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The $100,000 duel tournament The Forever Open: level 30, Horde side, on the WoW Forever beta

The Forever Open is Tips Out’s dueling tournament on the WoW Forever beta, with a $100,000 prize pool. It is played by level 30 Horde characters on October 17 and October 18.

The official rules and the sign-up came out on September 27, and the rules were updated on September 29, October 6, October 14 and October 16. The sign-up closed on October 2 at 10am PT (7pm CEST). This page sums up those rules, what registered players still have to do, and what the game gives a level 30 duelist.

To watch: the qualifiers on October 17 from 10am PT (7pm CEST), the finals on October 18 in the Hyjal Crater, an arena Blizzard prepared for them, on twitch.tv/esfandtv and twitch.tv/xaryu.

By Vektor, updated October 16, 2026. Sources

Venruki’s troll mage, rolled for the tournament, next to an orc in Durotar on the WoW Forever beta

Latest updates

Oct 16Fourth rules update: the entry fee by mail, Whimsyfin banned, your own buffs only DiscordMail the 15 gold entry fee in game from your tournament character to the character Tournament Gold, before check-in closes. Whimsyfin is banned like Deviate Fish, and bags above item level 45 stay allowed. Only your own buffs count, even within your class: a paladin may not take another paladin’s, and only the warlock who made a Healthstone may use it. Pets wait in the default follow position, a potion counts as an opener, and the Goblin Land Mine is not a pet. Admins schedule replays, usually at the end of a round.

The essentials

An open tournament of one-on-one duels: everyone who registered in time plays the qualifiers on October 17, and the top four of each class meet in the finals on October 18.

Prize pool: $100,000
When: October 17: check-in from 7 to 8am PT (4 to 5pm CEST), qualifiers from 10am PT (7pm CEST). October 18: finals.
Where to watch: twitch.tv/esfandtv and twitch.tv/xaryu, both days
Sign-up: Closed on October 2, 10am PT (7pm CEST), on Raider.IO
Where: On the WoW Forever beta, Horde side, PvP ruleset
Level: 30, the beta’s last level cap
Who can enter: Players who registered before the sign-up closed, with a Horde character made after it opened, level 30 on October 17, and 15 gold for the entry fee.
Prize split: $50,000 to the champion, then $5,555 to the best player of each class
Organiser: Tips Out, who ran the Classic Duelers League and OTK’s $100,000 Mak’gora in 2023

Tips Out first announced it live on ClassiCast with Esfand on September 24, then officially on X on September 27, with the rules and the sign-up.

On September 28, Timthetatman added $50,000: the prize pool doubles to $100,000, with $50,000 for the champion and $5,555 for the best player of each class.

The qualifiers and the finals are streamed on twitch.tv/esfandtv and twitch.tv/xaryu, and cast by Xaryu and Asmongold. Anyone may co-stream, and every player must stream their own duels on Twitch, YouTube or Kick.

More than 6,000 players signed up, Tips Out said on October 15. He expected about 1,000.

The finals’ arena: the Hyjal Crater

The arena, shown by Blizzard’s designers on the WoW Forever podcast of October 15.

The finals on October 18 are played in an arena Blizzard prepared for them: the Hyjal Crater, a crater of Mount Hyjal that its designers kept on a map of its own when they rebuilt the zone. Nobody can walk in: Blizzard staff bring the players there. The designers say it may come back in a later patch.

A building by the arena will hold a vendor who sells soul shards and one who sells reagents. Blizzard could also add an NPC that resets cooldowns, if the organisers ask for one; they have not said yet.

How to take part

Four steps. The first two had to be done before October 2, when the sign-up closed.

Make a new Horde character on the PvP ruleset

Forever has no realms: you pick the PvP ruleset when you create the character. Your class and race are set there too, so read which class and which race first.

You need beta access. The opt-in can give it; a pre-purchase of the Epic Pack or the Forever Collection guarantees it.

It must be a brand-new character: one made before the sign-up opened, on September 27 at 11am PT (8pm CEST), does not count, even if it is already level 20. Give it the last name Foreverpvp: the rules require it.

Two locks apply there. An account plays only one faction on the PvP ruleset, so if you already play Alliance there, you need another account or you are out. And the game closes character creation for the faction that outnumbers the other: on September 25, a player on the official forums could not create a Horde character for that reason. If creation is open when you log in, take the chance.

Why not Alliance? At these levels, the Alliance side still causes production problems for the organisers. An Alliance tournament could come at level 60.

The Raider.IO sign-up, closed on October 2

Fill in the form on Raider.IO’s event page with your character’s name. Then log in with that character and ask Deadmin Foreverpvp, Theboogy Foreverpvp, Admin Prestigex, Admin Hulathree, Musashii Admin, Ashley Heeheehaha or Magenta Admintwo for an invite to the guild <The Forever Open IV>.

