With the release of the Season of Discovery for WoW Classic, and with every Phase released afterward for SoD, players can collect new Runes that grant new (and familiar) abilities. These new Rune abilities in WoW SoD have completely upended the vanilla meta, and classes all feel more powerful, faster, and more interactive across the board.
WoW Season of Discovery: Grizzby Quest Walkthrough (All Ratchet Runes)
In Ratchet, every class must complete a series of quests offered by Grizzby, a new NPC in WoW SoD who demands lots of items.
But not all Runes are made the same – Lifebloom is among the least-used Druid Runes, for example, and Shadowstrike is almost entirely outclassed by Shadowstep. This SoD Rune Tier List ranks one Rune from every class against the best SoD Runes from other classes.
Each Rune listed below completely changes that class' traditional rotation, provides major party utility, or is otherwise so powerful that it's become Class-defining in SoD. But when it comes down to it, Quickstrike isn't as impressive a Rune as Metamorphosis, which has quickly become one of the most iconic Runes of SoD.
Quick Strike Rune
The Best Warrior Rune
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Quick Strike Effect
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- A reckless instant melee attack with your two-handed weapon dealing physical damage.
- This ability benefits from and triggers all effects associated with Heroic Strike.
Though dual-wielding Fury Warriors aren't doing too bad in Season of Discovery, two-handed DPS Warriors are absolutely thriving. Though they have plenty of other abilities that arguably contribute more to their DPS output, almost everyone is using the Quick Strike Rune.
WoW SoD: All Phase 1 & 2 Warrior Runes
In WoW Classic, Warriors scale better than any other class, and in the Season of Discovery, they're getting a lot of new toys to play with.
It's simple, but it gives some much-needed variety to the Warrior playstyle without too much of a cooldown. Like Paladin's Crusader Strike, Quickstrike is great because it fills in the blanks and makes the typically slow class much more interactive.
Compared to some of the best Runes from other classes, Warriors' options aren't the most exciting, though that's not to say Warriors don't have good Runes to choose from. They just aren't as beneficial to a party or as build-defining as a Warlock's Metamorphosis, a Rogue's Deadly Brew, or Druids' Wild Strikes and Hunters' Heart of the Lion.
Maelstrom Weapon Rune
The Best Shaman Rune
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Maelstrom Weapon Effect
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- Melee attack damage has a chance to reduce the cast time and mana cost of your next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Lesser Healing Wave, Healing Wave, Chain Heal, or Lava Burst spell by 20%
- Stacks up to 5 times and lasts for 30 seconds
In the Season of Discovery, Shamans gained the ability to Tank effectively in WoW Classic, and in Phase Two the new Runes have expanded the class' potential not only with Tanking, but with DPS and Healing too. Maelstrom Weapon is one such Phase Two Shaman Rune that almost all builds can benefit from.
Every time the Shaman lands a melee attack, there's a chance that the next Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Lesser or normal Healing Wave, Chain Heal or Lava Spell will be 20% cheaper to cast. This stacks up to five times, and it procs often enough to get max stacks pretty fast – especially in dual-wield builds.
Maelstrom Weapon might not be as class-defining as some of the best SoD Runes, but its effect is one that most Shamans can benefit from – plus its visual effect makes it a bit more interesting than the Warrior's Quickstrike.
WoW SoD: All Phase 1 & 2 Shaman Runes
There's plenty for Shamans to love in the first two phases of the Season of Discovery, including a Two Handed Shaman Rune.
Avenger's Shield Rune
The Best Paladin Rune
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Avenger's Shield Effect
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- Hurls a holy shield at the enemy, dealing Holy damage, Dazing them and then jumping to additional nearby enemies.
- Affects 3 total targets. Lasts 10 sec.
Arguably the most important thing for Paladin tanks is maintaining threat on multiple targets and initiating combat effectively to do so. While WoW Classic offers Paladins the Consecration ability, which deals damage in an area around their feet, Runes like Avenger's Shield make AoE threat a much, much simpler affair for Paladins.
