain list to paste into a message.
Reading the results: win rates come from a limited number of duels, so each one shows a 95% range (Wilson interval). Builds are grouped into tiers: a new tier starts when a win rate is clearly below the first one of the tier above (a 95% test that adds one win and one loss to each side, so 100% against 93% at 60 duels isn't called a clear difference), so matchups in one tier aren't clearly different at that many duels; run more duels to separate them. Each matchup has its own random sequence (one shared sequence made every row's luck rise and fall together), so treat anything inside the ranges as a tie. The stress test reuses one matchup's sequence for every variant, so differences between its rows are a little less noisy than their ranges suggest. A matchup stops early once its win rate is known within ±5 points; at 60 duels that never happens, at 100 only for a perfect record after 80, at 200 for win rates above about 92% or below 8%, and at 400 for anything outside about 40–60% (it moves the numbers by under half a point). Each range covers the true rate about 95% of the time (tested), so in a list of 28 about one or two will miss. A duel still going at the time limit is a draw; the leader on health (more than 10 points of health percentage ahead) is noted, and "ahead" draws break ties in the ranking. Rank by "Duel score" to count a draw as half a win. Open a build and tap "Stress-test this result" to rerun that matchup under other assumptions (skill, terrain, potions and trinket, countdown, talents, distance, Engineering, the opponent one gear tier up): a win rate that swings there depends on the assumption more than on the builds.
Start: the chosen distance (40 yards by default, or Mixed: a new distance from 10 to 40 yards every duel) when the 3-second countdown begins. During the countdown players may walk (setting, on by default): melee builds close in, Warriors hold between 8 and 25 yards to Charge, and Hunters and casters facing melee back off to 30 yards (Hunters to 30–35). Self-buffs are up (Battle Shout, Blessing of Might and Devotion Aura, Inner Fire and Power Word: Fortitude, Mark of the Wild, Arcane Intellect and Ice or Mage Armor, Demon Armor, Lightning or Water Shield, Aspect of the Hawk and Hunter's Mark, rogue poisons), Priests start with Power Word: Shield and Frost Mages with Ice Barrier, and Rogues and Feral Druids start in stealth. With countdown movement on, players also prepare: Restoration Druids put up Rejuvenation and Discipline and Holy Priests Renew, Shamans place their totems, Mages put up a Fire or Frost Ward against a Fire or Frost caster, Priests who can (Forever: Human, Night Elf, Troll, Undead, with racials on) cast Fear Ward against fear classes, and with PvP potions on players drink a Free Action Potion. Warriors don't Bloodrage early, since it would put them in combat and lose Charge. No raid buffs, world buffs, or enchants.
Players' skill (setting, Speculative): each side is Expert, Good (default), or Average. Skill sets how long a player takes to answer an enemy cast (about 0.35, 0.6, or 0.9 sec, varying ±30% cast to cast), whether it notices the cast at all (100%, 90%, 75%), the average pause after each global cooldown before its next decision (0, 0.15, 0.35 sec), how well it gets behind a melee opponent or keeps its front to one, how long it reacts before breaking crowd control with a trinket or racial, how much running speed an attack costs while kiting (turning around: 0, 0.1, 0.25 sec standing, then backpedaling for the rest of 0.25, 0.5, 1 sec per attack; experts jump-turn), how often it fakes an important cast (a heal, Polymorph, or Mana Burn) to bait an interrupt (50%, 30%, never, at most once every 4 sec, when the enemy's interrupt is ready), how often it wastes an interrupt on a fake cast (25%, 50%, 70%), its chance every half second to spot a stealthed player within 8 yards (20%, 12%, 6%), and how often it misjudges an enemy's diminishing returns and throws crowd control into immunity or a shortened duration (never, 10%, 30% of the times that enemy's DR changes; one "immune" sets it straight). A baited Kick, Pummel, Counterspell, or Earth Shock is spent for nothing; a baited stun or silence still lands. Decisions still follow the same priority lists; skill changes timing and attention, not strategy.
Distance and facing: one line between the two players: melee reach 5 yards, a Hunter dead zone from 5 to 8 yards, spells 30 yards (shocks and Fire Blast 20, Scatter Shot 15, Hammer of Justice and Frost Nova 10, Psychic Scream 8), run speed 7 yards per second. Snares (the strongest one counts), roots, stuns, Sprint, Dash, Charge, Intercept, and Blink change it. Casting needs standing still; instant spells and shots work on the move, except Auto Shot (and wands), whose 0.5 sec wind-up needs standing still and starts again after any break (moving, range, sight, crowd control) (Classic; Blizzard confirmed on 23 September 2026 that the shorter beta wind-up is a bug), so a Hunter on the move never fires it; but an attack needs the player to face the target, so a player running away with its back to the target turns around to attack (standing a moment, by skill), backpedals at 4.5 yards per second, then turns back to run at 7. One that stopped with its back turned owes what is left of that turn before its next attack (it turns while it waits; a cast or channel takes that much longer), and one standing in melee with its back turned turns before it swings; crowd control ends a backpedal and freezes a turn still owed (a fleeing fear turns the back; cowering in place doesn't); one that sets off while facing the target turns round first; and nobody swings a melee weapon with its back turned. Casters and Hunters walk away from a melee player who is feared, rooted, stunned, or slowed (Hunters and Shamans start at 22 yards and keep going to 26, Druids 24 to 28), and hold their damage spells while still within the melee player's reach plus 2 yards (only its 5-yard reach while it is rooted), judging whether they can outrun it (a spotted stealthed player at the speed it will run once it drops stealth) on their average speed while still attacking (every 3.5 sec for Hunters, 4 for Mages, 6 for Warlocks, longer for healers: measured from the model's own kiting), not their full running speed; inside its 8-yard dead zone a Hunter has no shot to turn for, so it judges on its running speed until 3 yards past the edge, which leaves room for a shot instead of stopping and starting at the edge. Melee reach grows by 2.66 yards while both players are moving (Classic leeway), so a chaser can still hit a runner it keeps pace with, and melee players keep running after a target that runs instead of stopping at 5 yards. A melee player who is rooted, or held at range by a faster kiting Hunter or Warlock with its pet on him, stops and hits the pet (Warriors and bears gain rage from it). Melee players circle for the back (Speculative): once a second they have a chance to be behind for that second, about 50% against a player standing still to cast, 30% against a caster or Hunter, 15% against another melee player, plus 10 points for Rogues and cats, and ±10 points for each side's skill. Stunned, incapacitated, and feared players count as facing away. Stealthed players can't be seen until they attack or are spotted (Speculative): within 8 yards an opponent has a chance every half second by skill, a Hunter's Flare reveals stealth within 10 yards for 30 sec (Classic: 20 sec cooldown), and two stealthed players in melee range spot each other. A spotted player can be targeted, Frost Nova'd, feared, or hit; a spotted Rogue or Feral Druid out of melee range drops stealth and closes at full speed (with Sprint or Dash if the target is running away), but keeps stealth and its opener when it is rooted, when the target is coming toward it or behind a pillar, or when the target stands within about a second's creep (1.2 sec, so a Flare's 10 yards still counts). Faerie Fire pulls a player out of stealth and stops a Rogue from Vanishing.
