February 3, 2026 7:51 PM PST
Based on recent news all classes will have two mastery branches now instead of the original idea which was focused on long term investments unlocking everything. As you level up or even hit max level you could be wildly different from another warrior your level, but with enough grinding, at some point you would both master the warrior class. Master... masteries... get it? Was a nice naming convention.
Now we have talent trees. Sorry "branches" For years permanent choices were discussed for the classes through class quests. Now replaced with 25 points in the tank tree unlocks the capstone! I get we have to prune the dream down. I just hate the class spec idea so much. It ruins classes.
LF archtype is still going to be the norm so it is not the end of the world, but you will never just swap your armor or play style to fit into the group. Now you ARE CC and not DPS. The constraints on CC will not simply be resources, positioning, and leveling path, but now simply what talent spec you have chosen.
Lastly will respecs be easy? Easy respecs means all the more reason to min max your talents.
With that rant over, a disappointing talent spec system is better than having no mastery system at all. It is still progress. Good luck making everyone happy.