WoW SoD: All Phase 1 & 2 Paladin Runes
Paladins might become the most popular class in the Season of Discovery thanks to a multitude of useful Tank, Healing, and DPS runes alike.
Avenger's Shield can pull up to three targets at a time, and will Daze them upon being hit, slowing their movement and attack speed. It jumps to the two enemies closest to the initial target, and being an instant cast, its Daze effect is incredibly useful in the middle of combat, too. This Rune, alongside Hand of Judgement and others, fills out the Paladin Tanking kit pretty well.
Homunculi Rune
The Best Priest Rune
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Homunculi Effect
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- Break off splinters of your soul to animate 3 miniature copies of yourself that attempt to attack your current target with a mace, sword, and axe
- Reduces the attack speed, attack power, and armor respectively of any target the Homunculi hit.
Though one could argue that Penance deserves this place as the best Priest Rune in SoD, Homunculi is just much more unique. On cast, the Priest will create three shadowy, small copies of themselves, which will automatically attack targets. Seeing three copies of yourself run at enemies is pretty funny, but it's not just a comedic ability.
WoW SoD: All Phase 1 & 2 Priest Runes
Priests in WoW Classic are a go-to healer, and in Season of Discovery, the class gets better at its primary role and Shadow DPS, too.
The Homunculi will also reduce the targets' Attack Speed, AP, and Armor when they hit enemies. Though they can be difficult to control and follow your bidding, Homunculi is an ability unlike anything else in WoW Classic (or SoD, for that matter) and it actually having a very useful effect for all Priest builds makes it worth picking up.
Living Flame Rune
The Best Mage Rune
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Living Flame Effect
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- Summons a spellfire flame that moves toward the target, leaving a trail of spellfire.
- This trail deals Spellfire (Fire/Arcane) damage every second to nearby enemies.
- Lasts 20 sec.
It's no secret that Mages are the best AoE farmers in WoW Classic. Abilities like Frost Nova, Blizzard, and Arcane Blast make dealing with multiple enemies at once a triviality, and as a result, they are undisputedly the best at farming XP and items from open-world spawn points.
WoW SoD: All Phase 1 & 2 Mage Runes
Mages remain a powerful DPS class in the Season of Discovery, but with new Mage runes, they can play the role of Healer too.
It's a wonder, then, that Mages got a few SoD Runes that turn their AoE damage potential up to 11. Living Flame is perhaps the biggest culprit, which lets the Mage throw Spellfire at a target, dealing enormous Fire and Arcane damage to all enemies in its path and in its radius. This ability is something Mages can hardly go without in Dungeon and Raid groups for clearing in-between-Boss trash mobs.
Deadly Brew Rune
The Best Rogue Rune
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Deadly Brew Effect
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- Weapons that don't have a Poison applied are treated as having Instant Poison active
- When you inflict any other poison on a target, you also inflict Deadly Poison
Rogues have a few options available to them for builds in the Season of Discovery, including a brand-new Tank role that's made possible with new Runes. But despite the relatively decent amount of build variety that the class has, Deadly Brew is used in almost all of them.
WoW SoD: All Phase 1 & 2 Rogue Runes
Rogues get lots of great DPS runes in the Season of Discovery, as well as the ability to Tank, making them a great choice for PvP and PvE both.
It's just such a useful effect, and is instrumental in upping Rogues' DPS across all build types. It's great for maintaining Threat on enemies, too, in a Rogue tank build. Mutilate, Saber Slash, and other Rogue Runes have gained and lost popularity over the first two phases, but Deadly Brew is still a go-to pick for Rogues in SoD.
Heart of the Lion Rune
The Best Hunter Rune
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Heart of the Lion Effect
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- The hunter takes on the aspects of a lion, increasing total stats by 10% for all nearby allies, and increasing total stats for the Hunter by an additional 10%.