Terrain (setting, Speculative): on open ground there is nothing to hide behind. With pillars, a player losing at range (a melee player kept at range by a caster or Hunter, a low-health player facing one, or a player about to be hit by a long cast) heads for a pillar 1–2 sec away and breaks line of sight for up to 4 sec, at most every 8 sec. While sight is broken nothing that needs it works (spells, shots, ranged crowd control, interrupts at range, seeing the enemy's casts), casts in progress fail, damage-over-time keeps ticking, pets keep fighting, the ranged player holds its ground, and a melee player keeps closing in; sight comes back when they reach melee range.
Hit tables for players: 5% melee miss (24% for dual-wield auto attacks), 3% spell miss (Forever, beta report; Classic was 4%), minus hit; dodge, and from the front parry and block (with a shield); no glancing blows; defense past 300 adds miss and removes crit; attacks from behind can't be parried or blocked (so Backstab, Shred, and Ambush work). Crits deal 200% (melee) and 150% (spells, heals). Resistances partly resist damage spells in 25% steps with the same average as Classic's formula (0.75 × resistance ÷ 300); spells with an extra effect (Frostbolt, Mind Flay, shocks, Death Coil, Mana Burn, and the like) take the average reduction instead. Armor reduces physical damage (armor ÷ (armor + 5,500)); bleeds ignore armor.
Crowd control: Classic 1.12 diminishing returns (full, half, quarter, then immune, reset 15–20 sec after the last one ends, since the server checks every 5 sec), tracked apart for controlled stuns, Kidney Shot, random stuns, fears (Seduction and Scare Beast included), incapacitates (Polymorph, Gouge, Sap, Repentance, Hibernate), Blind, Scatter Shot (its own track), roots, random roots, and Disarm. Freezing Trap, silences (Counterspell, Silence, Spell Lock), and Death Coil have no diminishing returns in Classic 1.12 as far as sources show, so they are never shortened. Thorium Grenade and the Net-o-Matic each get a track of their own (assumed). 15-second cap on player crowd control. The reset clock starts when an effect really ends, so a Polymorph broken after 1 sec starts it then, not at its planned end. Intimidating Shout's main target cowers in place (no running), and Entangling Roots' own damage ticks don't break it. Disarm (10 sec) stops auto attacks and parrying and every ability whose Classic tooltip says "Requires Melee Weapon" or needs a dagger (Wowhead Classic): Heroic Strike, Mortal Strike, Whirlwind, Slam, Overpower, Rend, Hamstring, Execute, Revenge, Concussion Blow; Sinister Strike, Backstab, Ambush, Hemorrhage, Gouge, Eviscerate, Kidney Shot, Cheap Shot, Rupture; Raptor Strike and Wing Clip. Bloodthirst, Shield Slam, Pummel, Shield Bash, Kick, Stormstrike, and Mongoose Bite list no weapon and still work. Mutilate, Holy Strike, and Hammer of the Righteous (Forever abilities) are treated as needing a weapon (assumed). A disarmed Rogue pools energy. Polymorph, Gouge, Sap, Blind, Freezing Trap, Repentance, Scatter Shot, Seduction, Hibernate, and the Thorium Grenade's stun end on any damage (damage-over-time included). Fears, Scare Beast, and roots may end on each hit, with a chance equal to the hit's damage ÷ 15% of the target's maximum health (assumed: Classic only says damage "may" break them), so one big hit usually frees the target and small ticks rarely do. Players don't break their own Polymorph, Blind, Repentance, Hibernate, or Seduction with a direct attack, and pets are called off; a caster times its next cast to land as it ends. Hunters are the exception: they break their own Freezing Trap on purpose once they have backed off to 30 yards, and their own Serpent Sting can end a Scatter Shot early (holding the sting for it lost more than it gained). Hibernate and Scare Beast work only on beasts (Druids in Cat or Bear Form, Hunter pets); Repentance and Sap don't work on them. Immunities: Divine Shield and Ice Block (everything), Blessing of Protection (physical), Berserker Rage (fears and every incapacitate except Polymorph: Sap, Freezing Trap, Scatter Shot, Repentance, Hibernate), Death Wish and Recklessness (fear), Blessing of Freedom and Escape Artist (roots and snares), Free Action Potion (stuns, roots, and snares; players stop trying them), Fear Ward (the next Fear, Howl of Terror, Psychic Scream, or Intimidating Shout), Stoneform (poisons, bleeds, Blind), Tremor Totem (ends fears at its next 4-second pulse), Grounding Totem (eats one harmful spell every 10 sec).
Pets: a Hunter's pet (about 3,000 health and 3,000 armor, assumed) and a Warlock's Felhunter (about 2,200 health, assumed) stand on the enemy they attack, so that enemy's area effects reach them: Psychic Scream, Howl of Terror, and Intimidating Shout send the pet running, Frost Nova roots it, and Consecration, Whirlwind, Blade Flurry, and Frost Nova damage it. Priests, Warlocks, and Mages use those on a pet that is chewing on them; Hunters Scare Beast and Druids Hibernate an enemy Hunter's pet. During Bestial Wrath a Hunter's pet can't be controlled (Forever). Pets run in from their owner at the start (7 yards per second, so a pet sent from 30 yards joins after about 4 sec). A controlled pet takes about 1.5 sec to run back; a dead pet stays dead (no revive or Mend Pet mid-duel). No Felhunter means no Spell Lock or Devour Magic, and no pet means no Intimidation.
Casting: the first two hits on a caster push the cast back 0.5 sec each (a channel loses a quarter of its length); Power Word: Shield, Ice Barrier, and Barkskin stop pushback. Interrupts lock the school: Kick 5 sec, Pummel 4, Shield Bash 6, Counterspell 10 (Arcane with PvP picks: plus a 4-sec silence), Earth Shock 2, Spell Lock 8 (plus a 3-sec silence), Silence 5 sec silence plus a 3-sec lockout. When a player notices a cast depends on its skill.
Resources and cooldowns: mana and energy arrive on the 2-second server tick (20 energy per tick; mana regeneration banked between ticks), as in Classic, so a Rogue waits for the next tick rather than refilling smoothly. Rogues keep 25 energy for Kick against casters and healers until the enemy is below 25%. Offensive cooldowns (Death Wish, Recklessness, Blade Flurry, Rapid Fire, Bestial Wrath, Berserk, Rage of the Farseer, casters' burst, and offensive racials) wait until the enemy is visible, in sight, not immune, and not in the player's own breakable crowd control.
Settings that apply to duels: gear level, racials and races, classes, PvP crits, the Arms and Combat weapon types, Hunter pet family and quiver, the stealth opener (only with the per-opponent opener off), Recklessness, and the duel settings (your build or class, opponents' specs and consumables, the per-opponent opener, time limit, starting distance, terrain, the opponent's gear level, countdown movement, skill for each side, PvP talent picks, consumables, PvP potions, PvP trinket, Engineering, duels per build). Raid buffs and seal twisting don't apply (duelists self-buff, and Retribution keeps Seal of Command).