On October 1, with 4,000 players registered, Tips Out moved the close forward from October 4 to October 2 at 10am PT (7pm CEST): his staff cannot run larger qualifiers.

You could register more than one character during the sign-up, each one on its own, but only one plays in the tournament. Questions go to the <Forever PvP> Discord.

Reach level 30

The beta went to level 30 with Blizzard’s maintenance of October 1, and you have until October 17 to get there.

Check in on October 17

On October 17, check in on Raider.IO’s event hub between 7 and 8am PT (4 and 5pm CEST): pick your one character, send your qualifier talent build and confirm both, which locks them. Mail the 15 gold entry fee in game from that character to the character Tournament Gold: it must arrive before check-in closes, so the organisers ask you to send it now. Late check-in is not allowed.

The qualifiers start at 10am PT (7pm CEST). Stream your duels on Twitch, YouTube or Kick and keep the recording.

Calendar

September 27The official announcement and rules; the sign-up opens on Raider.IO.
September 28Timthetatman adds $50,000: the prize pool doubles to $100,000.
September 29First update of the rules: rogues, druids and warriors get the opener, other players’ buffs are banned, and the break between duels drops to one minute.
September 30Tips Out announces that the rules will heavily reduce the impact of some Legacy perks, details to come.
October 14,000 players have registered: the sign-up closes two days early, on October 2.
October 1Blizzard is to give every tester 16 Legacy points: the Legacy rule stays as it is.
October 2The sign-up closes, at 10am PT (7pm CEST).
October 6Second update of the rules: six more items banned, item buffs allowed before a duel, transmog off.
October 8Blizzard gives every tester the Legacy Challenge: 16 Legacy points, as announced.
October 8The qualifiers’ format: six Swiss rounds, and the top four of each class to the finals.
October 14Third update of the rules: five more items banned, with quest and dungeon gear above item level 45 and anything that needs 226 in a profession. Warlocks stay in the dueling area.
October 15Blizzard shows the finals’ arena, the Hyjal Crater, on its WoW Forever podcast.
October 16Fourth update of the rules: the entry fee goes by mail to the character Tournament Gold, Whimsyfin is banned, and you may use only your own buffs and Healthstones.
October 17Check-in on Raider.IO from 7 to 8am PT (4 to 5pm CEST), then six Swiss rounds from 10am PT (7pm CEST).
October 18The finals: the top four of each class in a double-elimination bracket, best of three in the winners’ bracket, single duels in the losers’, best of five for the title.
October 22The last full day of the beta.
November 4WoW Forever launches.

The beta went to level 30 with Blizzard’s maintenance of October 1.

And after

If this one goes well, a level 60 tournament follows in the live game. Tips Out’s goal after that, not a promise: a $1,000,000 Mak’gora once Hardcore comes out.

He is already looking for sponsors: on September 12 he wrote on X that he wants to put on a $1,000,000 open tournament for WoW Forever.

Rules

The official rules came out on September 27. On September 29, a first update gave rogues, druids and warriors the opener, kept only your own class’s buffs before a duel and cut the break between duels to one minute. On October 6, a second one banned six more items, allowed item buffs before a duel again and asked for transmog to be off. On October 8 came the qualifiers’ format. On October 14, a third update banned five more items, quest and dungeon rewards above item level 45 and any profession item that needs 226 skill or more, and kept warlocks in the dueling area. On October 16, a fourth one moved the entry fee to the in-game mail, banned Whimsyfin and kept each player to their own buffs and Healthstones. Here is what the rules ask of a player now.

$50,000to the champion, crowned Death’s Duelist

$5,555 to the best player of each class; in the champion’s class, it goes to the next best. Tied players share it.

Allowed

Legacy points
All other consumables
Every engineering item
Your own class’s buffs, on yourself
Buffs from items and consumables, before the duel too, unless they come from another class
A priest’s own Power Word: Shield, cast before the duel
Gear and trinkets that summon a pet, such as the Dog Whistle, and the Goblin Land Mine, which the rules do not count as a pet

Banned

Holiday buffs and treats
Campfire buffs
World buffs, and buffs from quests or world objectives, such as the Blood Shard buffs
Any buff from another player, even one of your class, such as another paladin’s blessing or a priest friend’s Fear Ward
Healthstones, unless you are the warlock who made them
Casting a heal over time, laying a trap or sacrificing your demon before the duel
Hiding in stealth to wait out your cooldowns
Running out of the duel, or fearing someone out of it, on purpose
Buying gold during the tournament
Posing as a tournament admin

Banned from your bags

Quest and dungeon rewards above item level 45 (bags are allowed)
Any profession item or tool that needs 226 skill or more: the rules treat it as an exploit, which disqualifies
Consumables that summon a pet that moves and deals damage, such as the Spider Swarm or the Compact Harvest Reaper Kit
Student Fodder
Fire, Nature, Frost, Arcane, Holy and Shadow protection potions

A banned item found in your bags during a check is enough to be disqualified.

