Blizzard is opening up a short public test of Talebound, part of World of Warcraft: Midnight, on the Player Test Realm. The demo runs from October 30 to November 1, and players don’t need an active subscription to join in, so it’s an easy way for lapsed or curious adventurers to see what the mode is about.
What you can play
The demo covers a decent slice of Talebound:
- Introduction: Red Hollow
- Three tales: Darkhaven, Greenthistle Wood and Greywake’s Expedition
- Three classes: Slayer, Inquisitor and Witch
- Three difficulties: Normal, Veteran and Heroic
Talebound frames everything around a mysterious Storyteller. You start as a lone traveler on a dark road who runs into this figure and gets pulled into a world he has made up, and the Red Hollow introduction serves as the first step of that journey into Quillgrave. From there, each tale can be tackled alone or with friends, and mixes fights against regular enemies and bosses with puzzles, treasure and relics to find.
Three new classes to try
All three Talebound classes share a movement-heavy toolkit: every one of them can double jump, dodge and guard, so where you stand matters a lot in combat. Lesser enemies also flinch when hit, which Blizzard says makes fights feel more dynamic.
Slayer is the monster hunter of the group, pairing a sword with a gun. His kit includes a three-hit Slash combo that stuns on the final strike, an Explosive Shot from his shotgun that hits harder up close and can be empowered, a backward leap that scatters slowing mines with Minefield, bouncing Shrapnel Rounds, Throwing Knives that double as a quick dash and can cancel other attacks, and Silver Bolt, which automatically targets the healthiest enemy in range.
Inquisitor leans on holy fire. Purify is a three-strike combo that ramps up in power, Condemn deals holy damage and slows enemies while you keep moving, and Denounce is an empowered attack that grows stronger the longer you stay still and forces enemies to confess. Light’s Wrath drops a burning sun over a target, Rapture sets enemies alight with flames you detonate on demand, and Radiant Burst lets you throw an exploding fireball on the move.
Witch is the spell-heavy option, drawing on lightning, poison, spiders, moonlight, thorns and ravens. Brewing Storm is her three-hit lightning combo, Bubbling Cauldron sends exploding poison frogs at random enemies, and Feline Communion briefly turns her into a cat that rains stars on nearby foes and can blink forward with Crooked Path. Winter Spiders sends out a swarm led by an explosive brood mother, Moonlight Ravens is a channel you can cast while moving that sends birds after nearby targets, and Thorns erupt under the two closest enemies.
Expect changes
As with any PTR build, nothing here is final. Blizzard notes that several Talebound talents are still being worked on and tuning is ongoing, so the classes may look different by the time Midnight arrives. The developers are asking players who try the demo to share their feedback.
More details are available in the official announcement.
Source: World of Warcraft official news.