Heals and absorbs: Forever beta values at level 60 (Flash of Light 299–333, Holy Light 1,524–1,694, Holy Shock 307–333, Flash Heal 778–914, Greater Heal 1,893–2,108, Renew 830, Power Word: Shield 950 with Weakened Soul, Penance 3 × 673, Healing Touch 2,175–2,562, Regrowth 999–1,111 plus 994 over 21 sec, Rejuvenation 776, Swiftmend, Healing Wave 1,535–1,750, Lesser Healing Wave 796–886, Riptide 799–883 plus 805, Drain Life, Death Coil, Siphon Life, Devouring Plague and Vampiric Embrace (20% of Shadow damage), Frenzied Regeneration (up to 10 rage a second into 20 health each; Classic rank 3, Forever's new rank isn't published), Ice Barrier 835, Mana Shield 570 physical, Shadow Ward 920, Templar's Bulwark (absorbs 100% of health, Forbearance), Lay on Hands (20 min)). Healing power = +healing gear plus spell damage that also heals. Mortal Strike halves healing; Wound Poison removes 165 per heal per stack. Healer specs get their tree's healing talents (about +10%, faster Healing Touch and Healing Wave; assumed). Mana Burn (Forever: drains 749–791 mana and deals half that as Shadow damage; 3 sec cast, 270 mana) is how Priests win long healer duels. Casters with a wand use it whenever nothing else can be cast (out of mana, cooldowns, a locked school; a silence stops it, a school lockout doesn't, Speculative), and any other action, potion, or step cancels the shot.
Consumables (setting): one Major Healing or Mana Potion per 2 min, a 1,440 Healthstone for Warlocks, and a Heavy Runecloth Bandage (2,000 over 8 sec, broken by damage, 1 min Recently Bandaged) when the enemy is crowd-controlled and nothing is ticking. PvP potions (setting, off by default): a Free Action Potion (Forever: immune to stun and movement-impairing effects for 30 sec, doesn't remove effects already on you) drunk in the countdown against Rogues, Warriors, Hunters, Paladins, Feral Druids, and Frost Mages, and a Limited Invulnerability Potion (immune to physical attacks for 6 sec) instead of a healing potion when a physical attacker has a player below 40%; all potions share the 2-min cooldown. PvP trinket (setting): breaks stuns, fears, incapacitates, horrors, roots, snares, and silences every 5 min; used on long crowd control when hurting or when the enemy is healing, and by melee players to break a root or a strong snare that keeps them at range from a caster or Hunter.
Racials (when Racials is on): the damage racials from the rest of the page plus Will to Survive (Human: breaks stuns, 3 min), Stoneform (Dwarf: removes poisons and bleeds, -10% physical damage, 3 min), Escape Artist (Gnome: roots and snares, 2 min), War Stomp (Tauren: 2 sec stun, 2 min), Will of the Forsaken (Undead: breaks fears, 2 min), Shatter Curse (Orc), Rapid Regeneration (Troll: 50% health over 6 sec, only while nothing hits), Orc Hardiness (stuns 20% shorter), Tauren Plainsrunning (about +10% run speed on average, assumed) and Night Elf Quickness (+2% speed), and each race's base stats. War Stomp's 0.5 sec cast is treated as instant.
Casting and timing: nobody drinks a potion, uses a racial, or presses an off-global-cooldown ability (Rapid Fire, Bestial Wrath, Barkskin, Innervate, Judgement, Mana Ruby, Cold Snap) in the middle of their own cast; for an interrupt (Counterspell, Silence) or an emergency (Ice Block, Divine Shield, Lay on Hands, a potion when dying) they stop the cast first, and a cast that doesn't finish (stopped, interrupted, broken by crowd control, out of sight or range, or the target vanishes) costs no mana or rage, starts no cooldown, and gives back what it used up at the start (Inner Focus, Clearcasting, Arcane Blast stacks, Eureka! charges, Divine Favor); a Slam that ends out of reach or disarmed also gives its rage back. A school lockout or silence stops instant spells and self-buffs of that school too (Renew, Rejuvenation, Power Word: Shield, Barkskin, Cleanse, Dispel Magic, Purge, Seals, shocks...); a silence also stops Druid shapeshifts (forms are physical-school spells, so a Nature lockout doesn't, and dropping to caster form always works, though only entering a form frees you from roots and snares; a Druid doesn't leave a form to heal while its heals are silenced or Nature-locked, and a Feral keeps Cat Form's mana when it heals), while weapon strikes that cost mana (Holy Strike, Hammer of the Righteous, Stormstrike, Raptor Strike, Wing Clip, Mongoose Bite, Lacerate, Strider Kick) stay usable, as do Hunter shots and stings, while Hunter spells (Rapid Fire, Bestial Wrath, Intimidation, Feign Death, Flare, Freezing Trap) don't (Speculative); interrupts don't work through Divine Shield or Ice Block (or, for Kick, Pummel, and Shield Bash, through Blessing of Protection), and crowd control ends a bandage. Warriors can't Charge or Intercept while rooted. An Elemental Shaman whose Nature school is locked steps in to 20 yards to use Flame and Frost Shock. A pet's swings set off the defender's Retaliation, Lightning Shield, Nature's Grasp, and Water Shield against the pet, not its owner. Healers other than Paladins keep their last 600 mana for heals after the first 20 sec (wand only below that); in testing this lifted Restoration Druids from about 6% to 26% in healer and caster duels. Also: Mages Blink when Frost Nova is on cooldown or can't root the target (Free Action Potion, Blessing of Freedom) and don't Ice Block while their own Polymorph holds the enemy; Rogues stop auto attacks after their own Gouge; melee players spend the PvP trinket on a strong snare only with more than 3 sec of it left.
Engineering (setting, off by default): players with it throw a Thorium Grenade (1 sec throw that interrupts like Kick can't stop, only stuns, fears, and incapacitates; up to 45 yards; 300 to 500 Fire damage and a 3 sec stun that any damage breaks; 1 min cooldown) to stop a heal or a cast of 2 sec or more when they have no interrupt ready, or, as a caster or Hunter below 75% health, to get a melee player off them (only with none of their own damage-over-time on that player, which would break it). They fire the Gnomish Net-o-Matic Projector (instant, 30 yards, 10 sec root that damage doesn't break, 10 min cooldown, so once a duel) at a melee player closing in, or as a melee player at a ranged player running away; 5% of the time it nets its user instead (assumed: Blizzard only says it happens "sometimes"). Free Action Potion, Blessing of Freedom, and Escape Artist stop the net. Item values: Wowhead Forever beta (Beta). The Goblin Rocket Helmet is left out: its range, the stun on its user, and how often it fails on level 60 players aren't published.
PvP talent picks (setting, on by default): duelers swap a few damage talents for control, each at the Forever value for full ranks: Improved Hamstring 3/3 (Arms, Fury: Hamstring has a 15% chance to root for 5 sec; Forever lists 5% a rank), Frostbite 3/3 (Frost: Frostbolt and Cone of Cold have a 15% chance to freeze for 5 sec), Improved Counterspell 2/2 (Arcane: 4-sec silence), Curse of Exhaustion (Affliction: 30% slow for 12 sec, cast on melee players; mana cost assumed), Repentance (Retribution, Shockadin: 6-sec incapacitate, 1 min, 20 yards, humanoids only), Scatter Shot (Marksmanship: 50% weapon damage and a 4-sec disorient, 30 sec, 8–15 yards), Blackout 5/5 and Improved Psychic Scream 2/2 (Shadow: 10% chance to stun 3 sec on Shadow spells; Scream every 26 sec), Meditation 3/3 (Holy Priest through a Discipline dip: 50% of mana regeneration continues while casting).