At the dueling area

Stand on the duel flag with your opponent, walk 10 yards straight apart and stop. Only a stealthed character may move after that. No mounts. An admin counts down 10 seconds, then you accept the duel.

1 min: at most between duels, to heal, buff and drink. Drag it out and you can be disqualified
3 min: away in total per stage; past that, you lose the match you miss and may be disqualified
60 sec: without acting during a duel brings a penalty

Time limit. In the qualifiers, a duel that reaches the game’s time limit is a tie, one point each, and is not replayed; stalling to get there can be penalised. In the finals it is replayed, and each of you may then use only 3 food and 3 water for the rest of the series.

Warlocks. Since October 14, they may no longer leave the dueling area to get soul shards. The organisers say they have another way to supply them, not announced yet. In the finals’ arena, Blizzard plans a vendor that sells them.

Who opens

Rogues and druids always get the opener. Until their first offensive action, their opponent stands still: no turning, no trap laid.
You may ready an ability such as Intimidation beforehand, as long as it does not disrupt a rogue’s or a druid’s opener.
Pets stay at their master’s side, in the default follow position, until the duel has begun and the opponent has turned hostile. You may not place them anywhere else.
Warriors get it too, except against a rogue or a druid, whose opener comes first. From the 20-yard start, that is a free Charge.
Between two rogues or druids, nobody gets the opener: both have to find each other. Nobody gets it between two warriors either, or between two players of the six other classes.
The opener is your first offensive action of any kind: an ability, a racial such as Blood Fury, a potion, an item such as a grenade, or a trinket. Pop Blood Fury with your first attack, not while you walk in.
A druid who opens with a cast, such as Entangling Roots or Starfire, frees the opponent the moment the cast begins.
Wait more than 25 seconds after your opponent turns hostile and you lose the opener. Time your opponent makes a rogue or a druid lose does not count.
Shamans may start the duel with up to four totems down, so Tremor Totem can already be up against a priest or a warlock. Against a rogue, a druid or a warrior, a totem that would interrupt their opener goes down only after it.

How the qualifiers and the finals run

After check-in, players are split into pods of about 36, each with roughly the field’s mix of classes. The organisers may also weigh known skill, so the draw is not purely random.
Six Swiss rounds of one duel each, inside your pod: 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss, and each round pairs you with players on a similar score. Nobody is knocked out before the sixth round.
You are ranked against your own class only, across every pod: points first, then wins, then the points of the opponents you met. The top four of each class reach the finals, 36 players in all.
If more than four players of a class finish 6-0, they settle it among themselves in duels set by the organisers, with no timeout tie.
A round with no opponent counts for now as a win, then is replaced by a real duel after round six.
The finals are one double-elimination bracket. The eight lowest seeds play in first, and a loss there sends them to the losers’ bracket. Winners’ bracket matches are best of three, losers’ bracket matches a single duel, and the title a best of five, with no reset.
Admins schedule every replayed duel, usually at the end of the round so that cooldowns can come back, but they may call it at once.
Between two duels of a finals series you have one minute to eat, drink and change gear, and you may not wait for a cooldown.

Your character and your stream

You play the whole tournament with one character.
One talent build per stage, locked as soon as you confirm it: the qualifiers’ at check-in, the finals’ by 1am CT on October 18 (11pm PT on the 17th, 8am CEST on the 18th). The two may differ.
Every player streams their own duels on Twitch, YouTube or Kick and keeps the recording for the referees.
Before each duel, an admin checks your talents and your bags on stream.
You stay in your pod’s voice channel on the tournament’s Discord, and in the finals the Raider.IO desktop app runs with Live Tracking on.
Transmogrification must be turned off for the whole tournament.
Your Discord nickname must be your character’s name, and the tournament’s Discord stays unmuted on the day: announcements may come at any time.

The rules end with a warning worth reading: dueling is not an official Blizzard esport, and a bug, a mistake or an admin’s call can cost you your chance at the prize. The organisers may also change the rules at any time.

Not out yet

The finals’ start time, and where the qualifiers’ duels take place. The admins may move the dueling area at any time.
How warlocks get their soul shards in the qualifiers, now that they may not leave the dueling area. In the finals’ arena, Blizzard plans a vendor that sells them.

Prepare your character

What you can do between now and October 17, starting with what gives the most.

Five more talent points with Legacy

Since October 8, every beta tester has 16 Legacy points: that update gave everyone the Legacy Challenge (Blizzard’s notes of October 8). That is enough for Talented and the two duel perks below, and the rules keep Legacy points as they are.

