With the Burning Crusade entering alpha testing it was only a matter of time until some juicy bits would surface to the ever hungry World of Warcraft fans, and our expectations were not deceived. Following the recent trail of rumors, Blizzard Entertainment decided to shed some light on one of the most important aspects in character live post level 60, namely the talent tree system. In addition, they have presented a new spectrum of spells, skills and abilities to complement the already impressive arsenal available.

Although the druid, hunter and priest still require an overhaul, the rest of the World of Warcraft classes already have a definitive concept implemented around their later specializations. Needless to say, they are all breathtaking and are bound to raise controversy within the massive fan base. Blizzard did warn players that the talent tree is subject for change, should further testing prove the need for its alteration.

Class bonuses were implemented; therefore each specialization is intended to raise those particularly useful class stats. Thus rogues may chose to improve their agility; mages get spell effects upped by a percentage, similar to a warlock chance to steal life with each damaging spell. With Shamans receiving dual wield and alongside Paladins being no longer faction specific, it seems the totemic conundrum has been solved once and for all. A great deal of importance has been given to cross class coordination and effects since bleeding or dazed opponents have a greater chance of receiving extra damage from certain skills. Blizzard also used this opportunity to solve some PvP class balance issues. By the nature of the new talents or spells, it's easier for a warlock to fight dispellers or for a rogue to resist potentially lethal damage. In addition, each class has at least one talent driven ability to increase PvE raid effectiveness. While it's of little use to solo play, a mage can debuff its target with an increase in physical damage taken. All in all, Blizzard revealed major changes in game dynamics and class role.