How each class plays:Warriors (Arms Slams with a 1 sec cast that stands still, never against a runner) Charge in (Charge needs the Warrior out of combat, counted per player: a caster's self-buffs don't count, any hit or crowd control on it does, and Battle Stance, which Protection swaps into first), Hamstring, stance-dance to Pummel heals and to Intercept runners, use Berserker Rage against incoming fears and against a Hunter's Freezing Trap or Scatter Shot (Fury), Death Wish (Fury), Retaliation (Arms, Battle Stance), a Defensive Stance dance for Disarm against weapon users while Mortal Strike cools down (Arms keeps 25 rage), Shield Bash, Disarm, Concussion Blow, Shield Wall, and Last Stand (Protection; Shield Slam is Forever's 640–670 plus block value, nearly double Classic's 342–358, with a 50% chance to strip one magic buff such as Power Word: Shield or Ice Barrier; Shield Block isn't modeled), and Intimidating Shout to stop a heal or buy a bandage. Protection wins a lot of duels here. Against melee it's about armor and health: roughly 6,200 armor (half of physical damage gone) and 4,600 health against a Fury Warrior's 2,700 and 3,400; with Classic's Shield Slam or without Disarm it still beats Fury, Arms, and Enhancement every time in testing. Forever's bigger Shield Slam matters most against casters (Protection's average against nine common opponents is 83% with it, 74% with Classic's). Beta values; Speculative model.
Rogues open from stealth (by default Cheap Shot against everyone but Mages, and Ambush for dagger specs against Mages, picked from testing both against every build; Combat always Cheap Shot), Kidney Shot at 4–5 points, Kick casts, Gouge heals, Evasion against physical attackers, Vanish out of a long root or for a second opener when nothing is ticking on them (not while Faerie Fire is on them), Sprint after runners, Blind to bandage, Blade Flurry (it also hits a pet), carry Crippling Poison against anyone who can kite and Wound Poison against healers, and stop swinging into Retaliation.
Paladins Hammer of Justice to open, stop a cast, or heal; Repentance to stop a heal or heal up (PvP picks); Judgement off the global cooldown; Blessing of Freedom and Cleanse; Divine Shield or Blessing of Protection to heal back up; Lay on Hands; Flash of Light and Holy Light when safe; Holy Shock; Consecration (also burns pets); Holy Shield and Templar's Bulwark (Protection).
Hunters Feign Death a big or controlling cast (Polymorph, Fear, Hibernate, Mana Burn, Pyroblast, any cast of 2 sec or more: the cast fails and the enemy needs a moment to find them; Forever: 30 sec, 80 mana), Flare against Rogues and Feral Druids, kite melee with Concussive Shot, Wing Clip, Freezing Trap (then back off to 30 yards), and Scatter Shot (Marksmanship), Scare Beast a Druid in Cat or Bear Form and an enemy Hunter's pet, switch to Aspect of the Monkey when stuck in melee, keep Serpent Sting up, drain casters with Viper Sting, stun with Intimidation (Beast Mastery), and Aimed Shot only when there's time; Survival fights in melee with Raptor Strike, Mongoose Bite, Strider Kick, and Lacerate, and uses Deterrence (+25% dodge and parry for 10 sec, 5 min cooldown as in Classic) when a melee player has it below half health.
Mages keep a Fire or Frost Ward up against Fire and Frost casters (Forever: absorbs 913, 30 sec), chill melee attackers with Ice Armor (30% slower movement and 25% slower attacks for 5 sec), Counterspell casts, Frost Nova (melee players and pets) and walk away, Blink out of stuns and melee, Cone of Cold, Ice Barrier, Ice Block and Cold Snap (Frost), Mana Shield (Arcane, Fire), and Polymorph to bandage, drink a potion, or Evocate (below 30% mana behind their own sheep, otherwise below 20%); behind their own sheep they walk to 28 yards from a melee player before timing a cast to land as it ends (only to 18 yards, inside Fire Blast range, while a Grounding Totem needs popping first).
Warlocks bring a Felhunter against casters and healers (Spell Lock, Devour Magic) and a Succubus against melee (melee about 70 and Lash of Pain 99 every 12 sec, assumed; Seduction, a 1.5 sec pet cast that charms for up to 15 sec, used only with none of the Warlock's damage-over-time ticking, after which the Warlock walks out to 28 yards; in testing the two pets did within 2 points of each other against melee); Destruction gives up its sacrificed Imp's +15% Shadow for a pet, Fear or Howl of Terror melee (Howl also scatters a pet), walk away while melee is feared or slowed, Curse of Exhaustion on melee (Affliction, PvP picks), Death Coil to peel or stop a heal, Drain Life and Healthstone when low, Shadow Ward against Shadow casters, and Life Tap for mana.
Priests keep Power Word: Shield up and Fear Ward against fear classes (Forever: Human, Night Elf, Troll, and Undead Priests; 3 min, 30 sec cooldown as in Classic), Psychic Scream melee players and pets, walk away while melee is feared or slowed, Silence casts (Shadow), Dispel roots and damage-over-time, Mana Burn mana users in healer duels, heal with Renew, Flash Heal, Greater Heal, and Penance (Discipline, Holy), and Shadow heals through Devouring Plague and Vampiric Embrace. Desperate Prayer is a Dwarf Priest spell in Forever.
Druids (Balance, Restoration): Restoration takes Travel Form (+40% speed, sheds roots and snares; mana cost assumed) to get away from a melee player when roots won't do and shifts back to heal at 25 yards or below 45% health (Balance doesn't: in testing it cost Balance about 6 points of win rate against melee); they cast Faerie Fire on Rogues and Feral Druids, Hibernate on Druids in Cat or Bear Form (then heal behind it) and on Hunter pets, Entangling Roots and Nature's Grasp on melee, Barkskin, Innervate, shift out of Moonkin Form to heal and out of roots and snares, and use Rejuvenation, Regrowth, Swiftmend, and Nature's Swiftness; Feral opens with Ravage or Pounce, uses Tiger's Fury, Berserk, Dash, Barkskin, and Faerie Fire (Feral) on Rogues, shifts out to heal or to break roots, and when a melee player is winning goes Dire Bear Form (Forever: +360% armor from items, +600 health, +120 attack power) for Enrage, Frenzied Regeneration, Demoralizing Roar (-193 attack power), and Bash (4-sec stun) to stop a heal or to shift out and heal.
Shamans (Enhancement) start in Ghost Wolf against ranged players or from far away and recast it to catch a runner when not being hit (+40% speed; a 1 sec cast with Improved Ghost Wolf, assumed), dropping it in melee range; Shamans drop Tremor Totem against Warlocks and Priests, Earthbind against melee, Stoneskin otherwise, and Grounding Totem against casters; Earth Shock casts, Frost Shock runners, Purge shields and blessings, and heal with Riptide, Nature's Swiftness, Lesser Healing Wave, and Healing Wave. Enemies destroy Earthbind and Tremor Totems when they matter.
Not modeled: real map geometry (line of sight is the pillar model above), and positions beyond one distance line and the chance to be behind; the Warlock Voidwalker; Shadowmeld; Feign Death beyond breaking a cast (no dropping combat or resetting the fight); on-use items other than the PvP trinket, potions, Healthstone, Mana Ruby, bandages, and Engineering's grenade and net; weapon swaps and poison swaps mid-duel; bluffs other than fake casts (healers fake a heal to bait a ready interrupt, and other casters fake Polymorph, Fear, Hibernate, Entangling Roots, and Mana Burn); players adapting to each other over many duels. Skill is a timing and attention model, not a model of decisions. Win rates compare builds under the same rules; real duels depend on the players.