Legacy is WoW Forever’s account-wide bonus system: you earn points by completing challenges on any character, and spend them in three small trees. It opens once one of your characters reaches level 25. Its Talented perk makes talent points start at level 5 instead of 10, one level earlier per rank.

At level 30 that is 26 talent points instead of 21. With 21, your last point goes in the fifth row. With 26, you can go one row deeper, since 25 points in a tree open its sixth row, or keep your fifth-row talent and put five points in a second tree.

It costs 10 Legacy points: Talented needs all 5 ranks of Well Rested, the perk linked to it, and then 5 ranks of its own.

The Legacy challenges you can finish under the beta’s level 30 cap
Challenge	Points	How
Reach level 25 on a class	9	One point per class, the first time a character of that class reaches 25.
Reach 150 in a crafting profession	6	Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Enchanting, Engineering, Leatherworking, Tailoring: one point each.
Reach 225 in a crafting profession	6	The same six, one more point each.
Novice Spelunker	1	Finish six dungeons: Ragefire Chasm, Wailing Caverns, the Deadmines, Shadowfang Keep, the Ruins of Lordaeron and the Excavation Site in the Wetlands.

The challenges in this table add to those 16, and the points are shared by all your characters. My Legacy page lists every challenge.

Past 10, two Adventure perks also work in a duel, since they only stop working in battlegrounds or dungeons: Field Medicine, 2 points, brings Recently Bandaged down from 60 to 50 seconds, and High Alert, 2 points, spots stealthed rogues and druids as if you were two levels higher; now that rogues and druids always get the opener, it counts most against a rogue’s Vanish, or for a rogue or a druid facing another one, where nobody opens. The 16 points cover both.

The rules allow Legacy points, and the points belong to your account: what your older characters earned counts for your new tournament character.

What you get at 30, and what you will not have

Visit your trainer the moment you reach 30: these come at exactly that level.

Kidney ShotRogue
InterceptWarrior
Berserker RageWarrior
Feign DeathHunter
Mind ControlPriest
Windfury WeaponShaman
Grounding TotemShaman
Travel FormDruid
Summon FelhunterWarlock

In Classic, the Felhunter comes from a quest that opens at level 30, and the client gives its Spell Lock only at 36.

Several spells that duels in Classic revolve around come after level 30. Plan your fights without them:

Death CoilWarlock, level 42
Howl of TerrorWarlock, level 40
BlindRogue, level 34
Divine ShieldPaladin, level 34
Viper StingHunter, level 36
PummelWarrior, level 38

There is no PvP trinket at this level either, so nothing but racials and class spells breaks a stun or a fear. That is why the race you pick matters more than usual.

Gear and professions

At level 30, duels come down to how long you last: stamina on every piece you can, and stamina enchants. My gear lists and the gear planner show the best pieces for each class; the armor recipes sold for Merchant’s Favor are what the best-equipped players wore at level 20.

Since October 14, the rules ban quest and dungeon rewards above item level 45. None of the pieces in my gear lists is one, and each item’s page here gives its item level.

Engineering is the profession to take: the net and the strongest bombs are for engineers only (the rules ban the sapper charge since October 6). But an engineer also makes bombs that anyone can throw, listed in the next step. See the engineering page.

Consumables and gadgets you can use at 30

This is the list I would stock, checked item by item in the client: what each one asks of you and its cooldown. Every item here can be made under the level 30 cap. As in Classic, a profession goes past 225 only from level 35, so nothing that needs more should be made on this beta: since October 14, the rules treat any profession item or tool that needs 226 or more as an exploit, which disqualifies.

The big change: Forever adds a line of bombs and gadgets, the SAF-T and EZ-Thro items, that anyone can use from level 1. SAF-T Bomb stuns for 3 seconds, like the engineers’ Big Iron Bomb, and needs no Engineering skill to throw. An engineer makes them; everyone else buys them.

Anyone can use these

SAF-T BombInflicts 149 to 201 Fire damage and stuns targets in a 5 yd radius for 3 sec. Any damage will break the effect.Needs NothingCooldown 1 min

SAF-T Bronze BombInflicts 73 to 97 Fire damage and stuns targets in a 3 yd radius for 2 sec. Any damage will break the effect.Needs NothingCooldown 1 min

EZ-Thro Bronze MortarInflicts 85 to 115 Fire damage and stuns targets in a 5 yd radius for 2 sec. Any damage will break the effect.Needs NothingCooldown –

EZ-Thro GrenadeInflicts 213 to 287 Fire damage in a 5 yd radius.Needs NothingCooldown 1 min

Shafety SheepSummons an Explosive Sheep which will charge at a nearby enemy and explode for 135 to 165 damage. Lasts for 3 min or until it explodes.Needs NothingCooldown 1 min

