Blizzard published its Rogue and Warlock class deep dive for WoW: Forever on October 7, 2026, and corrected the Rogue weapon notes a day later. Rogues get one-handed axes, a Stealth-safe Sap and new capstones; Warlocks get Banes, pets that scale with their stats and new 31-point spells.
Rogue baseline changes
Poisons get more charges and can sit on a weapon together with temporary enchantments such as Sharpening Stones and Weightstones. Sap no longer breaks Stealth, which Blizzard frames as crowd control Rogues can set up for groups. Feint's threat reduction is doubled, and Expose Armor now matches five Sunder Armor stacks.
Rogues can also equip one-handed axes. Distract now lowers enemy Stealth detection for 10 seconds, at the cost of telling enemy players a Rogue is close.
Rogue talents and the October 8 correction
Assassination gets Mutilate at 21 points (daggers only, 2 Combo Points) and Venom, a 25 Energy finisher that boosts Poison damage, at 31. Combat folds the old weapon specializations into one talent, Hack and Slash, which also adds an axe bonus. Subtlety adds Cutthroat, Quietus and the 31-point Thousand Cuts.
On October 8 Blizzard fixed a line in the article, calling it human error. The corrected text says Combat and Subtlety both support all weapon types: Combat for direct damage with some cleave from Blade Flurry, Subtlety for combat tricks and Bleeds. Puncturing Wounds (formerly Improved Backstab) also adds Mutilate crit chance and a chance for Backstab to grant an extra Combo Point.
In practice, a dagger build is no longer locked to one tree. Our Rogue class page and Rogue talent calculator follow these trees.
Warlock: Banes, pets and imbues
Curse of Agony and Curse of Doom are now Banes, and only one Bane can be on a target, so damage no longer competes with utility Curses. Curse of Shadows is removed and Curse of the Elements covers all magic damage. Firestone and Spellstone become weapon imbues that stack with other enchantments.
Pets now scale from the Warlock's own stats, Life Tap scales with Spirit, and Drain Soul has a rising chance per tick to give a Soul Shard until it is guaranteed. Details are on our Warlock class page and Warlock talents.
Key changes at a glance
| Class | Tree | Change (beta) |
|---|---|---|
| Rogue | Baseline | One-handed axes, Sap keeps Stealth |
| Rogue | Assassination | Mutilate at 21 points, Venom at 31 |
| Rogue | Combat | Hack and Slash replaces four weapon talents |
| Rogue | Subtlety | Thousand Cuts at 31 points |
| Warlock | Affliction | Wrack, a drain-style 31-point spell |
| Warlock | Demonology | Demonic Pact at 31, Soul Link at 21 |
| Warlock | Destruction | Incinerate at 31, Bane of Havoc at 21 |
Talent rules for both classes
Talents start at level 10 with milestones at 11, 21 and 31 points plus a new one at 16. You respec at a class trainer in a major city, and Dual Specialization opens at level 40. Blizzard notes that abilities and talents can still change during the beta. If you would rather reach those levels faster, our leveling price page lists current options.
Frequently asked questions
Can Rogues use axes in WoW: Forever?
Yes. The October 7 deep dive adds one-handed axes for Rogues.
Does Combat still need swords?
No. Blizzard's October 8 correction says Combat and Subtlety support all weapon types.
What is a Bane for Warlocks?
The new name for Curse of Agony and Curse of Doom. Only one Bane fits on a target.