Sources: Forever beta client data via Wowhead Forever, ForeverChanges, and WoW Forever Talents (spell, heal, cooldown, crowd-control, and talent-rank values, 30 September 2026), Blizzard's statement that half-bonus PvP crits are a bug (29 September), Blizzard's statement that the shortened Auto Shot and wand wind-up is a bug (23 September), Icy Veins (PvP trinket at honor Rank 2), Wowhead Forever (Free Action and Limited Invulnerability Potions), ForeverChanges spellbooks (Fear Ward races and duration, Fire and Frost Ward), and Classic 1.12 rules from Warcraft Wiki and Wowhead Classic where Forever has published nothing.
Retribution 20/0/31 and Shockadin 21/0/30: Divine Strength, Improved Seals, Divine Intellect 2, Reverence; Benediction, Improved Judgement, Holy Conduit, Conviction, Vindication, Sanctified Judgement, Seal of Command, Sacred Arbiter, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization, Vengeance, Champion of the Light. Retribution adds Instrument of Law 1 and Twist of Light. Shockadin adds Divine Favor, Holy Shock, and Instrument of Law 2.
Survival Hunter 5/15/31: Deadly Aspects; Lethal Attacks, Careful Aim, Efficiency; Improved Tracking, Savage Strikes, Surefooted, Clever Traps, Predator's Edge, Resourcefulness, Expose Prey, Survivalist's Discipline, Strider Kick, Lightning Reflexes, Lacerating Strikes. Dual-wields in melee with Aspect of the Beast, plus a pet (family picked in Settings).
Mage: Arcane (Arcane Blast stacks into Arcane Missiles at 3 stacks, 4 in PvP, Missile Barrage, Arcane Power, Presence of Mind), Fire (Scorch vulnerability, Fireball, Fire Blast, Hot Streak Pyroblasts, Ignite, Combustion), Frost (Frostbolt, Fingers of Frost and Shatter Ice Lances; Frost Nova in PvP). Mana: Mage Armor, a Mana Ruby, and Evocation.
Warlock: Affliction (Bane of Agony, Corruption, Siphon Life, Nightfall Shadow Bolts; Wrack is talented but not cast, since even with its 86% coefficient over 6 sec it does less per second than Shadow Bolt), Demonology (sacrificed Imp +15% Shadow, Shadow Bolt with Bane and Corruption), Destruction (Immolate, Conflagrate, Improved Shadow Bolt, Ruin, sacrificed Imp; Shadowburn in PvP). In the PvP burst ranking (not the duels, where Death Coil is kept to peel a melee player or stop a heal), every Warlock opens with Death Coil; all use Life Tap for mana. Demons' own damage isn't modeled.
Priest: Shadow (Shadowform, Shadow Word: Pain, Devouring Plague, Mind Blast with Inner Focus, Shadow Word: Death, Mind Flay, Shadow Weaving), Discipline (Holy Fire, Penance, Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, Smite, Power Infusion on self), Holy (Holy Fire, Mind Blast, Shadow Word: Pain, Smite). Discipline and Holy add Chastise in PvP and skip Holy Fire when fewer than 8 sec remain.
Druid: Balance (Moonkin, Moonfire, Insect Swarm, Starfire, Nature's Grace, Innervate; on bosses, cheap Wrath replaces Starfire whenever mana falls below a budget line that runs from half the pool down to zero at the end), Feral cat (Ravage or Pounce opener, Shred, Rake, Rip, Ferocious Bite, Tiger's Fury, Berserk; Forever gives cat attacks the weapon's damage, modeled as its damage per second at a 1 sec swing, Speculative), Restoration (Moonfire, Wrath).
Shaman: Elemental (Flame Shock, kept up on bosses only above half mana, Lava Burst above 30% mana on bosses, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Overload, Mana Spring Totem), Enhancement (two-hander with Windfury Weapon, Stormstrike, shocks, instant Maelstrom Lightning Bolts, Rage of the Farseer), Restoration (Flame Shock, Lightning Bolt).
Paladin healer and tank: Holy (one-hander, Holy Shock, Holy Strike, Judgement, Consecration while above half mana), Protection (one-hander and shield, Seal of Fury, Hammer of the Righteous, Holy Shield blocks, Reckoning, block mana, Consecration while above half mana).
Protection 5/5/36: Improved Heroic Strike; Cruelty; Shield Specialization, Master of Defense, Improved Revenge, Concussion Blow, Bastion, Focused Rage, Shield Slam, plus defensive talents. Simulated while tanking the boss.
Gear used
Every build wears a real item set for its tier: Fresh 60 is level 55–60 quest rewards and early dungeon drops; Pre-raid is the standard pre-raid best-in-slot kit from dungeons, quests, reputation, and crafting (no raid, PvP, or world-boss items). Forever's first raid tier (Barrow Deeps, Hyjal Summit, Onyxia's Lair) opens 9 December 2026 and its loot isn't published, so Early raid is projected: pre-raid gear stats +20% and weapon damage +15% (Speculative).
Stats come from Forever's own data wherever it exists: F Forever client data (ForeverChanges client data, build 1.60.1.70124), W Wowhead Forever, C Classic values for items Forever hasn't revealed yet (most level 58+ dungeon drops are still hidden in the beta, and Forever reviewed all dungeon loot, so expect changes). Forever shows hit and crit as ratings (10 hit rating and 14 crit rating = 1% at 60) and one hit and one crit stat now counts for attacks and spells alike; healing gear also adds spell damage equal to a third of its healing (an asterisk marks the estimate on hidden items). Character stats add each class's level-60 base stats (Human reference) and Classic's conversions: melee attack power 160 + 2 Str for Warriors and Paladins, 100 + Str + Agi for Rogues and Hunters, 100 + 2 Str for Shamans; ranged attack power 110 + 2 Agi for Hunters; 1% crit per 29 Agility for Rogues, 53 for Hunters, 20 for others; spell crit per 54–60.6 Intellect by class; mana = base + 15 per Intellect past the first 20. Forever hasn't published its own formulas, so these are Classic values. Enchants, trinket procs, and on-use effects aren't included.
From the Forever beta (patch notes for build 1.60.1.70009, client data from build 1.60.1.70124, via foreverchanges.pro and Wowhead Forever) and talentsforever.com, checked 30 September 2026. Racials from Wowhead Forever's spell data and talentsforever.com (beta client). Rank values are the highest published ranks (a few are learned before level 60) unless noted.