Discombobulator RayTransforms the target into a Leper Gnome, reducing its melee and spell damage by 40 and its movement rate by 20% for 12 sec.Needs NothingCooldown 1 min

Goblin Rocket BootsThese dangerous looking boots significantly increase your run speed for 20 sec. They are prone to explode however, so use with caution.Needs NothingCooldown 5 min

Flame DeflectorAbsorbs 500 Fire damage. Lasts 1 min.Needs Level 15Cooldown 15 min

Ice DeflectorAbsorbs 600 frost damage. Lasts 1 min.Needs Level 21Cooldown 15 min

Engineers only

Iron GrenadeInflicts 132 to 218 Fire damage and stuns targets for 3 sec in a 3 yard radius. Any damage will break the effect.Needs Engineering 175Cooldown 1 min

Big Iron BombInflicts 149 to 201 Fire damage and stuns targets in a 5 yard radius for 3 sec. Any damage will break the effect.Needs Engineering 190Cooldown 1 min

Mithril Frag BombInflicts 149 to 201 Fire damage and stuns targets in a 8 yard radius for 2 sec. Any damage will break the effect.Needs Engineering 205Cooldown 1 min

The Big OneInflicts 340 to 460 Fire damage and stuns targets for 5 sec in a 10 yard radius. Any damage will break the effect.Needs Engineering 225Cooldown 1 min

Goblin MortarInflicts 393 to 531 Fire damage and stuns the targets in a 5 yard radius for 3 sec.Needs Engineering 205Cooldown 10 min

Gnomish Net-o-Matic ProjectorCaptures the target in a net for 10 sec. The net has a lot of hooks however and sometimes gets caught in the user's clothing when fired......Needs Engineering 210Cooldown 10 min

Gnomish Shrink RayShrinks the target reducing their attack power by 250. Thats what it usually does anyway.....Needs Engineering 205Cooldown 5 min

Gnomish Cloaking DeviceGives invisibility for 10 sec.Needs Engineering 200Cooldown 1 h

Gnomish Harm Prevention BeltA shield of force protects you from the next 500 damage done over the next 10 min. WARNING: Force Field may overload when struck temporarily removing the wearer from this dimension.Needs Engineering 215Cooldown 1 h

Potions, elixirs and bandages

Free Action PotionMakes you immune to Stun and Movement Impairing effects for the next 30 sec. Does not remove effects already on the imbiber.Needs Level 20Cooldown 2 min

Swiftness PotionIncreases run speed by 50% for 15 sec.Needs Level 5Cooldown 2 min

Greater Healing PotionRestores 455 to 585 health.Needs Level 21Cooldown 2 min

Greater Discolored Healing PotionRestores 975 to 1105 health instantly; however you also suffer 75% of that amount over time. The symptoms of this effect can manifest as either a 6 sec poison or a 12 sec disease.Needs Level 21Cooldown 2 min

Mana PotionRestores 455 to 585 mana.Needs Level 22Cooldown 2 min

Lesser Invisibility PotionGives the imbiber lesser invisibility for 15 sec.Needs Level 23Cooldown 10 min

Great Rage PotionIncreases Rage by 30 to 60.Needs Level 25Cooldown 2 min

Elixir of Lesser FortitudeIncreases the player's maximum health by 120 for 1 hr.Needs Level 25Cooldown –

Elixir of DefenseIncreases armor by 250 for 1 hr.Needs Level 29Cooldown –

Mageweave BandageHeals 800 damage over 8 sec.Needs First Aid 150Cooldown –

Free Action Potion is the one I would not duel without against a rogue or a warrior: 30 seconds of immunity to stuns and slows, from level 20. Greater Discolored Healing Potion, new in Forever, heals about twice as much as Greater Healing Potion, but you lose 75% of it again over time: it saves you from a burst, it does not heal you.

Drink your elixirs before the duel: the rules allow it again since October 6, as long as the buff does not come from another class.

Banned by the rules

Leave these out of your bags: a referee who finds one during a check disqualifies you.

Magic DustPuts the enemy target to sleep for up to 30 sec. Any damage caused will awaken the target. Only one target can be asleep at a time.Needs Level 10Cooldown 1 min

Slumber SandPuts the enemy target to sleep for up to 20 sec. Any damage caused will awaken the target. Only one target can be asleep at a time.Needs NothingCooldown 1 min

Furbolg Medicine PouchRestores 100 health every 1 sec for 10 sec.Needs NothingCooldown 20 min

Flash BombCauses all Beasts in a 5 yard radius to run away for 10 sec.Needs Level 27Cooldown 1 min

Goblin Sapper ChargeExplodes when triggered dealing 450 to 750 Fire damage to all enemies nearby and 375 to 625 damage to you.Needs Engineering 205Cooldown 5 min

