World of Warcraft (WoW), the biggest MMORPG of all time, introduced the Evoker class for its ninth expansion, Dragonflight, in late 2022. The class is exclusive to the Dracthyr race and only has two talent specs as of patch 10.1 (Devastation and Preservation). However, Blizzard is set to introduce an additional tree for Evokers, which is set to completely change how the role of damage (DPS) is approached.
This major change is set to be introduced during the upcoming 10.1.5 patch. Although it’s another DPS specialization, it’s very unique. The new talent spec, Augmentation, is meant to behave as a “force multiplier” for group content. Rather than focusing on dealing damage by themselves like other traditional DPS specs, they serve to consistently buff the party in real-time, boosting the performance of allies.
Such a class is comparable to what has been seen in other RPGs. For instance, in Final Fantasy XIII, the Synergist is designed to cast stat-boosting spells on your party to consistently give you an edge during boss fights to Stagger.
With powers that had been previously wiped from their memories, Augmentation Evokers can combine the magic of the Bronze Dragonflight and Black Dragonflight to deliver buffs to allies. Blizzard has noted that they will have single-target and area-of-effect (AoE) abilities, and certain spells will be proximity based.
Given the totally different nature of behavior with Augmentation, Blizzard is taking extra time to work out how add-ons, community sites, and combat logs will effectively measure the throughput of players using the spec. Still, the developer has promised that in spite of these challenges, Augmentation “offers a unique opportunity to delve into a playstyle never before seen in World of Warcraft.”
In addition to the Augmentation spec, the 10.1.5 Fractures in Time patch is introducing a new mega-dungeon that has players engaging in battle with Galakrond, the most fearsome dragon in the history of the Warcraft canon.