World of Warcraft: Dragonflighthas just announced its next upcoming patch, set to come sometime later this summer. Patch 10.1.5, called Fractures in Time, brings with it a surprising amount of content. Evokers in particular never expected to be given this much love so soon after their arrival inWorld of Warcraft.
The most striking change coming inWoW’s next patch is the addition of a brand-new Evoker specialization, a feat that hasn’t been seen inWorld of Warcraftsince the Guardian Druidwas added eleven years ago. This third Evoker spec is known as Augmentation, and it acts as a hybrid of both support and damage-dealing roles. While this is exciting news for Evokers, it does have one major downside.
RELATED:How the Embers of Neltharion Patch Broke World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft’s Evokers Are Going Full Throttle in Dragonflight
Evokers inWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflightbecame quite popular in little time, and they are made unique not only by their appearance but their abilities as well. Many players have loved spending their time in the game as an anthropomorphic dragon with the combined magic of all the dragonflights, and the introduction of a new specialization is even more reason to celebrate.
The Augmentation Evoker focuses on using magic from both the Black and Bronze Dragonflights, which is especially relevant given the current direction ofWorld of Warcraft’s story in Embers of Neltharion. The update was all about rediscovering the legacy of the black dragons, and Fractures in Time will have everything to do with the bronze dragons. Thus, with the power over both earth and time, Augmentation Evokers are already sounding like formidable combatants.
Although Augmentation is considered a damage-dealing specialization, it is unlike any other DPS spec in the game. Devastation, the other damage spec for Evokers, focuses on using an array of draconic magic to burn enemies to a crisp, but Augmentation works differently. It’s clear that Blizzard wanted this new kind of Evoker to be unique as well as useful becauseWorld of Warcraft’s Augmentation Evokerwill focus on dealing damage by buffing allies.
These Evokers have a variety of spells that not only deal damage but enhance the abilities of party members around them. This means that in team activities, like raids and battlegrounds, Augmentation is likely to be a popular choice forWoW’s Dracthyr players. Most of their spells also work with intelligent targeting, meaning that players won’t have to constantly switch between targeting enemies and allies, and they can properly focus on their damage-dealing role.
There is, however, one major downside to Evokers as a class, and not just one of its specializations. Evoker is the only class inWorld of Warcraftthat is only available to one race, the Dracthyr. This means that any player who wants to play as an Evoker must get used to seeing themselves as a dragon. It makes sense in the lore of the class, seeing as though they use draconic magic and some spells won’t quite work if the caster isn’t a dragon.
That being said, Blizzard has been going the extra mile in Dragonflight in terms of giving players what they want. Developers even stated a few months ago that a third Evoker spec wasn’t in the cards, and yet here they are. It’s not unreasonable to assume that the Evoker class might expand to other races in the future, as Fractures in Time will soon allowWorld of Warcraft’s Warlocks to play as any race.
It often pays to remain optimistic about these things, as even if they won’t be coming toWorld of Warcraftany time soon, the future is full of possibilities. Gameplay aspects likeWorld of Warcraft’s Dragonridingmight have seemed impossible years ago, and now it’s one of Dragonflight’s most popular features. Non-dragon Evokers may still be a distant dream for some, but in the meantime, those who don’t mind playing as Dracthyr will have a roaring good time.