Green Whelp ArmorNeeds Level 30Cooldown –

Truthseeker's BowNeeds Level 40Cooldown –

Gnomish Mind Control CapEngage in mental combat with a humanoid target to try and control their mind. If all works well, you will control the mind of the target for 20 sec .....Needs Engineering 215Cooldown 30 min

Minor Magic Resistance PotionIncreases your resistance to all schools of magic by 25 for 3 min.Needs Level 12Cooldown 2 min

Crystal Basilisk SpineIncreases Frost and Shadow resistance by 10 for 1 min.Needs Level 25Cooldown 2 min

Deviate FishEat me.Needs NothingCooldown –

WhimsyfinEat me.Needs NothingCooldown –

Green Tea LeafInstantly heals 30 damage. Also restores 30 mana over 10 sec. Must remain seated while drinking.Needs Level 4Cooldown –

Spider SwarmSummons a swarm of spiders that will protect you for 10 min.Needs Level 21Cooldown 30 min

Compact Harvest Reaper KitCreates a Compact Harvest Reaper that will fight for you for 10 min or until it is destroyed.Needs Engineering 175Cooldown 10 min

Shadow Protection PotionAbsorbs 675 to 1125 shadow damage. Lasts 2 min.Needs Level 17Cooldown 2 min

Fire Protection PotionAbsorbs 975 to 1625 fire damage. Lasts 2 min.Needs Level 23Cooldown 2 min

Frost Protection PotionAbsorbs 1350 to 2250 frost damage. Lasts 2 min.Needs Level 28Cooldown 2 min

Nature Protection PotionAbsorbs 1350 to 2250 nature damage. Lasts 2 min.Needs Level 28Cooldown 2 min

Holy Protection PotionAbsorbs 300 to 500 holy damage. Lasts 2 min.Needs Level 10Cooldown 2 min

Famous, but out of reach at 30

Limited Invulnerability PotionImbiber is immune to physical attacks for the next 6 sec.Needs Level 45Cooldown 2 min

Thorium GrenadeInflicts 300 to 500 Fire damage and stuns targets for 3 sec in a 3 yard radius. Any damage will break the effect.Needs Engineering 260Cooldown 1 min

EZ-Thro Thorium GrenadeInflicts 300 to 500 Fire damage and stuns targets for 3 sec in a 3 yd radius. Any damage will break the effect.Needs Engineering 285 to make itCooldown 1 min

EZ-Thro Dark BombInflicts 225 to 675 Fire damage and stuns targets in a 5 yd radius for 4 sec. Any damage will break the effect.Needs Engineering 300 to make itCooldown 1 min

EZ-Thro Mana BombBurns 675 to 1125 mana from those in the blast radius and deals 50% of the mana drained in damage to the target. Also Silences targets in the blast for 5 sec.Needs Engineering 300 to make itCooldown 1 min

The list grew on September 29, October 6, October 14 and October 16. The organisers may change it again at any time.

Count your cooldowns

In Classic, the end of a duel does not give your cooldowns back. In a finals series the rules leave one minute between duels and forbid waiting for a cooldown, and in the qualifiers the wait between rounds depends on your pod. A long cooldown spent in one duel may not be there for the next. The long ones in the kits of this page:

Lay on HandsPaladin, 20 min (Classic: 1 h)
Cold SnapMage, 10 min
PreparationRogue, 10 min
DeterrenceHunter, 5 min
Ice BlockMage, 5 min
Templar's BulwarkPaladin, 5 min
Divine ProtectionPaladin, 5 min
Fear WardPriest, 3 min (Classic: 30 sec)
Nature's SwiftnessShaman, 3 min
Cold BloodRogue, 3 min
Nature's SwiftnessDruid, 3 min
Death WishWarrior, 3 min

My reading for the finals: with a duel and its one-minute break taking about three minutes, a 3-minute cooldown is back for most duels of a series, a 10-minute one about once per series, and Lay on Hands, 20 minutes in Forever instead of an hour, about one duel in seven. Keep Cold Snap and Preparation for the duels you could lose.

One thing could change that count: Blizzard offered to put an NPC that resets cooldowns in the finals’ arena, if the organisers want one.

The client also puts every potion on one shared 2-minute cooldown, and every bomb, the new SAF-T and EZ-Thro ones included, on one shared 1-minute cooldown. Carrying five kinds of bombs does not let you throw five in a row.

Which class

The rankings came out before the beta reached level 30, so they are forecasts. Here is the one I take most seriously, checked against the client.

Venruki won the last level 30 dueling tournament, as a mage against Snutz’s warlock in the final. His ranking is for this tournament only: level 30, Horde races, no PvP trinket.

Priest

Troll

Self-healing, range, good mana, Mana Burn, an offensive dispel, Penance at 30. What a priest fears most: shamans and rogues, then a good mage.