Rogue
Cooldown
Value used
Sinister Strike
none
weapon +68, 40 energy with talent
Backstab
none
150% weapon +150 (was +225 in Classic)
Mutilate
none
75% weapon +50 per hand, +20% on poisoned targets
Hemorrhage
none
145% weapon with a dagger
Ambush
none (stealth)
250% weapon +290
Eviscerate
none
rank 9, 5 pts 904–1012 + 3% of attack power per point (assumed)
Slice and Dice
none
+30% attack speed, 9–21 sec (30% longer for Combat)
Rupture
none
5 pts 469 over 16 sec (was 800) + 24% of attack power (assumed)
Kidney Shot
20 sec
2–6 sec stun; repeats within 15 sec are halved, then quartered, then immune
Cheap Shot
none (stealth)
4 sec stun, 2 pts
Cold Blood
3 min
next ability guaranteed crit
Premeditation
2 min
+2 pts
Vanish
5 min
re-enter stealth for another Ambush
Preparation
10 min
resets Vanish, Premeditation, Cold Blood
Adrenaline Rush
5 min
energy regeneration x2 for 15 sec
Blade Flurry
2 min
25 energy, +20% attack speed 15 sec
Instant Poison VI
proc
76–100 (was 112–148), 20% chance
Deadly Poison V
proc
92 over 12 sec per stack, 30% chance
Paladin
Cooldown
Value used
Holy Strike
10 sec
50% weapon +81–105 Holy (+20% Sacred Arbiter)
Judgement
8 sec (10 base)
Command 169.5–186.5, doubled if stunned; Righteousness 162–178
Judgement of the Crusader
—
up to +161 Holy taken, 40 sec, melee hits refresh it
Seal of Command
30 sec duration
7 per minute, 70% weapon damage
Seal of Righteousness
30 sec duration
about 71 Holy per 3.8-speed swing
Holy Shock
10 sec
top rank (level 56): 334–362, 325 mana
Divine Favor
2 min
next Holy Shock crits
Hammer of Justice
1 min
6 sec stun
Consecration
8 sec
312 over 8 sec on one target (was 384)
Exorcism
10 sec (15 base)
475–529, Undead and Demons only
Hammer of Wrath
6 sec
474–522, below 20% health
Blessing of Might
—
+133 attack power (was 185)
Hunter
Cooldown
Value used
Aimed Shot
6 sec, shared with Multi-Shot
weapon +166, 2 sec cast; Auto Shot keeps firing during it
Arcane Shot
4.5 sec (6 base)
217 Arcane + 10% of ranged attack power (beta testers)
Summon Hawk
6 sec, shared with Arcane Shot
110 + 5% ranged AP dive (mana cost of the top rank assumed), then attacks for 18 sec; 2 hawks max
Sniper Shot
15 sec
weapon +295, 4 sec cast; boss opener only
Serpent Sting
none
555 + 15% of ranged attack power (beta testers) over 15 sec, +20% with talent
Multi-Shot
6 sec, shared with Aimed Shot
Auto Shot damage on 3 targets, so never used on one target
Rapid Fire
5 min (3 min for Marksmanship)
+40% ranged and melee attack speed, 15 sec
Bestial Wrath
2 min
pet +50% damage, 18 sec
Intimidation
1 min
pet's next attack stuns 3 sec and crits (PvP only; bosses are immune)
Raptor Strike
6 sec
next melee swing +70
Mongoose Bite
5 sec
weapon +57, after Expose Prey procs (10% on a marked target)
Strider Kick
8 sec
100% weapon damage
Lacerate
none
406 over 21 sec
Immolation Trap
18 sec (30 base)
690 over 15 sec, +30% with Clever Traps
Aspects
—
Hawk +120 ranged AP, Beast +110 melee AP, Viper when out of mana
Hunter's Mark
—
+71 ranged AP for all attackers
Warrior
Cooldown
Value used
Mortal Strike
6 sec
weapon +160, 30 rage
Bloodthirst
6 sec
35% AP +48, 30 rage
Whirlwind
10 sec
weapon damage, off-hand too with Raging Blows
Slam
15 sec (18 base)
weapon +87; Improved Slam: 1.0 sec cast and global cooldown, doesn't delay the swing
Overpower
5 sec
weapon +35 after a dodge or Bloodthrill proc
Heroic Strike
next swing
+157, 12 rage with talent
Execute
none
600 +15 per extra rage, below 20% health
Rend
none
147 over 21 sec, +35% with talent
Shield Slam
6 sec
640–670 + block value (was 342–358)
Revenge
5 sec
138–168 (was 81–99), +60% with talent
Shield Block
5 sec
+75% block, 2 blocks over 7 sec
Concussion Blow
45 sec
5 sec stun
Charge
out of combat
15 rage (+6 Improved Charge), 1 sec stun
Bloodrage
1 min
10 rage + 10 over 10 sec
Death Wish
3 min
+20% physical damage, 30 sec
Recklessness
30 min
+100% crit chance, 15 sec, once per fight
Battle Shout
—
+139 attack power (was 232)
Racial (damage effects)
Cooldown
Value used
Human: Sword Specialization
passive
+2% crit with attacks and spells while holding a sword
Dwarf: Mace Specialization
passive
+1% crit with attacks and spells while holding a mace
Orc: Axe Specialization
passive
+1% crit with attacks and spells while holding an axe
Orc: Blood Fury
2 min
+10% attack power and spell power, 15 sec
Troll: Berserking
3 min
+10% attack and casting speed, 10 sec
Night Elf: Elune's Light
3 min
+10% crit with all spells and attacks, 15 sec
Night Elf: Shadowmeld
2 min in combat
stealth in combat, so Rogues get another Ambush or Cheap Shot (Druids need Prowl for their openers)
Gnome: Eureka!
2 min
next 3 damaging abilities within 15 sec +10% damage, −10% cost
Gnome: Expansive Mind
passive
+5% maximum mana, rage, or energy
Skyborne (both): Wind Blessed
passive
+1% melee, ranged, and casting speed
Tauren: Endurance
passive
+1% hit (and +5% health)
Undead: Touch of the Grave
proc
5% of hits (Warrior, Paladin, Rogue) or 10% (Priest, Mage, Warlock) drain up to 5% of your maximum health as Shadow damage, at most once a second; in duels the drain also heals you (Icy Veins gives the class split; Wowhead's Forever tooltip says 10% with a 1 sec cooldown)
Dwarf, Troll: Big Game Hunter, Beast Slaying
passive
+5% damage to Beasts
Skyborne: Elemental Insight
passive
+5% damage to Elementals
How the damage ranking works
Each build runs the fight hundreds of times with random hits, crits, misses, and procs. The bar shows the average; the ± number shows how much single runs vary.
Boss fight: level-63 target, Classic hit tables (9% special miss, 28% dual-wield miss, 6.5% dodge, 40% glancing blows at 30% less damage, 3% crit suppression, 16% spell miss (Forever, beta report; Classic was 17%)), attacking from behind. Tanks attack from the front, where the boss can also parry (14%, the Classic value). Forever unifies hit chance, so hit from gear and talents lowers melee, ranged, spell, and poison misses alike. The last 20% of the fight counts as execute range.