Hunters and Druids both have some of the best SoD Runes because of how useful their effects are for groups, and because they grant each faction abilities that have, until now, been locked to the other faction. Indeed, the Heart of the Lion Rune gives the Horde an effect that, until now, has been Alliance-exclusive.
WoW SoD: All Phase 1 & 2 Hunter Runes
A primarily ranged DPS class, Hunters get some of the most powerful runes in the Season of Discovery – melee Survival could be viable, now.
Heart of the Lion increases party members' stats by 10% – an effect previously locked to Paladins, through the Blessing of Kings ability (which doesn't stack). Whether you are an Alliance or Horde Hunter, it's practically impossible to get into a group that won't demand you put Heart of the Lion on to boost your group members' stats. For better or worse, be prepared for this Rune to be slotted throughout practically all of SoD.
Wild Strikes Rune
The Best Druid Rune
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Wild Strikes Effect
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- While you are in Cat Form, Bear Form, or Dire Bear Form, party members within 20 yards gain increased combat ferocity.
- Each melee hit has a 20% chance of granting the attacker an extra attack with 20% additional Attack Power.
- No effect if the party member is already benefitting from Windfury Totem.
Similar to the Heart of the Lion Rune, the Wild Strikes Rune grants an effect that's incredibly useful for group members, and grants an ability to the Alliance that was formerly exclusive to the Horde. The Horde-exclusive Shaman class has the Windfury Totem, which grants a 20% chance to get an extra, stronger hit for melee attacks.
WoW SoD: All Phase 1 & 2 Druid Runes
Druids are a versatile class in WoW Classic, and with these Season of Discovery runes, they have more build options than ever before.
In the Season of Discovery, Druids can use the Wild Strikes Rune to grant this same effect, though party members don't necessarily have to be close to get it like with a totem. Wild Strikes doesn't stack with Windfury, but just like Heart of the Lion, this is one Rune that is likely to be a requirement for endgame group activities – it's just such a powerful effect for melee DPS.
Metamorphosis Rune
The Best Warlock Rune
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Metamorphosis Effect
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Transform into a Demon, increasing Armor by 500%, reducing the chance you will be critically hit by 6%, increasing your threat by 50%, increasing mana gained from Life Tap by 100%, transforming the functionality of some of your abilities, and granting some new abilities:
- Searing Pain: Now instant.
- Shadow Bolt: Becomes Shadow Cleave, a Shadow melee attack that hits up to 3 nearby enemies, but has a 6 sec cooldown.
- Curse of Recklessness: Now also taunts your target to attack you for 3 sec, but gains a 10 sec cooldown and range is reduced to melee.
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Transform into a Demon, increasing Armor by 500%, reducing the chance you will be critically hit by 6%, increasing your threat by 50%, increasing mana gained from Life Tap by 100%, transforming the functionality of some of your abilities, and granting some new abilities:
The best Rune in Season of Discovery so far is the Warlock's Metamorphosis. On the launch of Phase One, Metamorphosis was the Rune that the community was most hyped about, as it allowed Warlocks to transform into a demonic visage and unlocked a completely unique caster Tanking spec. As it turns out, the hype wasn't for nothing, as Warlock Tanks are some of the best Tanks in Season of Discovery by a long way.
WoW SoD: All Phase 1 & 2 Warlock Runes
Though players are most excited about Metamorphosis, Warlock runes in WoW SoD are going to be powerful across the board.
Metamorphosis turns the fragile, but complex, Warlock into a machine that is just as effective in melee combat as it is at a range. It's a powerful Rune for Warlock DPS, especially for open-world XP farming, and it's a requirement for players who want to try out the most exciting new spec in WoW SoD.
Plus, despite how visually overstimulating it might be, the Warlock's actual Metamorphosis form is becoming iconic to the Season of Discovery. It's just so ridiculous-looking, but eye-catching, that many wonder if other classes will get Runes that completely change their appearance in a similar way, too.
World of Warcraft
- Released
- November 23, 2004