Talents

Spells

Hunter

Troll

A lot of damage and control. Held back by one pet for the whole event and no way to recover health mid-duel.

Talents

5mSpells

Later

Shaman

Tauren

High damage, interrupts, Purge, Tremor Totem, more mobility than in Classic, and tanky.

Talents

Spells

Mage

Troll

Outlasts anyone: polymorph, drink, reset, as long as it takes.

Talents

10m

Rogue

Undead

Can rush a priest down, especially as an Undead with every engineering item.

Talents

10m

3mSpells

Later

Warlock

Undead

No Spell Lock or Death Coil at 30, and a Fear with poor range. Orcs and Undead counter it.

Talents

Spells

Later

Paladin

Undead

Big damage when it connects, but kited, crowd-controlled and short on mana, and Lay on Hands empties what is left.

Talents

5mSpells

20mLater

Druid

Tauren

Low damage so far, and nothing to break a Fear in a bracket with no PvP trinket.

Talents

Spells

Warrior

Undead

Gets no rage while a priest’s shield takes its hits, and a mage cannot lose to it. Consumables and dungeon items are its wild card.

Talents

Spells

Later

This ranking came out before the rules update of September 29, which changes how every duel starts. Rogues and druids now always get the opener, and warriors too, except against those two, which gives a warrior a free Charge from the 20-yard start. Warriors, last in this ranking, gain the most. Shamans may start with four totems down. And a priest’s Renew, a druid’s Rejuvenation and a warlock’s Demonic Sacrifice are banned before the duel. That talent sits in Demonology’s third row in Forever and lasts 2 hours, so it would have been a free buff before every duel.

Druids may deserve better, played as healers rather than Feral: that is how Sodapoppin now plays his Tauren druid. One claim going around that I could not confirm: an engineering stable that lets hunters change pets away from town. The client’s engineering recipes have no such item.

The priest has two things against it. It is the class the most players signed up with (Supatease), so its four places in the finals are the hardest to get. And rogues have won about 90% of level 30 tournaments so far (SavixPlaylist).

On their podcast of October 15, Blizzard’s designers said they do not balance classes for this tournament. Asked about priests, they answered that Penance is just good.

My advice: pick the class you will actually practise with. A ranking made before anyone has fought at 30 on this beta says less than a hundred duels against your worst matchup. Every class has its fifth-row talent at 30, and every talent can be read in my talent calculator.

One more thing to weigh: the rules make your class count twice. In the qualifiers you duel anyone in your pod, but your record is ranked against your own class only, across every pod, and the top four of each class reach the finals; then $5,555 goes to the best player of each class. A warrior or a druid only needs a better record than the other warriors or druids, in a field where few serious players pick them.

Three facts to add to these rankings. Hunters can now lay Freezing Trap in combat, with a 30-second cooldown instead of 15, so Scatter Shot into a trap works mid-duel, though not before it: the rules let you lay one only once the countdown reaches zero and your opponent is hostile. A crocolisk’s Dismember cuts healing by 50% for 10 seconds: it is the pet to take against healers. And the published rules cap food and water only after a duel times out, so a mage can still polymorph, drink and reset.

One correction to the talk around this list: paladins do not have Divine Shield at 30 (it comes at 34), only Divine Protection, during which they cannot attack but can still heal.

Which Horde race

With no PvP trinket at level 30, your racial is often the only thing that breaks a control. Several changed in Forever.

Your class narrows the choice first. On the Horde side, a paladin can only be Undead, a priest Undead or Troll, a druid Tauren or Skyborne, and a mage or a warlock Orc, Undead or Troll.

Two racials count in almost every matchup of this bracket. Will of the Forsaken, because priests, the class most players signed up with, fear you every 30 seconds with Psychic Scream. And Rapid Regeneration: behind any control of 6 seconds or more (Polymorph, Freezing Trap, Fear, Psychic Scream), it gives back half your health, as long as nothing of your opponent’s is still ticking on you. The rest decides a matchup or two.

Recommended race for each class

Warrior

Undead

Berserker Rage comes at 30, but in Classic it only works in Berserker Stance, which a quest gives. Until a warrior has the stance, Will of the Forsaken is the only thing that breaks a priest’s or a warlock’s fear once it lands. Orc next, for 20% shorter stuns.

Paladin

Undead

The only race a Horde paladin can be.

Hunter

Troll

Freezing Trap now works in combat, and behind it Rapid Regeneration gives back half your health. Orc next, against rogues’ and warriors’ stuns.

Rogue

Undead

Will of the Forsaken answers the priest’s Psychic Scream, and the priest is the class you will meet most. Orc next, for Blood Fury and shorter stuns.

