WoW Forever keeps Classic's stats but simplifies them: Hit and Crit are now one stat each for spells, melee and ranged, a new Expertise stat lowers your chance to be dodged or parried, and weapon skill on items is much smaller. Those changes are from Blizzard's panel recap and its development notes. The caps further down come from players reading the beta's character panel, not from Blizzard.
What changed from Classic
| Stat | In Forever | How sure |
|---|---|---|
| Hit | One stat for spells, melee and ranged | Confirmed |
| Crit | One stat for spells, melee and ranged | Confirmed |
| Expertise | New: less chance to be dodged or parried | Confirmed |
| Weapon skill | Still works, but items give far less of it | Confirmed |
| Spell damage and healing | On caster weapons. Bonus healing also gives a third as much bonus damage | Confirmed |
| Haste | On the character sheet. Comes from racials and effects, no item with haste seen yet | Reported |
| Defense, Spirit, armor | Work as in Classic | Reported |
Items show Hit, Crit and Expertise as flat percentages. Nobody has seen a rating that converts into percent, the way later expansions worked.
Hit and the hit cap
Blizzard hasn't published a hit cap. Players read these from the beta's character panel, at low level, so treat them as a starting point:
| Target | Melee and ranged | Spells | Dual wield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same level | 5% | 4% | about 24% |
| Boss, 3 levels above | 8% | 17% | about 27 to 29% |
Sources: Method and Conquest Capped. Whether spells still always have a 1% chance to miss isn't known.
Blizzard also changed where hit comes from:
- Dual Wield Specialization no longer gives off-hand hit. Furious Precision gives 4, 7 or 10% off-hand hit instead.
- Queuing Heroic Strike no longer raises off-hand hit.
- Dwarves get 1% hit from Artisan's Precision. Tauren lost their 1%.
- Frost Mages get 2, 4 or 6% hit with all spells from Precision, and Divine Precision gives Holy spells 4 or 8%.
Expertise
Expertise lowers the chance that an enemy dodges or parries you. Players estimate about 6.5% removes a boss's dodge, and 14 to 16.5% its parry, but nobody has tested it at level 60. It shows up on a few items as a flat 0.6 to 2%, and Rogues can get up to 2% from Weapon Expertise.
Weapon skill
Weapon skill still matters for glancing blows and misses, but items give much less of it. Players point to the Huge Thorium Battleaxe, which went from +10 to +2. The racial weapon bonuses are gone: Human Sword Specialization became Ruthless (1% crit), and the Orc and Dwarf versions were removed.
Blizzard says loot won't be tied to particular weapon types for that reason. For which class can use which weapon, see class weapons.
Crit
- Many heals and damage over time effects can now crit, including Rejuvenation, Renew, Devouring Plague and Hellfire.
- Crits give Warriors and Druids full Rage.
- Leader of the Pack and Moonkin Aura now reach the whole raid.
- PvP crits are no longer reduced.
Crushing blows from enemies three or more levels above you still exist. Blizzard hasn't said anything about glancing blows.
Spell damage and healing
Caster weapons carry spell damage and healing, and bonus healing also adds a third as much bonus damage. Low-rank spells get less of your bonus than in Classic, and wands no longer gain from spell damage. A few talents now turn Intellect into spell damage or armor, such as Arcane Resilience.
Tank stats
Defense still caps crits at 440 against raid bosses, players report, as in Classic. Blizzard reworked block for Paladins (Redoubt, Holy Shield and Holy Shield Specialization) and changed Stoneform to reduce physical damage instead of adding armor. See best tank class.
Enhancement Shaman and Strength
Blizzard plans to make Strength Enhancement Shaman's best stat, so they stop wanting Mage and Warlock gear. Until that's confirmed live, collect Strength and attack power gear anyway, as Blizzard advised.
For what to put on your gear, see every enchant by slot. Your class guide has the stat order for your spec: class guides.