World of Warcraft: Non-Evoker Dracthyr Face Significant Nerf Before Class Expansion

In a recent update for the World of Warcraft Public Test Realm (PTR), the movement speed boost associated with the Glide ability for non-Evoker Dracthyr has been significantly reduced. This adjustment comes ahead of the anticipated class expansion for Dracthyr in World of Warcraft Patch 11.0.5.

The developers have confirmed that Dracthyr will soon gain access to a variety of new classes in Patch 11.0.5. After being limited to the Evoker class for nearly two years, players will now be able to choose from Priests, Hunters, Mages, Rogues, Warlocks, or Warriors when playing as Dracthyr.

However, several racial abilities have been modified in light of this change, with the latest nerf being particularly impactful. The Dracthyr’s Glide ability, which allows them to slow their descent and increase their movement speed by a small margin when jumping twice, has had its speed boost diminished for non-Evoker players. This change is highlighted in the patch notes for the most recent build of Patch 11.0.5 on the PTR.

Adjustments to Dracthyr Racial Abilities: The War Within

- The movement speed boost during Glide has been lowered for non-Evoker Dracthyr.

- The Tail Swipe ability is now exclusive to Evokers.

- Wing Buffet has a three-minute cooldown, which can be reduced through Evoker talents.

This isn't the first time the racial abilities of Dracthyr have faced nerfs for non-Evokers. Initially, when the class expansion was announced, the cooldowns for Tail Swipe and Wing Buffet—two powerful crowd control abilities—were extended to three minutes, though Evoker talents could mitigate this cooldown. However, a subsequent PTR build entirely removed Tail Swipe from the racial abilities of non-Evokers, restricting it solely to Evokers.

From a balance perspective, these nerfs make sense. Providing classes like Priests and Warlocks with an in-combat speed boost without a cooldown could significantly tilt the balance of gameplay, potentially making Dracthyr the go-to race for all classes they can play. Glide is already a crucial ability in both PvP and PvE environments, and allowing non-Evokers to exploit its speed advantage would likely shift the game’s meta considerably.

Nonetheless, many players are disappointed, as Glide is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the Dracthyr race, and this nerf diminishes that experience. Fans hope that no further nerfs to the Dracthyr racial abilities will occur before the patch launches, which is expected to coincide with the start of World of Warcraft’s 20th anniversary event on October 22.