Priest

Troll

Fear Ward is open to both races now, which takes most of Undead’s edge away. Troll adds Hex of Weakness, 20% less healing on the target, and Rapid Regeneration behind Psychic Scream; Hozitojones plays one. Undead for a second fear break and Dark Sacrifice’s mana.

Shaman

Tauren

War Stomp gives a class with no stun a 2-second one, and Endurance 5% more health. Orc for an Enhancement burst with Blood Fury.

Mage

Troll

Polymorph, then Rapid Regeneration gives back half your health. Venruki’s own mage is a Troll. Undead if priests worry you more.

Warlock

Undead

Will of the Forsaken against Psychic Scream and the other warlock’s Fear. Orc is as good: Shatter Curse clears that warlock’s curses and cuts magic damage by 15% for 8 seconds.

Druid

Tauren

War Stomp, then a root: no other race comes close. The Skyborne racials do nothing in a duel.

Every Horde racial

The classes each race can play are at the bottom of its card.

Orc

HardinesschangedDuration of Stun effects on you reduced by 20%.
Blood FurychangedIncreases Attack Power and Spell Power by 10% for 15 sec.
Shatter Cursenew in ForeverInstantly removes all Curses and Banes, and reduces all Magical damage taken by 5% for 8 sec.

Warrior Hunter Rogue Shaman Mage Warlock

Undead

Will of the ForsakenchangedInstantly removes all Charm, Fear and Sleep effects.
Touch of the Gravenew in ForeverYour spells and attacks have a 30% chance to drain Health from the target, up to 5% of your maximum Health.
CannibalizechangedWhen activated, regenerates 7% of total Health and 7% of total Mana every 2 sec for 10 sec. Only works on Humanoid or Undead corpses within 5 yds. Any movement, action, or damage taken while Cannibalizing will cancel the effect.

Warrior Paladin Rogue Priest Mage Warlock

Tauren

War StompStuns up to 5 enemies within 8 yds for 2 sec.
EnduranceTotal Health increased by 5%.
Plainsrunningnew in ForeverGain 2% increased movement speed every 5 sec spent moving, up to a maximum of 60% increase. Taking damage or standing still will reduce this effect.

Warrior Hunter Shaman Druid

Troll

BerserkingchangedIncreases your spellcasting and attack speed by 10% for 15 sec.
Rapid Regenerationnew in ForeverRegenerate 50% of your maximum Health over 6 sec. Any movement, action, or damage taken will cancel the effect.
RegenerationchangedHealth regeneration rate increased by 20%. In addition, 20% of total Health regeneration will continue during combat.

Warrior Hunter Rogue Priest Shaman Mage Warlock

Skyborne (Windshapers)

Wind BlessedIncreases your spellcasting, melee, and ranged Haste by 2%.
Read LeylineAttempt to tap into the power of a nearby leyline, increasing your Health and Mana regeneration by 50% for 15 sec. If a leyline is nearby, you will become Attuned for the next 1 hr and the effect of this ability will be increased by 100%.

Warrior Hunter Rogue Shaman Druid

Will of the Forsaken now removes Fear, Charm and Sleep at once instead of giving a few seconds of immunity: a clean answer to priests and warlocks. War Stomp is the only racial stun. Shatter Curse, new, removes curses and cuts magic damage taken for 8 seconds. Rapid Regeneration, new for trolls, heals half your health over 6 seconds if you are left alone.

Also new: Plainsrunning, for Tauren, adds up to 30% speed the longer you keep moving, which helps a hunter or a druid who kites. Touch of the Grave works 10% of the time for priests, mages and warlocks, but only 5% for warriors, paladins and rogues. Gone in Forever: the Orcs’ Command, the Undead’s Shadow Resistance, the Tauren’s Nature Resistance and the Trolls’ Bow and Throwing Specialization.

Fear Ward is the other answer to fear, and every Horde priest has it now, for themselves only: since September 29 the rules ban buffs from other players, so a priest friend can no longer cast it on you before a duel.

No Horde racial breaks a root (Escape Artist belongs to gnomes), but one item does: the Slither Cord, a belt that Lord Pythas drops in Wailing Caverns. It frees you from Frost Nova or Entangling Roots, not from a stun, a fear or a slow, and its cooldown is 30 minutes, so count on it once per matchup. Any class can wear it, and melee classes need it most. It binds when picked up, so get it with your tournament character, from level 17.

The Skyborne are the new race; on the Horde side they are the Windshapers, and Blizzard ties them to the paid Forever packs. Every racial, compared with Classic, is on my racials page.

Not known yet

The finals’ start time, and where the qualifiers’ duels take place. The admins may move the dueling area at any time.
How warlocks get their soul shards in the qualifiers, now that they may not leave the dueling area. In the finals’ arena, Blizzard plans a vendor that sells them.
Whether Blizzard will open Horde creation for the event.