Player targets (the default view): a same-level Humanoid player wearing cloth, leather, or plate at the same gear tier as the attacker, so Murder and Improved Tracking apply and there are no glancing blows or crit suppression. Everyone attacks from behind a target that doesn't turn, so parry and block never apply; dodge does, unless the target is stunned. A player who turned to face you would add parry (and block with a shield). Target health and defenses by gear tier (health, armor with its damage reduction, dodge, and extra miss from defense):
Each target is the average of the character sheets of the builds in its row (listed under Gear used, same real item sets the attackers wear), unbuffed and with no race or talents: health from base health plus 10 per Stamina, armor from gear plus 2 per Agility, dodge from base dodge, Agility (14.5 per 1% for Rogues, 20 for most other classes), gear dodge, and defense. Defense past 300 also makes the target 0.04% harder to hit and 0.04% harder to crit per point. Each fight records when the damage dealt first reaches the target's health, for the time-to-kill line (the median over all fights; when fewer than half the fights kill, it shows how often the build kills instead); the target never heals, uses a defensive, or fights back. Pre-raid DPS Warriors and Paladins wear a lot of leather and mail (Devilsaur, Savage Gladiator Chain), so the plate row has far less armor than a tank would. Spells and poisons miss 3% of the time against any player (Forever, beta report). Crits deal their full bonus unless you turn on the beta's half-bonus PvP crits. Rogues open from stealth (Ambush for dagger specs or Cheap Shot, per the opener setting), use Kidney Shot once the first stun ends (holding 5 combo points for it rather than spending them during the stun), and Vanish for a second opener once Kidney Shot wears off (dagger specs pool energy for it when it can be spent before the window ends). Subtlety adds Premeditation, Cold Blood, and Preparation for a third. Combat has no dagger, so its opener is always Cheap Shot. Paladins open with Hammer of Justice, which doubles Seal of Command's Judgement, and use Consecration because the target never moves. Repeat stuns of the same kind within 15 sec last half as long, then a quarter, then not at all. Warriors open with Charge; Protection adds Concussion Blow. Stunned targets can't dodge. In longer windows, cooldowns come back on their real timers (Kidney Shot 20 sec, Hammer of Justice 1 min, Concussion Blow 45 sec, Bloodrage 1 min), Combat and Assassination keep Slice and Dice (and Assassination Venom) up once more than 20 sec remain, and Arms keeps Rend up. Cheap Shot, Kidney Shot, Pounce, and Hammer of Justice can miss, and Fury spends a global cooldown switching to Berserker Stance after Charge.
Paladin details: Judgement doesn't consume the seal, Retribution twists Seal of Command and Seal of Righteousness every swing (unless the twisting setting is off), Judgement of the Crusader lasts 40 sec and every melee hit refreshes it, so one setup at the pull covers the fight; seals are recast when their 30 sec runs out, and a seal that can't be recast for lack of mana drops (no seal procs or Judgements until it's back); and Vengeance, Improved Seals, Champion of the Light, Sanctified Judgement mana returns, and running out of mana are all tracked. Sanctity Aura and Improved Blessing of Might were removed in Forever, so they aren't included.
Warrior details: rage comes from damage dealt (Classic formula), Unbridled Wrath, Anger Management, Bloodrage, Charge, and, for Protection, damage taken, blocks, dodges, and parries. Heroic Strike is queued when rage runs high (earlier in PvP; Protection queues it whenever 15 rage is left for Shield Slam and Revenge, and Sunders with what's left). Unbridled Wrath also procs from weapon abilities, and Protection's Improved Bloodrage is included.
Racials (off by default): each class uses the race picked for it, from the races Forever allows that class (Blizzard's and Icy Veins' September 2026 lists, including both Skyborne factions). Blood Fury, Berserking, Elune's Light, and Eureka! are used at the pull and again on cooldown, off the global cooldown; in PvP Warriors use them after Charge. Weapon racials assume the character holds that weapon type where the class and build allow it: swords for Human Paladins, Fury and Protection Warriors, Hunters, Mages, and Warlocks; maces for Dwarf Paladins, Warriors, Priests, and Shamans; axes for Orc Warriors, Hunters, and Shamans. The build fixes the weapon for dagger Rogues, and the weapon settings decide it for Combat and Arms. Mages and Warlocks can't use axes, Hunters can't use maces, Priests and Shamans can't use swords (Forever does let Rogues use one-handed axes), and cat form ignores the weapon. A beta tester reports the weapon racials don't raise Hunters' ranged crit, so Hunters get them on melee and on Arcane Shot and Serpent Sting only. Touch of the Grave procs on direct hits and each Arcane Missiles or Penance bolt, once per Mind Flay, and not on DoT ticks, bleeds, poisons, pets, or seal procs (beta tests), at most once a second; its drain uses assumed maximum health (see below). Pets don't get the weapon racials, but they take the Hunter's crit chance, so Elune's Light raises theirs too, and Blood Fury raises the attack power they scale from (Speculative). Wowhead lists each racial's effect 1 higher than its tooltip (Blood Fury 11%, Wind Blessed 2%), a display offset seen on every racial; the model uses the tooltip values, which the other sources match. Night Elf Rogues use Shadowmeld as an extra Vanish: after Vanish and Preparation are spent, for an Ambush (dagger specs, damage-first opener) or a Cheap Shot (held while Kidney Shot is nearly ready); it isn't worth pooling energy for. Not modeled: Stoneform, Shatter Curse, Will to Survive, Will of the Forsaken, Escape Artist, The Human Spirit, and Tauren health (no damage against a passive target), and War Stomp (its 2 sec stun would only stop dodges, which doesn't repay its half-second cast and global cooldown).
Still assumed (Forever hasn't published these): boss hit tables, glancing blows, and dodge (Classic values); the stats of the many pre-raid items Forever hasn't revealed yet (Classic values, marked C under Gear used); the early raid tier (projected); level-60 base stats and stat conversions (Classic values, Human reference); Seal of Righteousness per-swing damage (read from its 20.5–71.4 range by weapon speed); Hunter pet base attack power and hawk follow-up attacks; Eviscerate's and Rupture's attack power scaling (TBC values); 700 extra health from raid buffs for Touch of the Grave's drain; which weapon type each race holds; Ice Lance's mana cost; the spell power coefficient of Consecration (Classic's 33%); Maelstrom Weapon's proc chance; which cooldowns are off the global cooldown (see below); perfect play with no reaction delay; and PvP targets that never fight back, move, or interrupt. Everything in the cooldown tables above is from the beta client unless marked.
Global cooldown: every ability waits for it (1.0 sec for Rogues and Cat Druids, 1.5 sec for everyone else, shortened by caster haste but never below 1.0). Cast times and channels block the next action. Off the GCD, as in Classic: Judgement, Heroic Strike, Raptor Strike, and major cooldowns such as Cold Blood, Adrenaline Rush, Arcane Power, Combustion, and Rapid Fire. Assumed off the GCD (Forever hasn't said): Blade Flurry, Premeditation, Death Wish, Recklessness, Tiger's Fury, Berserk, Rage of the Farseer, and the racials Blood Fury, Berserking, Elune's Light, Eureka!, and Shadowmeld. Charge and Slam (with Improved Slam) have a 1 sec GCD. The model plays with perfect timing (no reaction delay).
