World Of Warcraft: The New Evoker Hero Class Explained
Every few expansions "World of Warcraft" players get the chance to play a new Hero class. In good company with the Death Knights of "Wrath of the Lich King" and the Demon Hunters of "Legion," the Evoker class is the latest to be added to the game with the upcoming "Dragonflight" expansion. Unlike Death Knights and Demon Hunters, who were represented in the original RTS games, Evokers are completely new to the "Warcraft" universe — well, not completely new, as they are tied to Neltharion (a.k.a. Deathwing) and the Dragon Aspects, who have been central to many story moments in "World of Warcraft" throughout its long lifetime.
Evokers wield the powers of each of the five Dragon Aspects, combined together and tuned to fit into one of two specs, either DPS or healing. Interestingly, the Evoker doesn't have a melee specialization but can still wear Mail — compared to other spellcasters, they have a lot more going on in the mobility department too.
"Dragonflight" is an expansion that's all about returning home — a phrase to be taken literally and figuratively, as it features the familiar scenery of Azeroth, but also acts as a return to form for the MMO after two disappointing expansions. There's a lot to learn about the newest "World of Warcraft" class before "Dragonflight" launches on November 28 and players get to explore the long-lost Dragon Isles — those that preordered the expansion can get a head start on the 15th when the Evoker class itself opens up.
Evokers begin in their own starting zone, and are a Dracthyr-exclusive class
Evokers are the first class in "World of Warcraft" to be restricted to a single race; even Demon Hunters get two choices, albeit in different factions. It works the other way around too, as Dracthyr can only be Evokers and can't take on other classes — not yet, anyway. When players create their first Evoker they will be greeted with one of the most in-depth character customization menus in "World of Warcraft." After the character creation screen boss is finally felled, players are taken to a starting zone unique to the Dracthyr race just north of the Dragon Isles: the Forbidden Reach. Here, Dracthyr are trained to wield their unique powers and learn the history of their once-shrouded race as well.
Though players can't get to the main landmass of the Dragon Isles from the Forbidden Reach, the class does start at level 58 and will reach 60 by the end of the starting area — exactly where a player should be to start "Dragonflight" content. Just like Pandaren, Dracthyr can choose to belong to either faction at the end of the starting zone. Players must have a level 50 character on the realm they want to create a Dracthyr on, and only one can be created on each realm.
Evokers embody all five Dragon Aspects with two ranged specs - Devastation and Preservation
Evokers are infused with the powers of each of the five Dragon Aspects and corresponding Dragonflights, but they don't have five specs to choose from. Instead, they get two — Devastation, a ranged DPS spec, and Preservation, a ranged healing spec. Devastation harnesses the strength of the Red and Blue Dragonflights to deal damage with firey breath and destructive arcane spells while Preservation harnesses the power of the Green and Bronze Dragonflights to nurture wounds and rewind time. Dracthyr were created by Neltharion as a kind of personal army, and the Black Dragon Aspect's influence can be seen in both specs' damaging and crowd-controlling abilities.
Devastation and Preservation are each ranged specs, so Dracthyr Evokers do not have a melee spec. Interestingly though, they don't have the same casting range as other casters and like to stay somewhere between traditional ranged DPS and melee in a fight. Preservation Evokers can cast spells up to 30 yards away, but Devastation Evokers can only reach 25 yards max — other casters trend closer to 40, depending on the ability.
As a Dracthyr Evoker, you will have a lot of mobility-oriented abilities to take advantage of — abilities like Deep Breath deal damage while the player changes location at the same time, and of course, their ability to soar like a Demon Hunter is invaluable for getting out of tricky spots and away from AoE abilities quickly. The unique playstyle of this new class is enough to justify jumping back into "World of Warcraft," at least to try it out.
Evokers have the unique ability to charge up certain spells before casting them
Evokers have something distinct that no other class in "World of Warcraft" has. Certain abilities have different tiers that, when charged and timed correctly, create different effects according to how long the player empowered the spell. These abilities can either be charged by holding down a key, or by pressing a key and then pressing it again when the on-screen progress bar reaches the desired charge level. Either way, it's a very interesting mechanic that players will have to try out for themselves to see if it's effective or not. Either way, it's something no other class can claim.
The Dracthyr Evokers have drawn some ire from some members of the "World of Warcraft" community for being yet another "furry" race. With such a unique skill set, though, there's no reason to not give it a quick try — unless you're sick of "World of Warcraft" in general. "World of Warcraft" has never before added a casting-only class, not since vanilla, and its mobility-oriented ranged abilities paired with the empower mechanic makes Evokers stand out from the pack.
The class and race combination launches with a pre-patch on November 15, 2022, two weeks before "Dragonflight" itself officially launches — plenty of time to get to know the Evoker class and figure out if it's for you.