Casters: spell hit table (16% miss against a boss before hit gear, 3% against players: Forever values from a beta report; Classic was 17% and 4%), crits at 150% (more with talents like Ice Shards, Ruin, Vengeance, Elemental Fury, or Shadowform), and running out of mana is tracked (real pre-raid kits trade Intellect for spell damage, so the pre-raid Shadow Priest runs dry in long fights; Forever gives Spirit some in-combat regeneration but hasn't said how much, so it isn't modeled). Out of mana, Mages, Warlocks, and Priests shoot their wand; Shamans and Druids can't use wands, so they wait for mana. Each Arcane Missiles missile and Penance bolt rolls to hit on its own; Mind Flay and Wrack roll once when cast. Bane of Agony's ticks build from half to 150% of average, as its tooltip says. Forever cut most base spell damage. Spell power coefficients come from the Forever client: direct spells keep Classic's cast time / 3.5 (Lightning Bolt drops to 71.4%), while DoTs and a few spells were raised (Corruption and Shadow Word: Pain 120%, Bane of Agony 159.6%, Devouring Plague 80%, Arcane Missiles 143%, Pyroblast 160%). Published top ranks used: Arcane Blast rank 5 (364-424) and Lava Burst rank 3 (192-248, 10 sec cooldown). Also published: Shadowburn rank 6 (251-281), Siphon Life rank 4, Wrack (one rank, 36 per sec), Ferocious Bite rank 5, Ravage rank 4, Pounce rank 3. Also published and used: Ice Lance rank 6 (133-157; its 14.3% coefficient matches beta combat logs) and Rip rank 6 (855 over 12 sec at 5 points). Coefficients read from Wowhead Forever's spell data: Arcane Blast 71.4%, Holy Shock 42.9%, Penance 28.5% per bolt, Wrack 14.3% per tick, Holy Shield 8% per block, and Pyroblast's DoT 60% (so its hit keeps 100% of the 160% total). Wowhead lists a few top ranks about 5% higher than foreverchanges.pro (Arcane Blast 385–445, Pyroblast 547–674); the model uses foreverchanges' build 1.60.1.70009 table. Windfury Weapon rank 4 is 333 attack power, as in Classic. The beta currently gives mp5 every second instead of every 5 seconds (a reported bug); the model uses the intended value.
Hunters: Hunter's Mark goes on before the fight. Ranged Hunters fire Auto Shot through a quiver (13–14% speed), keep Serpent Sting up, and use Aimed Shot on cooldown, then Arcane Shot (Beast Mastery summons hawks instead while fewer than two are out and more than 12 sec remain). Marksmanship opens boss fights with Sniper Shot, since Auto Shot is only confirmed to keep firing during Aimed Shot; in PvP it opens with Aimed Shot instead, because Sniper Shot's 4 sec cast with Auto Shot paused does far less in a short window. Survival keeps Lacerate and Immolation Trap up and uses Raptor Strike, Strider Kick, and Mongoose Bite procs. Below 10% mana they switch to Aspect of the Viper until 70%. Haste (Rapid Fire, the quiver, Deadly Aspects, racials) speeds attacks but not Aimed Shot's 2 sec cast (Speculative; Forever hasn't said). Blizzard gives no pet or shot scaling, so the model uses beta testers' measurements (Speculative): pets get 10% of the Hunter's attack power and all of the Hunter's crit chance (hawks get the same crit chance), Arcane Shot adds 10% of ranged attack power, and Serpent Sting adds 15% over its duration. Guessed: the pet's base attack power and hawk follow-up attacks after the dive (25% of the dive every 2 sec). Quiver haste comes from the quiver in each gear set (Quickdraw Quiver 13%, Ribbly's Quiver 14%), and arrows use Classic damage per second because Forever's are set by hand and not yet shown.
Boss fights: Curse of the Elements (if on) raises all magic damage by 10%: every caster spell, wands, poisons, Holy damage (seals, Judgement, Holy Shock, Consecration, the Holy half of Holy Strike), shocks, Arcane Shot, Serpent Sting, and Immolation Trap. Dagger Rogues Vanish into Ambush on cooldown (Subtlety adds Preparation, Premeditation, and Cold Blood); Assassination uses Cold Blood on cooldown and skips Venom (on a boss its poison bonus is worth less than the Eviscerate it replaces); Retribution and Shockadin add Exorcism against Undead and Demon bosses while above half mana (Holy Wrath's 2 sec cast and mana cost lose 5–10% with pre-raid mana, so it isn't cast); Holy and Protection add Exorcism.
Auto attacks (pets' included) use a single roll for miss, dodge, glancing blow, and crit (Evasion, Deterrence, Aspect of the Monkey, and Ghostly Strike work against pets too); special attacks roll to hit first, then to crit. A finishing move that misses keeps its combo points. In Forever all periodic damage can crit, bleeds included (Blizzard fixed Lacerating Strikes so it can), so every DoT and bleed rolls crit on each tick. DoTs are refreshed after their last tick (cast-time DoTs are started so they land just after it), since an early refresh throws away the remaining ticks. Near the end of a PvP window, a DoT that can't tick enough is skipped for a direct spell, and a cast that can't finish in time gives way to a shorter spell that can (Wrath for Starfire, Ice Lance for Frostbolt, Moonfire or Flame Shock for a healer's filler), or waits for one that comes off cooldown in time; a DoT recast at the end waits for its last tick rather than clipping it; new Ignites carry over the unticked damage of the old one. Crit-damage talents (Lethality, Impale, Mortal Shots, Predator's Edge) add to the 100% crit bonus, so a +20% talent makes crits hit for 2.2x.
Not modeled: trinkets, stance dancing, Enrage and Blood Craze for Warriors who aren't being hit, Riposte, Retribution Aura, movement, and player mistakes.
Character sheets: tap a build, or pick one under Gear used, to see every stat, and use Rank by to sort the builds by any of them. Each sheet adds the build's gear (every stat, set bonuses included) to its class's level-60 base stats and Classic conversions (Forever hasn't published its own): health = base + 10 per Stamina past the first 20; mana = base + 15 per Intellect past the first 20; armor = gear + 2 per Agility; physical damage reduction = armor ÷ (armor + 400 + 85 × attacker level), shown against a level-60 player and a level-63 boss; effective health = health ÷ (1 − reduction against players); dodge = class base + Agility ÷ the class rate + gear dodge + defense; parry 5% for Warriors, Paladins, Rogues, and Hunters (Shamans and Druids can't parry); block 5% with a shield and block value = shield + gear + Strength ÷ 20; each defense point past 300 adds 0.04% to miss, dodge, parry, and block against you and takes 0.04% off crits against you; melee crit = class base + Agility ÷ the class rate + gear crit; spell crit = class base + Intellect ÷ the class rate + gear crit; Spirit regen = the class's per-tick formula × 2.5 per 5 sec, outside the five-second rule (Forever gives some classes in-combat Spirit regen through talents, not included). Race (when Racials is on): Classic stat offsets from the Human reference (Skyborne's aren't published, so none), plus Human Spirit +5%, Night Elf dodge +1%, Tauren health +5% and hit +1%, Gnome mana, rage, and energy +5%, and weapon racial crit. The same race offsets now also change each build's attack power, crit, and Intellect in the fights. Sheets leave out talents, stances, forms, auras, and buffs; racial resistances aren't counted (ForeverChanges' Forever racial list doesn't include them), nor are active racials like Stoneform.
Gear: every build wears a real item set for its tier (listed under Gear used), and its attack power, crit, hit, spell damage, Intellect, mana, and weapons come from those items plus the class's level-60 base stats and stat conversions. Defensive stats (armor, Stamina, defense, dodge, parry, block, block value, health regen, resistances) were checked item by item on 30 September 2026: Wowhead Forever first, then ForeverChanges, then Wowhead Classic for items Forever hasn't revealed. Every Combat Rogue weapon type uses the same weapon damage. Enchants, trinket procs and on-use effects, and set-bonus procs aren't included.
Use it to compare builds under the same settings, not as a prediction. Early public sims show different numbers, and real raid logs after launch will be the real test.